South of the border treats find new home in western Queens

By Suzanne Parker

Tacuba is the latest of a succession of eateries to alight at the corner of 36th Street and 35th Avenue across from the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

Chef Julian Medina, in collaboration with Louis Skibar and Brian Sobhan, has successfully melded some popular trends into a — ta-dah — Mexican gastropub.

On a recent Tuesday evening, just post-happy hour, the atmosphere was boisterous. The subway tiled walls and vintage tile floors do nothing to dampen the noise. Giant Dia del los Muertes figures oversee festivities suspended from the ceiling. The joint jumps.

The well-stocked bar offers some intriguing options like the ultimate “Chef’s Margarita” using extra high-end tequila, or if you’re up for a splurge, a flight of three different rare tequilas for $50. The emphasis is more on cocktails than on wine or beer, but the latter categories though short, are well chosen.

If you arrive before 7 p.m., and sit at the bar, there are a number of discounted happy hours specials on drinks and noshes.

The menu of mostly small plates is dominated by aquatic offerings. Of the deep selection of raw offerings, we were immediately drawn to the luxurious Aguachile en Molcajete. It’s a ceviche of lobster and shrimp marinated in cucumber lime water with jalapeno, avocado and cilantro served in one of those stone footed bowls usually associated with guacamole. In this case the bowl, or molcajete, was whimsically decorated to resemble a pig. The flavor was fresh and bright, and the lobster component generous. It needed a boost of hot sauce for a little extra kick, easily achieved with the bottles on the table.

There are also some less extravagant options of Peruvian-style ceviche, by itself, or in combination with various raw raw bivalves.

The Caesar salad, which was invented in Mexico, is more Mexican than Italian here. This atypical Caesar is redolent of garlic and perhaps cilantro, absent the typical undertone of Worcestershire/anchovy. The requisite romaine is in place, but crumbles of the Mexican grating cheese, cortija, eclipse the shavings of Parmesan. What set it apart was crispy red shreds of ancho chilie. All and all, it was tasty, but different. No croutons or even toasted tortilla strips.

Along with the salad, we consumed a favorite Mexican street food — elote. It is grilled corn on the cob slathered with mayo, sprinkled with crumbled cortija, and seasoned with tajin, that Mexican equivalent of Lawry’s seasoning salt. Gotta find a recipe for this for my next barbecue.

We had set ourself a secret dare to eat a Chapulin taco of Oaxacan grasshoppers. Imagine our shock and disbelief when we were told there was a large private party the night before, and there had been a run on grasshopper tacos. When we asked if we could perhaps sample a single grasshopper, we were told not a one was left. We settled, if you can call it settling, for Carne Asada tacos. Three petite soft tacos come mounded with tender strips of grilled marinated skirt steak, adobado, avocado, chipotle salsa roja, onion and cilantro. There’s no way we would have really preferred the insects.

Carnitas is the Mexican answer to pulled pork, or in this case, braised, shredded suckling pig.

Here it is made extra luscious by combining it with chicarron, guacamole, pico de gallo, and orange-habanero salsa. The salsa lends both heat and sweetness, and the chicarron satisfying crunch.

Tacuba doesn’t skip dessert. There a dessert menu with typical Mexican desserts and after-dinner drinks. We enjoyed a tres leches cake served with chopped mangos and mango ice cream.

The Bottom Line

Gastropubs, tapas bars and wine bars have been enjoying great popularity, especially among younger diners. A Mexican version is a brilliant extension of this trend. We’ve seen a lot of restaurants come and go on this particular corner, but we think this is going to be the one with staying power.

Suzanne Parker is the TimesLedger’s restaurant critic and author of “Eating Like Queens: A Guide to Ethnic Dining in America’s Melting Pot, Queens, N.Y.” She can be reached by e-mail at qnsfoodie@aol.com.

Tacuba Mexican Cantina

35-01 36th St.

Astoria

(718) 786-2727

www.tacubanyc.com

Price Range: Small plates: $5 -$17; Entrées: $9 – $24

Cuisine: Mexican gastropub

Setting: Festive Dia Del Los Muertes themed.

Service: Friendly, knowledgeable

Hours: Noon -10 pm weekdays, until midnight weekends

Reservations: Recommended

Alcohol: Full bar