Hola, mi amigo. In my last dispatch I spoke of the fateful Tour de Bronx and my bittersweet celebration at El Carnitas Atoradero, the magical Mexican joint in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The sauces were simply divine and the tortillas fresh. Perhaps I failed to mention it, but the food at Atoradero is homestyle in the best sense. You do not feel like you're eating the refined cooking of a classically-trained chef, but the honest, delicious, heartwarming - yet complex - food of a Mexican master. The sauces, the rice and beans, and the tortillas really transfixed me. I felt like I was back herding cattle along the Rio Grande with my banderos.
There is a good Mexican mole parlour on Upper Amsterdam near Columbia University called Taqueria y La Fonda. I've been going there for 10 years, and their entrees are excellent: various sauces, mole, chipotle, etc. with cuts of meat served alongside very good rice and beans. They give you warm tortillas for dunking and taco making. I ordered a mole verde, a green mole, and groaned in pleasure as I dunked my tortillas into the flavorful sauce. "Jesus the flavor" I screamed as I ate my meal. "Sweet honey these tortillas are so welcoming!" I bellowed. I am in love with Mexican flavors right now. Smother me in the intoxications.
