Ryan Wisniewski
Pork prepared al pastor firmly hits notes of roasted pineapple.
In the 11 or so years since I’ve lived here, the Madison area has gone from having limited options for Mexican food to having a wealth of choices. The greatest surge in interest appears focused on antojitos (literally “little cravings,” a term for snacks or street food). There are so many good places to get tacos, from both carts and restaurants, it’s hard to pick a winner.
Tapatios Cocina Mexicana in Fitchburg is the latest to enter the ring of this taco battle-royal, much to the benefit of Fitchburgians (Fitchburglars??). Not new to the taco game, Tapatios is the brick-and-mortar continuation of the local food cart Cali Fresh.
A friend of mine has a kitschy welcome mat in his kitchen that declares blithely: “You Had Me at Tacos.” Generally, I haven’t met a taco I didn’t like, so when trying to assess them, I want to look at both old favorites and try something different.
Pork done “al pastor” is roasted on a spit with chilies, spices and pineapple. Chunks of pork are carved and served with diced onions, cilantro and confetti-chopped cabbage. The meat had a bit of seared salty crust and firmly hit the notes of roasted pineapple. The light texture and sweetness of the onions rounds out the flavor.
The carne asada taco uses similar ingredients, subbing flat pounded steak with a nice grill char for the pork.
“El Vegan” is the vegan entry. It pairs roasted cauliflower with pico de gallo salsa, cucumber, cabbage and avocado. While the El Vegan makes a good effort at inclusivity, to a carne lover like me, it just tasted like roasted cauliflower in a tortilla. My opinion may not carry much weight with the vegetarian/vegan crowd, however, and my wife liked it.
Tapatio is an old term for someone from the second-largest city in Mexico, Guadalajara. Due west of Guadalajara, in the same state of Jalisco, is the famed vacation port Puerto Vallarta. Tapatios pays tribute to its Pacific connections by including both a shrimp and fish taco, as well as a ceviche tostada. I like that they counter the typical “turf” with a bit of “surf.”
On the fish taco a thin strip of tilapia is battered and fried (or it can be ordered grilled) on a bed of pico de gallo, diced cucumbers and cabbage, in doubled tortillas. No fish taco is complete without a drizzle of chipotle salsa, and the smokey zing of the chipotle with a squeeze of lime fused the whole project decisively. The shrimp taco is similar in ingredients and construction.
Ceviche is the citrus-cooked fish consumed up and down the Pacific coast of Central and South America. Tapatios’ version comes atop a tostada, where cucumber, pico de gallo and cabbage mix with a surimi (krab) ceviche, sliced avocado and shrimp. Crisp, light and crunchy, the Tostada Tapatia most likely will fall apart, as mine did after my first bite. The shrimp were a beautiful color, alternately laid out with slices of avocado. The diced cucumber makes the most sense in this configuration, lending a rindy flavor to complement the briny sea. The surimi ceviche didn’t taste much like actual crab, or like much at all, so perhaps a mild white fish would suffice.
Chips and salsa are a common amenity at most Mexican restaurants. Tapatios’ chips were a bit stiff and oily, clearly indicating that they were fresh-fried tortillas, but served at room temperature. The salsa was good enough to grant forgiveness for the cold chips: Fresh, chunky, and mild enough for most, with just a little bit of heat and cilantro in the background. The guacamole was nice and fresh as well, with big chunks of tomatoes and avocados.
Fluffy Spanish rice and beans (refried, but still mostly holding their shape) are served a la carte and do the job. Both the rice and beans are vegetarian.
Tapatios has successfully created an oasis in a former pet store. From the classic ballads playing on the sound system to the tiny agave on my booth table, everything appears built with intention and love. Stained plywood construction offsets brickwork with open ceilings and nice paint and tile accents. Large wooden booths line one side of the restaurant and my daughter, always looking for the fun in spaces, was quick to find a two-seat half-booth at the very end to set up shop.
There are no margaritas outside of a bottled one, currently, but I would suggest trying the michelada, chilled beer with tomato juice, lime and hot sauce served in a huge salt rimmed mug.
Tapatios has specials like fajitas and carnitas tacos, as well as a whole menu section for weekend specials like tacos dorados (fried tacos) and their torta ahogada, or literally “drowned sandwich”, made with pork carnitas and beans, drowned in sauce.
I don’t have the hubris to declare who has the best tacos in the area, nor would I want to declare a winner at the expense of the wonderful variety. Tapatios’ greatest strength is its basic tacos, but where it wins is with the small details that make it unique. While the al pastor and carne asada tacos continue the legacy of the Cali Fresh cart, the fish taco, ceviche tostada, and even the michelada, show a taqueria cocina ready to embrace a sit-down audience.
Tapatios Cocina Mexicana
2990 Cahill Main, No. 100, Fitchburg; 608-467-7400; tapatiosfitchburg.com;
11 am-9 pm daily; tapatiosfitchburg.com; $4-$10
