I am not a vegetarian.
I tried to be in high school, but it didn’t last long. Because I was allergic to milk, eggs, and
potatoes, I was an unwilling vegan who somehow managed to survive on rice,
beans, and granola bars. After dizzy
spells and losing too much weight, I abandoned the idea of vegetarianism. Not that it isn’t a worthy cause; it just isn’t
for me.
So, it was a complete surprise to my husband and maybe
myself when I ordered the Vegetarian Tacos at Zacateca’s Tacos &Tequila. To be fair this was my second
choice. I really wanted to order the
Puerco Al Pastor which are pork tacos with orange chile pineapple. Before I ordered I decided to ask the waiter
how spicy they were and he grinned, “Those are actually the spiciest thing we
have on the menu.” On our last visit to
the restaurant, the husband ordered the Chicken Tinga tacos and sacrificed many
taste buds to his dedication in finishing every last delicious yet extremely
spicy morsel. And this is why I replied
to the waiter with, “Vegetarian Tacos it is then!”
But sometimes things happen for a reason. When the tacos arrived, they were arranged
beautifully on a plate – four tacos in what I call taco holders. Corn tortillas held yellow corn, snow peas,
zucchini, and peppers all sautéed in the most amazing butter sauce I may have
ever tasted and then topped with something called Cotija cheese and, my
favorite, avocado. Whoever thinks that
vegetables are boring needs to try these tacos!
The vegetables themselves had a fresh summer sweetness about them that
was accented by the salty, flavorful butter sauce, and pronounced by the
cheese. I had never heard of Cotija
cheese until this outing, but it seems like a Mexican version of the Italian
Parmesan. It has the same consistency, but the flavor is bolder, maybe saltier. It may now be my favorite kind of cheese.
Because there were four tacos, the husband and I decided to
share. In exchange for one prized
Vegetarian Taco, he gave me one Cochinita de Pibil taco, which are pork tacos
braised in banana leaves and chile. I
had ordered these on our previous visit and already knew that they would be
fantastic. What was surprising was that
the husband (who says that he pretended vegetables didn’t exist until we
started dating) inhaled the vegetarian taco and demanded that we exchange
another. Yes, demanded. I thought it was so funny that he valued
vegetables over pork in this instance, that I exchanged another without any
argument.
The truth is that the vegetarian tacos are so good that I
wanted to share, wanted him to enjoy them as much as I did. So, thank you Zacateca’s Tacos & Tequila
for encouraging us to eat our vegetables and to share. And thank you for making an excellent margarita too!
