Our latest installment of Quick Bites brings us to Harlem for tacos... tacos that we'd probably swipe left on.
THE VIBE
Like many online hook-ups (or so I've heard), Sexy Taco wasn't quite what it seemed once I committed to our two-night fling this past weekend. The Harlem restaurant is a semi-new "concept" within a space that, despite being marketed as a new spot, has now seen three makeovers since owner Brian Washington-Palmer moved in fifteen years ago.
First she was Native, an odd Caribbean/Mediterranean mashup, before morphing in early 2014 into La Bodega 47 Social Club, a party room with a menu of random global comfort foods. Now Washington-Palmer is fully embracing his California upbringing with Sexy Taco, rebooting all of those West Coast "Mexican" staples from the Mission in San Francisco to Pacific Beach down San Diego way.
(Photo by Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
So although Sexy Taco is being pushed as a hot young thing, this baby's definitely been around the block a few times. And, if you look closely enough, it shows... in the corners thick with dust, in the peeling bathroom decor, in the front entranceway that apparently doubles as a storage space. However, there are several new jumbo retro banners draped over the walls to liven things up quite a bit; a light sculpture behind the bar that's pretty fun; and the tabletops now have fall foliage embedded under thick plastic, which doesn't really make sense but adds a pleasant red glow to the room.
The overall scene was really different from one night to the next, with locals on low-key dates sipping $12 cocktails to old-school hip-hop and R&B on Thursday; then a shrieky after-work party dominating the room on Friday, woooo-ing it up to 1970s radio hits. Service is friendly but ragged, the menus are laminated and include many items from the restaurant's previous iterations.
THE BITES
The menu features eight different kinds of Sexy Tacos, two per order, all of which work hard to get your attention, at least on paper. My pair of Sexy Ta-cows, for instance, promised Rice-a-Roni as a filling along with the ground beef and cheddar cheese, but the only part of that San Francisco treat that made it into my meal was the seasoning pack, dumped way too liberally into the meat.
(Photo by Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
The Asado Negro was an ambitious combination of braised lamb (done "Venezuelan style"), tostones fries (mostly irrelevant), and sumac-cumin crema, which I'm not convinced contained either. The meat was tender and plentiful, but a too-sticky-sweet sauce overwhelmed all of it. The California Burrito, a griddle-pressed carne asada monster complete with french fries, would have likely delighted me at 2 a.m. in 1992 at the Roberto's in Mission Beach, but nowadays I notice things like mushy potatoes and chewy meat, so I'd suggest being drunk before getting this.
Much better were the Fried Codfish tacos topped with a vinegary slaw, especially after punching them up with a side of hot sauce. And the best thing I ate on either night was a truly top-notch skillet of four-cheese Sexy Mac, which effortlessly nailed all the right flavor and texture notes you'd want from such a thing. Simple, it seems, is sexiest here.
THE VERDICT
Order conservatively and without expectation and Sexy Taco seems like it could be a satisfactory hang, for those nights when you don't feel like thinking about where, or even what, to eat. A place to get tipsy and full, with more personality than most neighborhood spots.
(Photo by Scott Lynch/Gothamist)
Sexy Taco is located at 161 Malcolm X Boulevard on the corner of 118th Street, and is open for drinks and dinner nightly, with a brunch service on weekends. (212-280-4700; sexytacodirtycash.com)
