24 June 29th–July 5th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | FULL BAR! 2003 Bills of $50 or more Dine-In or Take Out Not Including Combinations Dinner Only Expires 12/31/23 Closed On Tuesdays $5 OFF 2050 N. Alma School Rd., #36 • 480.857.4188 Yes, they are. They take flanken-cut short ribs — the same cut as L.A.-style galbi (another Asian nod) — and glaze them with sweet salsa macha that caramelizes and drips down, along with rendered beef fat, into a waiting plate of pinto beans below. It’s a smart and confident crossover dish that’s even better when a version made with whole beef ribs is on the specials menu. “I grew up eating with my hands. That’s what I do,” Hernandez says. “I intention- ally made [the beef back ribs] that way so people have to use their hands. And I see people using their fork, and I go and tell them, listen, grab it with your hands and eat it. There’s something about the primal effect of going in and eating it off the bone.” That’s precisely how it went down at my table. Those who attempted to knife and fork it loved the beans, but couldn’t make heads or tails of the ribs. Pick that bone up, though, and suddenly it’s a different dish. Its carbonized char nestles right under your nose like a meaty mustache and your lips get coated with the sticky sweet glaze of spicy salsa macha. You lick your fingers as you gnaw and munch and tear bits of intense, smoky meat right from the source in between pauses for spoonfuls of lush, complex beans laced with chiles, sugar and beef fat. This type of messy, carnivorous hedo- nism might not be for everyone, but it’s a dish with purpose that’s meant to nudge you somewhere you might not otherwise go. More familiar territory That said, there’s plenty here that will be abundantly familiar. The chile relleno is a mild riff on expec- tations, a roasted Anaheim stuffed and fried in a light egg batter, topped with requesón — ricotta’s Mexican cousin — and set adrift on a pool of tomato and crema puree that pops with the kind of bright intensity I wouldn’t have thought possible with early season tomatoes. A special of enchiladas verdes is a stunner — simple chicken, naked and plain, wrapped in excellent corn tortillas and drenched with a salsa verde so vibrant I think I discovered another sense. No fear if they’re off the menu, though. The chicharron — an excellent plate of crisply prepared pork belly — utilizes a similar sauce. The tuna ceviche doesn’t quite hit for me. It’s clean and fresh as can be, but the flavor feels restrained, and the cut of tuna — intentionally or unintentionally — is a little tough. The tacos de papa were so close. I love the pillowy cabbage and mashed potato filling, but I suspect a little more time in the fryer would have taken those shells from tough to crunchy. And I’m not sure the bone marrow dish needs the bone marrow. It comes with a roasted sweet potato and instructions to mix the two, but the tiny bit of marrow gets completely lost in the hefty potato, which is such a beacon of sweet simplicity that it deserves to be the star anyway. Hernandez will openly admit that they’re still weeding out the hits and misses. But there’s no shortage of hits. A different dish, to be sure, but the blue heirloom corn empanadas hit the sweet spot that the tacos de papa just missed. Their flavor is gentle comfort, with a filling that’s more about the potato and less about the chorizo and cheese accents. But the texture of these deep blue beauties is dyna- mite — a hot and steamy filling enrobed in a crunchy coat, topped with a cooling punch of fresh pico and crema. And it’s tempting to skip over the chile con queso, but here it plays like a riff on Tacos Chiwas’ famed rajas gordita with a fan of chips surrounding a melted morass of onions, roasted chiles and cheese that pulls like a deep dish pizza and evokes Chihuahuan food’s desert roots. If you want to really get down with Mexican food’s more sultry side, order the asado de puerco — an intense, spicy stew of pork spare ribs, including all of the delight- fully slurpy bits of braised rib tips, boasting the kind of rich, succulent flavor one can only get from cartilage and gelatin plus plenty of heat and time. Or, if you’re bone-averse, bring Racks of beef ribs hang over the grill where much of the menu is infused with char and smoke. The costra de queso marries a thick, fresh tortilla and pork al pastor with a griddled cheese crust. Dominic Armato Dominic Armato Boundaries from p 23 >> p 26
