Tacos Matamoros Restaurant
Liz, Chris and I have been searching for a halfway-decent Mexican restaurant in New York for going on three years now, as you might know if you’ve been reading our other Mexican food reviews. I’m pleased to announce that we may have found the answer to our prayers in Tacos Matamoros Restaurant. A fairly new development in tacqueria-heavy Sunset Park, this is a more formal, sit-down version of the popular taco stand simply known as Tacos Matamoros, which still resides across the street amid a cluster of similar fast food joints, all of which are excellent places to eat in their own right. But what Chris and I had been searching for on this night was an old-fashioned, sit-down dining experience, so we took a seat in the nicely renovated, wood-paneled interior of the restaurant and began our journey to happyland, i.e. Mexican food-ville.
The waitresses, in matching outfits complete with vest, were busy serving the patrons, who were occupying nearly every table, but the service was speedy. Soon we were sipping our Horchata (a sweet rice drink, for the ignorant among you) and pondering which delicacies to consume. We ordered chips with guacamole and salsa to start, and found the chips to be a little dry and hard for our tastes. The guacamole and salsa, however, were perfectly flavored, and the excess served us well as garnishes for the rest of our meal.
I opted for the Chilaquiles Verdes (Chilaquiles being fried strips of tortilla, soaked in your choice of sauce (in this case green) and melted with cheese, with a garnish of sour cream – sort of like deconstructed Enchiladas). They were easily the highlight of the meal: richly flavored, just spicy enough to leave a pleasant burn on my tongue, and gooey enough to satisfy any grease craving. Chris deemed them the perfect comfort food, and I agreed wholeheartedly. The refried beans served aside the Chilaquiles were a bit watery and bland for my taste, but I was happy just to see refried beans on my plate — often in these parts, people seem to be in love with whole beans. I am not.
Chris ordered a trio of tacos: Chorizo, Pork Enchilada (Pork with spicy sauce), and Carne Asada. All were savory and tasty, and even better with the addition of guacamole. And to top it off, they were only a dollar each! That’s my kind of taco.
The pleasant ambience, with not-too-loud Mexican music playing on the electronic jukebox, families from the neighborhood dining and having a good time, and local bachelors kicking back a few beers together, added to the intoxicating nature of the restaurant, and by the end of our meal, after paying the staggeringly low bill ($17 for both of us, including drinks), we didn’t want to leave. As we lurched, stuffed beyond comfort, into the surreal and vibrant world of Sunset Park on a summer evening, we knew we’d finally found a place that could compete with the Tucson Mexican food we’d grown up with. Success!
