The people who know me best are well aware that rules are very much meant to be woven around, leaped over, and blatantly ignored. My parents really enjoyed my teen years. Even my eating habits, which on the surface seem strict and oftentimes tiresome, can be fully abandoned by someone making something yummy with a forbidden ingredient. I see you, Spam. Taqueria El Asadero’s claim to fame, the carne asada taco, is one of those items that had to be tasted and couldn’t be substituted with beans for the same effect. Despite having a personal extreme limit on red meats, especially if procured from unknown sources where I can’t be lulled into thinking I’m not destroying my body and also the environment, I went for it. And as usual, rules truly were meant to be broken.
First of all make sure you have cash. Taqueria El Asadero is cash only. Second, get both sauces. Then take at least one guilt-free bite that will fuel the next as you realize that El Asadero has turned what could have been a dry, toothy steak-taco-usual where you’d only feel satisfied if it was 2am and you had six beers, into a juicy, fatty, charred meaty experience worth the trip to your climate-change-doom-spiral thoughts. I’m pro cilantro and onion and haven’t yet decided if I prefer the red sauce over the green so a little here and a little there. Somehow both sauces never end up canceling out any of the steak's flavor and allow for your sinuses to be cleansed and your tongue to be happily unburned but vibrant. If you're weak on the spice front, the homemade chips will heal all wounds.
I admittedly did chase the carne asada with two veggie tacos because, case in point, I’m insufferable. And if you also get filled with existential guilt when consuming one of the dirty dozen, unhappy creatures, or mysterious forms of sugar, then the veggie taco is a solid feel-good choice. Pretend you didn’t find the beans too tasty to not contain pork fat. That’s what I do. Don’t ask and ruin it for the rest of us. Now, go forth and misbehave.
Taqueria El Asadero is located at 2213 W Montrose Ave and is open Monday through Thursday 10am to 11pm,; Friday and Saturday 10am to 12am; and Sunday 10am to 10pm.
Support arts and culture journalism today. This work doesn't happen without your support. Contribute today and ensure we can continue to share the latest reviews, essays, and previews of the most anticipated arts and culture events across the city.