It was Plato who first revealed the secret to life. “Wrap bacon around it,” he said. And that’s the key to the charm of the Costa Azul taco at La Vecindad. Shrimp is lovingly swaddled with the magical pork stick, making their street taco a surf-and-turf. It’s served on a corn tortilla with red cabbage, avocado, chipotle aioli, and queso fresco. That aioli would make divorce papers taste delicious.
The charming little Hillcrest restaurant (formerly home of The Local Habit) looks like it lost a fight with a paint store, with red walls and blue walls and green walls. Color-wheel attention deficit disorder is one of my favorite things about Mexican culture. Order the Costa Azul and head over to the salsa bar, where the star condiment awaits in the form of jalapeño cream salsa. Bring a friend, because, as their wall states: “We have no Wi-Fi. Talk to each other.”
3827 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest
Very Important Taco: The Costa Azul from La Vecindad Neighborhood Tacos
