I have a new reason for looking forward to Saturday nights and it has nothing to do with drinking large amounts of wine or watching movies with my dog (although those are also very plausible Saturday night plans). It's because a few weeks ago I found Taco Mich, a not-so-great looking gem of a Mexican restaurant on the northeast corner of 16th Street and McDowell. You know, the one that's changed names at least two times in as many years? The green and white building with the big sign advertising $0.65 tacos on Wednesdays? Yes, that one.
I'm a fan.
See also: Eating 16th Street
Here's how it happened. I was craving tacos -- as in the authentic kind -- on a Saturday night a few weeks ago and decided to cruise over to 16th Street, where I assumed I had a decent chance of finding something good and open after 10 p.m. I saw Taco Mich, brightly lit up and actually pretty crowded, so I pulled in. The last time I'd been at this spot in summer 2012, the restaurant was called Hacienda El Bar-Ril. I'd really enjoyed the food then so I figured I'd give this new spot a chance, too.
On the busy back patio I found a woman cooking al fresco on a flat top grill. The smell alone had me pretty much convinced I'd made a good decision.
To order, you need to go inside the restaurant where you'll be confronted with Taco Mich's giant menu. There's a long list of tacos (everything from chicken to lengua), tortas, chimichangas, and more but what you want is what they're making outside. And that's the al pastor tacos. They're exactly $1 each. Once you pay you'll get a pink ticket with the number of tacos you've ordered written on it.
Bring that out to person grilling and you'll get some delicious food in exchange.
The al pastor tacos (which you can get wrapped up in foil if you'd rather eat at home) will feature hot-off-the-grill pieces of flavorful, pork accented with bits of fat and onion. A sprinkle of cilantro adds a nice brightness to it, while the base of warm, grilled corn tortillas is just about perfect. I also like to add a healthy dose of Taco Mich's smokey, spicy red salsa, but a friend prefers to add their mixture of pickled carrots and onions.
Either way it's just about the best thing you can get for a buck on a late Saturday night.
From what I can tell the restaurant only does the outdoor grill-thing on Saturday. But they're open 24 hours on both Friday and Saturday so if nothing else, you've also got a new late night dining option -- and they even serve beer.
