A little crazy is a good thing. This is the motto for this month’s first RC pick by one of our newest members. I figured our group would fit in well and so we took a little trip to Southie, to Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar. Loco calls itself “a funky neighborhood joint…that specializes in tacos, raw bar, and tequila.” A true triple threat!
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| Duck taquitos |
The restaurant is in former space of a Chinese and sushi restaurant on Broadway, and does not take reservations. But since we know Gina Colombo, we were lucky enough to score one for our party of eight. We also truly received the red carpet in terms of service, especially from our fabulous server Sarah.The menu focuses more on small plates (ceviches, tacos, guacamole, apps) with a few main dishes, and this was perfect for our group who loves to try ALL the things!
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| Chicken wings |
The first round of appetizers (yes there was more than one) was the spicy duck taquitos with plum sauce and two off-menu specials: chicken wings and Sunkist glazed pork tacos with a habanero reduction. The chicken wings are new to their late night menu and apparently they sold out in an hour on the first night. They were a perfect mix of textures and kick…and even a non-wing person at the table really liked them. The pork tacos were also delicious with the orange soda glaze (Sunkist, not sun-kissed).
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| Queso |
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| Oysters! |
The theme of the next course was chips…and the chips are soooo good. We ate chips with the sea bass ceviche (with amarillo leche de tigre, green mango, and Thai basil ice) and the tuna ceviche (with charred blackberry leche de tigre, pomegranate seeds, cucumber, pickled pineapple, and radish). The sea bass could have used a little more salt and someone thought that tuna tasted like watermelon. And then we ate chips with the queso dip (with Monterey Jack cheese and crumbled chorizo) and the guacamole. The guacamole was nicely acidic and had really good flavor, and the queso “ain’t no Velveeta.” We also tried the pork carnitas tamale with roasted poblano salsa, morita crema, and cotija cheese.
Then we tried some oysters, and finally we moved on to the tacos. Our taco order truly represents a situation where our eyes were much bigger than our stomachs. I think we made some great choices, but if I’m being honest I only tried the fish, the pork, and the carne asada. Everyone raved about the pork, which definitely had some kick, but I’d say my favorite was the carne asada.
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| Table full o’ tacos |
- Fried zucchini with smoked tomatillo salsa, curtido, manchego, morita crema, and pickled serrano peppers
- Fried oysters with charred green onions, curtido, siracha lime aioli, and cucumber pickles
- Baja style fried fish with with charred jalapeno, siracha lime aioli, pickled cabbage, and avocado
- Cola pork carnitas with griddled onions, charred cara cara orange and pineapple salsa, pickled serrano peppers, and crispy tortilla chips
- Carne asada with chimichurri marinated skirt steak, charred green onions, romesco, pico de gallo, avocado, and cotija
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| Churros with a side of Jesus candle |
If I had to pick a favorite of the meal, the duck taquitos were my winner. Though I admit it’s a bit of an unfair competition since I didn’t have room to try a couple of the tacos we ordered. By consensus, our least favorite dish was the tamales…they just weren’t quite what we expected. Add in some delicious margaritas and it was a winning meal, and an excellent first RC pick for Gina!
The damage
$65 per person
The rundown
Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar
412 West Broadway, South Boston
@locosouthbos
Kara Cooks and Eats 