it’s tacos the city.
A Mexico City taqueria made history in May when it was awarded its first Michelin star, and now the taco stand — still the only one in the world with the coveted price tag — is coming to the Big Apple for a limited time.
The humble, family-owned El Califa de León has partnered with Tacombi to bring authentic tacos from the beloved restaurant to the U.S. for the first time, with pop-ups in all New York locations starting Thursday.
“In a perfect world, we would just take people to Mexico,” Tacombi founder Dario Wolos told The Post.
Open since 1956 and run by three generations, the casual taco joint in the San Rafael neighborhood is perhaps the smallest restaurant ever to receive the award. It consistently draws hours-long lines of people hoping to tuck into one of four menu options: gaonera (thinly sliced beef tenderloin), bistec (beef steak), chuleta (pork chop) and costilla (beef ribs).
It’s relatively simple: The slab of meat—never minced or ground—is served on freshly made corn tortillas, seasoned with just a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lime.
Diners can pour house-made red or green salsa on top “if there’s anything” — but that’s about it, owner Mario Hernández Alonso explained to The Post. No lettuce or cheese. Yogurt is “blasphemy”.
He hopes New Yorkers will be “pleasantly surprised” by his simple but meticulously made tacos — though he’ll never share the exact recipe with anyone.
“That’s my concept and that’s how I followed it and that’s why Califa de León has that kind of service,” Hernández Alonso, the second-generation owner, said in Spanish.
He appreciated how “seriously” Wolos took his taco stand when the Tacombi founder reached out and proposed the partnership.
Taco teams have spent months tracking down the right ingredients and perfect cuts of meat — thanks to butcher Pat LaFrieda himself — to offer a one-night pop-up event at Tacombi Flatiron on Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. :00.
Two of the recipes, chuleta and costilla, will also be served at all Tacombi New York locations starting Thursday through October 31.
“We’ve gone through a lot of effort to respect his tradition and honor him and I think that’s why people here will appreciate it because it’s from the heart,” Wolos said.
“There’s a craft in Mexico to how you make tacos, and people who really care go to great lengths to serve them.”
And they seem to be a hit with diners, who are already buzzing about the pop-up online. “Run, don’t walk,” one TikToker wrote.
At a preview event Tuesday, New York blogger twins Kelsey and Baylee Soles, who were already fans of Tacombi, had heard about the Mexico City stand and were curious to try the dishes. The models, 29, promoted bistec and gaonera tacos.
“These tacos are so different from other tacos with all the fillings,” Kelsey said. “It makes you not feel greasy. I could probably eat like 12 of them.”
“I like it spicy,” Baylee said of the salsa, adding that the house-made tortillas were a highlight since they’re “naturally gluten-free.”
Wolos, a first-generation Mexican, hopes the collaboration will help spread a “love of Mexican culture through tacos.”
“It’s kind of the focal point. To share many interesting things that are special to Mexico. It’s our food and our people and our traditions and ours there together,” he said.
“It’s something for the whole world to appreciate.”
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Image Source : nypost.com