Cascabel Taqueria
1542 2nd Ave., New York, NY
If you know the Upper East Side at all, then you probably know that trying to find an unpretentious, good restaurant in the area is almost as difficult as eliciting human facial expressions from the overly Botoxed women who reside there. Take a walk in the east 70′s and 80′s sometime and what you’ll find is a bunch of stuffy, overpriced Italian restaurants, a handful of unbearable bars, and at least five stores that sell neckwear for tiny dogs. Not particularly Immaculate Infatuation territory. Luckily, Cascabel Taqueria has come along and opened its doors in the name of good food and making sure the neighborhood knows it’s OK to chill the f*ck out every once in a while. We’ve been spending some time there over the last few weeks, and we’re officially obsessed.
Cascabel is primarily a taqueria, a low key spot for Mexican food done with high quality ingredients. It’s about keeping things simple and having some fun with a restaurant – not something you often find in this city where the food scene can be so damn serious. We’ve been fans of Chef Todd Mitgang’s since the B.I. days (Before Infatuation), when he was putting the ceviche treatment on everything from tuna to beef sliders at Crave. He’s now applying his creative approach to the menu at Cascabel, and the result is some off the hook Mexican in an atmosphere that actually feels like a real neighborhood hang. The tacos are unbelievable, there’s Negra Modelo on tap, and everything is made from scratch in house. We recommend you bring a friend and/or a massive appetite – seven bucks gets you two huge tacos, but you’ll want to try a few different kinds, so make sure you’re prepared to get down to business.
Food Rundown:
Guacamole Tradicional Con Tostada
A fantastic guacamole served with homemade tostadas. Go for the medium, unless you really can’t handle anything spicy. You need this, no matter what else you’re ordering.
Lengua Tacos
Yes, it’s veal tongue. Get over it. It tastes like incredibly tender beef, and until you’ve tried it, don’t knock it, because these tacos are amazing. Think of it as a great eulogy to every baby cow that’s ever died in the name of delicious food.
Chorizo Tacos
A wonderful spicy and smoky chorizo taco that makes you want to drink your beer fast.
Carnitas Tacos
As good as the lengua and chorizo tacos are, it’s hard to beat slow roasted pork butt in a tortilla. It’s so predictable, but these might be our favorite.
Pollo Chipotle Tacos
Yes. These taste like this song.
Quinoa
Unexpected and awesome, this is a nice way to switch it up from rice at a Mexican meal. Order this up with a side of the black beans.
Churros/Chocolate Caliente
I think you can buy these separately, but you shouldn’t. The churros come in little donut hole form, and the hot chocolate has just the slightest spicy kick. Delicious, though only three churro holes come in one order, so you might as well stock up.
