El Barco
When El Barco opened on Martha's Vineyard about a year ago, it took the island by storm… It’s just go fun and flavorful and affordable. So they got on the ferry, came north to the Back Bay of Boston and brought their taco talents to the big city. You walk into El Barco, you know, it's something different for the Back Bay. I mean, it just screams fun, all that quirky Mexican art, a great bar, and you can look inside that kitchen and watch them making the fresh chips and the fresh tortillas.
“We wanted to make you feel like you're in Mexico or on the street.. the whole concept.. is to have amazing street tacos.”
Gabriel Miranda was born in Mexico and he wanted to bring those authentic flavors to El Barco.
“You're transported back to my house my mom, my grandma cooking for us
It's the culture, it's the love we have. It's a process. It's not just let's make a tortilla and put something together…our stuff is a process. It takes hours and sometimes days to get something ready, and that's why you can feel the love and and the spices of Mexico.”
You got to start your meal with some chips. These are fresh cut salty, crispy. You can get them with queso, but I'm more of a salsa kind of guy, and they also make a great fresh guacamole here. A feature they have at El Barco that I absolutely love is their salsa bar. It has four kinds of salsas, ranging from mild to really hot, plus a range of hot sauces. So you have everything you need to maximize your Mexican dining experience.
“Everybody likes chips and salsa.We try to make our salsas here every day. We have four different levels of spices. Not many restaurants do it. You buy your chips and you go up to the bar and serve whatever salsa you want for your chips.”
The chicken flautas are delicious. They feature a shredded chicken and a chipotle aioli. The key here is they take that corn tortilla, wrap it around the chicken, and then dip it in the fryer. Brings out a ton of flavor. Also makes it real easy to dip it into the guacamole. I like a little bit of spice to it.
I think the best thing to get on this menu is the tacos. Every order comes with two five inch tacos, that way you and your friends can try a ton of different things. I think the Smash burger tacos are really a symbol of the playful, fun nature of this restaurant. Smash burgers are what everybody is talking about in the burger industry these days…they take that thin patty and put it on the flat top so it gets that nice char and sear on the outside. Then they mix in some lettuce, American cheese, onions, tomatoes and on top, pickles. Usually don't see a lot of pickles in Mexican cuisine, but they are making it work.The only way to improve a smash burger is to put it inside a corn tortilla.
The quesabirria taco here is amazing. This is short rib and chuck slow roasted. Really delicious inside the corn tortilla and served with a consummate super rich, flavorful. Sauce. Now, be aware, in Mexico, if you don't finish the consomme, they find that offensive.
“ You're going to be able to taste the cinnamon that's in there. You're going to be able to taste the cloves are in there, all the spices that that we put in there. We put it in one big pot and cook it for hours and they get married together.”
If you look closely, you can see a couple tributes to the Old Summer shack restaurant, which I loved and used to be right here, and that put me in the mood for a fish taco. They do offer a haddock taco, but I couldn't resist the blackened shrimp. Comes with a lime crema, tomatoes, pickled red onions and a cotija cheese. Usually don't say cheese on a shrimp dish, but this is delicious.
My favorite Mexican dessert by far is the churro, and they make great ones. Here they come forward to an order made with tons of sugar and cinnamon and two different kinds of dipping sauces. These things are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. This one's my favorite.
“When order comes out, I'm stealing one, and then the cooks are gonna have to make an all for the customer, because I'm taking one. Come order the churros for sure .”
They do have my favorite Mexican beer, Modelo, but I think at El Barco you gotta get yourself a margarita. I know a lot of you wicked smart kids that went to Harvard and MIT. You graduated summa cum laude. I graduated SIPA cum laude because I spent so much time at bars. And I'm telling you when they ask about the rim, you always want the salt rim because it pairs so perfectly with salty chips or tortillas. If you’re here having dinner, I think you just want a margarita. If you here with a group of friends, I think you want a pitcher of margaritas. If you have a bachelorette or bachelor party, you're getting the mega Margarita. I'd love to finish this delicious drink right now, but I'm still working.
The Back Bay is some of the priciest real estate in America. But for your dining dollar, I'm not sure you can get more food and fun than you get at El Barco
