Bob Gordon, May 2014

DINING OUT

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A few spins around the Tim Spinner-Brian Sirhal “Trio Feliz” circuit—Cantina Feliz, La Calaca Feliz, and Taqueria Feliz—is convincing. The dynamic duo isn't foisting a formulaic cookie-cutter empire on the Delaware Valley. Sure, the de rigeur Mexican staples like nachos and guacamole are pretty similar. Nothing surprising there.

But each of the three Felizes legitimately boasts its own identity staked on its own turf. Each one weaves meaningfully into the fabric of its neighborhood. The youngest of the three, Taqueria Feliz, has been welcomed into Manayunk even on some of the more forbidding evenings this past winter.

“We’re doing well, and we’re looking forward to an even better summer,” Chef Palazzo points out. He’s right. On the few pleasant evenings this spring has doled out, Taqueria Feliz has been hopping—a harbinger of a busy summer. An extensive sidewalk area sidles along the front of the eatery. In this highly visible nook of Manayunk, such a kinetic scene should pump up the eatery’s curb appeal and make Taqueria Feliz a popular stop.

Chef Palazzo has designed an intriguing menu. Hot Dog “Perro Caliente”—not offered at the other Feliz eateries—is now a favorite of the locals. The hot dog is addictive, a fun, busy reboot of the American classic. Refried beans, salsa verde, chorizo, pico de gallo and smoked bacon cloak the meat and treat the tastebuds to piquancy, fire, and crunch.

I also love the Comida Loca, (literal translated: “Crazy Food”) menu section that offers seldom-seen, and even less-seldom-tried dishes like Lamb Heart Skewers and Tacos de Lengua. The former item plates marinated and grilled lamb hearts with refried beans. Chimichurri sauce, pickled onion, and cucumbers round out the dish with a rainbow of ingredients that brighten the lean, smooth-textured meat. Tacos de Lengua is beef tongue, served with salsa de árbol, onion and cilantro. But Tacos de Chapulines is the hands-down most adventurous menu item. Chapulines are grasshoppers treated with a potpourri of spices and sauces and crisped to snack-worthy crunch. Served with onion, cilantro, and guacamole, it’s a winning dish.

The menu promises even more “Comida Loca” options coming soon. I hope so. Taqueria Feliz’ Loca dishes are actually serious, exploratory creations inviting diners to expand their culinary boundaries—as opposed to being “I’m-cool-how-‘bout-you,” “dare-ya-to” novelties.

Shrimp Ceviche “Coctel de Camarones” is a heaping serving of shrimp spruced with spicy tomato, scallions, and avocado harboring a citrusy undercurrent that moderates the uninhibited heat of spicy tomato sauce. Pork Belly & Fideos Soup (Fideos are noodles in Spanish) embellishes the usual version with red chile, tomato, pork shoulder, cabbage, and crema—a combo that dials up a pleasing distribution of of tastes.

Barbacoa de Borrego is delicately smoked lamb roasted in banana leaves that retain the meat’s succulence. Strips of forest green nopal stretch alongside the choice lamb. Red-rimmed radish moons and curly purple onion strips atop a bed of puréed chickpeas contribute color and variety to a memorable dish.

Enchiladas Suizas are soft flour tortillas stuffed with fall squash and jack cheese in tomatillo cream. Sides of sweet, delicious plantain and Mexican Street Corn “Esquites” (a Mexican snack or “antojito”) with perky lime mayo, queso fresco, and fiery chili pequin join in a balanced riot of tastes.

Heavy square wooden-hewn beams protrude above brick and stone walls that recall Manayunk’s industrial past and frame a room populated with tables in bright Southwest colors. A queue of bovine-headed skeletons decorate one wall, while a boisterous bar scene revels in the communicating adjacent space, particularly during the weekday 4:30-6:30 Happy Hour, when prices are more felizing than fleecing.

Taqueria Feliz, 4410 Main St., Philadelphia. (267) 331-5874  www.taqueriafeliz.com