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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2015)
Tacos El Catrin D The Mouth enjoyed a carne asada taco and found the cheese ta- male, made with three kinds of cheese, to be an understated star. The mole sauce was rich, robust and fi nely balanced in this mole chicken dish. Serving traditional Mexican dishes made from scratch Don’t judge a book by its cover. And by that same token, don’t overlook a restaurant in a strip mall. To do so would be to miss out on Tacos El Catrin, one of the more exciting developments in dining on the North Coast. Now, before I explain what Tacos El Catrin is, it might help to explain what it isn’t. Tacos El Catrin is not the safe, staid, homog- enized, Americanized Mexican restaurant that’s been photocopied across the land. You know the type I mean, offering 20 different versions of the “combo menu”; two tacos and an enchilada, a burrito and a tamale, two tacos and a burrito, and VRRQWRLQ¿QLW\ Tacos El Catrin isn’t that. There is no free chips and bland VDOVDWR¿OOXSRQQR³$PHULFDQ´ section of the menu with burgers and fries, no buzzing neon Coro- na sign. Instead, Tacos El Catrin pre- pares traditional Mexican dishes simply, well and from scratch. 7KH VSDFH LV ¿OOHG ZLWK QDWX ral light. It is clean, boldly col- ored and brightly decorated. An RSHQNLWFKHQ¿OOVQHDUO\KDOIWKHURRP7KHUHVW is ringed by small tables, a few chairs and bench seating. Our waitress was helpful, boisterous and right- fully proud of the menu. “Everything is home- made,” she said, “the chorizo, the salsa — even the beans don’t come from a can.” Now, I would be remiss to say that I did not try the taco or burrito — I had them both. And while I have no qualms with either — and the chicken in the burrito was perfectly cooked, just slightly blackened on the edges — the real joys of Tacos El Catrin are in the paths less traveled. Our waitress suggested the mole, and my The real joys of Tacos El Catrin are in the paths less traveled. The blue mint margarita com- bines light and dark tequila, blue curacao and fresh mint with a sugar rim. 14 | April 30, 2015 | coastweekend.com companion obliged. I haven’t always loved the dish, as too often I’ve found it overly sweet. At Tacos El Catrin, however, the mole sauce was ULFKUREXVWDQG¿QHO\EDODQFHG,FRXOGQ¶WNHHS my hands off it. The same went for the cheese tamale. It was hot, soft, and not overly mealy, with a perk of po- blano pepper in the center. Made with three kinds of cheese, including Mexican panela and cotija, the tamale was a quiet, understated star — a treat for vegetarians and carnivores alike. Along with daily specials and eggy breakfast dishes like huevos rancheros, there were many more entrées I wanted to try — and will yet — but I was entranced by the pazole and menudo, which are only available on weekends, as the slow-cooked soups/stews require extended time to prepare and cook. Now, call me a sucker, but there’s something about such scarcity that gets me going, so I re- turned Saturday evening. By that point, around 7 p.m., the day’s allotment of menudo had sold out. Thankfully, there was some pazole left. With a base of hominy (dried corn kernels that, after an alkali process, puff up like a slightly larger chickpea) and slow-cooked pork, pazole is an Az- tec recipe with great — and wild — ritual signif- icance. (Seriously, Google it.) The broth is spiced with chilies, bay leaves and more, but it delivered PRVWO\WKHÀDYRURIWKHSRUN$WWKHWLPHRIVHUY ing ruffage is added, including lettuce, cabbage, onion, radish and avocado. The dish comes too with crisp, hardened corn tortillas, which I opted to crinkle up and sprinkle into the broth. The resulting bowl split the difference be- mouth OF THE COLUMBIA COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com Tacos El Catrin Rating: 19 N. U.S. Highway 101 Warrenton, OR 97146 503-861-0369 tween soup and stew. Its textures danced bliss- fully from bite to bite, from the crispness of the lettuce and cabbage to the buttery smooth avo- cado, to the crunchy tortilla and supple hominy. All the while, the pork was so soft it seemed to multiply, separating each time my spoon stirred the broth. With dinner I had a blue mint margarita, which combined light and dark tequila, blue curacao and fresh mint with a sugar rim. Like the food — and the restaurant itself — the drink was vividly col- ored. I enjoyed the zest of the mint, though at $10 it was over-priced. The food, however, was a great value. Tacos El Catrin, which opened last Septem- ber, is helmed by chef Enrique Reyes, who spent the previous nine years in the kitchen of Cannon Beach’s Stephanie Inn. And while it seems Reyes’ current vision — which he’s absolutely execut- ing — is to serve traditional dishes made from scratch, it’s not hard to imagine him innovating down the line. Nonetheless, he’s off to a tremen- dous start. The North Coast, particularly outside of Asto- ria, needs more restaurants like Tacos El Catrin. It’s as inspiring as it is inspired. HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays. PRICE: $ – Entrées are all around $10. SERVICE: Bright, friendly and engaging. VEGETARIAN/VEGAN OPTIONS: Pretty good. A number of dishes can include meatless options. DRINKS: Beer, wine, margaritas and soft drinks. KEY TO RATINGS poor below average good & worth returning excellent outstanding, the best in the Columbia-Pacific region
