Taco Santo Was My Favorite Explorer in 4th Grade

Hey guys? Remember when BBQ was the hot new thing in Park Slope? Get with the times, jerks. That's SO 2013. These days, it's all about the taco. As one of life’s most versatile foods, the taco's become SUPER TRENDY. GET ON BOARD. Though I'm already on board and love tacos like I love my own mother, I for one can not wait until dosas or some shit eventually bump tacos from their mighty perch. Then we can finally pass the DREAM Act.

In Park Slope, there was the 2012-2013 BBQ revolution. We had nothing. Then we had everything. It all started with Ft Reno. Then there was Fletcher's and Dinosaur and Morgan's. Different styles. Different levels of quality. Talk about filling a five-dollar whore with a forty-five dollar penis! As a result, BBQ got way overblown in Park Slope and  forerunner Ft Reno lasted just two years, with owner Jacques Gautier (also of Palo Santo) deciding to shut Ft Reno down at the end of 2013 & reopen the space on February 1st, with taco-flavored kisses for everyone, as the creatively-named "Taco Santo."

After a couple of weekend walkbys, I finally found a night last week where they weren't so damn busy and I was able to stop by and test out the new setup without feeling completely claustrophobic. I grabbed a seat at the bar and, as I always had during the Ft Reno days, ordered up a beer and some food. The main difference, other than the whitewashed walls and the whiskeys swapped out for tequilas behind the bar, was that there was no way I was getting my food to go. I looked around at everyone’s plates…the food is just too delicate. No way does that shit travel well.

As I waited twenty minutes for my food and checked out the space, I realized just how weird the quick change was. It's like there's a change but not enough of a change. The interior and beer selection are essentially the same, but the staff appears to be completely different. Like...when your aunt goes under the scalpel and goes from B cup to a C cup. She's still your dad's sister but she still seems desperate and you wonder if it's all worth it and you're happy for her and you think it's a good move, but you're wondering whether it's really going to get her laid.

Will Taco Santo get laid? Probably. They've got a menu of a dozen or so tacos ($3-5) with daily specials. They make their tortillas in-house. Everybody seems pretty friendly and eager but shit...who wouldn’t be during their first week?

I'd ordered up three tacos (skipping the $3 extra rice & beans that would‘ve made a platter) and since I love to blow my load early, started off with the Lobster Taco ($5).

The first thing I noticed was that the tortillas were definitely handmade, almost to the point of them being a little too moist for my tastes. As for the lobster, it paired well with the buttery flavor of the avocado. While $5 might be a bit much for a taco, every schmuck who orders the Red Hook Lobster Pound lobster roll should have no problem with the price point. It's delish.

Next up was the Fried Avocado Taco ($3). Meh. Lightly-battered avocado big deal. Crunchy slaw big deal. Cream sauce big deal. Better than anything from Taco Bell, I suppose. Big deal.

I finished with the Cabeza (Beef Head) Taco ($4). Considering that they're, respectively, head and tongue, cabeza and lengua have always been my two test tacos when I'm judging a taqueria. If you can make random face bits and taste-bud laden meat taste good, you win. Taco Santo's cabeza taco definitely wins. There was just the right balance of juicy and tender and char, with a satisfying level of simplicity and saltiness.

After I polished off my tacos, I decided it was in my best journalistic interest to hang out for an extra fifteen minutes and check out the "scene," so I got a bottle of Day of the Dead Death Becomes You Amber Ale, one of two Day of the Dead (a Mexican microbrew) beers that Taco Santo offers. While it's not the best microbrew I've ever had, I'm excited to see that NAFTA's finally paying off.

Overall, Taco Santo offers up a bunch of tacos that currently can't be found in the neighborhood. Ever had a rabbit taco? Me neither as, on the night I went there, it was a special item and lacked a proper description. Also, I didn't realize that "conejo" was rabbit. Also, my smartphone and ability to ask what "conejo" was were apparently broken. Long story short...you can get a rabbit taco at Taco Santo. I'm pretty sure there's no other place in the city with one. They've got a range of tacos, from fish to breakfast to cactus. I guess they have some other non-taco stuff as well, but if it's not a taco, I just don't give a fuck.

One highlight from my first trip to Taco Santo: Somebody sent their drink back to the bartender because, as they told the waiter, it tasted "like a BAND-AID®." The bartender took it in stride...sort of.

Another highlight: They'll eventually accept credit cards, but for the moment they're cash only. On the night I was there, the bartender was telling people to use the ATM next door at Brownstone Bagel. Turns out that was broken. Luckily, there’s another ATM across the street. If that one goes down, watch out.

Other than that, they're aight. Damn good tacos. A bit chaotic at the start but I'll be back FO SHO. RABBIT TACO MOTHERFUCKER!

Also, I hear Calexico is opening soon.

Read way more from Shawn at eatdrinksnack.com and eatdrinktaco.com.