My husband has been working extra long hours, so I thought I’d be nice and get him to take me to Native Tongues Taqueria, as I know he loves Mexican food, particularly tacos. I’m thoughtful like that.
We waited over an hour for our table. The hostess was friendly and accommodating, letting us stand by the door and order drinks. I requested a tequila cocktail ($14.00), something “strong and serious” while L stuck to Pacifico. The bartender asked me if I enjoyed the drink. Yes, I did, thank you for asking. It tasted like something Donald Draper would approve, smokey and potent. Our server was also customer oriented, helping us with the menu and suggesting to order a little bit at a time. I also noticed that despite the long line-up, none of the servers were rushing any of the customers. There were people who were eating when we arrived and were still there after we left.
L and I shared the Hamburguesa al Carbon ($14.00) and the Chilaquiles ($10.00). The hamburger consisted of two Wagyu beef patties covered in a warm, velvety layer of orange cheese. This was like a gourmet version of a Big Mac. The sesame bun was homemade, and I liked that proportionally, the beef and toppings were larger than the bun. The homemade chips were thin and fragile, drizzled with hot sauce. L and I noticed that though the burger and chips were yummy, both were so salty.
The chilaquiles made for a filling appetizer. The chips were already wet with the juices of the salsa. It was like the salsa was built into the chips. We enjoyed this dish, the toppings of crema, quesco fresco and cilantro was delightful. The cheese melted like snow on my tongue.
We ordered Lengua ($3.95); Carnitas ($3.95), Pollo ($3.95) and Hongos ($3.95). My favourite was the bongos, locally cultivated mushrooms with kale, cream, queso fresco and cilantro. The mushrooms were silky smooth, absolutely luxurious. L’s favourite was the pollo, spicy braised organic chicken. The lengua, beef tongue, was our least favourite as the texture was a bit mushy and again, over salted.
Later that night, both of us woke up several times as we were so thirsty. I should note that I’m no salt wimp. I really hope the heavy handedness of the salt was a one off as we really enjoyed the ambience, service and food.
I can see why Native Tongues is such a hit with the locals. It’s a great place for a date or a night out. The service we received on a happening Saturday night was excellent, from the hostess, bartender to the server. Kudos to the staff for a fun date night.
Hitting the Sauce 