Complimentary chips, hot from the fryer, come with two types of salsa, roja and verde. The perennial question is: which is hotter? Tamale Man says that the roja packs the bigger punch. I contend that the verde has greater heat and a nice acidity to boot. As for the side of guacamole, it’s a generous portion but otherwise nothing to write home to Mexico about.On the weekends, patrons head for the shore with several seafood specials. These generally include a tilapia filet topped with mixed seafood: shrimp, two kinds of mussels and, somewhat amusing, fake crab. The piquant rosa sauce of tomatoes and garlic and chilies, tempered by the addition of crema, masks any inadequacies in the seafood quality, and with enough food for two for $14 it’s hard to complain.
We opted for the Sopa de Mariscos ($15), a big steaming bowl of an aromatic fish and tomato broth with tail-on prawns, mussels on the half shell and baby octopi. Served with diced onions, fresh cilantro, and wedges of lime that allowed us to alter the sweetness of the broth to our taste, it’s my new favorite dish on the menu.The Bistec Ranchero ($14) is another steal with enough to feed two. I won’t ask where it came from since there weren’t any grill marks evident, but the steak did have a nice char-grilled smokiness to it. Topped with a cooked salsa of the usual suspects--tomato, onion and chilies—as well as queso fresco and slices of avocado, each bite was a reminder of why nobody sticks to a low-fat diet for long.
From the regular menu we also ordered Fajitas de Pollo ($12). Simple and satisfying, the sweet white meat chicken mingled with sautéed onions and sweet red and green bell peppers. Wrapped up in the soft, house-made white corn tortillas that come alongside, you’ve got some of the best comfort food that Washington Avenue has to offer.The lunch menu, which features various tacos (3 for $6) and burritos ($7), is available at dinner and is a better deal, I suppose, if your dining partners are hell bent on not sharing—but I don’t like those kind of people.
The restaurant is BYO and, conveniently, a bodega of sorts is located next door with a good if predictable beer selection. We opted for bottles of ice cold Negro Modelo.
The patrons are a mix of young, South Philly-dwelling hipsters and their counterparts from other corners of the city, as well as folks who are nostalgic for their hometowns in Mexico. Sitting beneath the new flat screen TV showing—what else?— a soap opera on Telemundo, I wondered if perhaps the TV didn’t come with a special offer: free toilet seat with purchase.
Taqueria Veracruzana
908 Washington Avenue
