Southern comfort

Tequila Taco House serves up
lip-smacking Mexican and tequila to sip

by JOANNA FOX

The infamous casse-croute Kit-Kat that used to be on the corner of Sherbrooke and St-Laurent years ago always held a special place in my heart, in all its greasy, dirty goodness. Since then, that spot has been an unfortunate revolving door of failed businesses. When I noticed there was a new restaurant, and a Mexican one to boot, I had to go.

Open for only a couple of months, Tequila Taco House serves, you guessed it, tequila, tacos and a variety of affordable Mexican fare in a pleasant, not so in-your-face atmosphere. Now that the weather is getting cooler, there is no better way to feel less depressed about the inevitable freeze than a warming shot of Cuervo and a mouthful of fiesta in this cozy space.

Being called Tequila Taco, we got some tequila to get the ball rolling. With a nice range, we went straight for the Patron silver at a reasonable $10. Not a bad deal in this city for this smooth, soothing tequila, boasted as a higher end choice of “sipping” tequila (yes, tequila can actually be sipped, it’s not just something you do a shot of at the end of the night before blacking out).

We started with a trio of appetizers: the camarones aguachile ($9.25), the choriqueso ($7.25) and the taco dorados ($5.25). The first was a shrimp ceviche in a sala-esque mixture of lime juice, jalapeños and red onions. Although the shrimp’s texture was that of something cooked, the colour remained that of raw shrimp. I can understand how this could be off-putting to some, but it really was delicious. The bitter acid of the lime made the onions sweet and the generous amount of jalapenos gave this dish some real kick. Served with crisp homemade tortilla chips for dipping, it was very refreshing. The choriqueso was a no brainer: ground Mexican sausage with melted Monterey Jack cheese and warm tortillas on the side. Loaded with meat, these were little bites of gooey deliciousness. Also on the table were two homemade hot sauces: green chili and creamy red chili, both spicy, addictive and a constant accompaniment to everything. The tacos were three little hard shells stuffed with juicy ground beef, lettuce, cream and a very mild feta cheese. The cheese was a great touch, and doused in a combo of the hot sauces, a definite pick.

We continued on with two main course taco dishes, the Tequila Taco House special ($11), and the Puerco Verdes ($9.95). Both served on top of four small tortillas, the first was fried shrimp with a tomato salsa on the side. The shrimp were slightly bland on their own, but with a little salsa, this dish was light and enjoyable. The second was pork cooked in a tomatillo salsa verde with jalapeños. The pork was a bit dry and could have used a side of the salsa verde it was cooked in, but again, those handy little hot sauces could turn any dish around. The tortillas were especially impressive and brought back memories of remote and obscure taco stands down south. Very well done.

The chicken fajitas ($15.25) came out on a sizzling platter and offered a welcome medley of veggies with thin strips of tender chicken and melted cheese. Your standard fajitas, this dish was all right, but the tacos were better. On the side was one dollop of sour cream and one of guacamole. The guacamole was smooth with that rich, buttery, ripe avocado taste and I would recommend the appetizer portion to use throughout the meal as a condiment to all the dishes.

Finally, we tried the chicken enchiladas served with a creamy poblano sauce ($13.95). Swimming in this ever-so-slightly spicy sauce, this dish was tasty, but definitely on the richer side. The flavours were great, but you really have to bring it to the table to eat this one.

All in all, Tequila Taco House was a good experience. The service was great, the tacos were authentic, and man, oh man, did I love those hot sauces! They also have an extensive tequila cocktail list, so at the very least, go in for the Tamarind Margarita. After a couple of those, you’ll be warmed up.