Taco

At Zocalo, located at 36th Street and Lancaster Avenue, owner Joe Ferzoco and executive chef Jackie Pestka have developed a contemporary Mexican menu that on occasion, gets a little fishy. Such is the case with the restaurant's swordfish tacos - offered as a special - which, with its special marinade and salsa cruda, is a perfect variation on beef, chicken and beans. Zocalo's hand-pressed tortillas may not be duplicated exactly, but store-purchased tortillas will work fine. ZOCALO'S SWORDFISH TACO For the fish: Four 6-ounce swordfish steaks 2 cups extra virgin olive oil 4 ounces lime juice 8 large cloves garlic (minced)

L ISEL PARILLON 's taco title is only days old, but she already has her sights set on Wing Bowl. The 23-year-old graduate dentistry student at Penn hadn't heard of the annual 610 WIP celebration of gluttony (and strippers), but when we explained it to her yesterday she said she planned to try out for the contest, which hasn't had a serious female contender since pro-eater Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas won the crown in 2004. On Aug. 20, Trinidad-born Parillon and friends were heading into Drinker's West (39th & Chestnut)

TIME WAS, a chef could do one thing exceedingly well and make a name. But chefs and eateries in Philadelphia are starting to take pride in their versatility, adapting their cuisine to specialized needs. And yes, a big one is plant-based eating. Derek Davis, whose restaurant, Derek's, is a fine-dining fixture in Manayunk, told the Daily News earlier this month: "When I look at my menu, I see we're lacking things that are strictly vegetables, without any dairy, without any animal fats.

All those heirloom tomatoes are nice, but it's really the tacos al pastor that have me hooked on the Sunday farmer's market at Head House Square. We're so addicted to the food stand there run by South Philly's Los Taquitos de Puebla that the mere thought of their taco platter actually gets my sleepyhead family out of bed. The al pastor meat - layers of pork marinated in cuminy guajillo chile salsa, orange juice, and achiote - turns and sizzles like...

As restaurants go, Cantina del Dios went. But only for as long as it took to change the sign in the window to Church Street Cantina. For eight years, the restaurant in Old City's historic sugar refinery operated with a Mexican theme, name and menu. As the Church Street Cantina, the place continues to offer a fairly wide range of Mexican choices but, in addition, there now is a selection of gringo dishes. The restaurant's Mexican specialties, sampled during two review meals, were among the least spicy in town.

New owners have chosen to leave the bar and Casablanca-style slatted ceilings in place. But even with those familiar features, there's a fresh, California-centemporary look to Bogart's, the Latham Hotel's vintage restaurant. Better lighting and attractive artwork on the walls upgrade the decor. Window walls that steer bar smoke and noises away from the dining room raise the level of comfort and make the place more intimate. Oversize dinner plates, solid-color or with gingham check or floral borders, give the kitchen opportunities to be artistic in presenting the food.

The trouble with Mexican food is its popularity. The highways and byways of the nation are littered with any number of taco hells. So I've always tried to avoid the stuff. Trouble is, the Little Units love it. So does their mom. Thus, we found ourselves in the farthest reaches of Chester County, nearly an hour from Philadelphia, among the rolling hills and mushroom farms. We'd been tipped to El Sombrero by a comrade, Alejandro, who said it was the most authentic Mexican food he'd found in the Philadelphia area.

Durkee Salad Sensations Salad Toppings. Oriental style, garden style and taco style. $1.99 per 4 3/4- to 6 3/4-ounce jar. Bonnie: The idea of lending an ethnic flavor to salads with pre-mixed toppings is certainly creative but definitely not very healthful. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you drown salad in high-fat dressing or high- sodium toppings, that salad won't be much better for you than an ice cream sundae. If you sprinkle only a tablespoon of Salad Sensations over your greens, you'll add as much as 40 calories, 2 grams fat and 105 milligrams of sodium.

It's taco day at the Rockefeller dining hall at Princeton University, which is good. And bad. Good because who doesn't love a good sloppy taco? Not to mention that fluorescent-orange nacho cheese sauce. Bad because tacos are precisely the sort of campus offering that might lead students to pile their plates sky high with fatty meat, fatty cheese and salty, fried tortilla chips. So it's logical to think that Daphne Oz, the 20-year-old author of The Dorm Room Diet who currently is a junior at Princeton, would steer clear of the Mexican food entirely.

Bon Appétit magazine's September issue includes MidAtlantic Restaurant & Tap Room (3711 Market St., 215-386-3711) in a roundup of the seven best daily specials on restaurant menus around the country. MidAtlantic's Mushroom Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy is recommended for Thursdays. The September issue comes out Aug. 24. Charlie Brown's Steakhouse ( www.charliebrowns.com ) this month announced that it's the first multi-unit restaurant to partner with Jersey Fresh, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture program, to spotlight fruits and vegetables grown in New Jersey.

Company description: A crunchy taco made with premium seasoned beef, crisp lettuce and real cheddar cheese, in a shell made from Nacho Cheese Doritos Chips. Nutrition: 170 calories, 9 grams fat, 13 grams carbs. Location: The Gallery at Market East, 901 Market St. Order time: 90 seconds. Price: $1.29. Review: Given the awesomeness of the products involved, it's hard to overstate how high expectations were for the Doritos Locos Taco.

TIME WAS, a chef could do one thing exceedingly well and make a name. But chefs and eateries in Philadelphia are starting to take pride in their versatility, adapting their cuisine to specialized needs. And yes, a big one is plant-based eating. Derek Davis, whose restaurant, Derek's, is a fine-dining fixture in Manayunk, told the Daily News earlier this month: "When I look at my menu, I see we're lacking things that are strictly vegetables, without any dairy, without any animal fats.

Company line: Three flour tortillas with grilled shrimp in a spicy chile-lime sauce topped with fresh cilantro-lime slaw, house-made pico de gallo and sliced avocados. Chain: Chili's. Location: 1239 Filbert St. Order time: 13 minutes. Price: $10.79 Calories: 1,010, with 40 grams of protein, 43 grams of fat and 3,040 mgs of sodium (less than 2,300 mgs of sodium per day is recommended). Review : Chains are supposed to be all about consistency, but you can never take out the human element.

Philadelphia has taco fever. Korean tacos, breakfast tacos, cookie tacos, not to mention all the roving taco trucks. The proliferation of fusion-y options has left us hankering for one thing: authenticity. And with the steady stream of Mexicans who have been moving into South Philly since 2001, we aren't short on variations. Which is why I spent days exploring the myriad taqueria options on the southern side of our city. What follows are the results of my taco journey, a guide by no means all-inclusive.

Four people were injured this afternoon when a car went through the window of a Taco Bell restaurant in Montgomery County, police and a county dispatcher said. Just before 1 p.m., police officers were called to the fast-food eatery at DeKalb Pike and Colonial Drive in East Norriton Township. One accident victim was trapped under the vehicle, which had to be lifted with an airbag. Two of the injured were flown to Philadelphia by helicopter, one to Hahnemann Hospital, the other to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the dispatcher said.

Here's where to find Honest Tom and other taco trucks - most of the time. Their locations and hours often vary, though, so the best way to track a particular truck is to follow it on Twitter. Honest Tom's Taco Shop Truck: Location varies; check twitter.com/HonestToms. Restaurant: Opening soon at 261 S. 44th St. Guapos Tacos Usually in LOVE Park at lunch, but check twitter.com/guapostacos 215-625-2920 http://guapostacos.com Tacos Don Memo Truck: 38th Street between Walnut and Sansom, 610-529-2039 Restaurant: 57 Garrett Road, Upper Darby, 610-352-2376 www.donmemophilly.com Cucina Zapata 31st and Ludlow streets.

"DUDE, YOU KNOW what would be so rad? A food truck. We should totally start a food truck. " If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that one over the years, I could probably . . . start my own food truck, dude! The first time I heard the idea was years ago in a smoky, hazy dorm room at the University of Vermont. The patchouli-smelling guy who uttered it eventually did go on to nominal food truck success, selling grilled-cheese sandwiches at Grateful Dead and Phish shows. The last time I heard the sentiment was a few weeks ago, when a friend told me her dream was to quit her job and sell organic pancakes from an Airstream trailer.

Restaurants in Center City were abuzz Thursday night as people flooded various eateries for this year's Restaurant Week, which kicked off Sunday. Though called Restaurant Week, the event actually runs for two weeks twice a year, with more than 100 restaurants offering three-course dinners for $35 and lunches $20 per person. "I love it," Scott Dirksen, 47, shouted from a plush booth seat inside El Vez, on 13th Street near Sansom. He and five of his co-workers from Wells Fargo were munching on various appetizers as they waited for their Mexican dishes, which included tortilla soup, an adobe tuna taco and red snapper.

Try finding the birth certificate for the first cheesesteak, the first hoagie, and, well, good luck. You'll do a lot better hunting for the papers for the first Korean taco - a shred of barbecued Korean short rib or spicy pork, typically heaped on a soft, flour tortilla (with maybe a sprig of micro-cilantro). The quest leads straight and unmurkily to the Kogi Korean BBQ taco truck, which started roving around Los Angeles, its movements broadcast via Twitter. And it doesn't lead back far: the Kogi truck had its soft opening just shy of two years ago. The Korean taco is an inspired piece of fusion, born, according to urban legend, after a night of barhopping, in the still-woozy brain of one Mark Manguera, a Filipino who'd married into a Korean family.

L ISEL PARILLON 's taco title is only days old, but she already has her sights set on Wing Bowl. The 23-year-old graduate dentistry student at Penn hadn't heard of the annual 610 WIP celebration of gluttony (and strippers), but when we explained it to her yesterday she said she planned to try out for the contest, which hasn't had a serious female contender since pro-eater Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas won the crown in 2004. On Aug. 20, Trinidad-born Parillon and friends were heading into Drinker's West (39th & Chestnut)