La Esquina and the Veal Tongue Taco of Death

First I want to start out by saying, I was so looking forward to trying the La Esquina veal tongue taco. Not only had all the reviews said it was really good, but in recent years I had discovered I liked tongue! I had eaten slices of it in sandwiches and found it to be delicious. Perhaps that’s why I felt so utterly betrayed by La Esquinas “lengua” taco (or Veal Tongue Taco of Death as it was soon to be called) after consuming it. Here’s exactly what happened:

Marianne and I met on Kenmare (which is like trendy food central lately) sometime in the afternoon and, since I wanted to also check out Village Tart, we decided to share the veal tongue taco and the cactus taco at La Esquina. The atmosphere was exactly what I expected: very trendy, hole-in-the-wall, taco standish in the front with a restaurant in the back. The tacos came quickly and we immediately dug into them.

Now it must be noted that at this point, the split seconds before consumption,  my gut instinct

was kicking in big time. Not only did the tacos not look appetizing but the restaurant had decided to serve the tongue in large chunks instead of slicing or dicing it.  Something in my brain piped up with a  “Maybe you shouldn’t eat this” but I soon dismissed it as being a “pansy” and took a bite. Initial taste wasn’t bad, but the tongue was chewy – chewy in a really weird way. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Marianne taking her first bite and just stare at that odd string of something hanging out of the taco. I wasn’t wowed by the flavor either. The chef had a very heavy hand when it came to the cumin which kinda ruined the rest of the flavors for me. The cactus taco also suffered the same fate: the salsa used was too overpowering and the lack of crunch in any part of the taco made it taste mushy (cactus gets very soft when you cook it, adding something like crispy garlic or onions would have taken this taco to another level).

So far it doesn’t sound that bad right? Wrong. The “ugh” came with the second bite. Marianne swallowed a huge chunk of tongue without chewying which she swore led to ‘the dead veal tongue tastebuds touching her tastebuds’ (for her exact reaction to the second bite check out the picture to your left). I had a similar experience but it didn’t weird me out as much. However, as we started walking to Village Tart to grab a cuppa job, I noticed something wasn’t sitting right with me. Oh No. The gurgling continued all throughout my greek yogurt and hibiscus tea munching at VTart (I had to try to calm it down with something!) and then it happened. I know this might sound like way TMI dear reader but I want to make sure you do not suffer the same fate: I had diarrhea from Friday afternoon to Sunday night.

Needless to say I cursed that damn taco from sunrise to sunset that weekend. Was it the veal tongue? Was it the cumin covered salsa? Was my stomach just in a bad mood that day? I have no idea but I send warning to all of you sensitive tummy foodies out there. EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!

La Esquina

106 Kenmare St
New York, 10012
(646) 613-7100