Land Of The Lost

There have been two Mexican places in my neighbourhood for a while: Mexitaco and El Jacal. Then Tortilleria moved in a while back, offering a grocery store, fresh tacos to go, and an eat-in option. Unfortunately, the fillings for their tacos are cold and unappetizing. A 4th hispanic/Mexican place opened up called Tierra Azteca at Bloor and Dufferin. I've been passing it by because it looked like a convenience store. But then I noticed through the window covered with posters and specials that there were tables inside.

I went inside on Thursday and realized I was in a Canadian-style bodega. There were Mexican products for sale, although they devoted less space than Tortilleria. A moneygram kiosk allowed people to send money home. After doing a bit of shopping and wiring money, the 100% hispanic customers sit down for a meal. The dishes came out a door in the back, which I doubt leads to a restaurant-style kitchen. You can't get more authentic than that, if you're the kind of person who insists upon it.

Maybe a little too authentic because nobody speaks more than a few words of english, especially the waitress/cook. We finally agreed that I would get 4 tacos ($10) - 2 chorizos, 1 pork, and 1 beef. I also grabbed a Mexican Coke from the drinks cabinet. Mmmm ... non-HFCS, sugar cane goodness. I sat there sipping my Coke, a bit hesitant about what I'll get.

But the tacos that came out were delicious. Stuffed full of tasty meat and topped with delicious salsa. The slight sourness of the salsa made me think that tamarind may have been used. I could have used a little more heat but maybe they took it easy on the gringo. I usually prefer the chorizos to the pork because the latter tends to have a smelly, coarse aftertaste but this pork went down nice and easy.

I would definitely go back to Tierra Azteca as they do have other dishes. But as this chowhound post points out, you'd have to come equipped with the names of the dishes in Spanish such as pozole (intriguing - there is a Vietnamese dish made with hominy) and pancita (tripe soup).