Guisados
Traditional yet adulterated Latin cuisine. Mexican with Guisados from around Mexico. Sautes, Braises and Barbacoas on handmade corn and flour tortillas.Guisado is the Spanish word for “stew” or “braise,” and name and form are one and the same here, the menu eschewing grilled meats for long-simmered fillings.
Each taco starts as a ball of fresh masa. Pressed, then cooked on a flattop long enough to achieve ample pockmarks of char, these tortillas are ideal building blocks.
Of Guisados’ namesakes, we were partial to both the chicken tinga and mole (all tacos are $2.50), the former getting a smoky kick from the addition of chipotle to the cabbage, onion and chorizo with which the bird is stewed.
Topping the mole-filled tacos was a dry salsa made of the same mixture of chilies and seeds that gives the sauce its famously deep flavor. The crunch, heat and savor of the scattered pepitas, sesame seeds and crushed peppers provided textural dimension to the soft chicken and velvety sauce.
If the choices are overwhelming and you’re unable to decide between the calabacitas (squash stew) and chicharrones en salsa? Opt for the sampler of six mini-tacos (pictured; $6.50) instead.
Guisados, 2100 Cesar Chavez Blvd., Boyle Heights; 323-264-7201 or twitter.com/guisados
