A new BYOB looks to bring the flavors of Mexico to Media
Chef Antonio Garcia's menu samples from regions across Mexico, including dishes his grandmother made when he was growing up in Toluca, as well as street food popular in Mexico City.
Editor’s note: Taquero has pushed back its opening date and now plans to open on Dec. 1.
The longtime chef of Italian restaurant Ariano in Media is readying to open his own eatery on the same block, where he’ll turn his attention to paying homage to his Mexican roots.
Chef Antonio Garcia began dreaming up Taquero about three years ago and set the plans in motion for his restaurant at 111 Veterans Square last spring. After more than 18 months of work to convert part of a former office building, Taquero will open Nov. 24.
The BYOB will look to set itself apart from other Mexican eateries in the borough by showcasing a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cuisine, with an emphasis on authentic dishes. The menu will give a nod to Garcia’s hometown of Toluca, while also sampling from elsewhere in the country.
In conceptualizing his restaurant, Garcia said he wanted to do “something that’s going to make me proud, for me and my family.”
Some of the restaurant’s offerings are dishes his grandmother made when Garcia was a child, while others borrow from the street food scene in Mexico City, where he spent time before coming to the U.S. nearly 25 years ago.
“Everybody says their grandma is the best cook. My grandma was, like, insane,” Garcia said. “Everything she cooked was so delicious.”
One nod to her is fideo seco, a traditional Mexican pasta dish made with spaghetti-like noodles in a chipotle broth and served with queso fresco, crema, lump crab, and avocado.
Other entrées include carne asada, enchiladas, a Mexican-style pork chop, and Mexican-style paella, a spicier take on the Spanish version that’s more chipotle-forward.
Appetizers will include guacamole; the popular street corn, elote; empanadas; and sopesitos, a tortilla-like base formed into a small bowl to hold toppings like beans. There will be soups, like pozole, made with seafood and hominy, and salads, including a beet-forward option and Garcia’s take on the Caesar salad. Taquero — which translates to taco-maker — will also have a selection of five tacos: fish, birria, carne asada, shrimp, and vegetarian, each served in housemade corn tortillas.
Desserts, including flan and xangos, a tortilla-wrapped cheesecake served with ice cream, round out the food offerings, which will change seasonally.
The BYOB will also offer three mixers: a traditional margarita, a paloma, and a daily special. Diners can bring beer, wine, or champagne, with no corkage fee, or sip on a selection of Mexican sodas or the fruit-forward agua fresca.
The restaurant will launch with lunch and dinner service, with a goal of adding breakfast in the new year.
In keeping with his desire to make authentic dishes, Garcia is using goods imported from Mexico, including various types of chorizo.
Garcia plans to split his time between the kitchen and the floor, tapping Jose Rigoberto, who’s been working in the kitchen at Fellini Cafe for years, as his sous chef.
While Garcia has been focused on Italian cuisine, Media residents may have already sampled some of his Mexican dishes during Ariano’s Mexican Monday nights.
Ariano’s former owner, Anthony Bellapigna, encouraged Garcia to pursue dishes that were true to his roots, which helped lay the groundwork for him to open his own restaurant. Fittingly, Bellapigna also helped create the copper-topped tables in Taquero, which he, Garcia, and Rigoberto hammered by hand to create their dimpled designs.
The restaurant has been a labor of love for Garcia, who has been hands-on in the redevelopment of the space, including ripping up the drywall.
The restaurant spans roughly 1,200 square feet across the first and second floors of the three-story building. It has 14 seats on the ground floor, where diners can see into the kitchen, while the main dining room is on the second floor and features a selection of ceramic Mexican plates on one wall.
Seeing it all come together, Garcia said he’s both nervous and happy, but with the opening on the horizon, he’s more happy than anything.
Taquero will be open six days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with dinner service starting at 4 p.m.
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