Courtesy of El Taco de Mexico
El Taco de Mexico in Denver
Congratulations to El Taco de Mexico in Denver, which was just named a 2020 James Beard Foundation "American Classic"! First-hand reports from el Restaurante's friends in Denver are that the humble restaurant is entirely deserving of this honor. Here is the citation from the James Beard Foundation:
Among Denver’s thriving Mexican food culture, El Taco de Mexico is a lodestar whose appeal cuts across lines of race, class, and age. Maria Luisa Zanabria, a native of Mexico City, arrived in the city in 1985, first opening a trailer on Santa Fe Drive in Denver’s Art District. Her business grew into a small taqueria with a bright, bumblebee-yellow exterior. The serious, focused cooks (all women) keep pace with the all-day crowds, turning out tacos (carne asada, al pastor, and lengua are among the options), enchilada, gorditas, and weekend menudo. The restaurant’s crowning glory is the pork burrito, smothered in green chile humming with earthy spice. Made extra-heaping as a breakfast burrito stuffed with egg and chorizo, it brings bleary-eyed devotees back to life.