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| - mmmmm. Taqueria. The word itself evokes such happiness. I've heard lots of buzz about this place, and when I had a meeting in the neighborhood, I took the chance to check it out. It's a pretty sparse place, with only a few tables and stools. But it still somehow looks trendy. Empty-chic?
I took a paper menu and sat at a stool, and a server took my order. My horchata appeared quickly - if you haven't tried this before, I highly recommend it, and Smoke makes a nice version. Horchata is made differently everywhere, but you'll usually find it milky and spiced with cinnamon and vanilla. It's actually made with rice, but don't let that weird you out. It's pronounced "or CHA ta" and Smoke's version has a little bit of lime zest on top, which was fun.
My tacos took a solid 15 minutes to appear, which was fine - it isn't fast food, but I also didn't experience the super-slow service people described below. I was there at 130 pm on a Thursday, for what it's worth. My tacos came wrapped in foil and presented to me with napkins - I get that it's street food and all, but I sort of expected, since I was "dining in," that there'd be like.... a plate. Even a paper plate. So things got messy. Though that is part of the fun of tacos.
I got the chorizo taco and the veggie - both were tasty. Chorizo was $4, and veggie was $3. They are bigger than hard-shell taqueria tacos, but they aren't too big...Maybe 1/3 the size of a Chipotle burrito? Two tacos were PLENTY for me. The server recommended two tacos and a side dish for one person - but I'd say only do that if you are HONGRAY. I couldn't stuff all that in my face, no sir.
The chorizo taco had pinto beans in it, and some salsa goodness. It was fresh-tasting and yummy....the tortillas are handmade, but they are flour tortillas, and I think they could really use a corn tortilla option, just sayin'. I liked the veggie one, filled with corn and black beans. The veggies were cold in the taco, which was also not ideal, and I would've loved some cheese on them, but they did not have that option listed on the menu.
So my meal was $11 for two tacos and a dandy horchata, which I think is pretty spot-on fair. Easy parking on 8th Ave cost me a quarter. I think this place is a nice addition to the Pittsburgh area. The food is appealing, but frankly, it's not hugely different from Chipotle. And Chipotle is delicious, don't get me wrong. Smoke is a great place to visit, but it's not doing enough to stand out from the rest of the pack. Well, I guess it is in Pittsburgh, it's really the only place like this that I've seen here. And that's saying a lot - I think the Latin American influence on the restaurant seen here is improving, and that is something to be excited about. I'd come back, with my boyfriend, the next time we crave Chipotle but also want to spend our dolla dolla bills on a local business.
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