Marcia Polas - ADVENTURES IN GLUTEN-FREE

Freaking Tacos

Tacos. Pinche Tacos. If you don’t speak Spanish , please go to Google translate, punch in Pinche, when it tells you it means “scullion” – click on the word “click” in the English box and read the second alternative definition. Tacos. Pinche Tacos.

Honestly, I could actually just give you the address and website of my current Taco restaurant obsession once you’ve read those two little words and we would be done. Pinche Tacos. Yes they are.

But I’m getting ahead of myself and you may need more than two words to propel you to one of the best new spots on Colfax in the Capitol Hill/Congress Park area.

Pinche Tacos began in 2010 when founder Kevin Morrison introduced Mexican street food to Denver, delivered by way of the Pinche Tacos food truck: Local products, traditional recipes, incredible flavor, and yes, gluten-free.

I discovered Kevin’s team and the Pinche truck this summer on my many food truck excursions. Warm, friendly, and the makers of a killer taco, a few dollars would get you a great meal that left you satisfied but not stuffed. What could be better?

What if you had an option other than trying to track down the truck to eat standing up and find a glass of wine (we’re Celiacs so we aren’t grabbing a beer) on your own someplace? What if you always knew where to find a Pinche Taco and that spot included a great bar?

This fall, that’s what happened. Kevin added an option: a beautiful restaurant on York and Colfax called (you guessed it) Pinche Tacos. I had a heads up that this was happening and was able to have my first Pinche sit down the second night they were open.

As a Celiac, that sounds a bit risky. Second night a restaurant is open and I go in demanding they feed me well and keep me safe. In addition to risky, it actually sounds pretty rude. But I knew that the Pinche team understood gluten-free. They had been feeding me all summer long. So I met a friend and we sat down for tacos (that honestly seemed even better than what I remember from the truck), warm service, and a great glass of wine in a gorgeous spot designed with a mixture of dark and light wood, interesting fixtures, and a satisfying use of space. All of that and every taco I had ever tried from the truck available at the same time.

My second trip to Pinche Tacos was for a happy hour. A big happy hour that included tastings from the Republic Tequila (Republic is GF Tequila), a ton of foodie friends, a great deal of laughter, and again, amazing tacos and great service.

Third trip was lunch with a girlfriend. Quiet. Delicious. Inexpensive.

Each of my first three visits to Pinche Tacos would be worth talking about on their own, but the third week in January, provided me with not only a great dinner with a good friend, but also a story I’ll not soon forget.

My friend Carrie and I have been missing each other lately. Busy schedules, other obligations, and life sometimes gets in the way of time to catch up with a girlfriend. We both found a way to be free on a Tuesday evening and because I was craving Pinche, I suggested we meet there for dinner and an early night. She hadn’t been and was game for something new.

When I arrived, Carrie was inside and has secured the only two seats left in restaurant – spots along the community table that stretches in front of the bar area. I sat across from her and we began making our selections. The menu is delivered, and ordered from, as in a sushi restaurant. You choose the tacos you want and the quantity. I’ve tried quite a few of the menu items and never had anything that wasn’t delicious. But the fact is, I’m nuts for two tacos in particular. The queso a la plancha and the shrimp and scallop xnic-pec.

First the queso. Griddled cotja cheese, avocado (mine without), roasted tomatillo salsa, and lime. Simple and unadorned, you cannot believe the flavor when you put this (Pinche) thing in your mouth. The cheese and salsa don’t compete, they compliment. Between visits, you won’t remember the flavor of this griddled (think burned without being or tasting burned) cheese, you’ll only remember it was something sensational. Eat it slowly and savor it. This is one of those bites you hope will remain on your tongue. Not overpowering, not underwhelming – the perfect combination and treatment to bring out the best parts of the very fresh ingredients. Eat it first – it will warm up your taste buds and spike your hunger. And it won’t overpower what comes next.

The shrimp and scallop. Pan roasted shrimp and scallops, yucatan pico de gallo, avocado crema (again, mine without), and lime. Your first job is to take one or two of the three or four layers of tortilla from the bottom and place them on your plate. Now scoot some of the shrimp/scallop mixture onto that empty vessel. Squeeze lime onto both and ready yourself. The shrimp is perfect every time. Never tough, always succulent and flavorful, each bite better than the last. The scallop is not a scallop that’s lived a life that’s made it tough and hard; it is delicate and has been treated well. Soon your taste buds will be dancing with jalapeno, cilantro, and lime – as well as the grilled flavor of the fish. This is a dish with a kick – a perfect kick – not an “I’m on a bad reality TV show and they are trying to burn my taste buds” kick.

This is the best I can manage at Pinche Tacos. My head really wants to order a third or fourth, but my stomach never obliges and, I think, because the flavors are so gratifying, I’m not tempted to eat for the sake of eating. I’m satisfied.

This is what I ate on that particular evening as Carrie and I caught up on work, wellness, families, and our social lives. We were vaguely aware of the couples on either side of us changing as we dined and visited, and I will admit to noticing the adorable couple who sat to my left and her right just as we were finishing up. I’ll also admit to catching snippets of their conversation and wondering if they were on a first date, but the set up of the community table is such that you don’t really feel like someone is sitting on top of you and hanging on your every word. I may have stolen a glance at them, but they went pretty unnoticeable, until the water.

One minute everything was calm. The next, the young woman was being doused with a full glass of icy water. Somehow, her date had caught his water glass with a gesture and it flew across the table and into her lap. She began mopping it up, their waitress ran in to help, and he turned a little pink and apologized. The only thing to do was comment. So I did.

I believe I asked if it was their first date and remarked that I didn’t want to make them nervous, but I love first date and engagement stories and a friend just told me of hers. She wasn’t having the best time on a first lunch date, when her date dumped his soda all over her. There’s more to their courtship story, but they have now been married for over 15 years.

The guy asked if we would like to hear their first date story because it was epic. The gal looked at us, smiled, rolled her eyes and said, “He does this all the time.” The “this” was dumping his water on her. One epic first date story later, one exchange of business cards, one follow and refollow on Twitter, and I found myself going home that night thinking about young love, a boy you make so nervous he dumps his water on you, and if Carrie and I will be part of the story of their courtship they’ll some day tell at an anniversary party – right after he douses her with water.

So far, four visits to Pinche Tacos and I can’t help thinking it is one of those places where you have small experiences that become a part of the fabric of your life. Pinche Tacos. Pinche great.
 

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