January 11th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I don’t know what it is about a good hot spicy soup that draws me when I need a proverbial hand out of the hangover hole. I suspect the action of slurping hot soup, the spice hit that brings on a slight sweat of demon toxins, and the burst of perfectly melded flavours that knocks some sense right into your brain, might have something to do with it. And when I’m looking to add qualities like satisfying in my belly and atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re somewhere else, especially not here in this northern hemisphere, then I’ll end up at Tacos El Asador in Koreatown south at 690 Bloor Street West at Clinton Avenue.I’ve had almost confrontational discussions with people about the authenticity and quality of food at Tacos El Asador. Firstly, this is not a Mexican resto. It’s El Salvadoran and the offerings will reflect that. It also occurred to me, when I thought about what I usually order at Tacos El Asador, as it is when I eat most anywhere, that I am a “considered eater”. In this case, I mean that I seriously peruse a menu and make choices based on what I surmise to be the best offerings for the location. Granted I do get it wrong. But when I get it right, I will come back over and over and over again for that bit of yum. What can I say? I’m a loyal kinda gal.

So I’m telling you right now, I don’t order soft tacos. I like to eat things I don’t usually make at home. That being said, they have added an “Al Pastor” option to the soft tacos selection which the servers tell me is chopped pork and different in texture and taste to the other menu items. I will withhold final judgement on the soft tacos until I try it. Remember, this is my preference. Cole loves loves loves the beef soft tacos.

The pupusas – a thick, soft, corn biscuit with a variety of fillings and soft cheese which is a creation from El Salvador – are decent, but unsensational in terms of what they could be filled with. They’re a bit doughy for me, but I know that they are extremely popular. I’d say worth a try and see if they suit your taste. I do like the cabbage salad that accompanies the pupusas.

I’m fond of the tostadas which are the open-faced crispy tortilla shells piled high with fresh fixings. At Tacos El Asador they use the term enchilada interchangeably with tostadas. Note that in Tex-Mex terminology enchilada refers to a soft corn taco with beans and other fillings much like a burrito, which is made with flour tacos so it can be confusing. Topped with lettuce, onion, tomato, beans, salsa and whatever filling you choose (avocado and chorizo tostadas shown below), these tostadas are like a salad on an edible plate.

Many people shy away from tostadas because they find them hard to eat. I don’t care. Big Macs are hard to eat… while driving on the highway… and shifting gears in a standard car… but I do it anyways… hey, I’m on the road. I gotta eat.

When I’m looking for real down to the toes satisfaction at Tacos El Asador, I order their soup – and almost always pancita (shown below). Here, pancita is a form of Salvadoran menudo or beef tripe soup with a base of chile puree. They serve it with limes and soft tortillas to make a full meal out it.

But I don’t stop there. I usually order a tostada or maybe a chicken tamale (shown below) topped with lots of hot sauce, to really get my mojo back. Funny this – you would think, having studied Spanish, that you would pronounce tamale with an accent on the “e”. Actually there is no “e” in Spanish. The word is just tamal and the “e” added to the end is an English variation.The corn tamale is too sweet for my taste but the chicken tamale is perfect. The corn dough is wrapped in a banana leaf which is supposed to give a richer taste to the corn meal during cooking. The ones at Tacos El Asador are savoury with the right balance of meat filling to corn dough. A splash of lime juice and hot sauce are absolute for me. The tamales are a must-try, if they’re not sold out, so get them when you can.

Recovery starts with the first slurp or bite.