Janos Wilder seems to be racking up his frequent flyer miles these days: This month's Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails menu explores the Sichuan cuisine of Chengdu, China. But these braised beef cheek tacos hit close to home.
Served on flour tortillas with a zippy chiltepin salsa and radish sticks that merge into the cabbage slaw, the tacos remind me of Tucson's best resort food. They're not meant to be fussy, but they've sure got panache ...
They are bar bites after all, situated on the bar menu somewhere between the warm Oaxacan peanuts and the fancy Sonoran J Dawg. They are little snacks that slip down easy with the whiskey-spiked Tucson Lemonade. (Or in my case, the J Bar Margarita ... another La Paloma classic) Because here, the familiar is both a comfort and an excitement. And as it turns out, margaritas taste great with Oaxacan mole French fries!
Weird fact: Janos really does walk the walk when it comes to pioneering Sonoran flavors. The man practically christened this taco voyage by stepping behind me in line at Aqui con El Nene when I was doing Taco Numero Uno. He has good taste when it comes to takeout.
Location: 135 S. Sixth Ave.
Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 4 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Phone: 520-623-7700
Payment: accepts debit and credit cards
