MIKEY’S ON 12TH HAS THE CURE FOR YOUR TACO BLUES
Fans of the Mexican street food will find the real deal at the back of this music venue
Tacos may just be the perfect food. Hand-held and easy to load up with whatever fillings you happen to like, a well-executed taco is a beautiful thing. And, as anyone who has ever eaten at a street cart in Mexico can attest, a plate of tacos is a meal that can be put together pretty much anywhere.
While Calgary has not traditionally been known for being a strong taco city, taco sleuths know that one can find some pretty spectacular tacos coming out of hidden corners in specialty grocery stores (Unimarket) and strip malls in Chinatown (Moose and Poncho), so it’s not all that surprising that the newest musttry tacos are from a window at the back of a much-beloved music venue. The Taco Shop is a new endeavour being run out of Mikey’s on 12th and, when it comes to traditional Mexican tacos, it is indeed the real deal.
Food at music clubs usually tends to feel like an afterthought, but the meals at both the original (now sadly shuttered) Mikey’s Juke Joint and the current Mikey’s on 12th has always been above average. Chef Alli Said has been in the Mikey’s kitchen for seven years and became owner Mike Clark’s business partner two and a half years ago with the opening of the 12th Avenue location. Said initially learned to cook from his extended family in Mexico City before honing his technique at cooking school. He’s always slid the odd Mexican item onto the Mikey’s menu — it’s not often you’ll see ceviche or tres leches cake on the menu of a blues ’n’ roots club in Western Canada — and a little over a month ago he took his love of Mexican cooking to the next level with a restaurant-within-a-restaurant specializing in tacos.
The Taco Shop is easy to spot as soon as you walk through the door — Said has turned the back part of the room into a little slice of Mexico, complete with papel picado (those colourful cut-out banners you see at Mexican festivals) hanging from the ceiling and velvety sombreros affixed to the wall. The tacos can be ordered at the window or through a server if you’re settling in at a table for a drink and some live music.
The food at The Taco Shop consists solely of tacos, though patrons of Mikey’s are free to order from the regular menu as well, which is still fully available — nothing has changed there.
The problem that we see with most local versions of tacos is that Canadian kitchens tend to rush things, whereas traditional Mexican tacos take time and technique to get the flavours and textures right. Said isn’t currently making his own tortillas because the demand is too high (he tried when the shop first opened but after selling almost 500 tacos the first day it was impossible to keep up), but he is sourcing proper corn tortillas, which also makes a world of difference.
Currently, Said is offering eight fillings, including two vegetarian options, that can be mixed and matched for $3.75 each. Taco lovers can choose classics like tinga (chicken), carnitas (pork), chorizo and potato, or beef brisket braised in tomatillo sauce, all of which can be augmented by salsas and additional condiments. Said also plans to do special fillings like lengua (tongue) tacos to please hardcore taco fanatics.
“If you want to understand a culture, you have to really understand the food,” Said says. “We’ve had all of these people from
Mexico come in because they want the tinga, they want the traditional tacos. It’s important to go to Mexico and really study the flavours there if you want to make great tacos.”
Mikey’s on 12th is located at 918 12th Ave. S.W. and can be contacted at 403-452-8060 or mikeyson12th.com.
Speaking of restaurants that double as music venues, the Ship and Anchor has brought back its charity eggnog, which will be available at the pub until the end of December. Proceeds from the sales of the boozy nog will benefit local charities including Girls Rock Camp, the Calgary Scope Society, the Calgary Drop-in Centre and the Calgary Alpha House DOAP Team. The Ship and Anchor is located at 534 17th Ave. S.W.
If you’ve always wanted to try Bar Von Der Fels (consistently ranked as one of Calgary’s best restaurants) but are more of a lunch than a dinner person, you’re in luck: for the last couple of months the cool little wine bar has quietly been serving lunch three days a week. Chef Douglas King’s menu is always full of surprising combinations and flavours and BVDF’S small plate format is perfect for a quick midday bite. Lunch is available Wednesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Bar Von Der Fels is at 1005A 1st St. S.W.