This is especially true in the Taco Belt that is the Italian Market, where a rapidly expanding repertoire of no-frills kitchens caters to the authentic crowds of Baja Filadelfia. Not unlike the richly overlapping patchwork of Chinatown's storefront eateries, many of these have similar menus, but each exhibits its own distinctive strengths. There may not be one stellar champ that captures the entire breadth of Mexican cuisine on a single menu. But they are getting there quite nicely as a collective force.
So I no longer have one favorite taqueria but many, with different destinations depending on the dish, whether it's tacos al pastor (Los Taquitos de Puebla), a bowl of green chile pozole (Restaurant Acapulco), or barbacoa tacos and huitlacoche quesadillas pressed between homemade tortillas (La Lupe).
The fact that our latest worthy addition to Philly's taqueria team - Que Chula es Puebla - isn't even close to the Italian Market is only further proof of the pervasive power of our rising Mexi-strength.
Named by charming owner Delfina Pacio after the popular song by Rafael Hernandez, Que Chula es Puebla ("How Beautiful Is Puebla?") stands like a cheery stucco sentry at the corner of Second and Master in lower Kensington, the only building left on an otherwise razed city block that has big ambitions for condo redevelopment. It's a simple and freshly tidied space inside, but nothing special, with serapes on the wall and ranchera music pumping through the room.
Often, though, and especially with traditional ethnic cuisines, that glimmer of something special reveals itself in the most mundane places: here, in the complimentary tortilla chips drizzled with bean dip.
