How I learned to stop worrying and love the flour tortilla ...
The tale goes something like this: Intrepid food writer, anxious to prove her culinary clout, picks corn everywhere she goes because she perceives it to be more authentic. Somewhere along the way she realizes A) the flour tortilla has an extremely rich history in this region, and B) when done right, a warm flour tortilla is a flawless food, and it is a delicacy.
So I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say this: As far as tacos go, Reforma Cocina y Cantina has the best tortillas in town. I have not tried their corn tortillas, only the flour. But now that I've had them, I will never go back ...
The St. Philip's Plaza restaurant makes them from scratch, kneading the flour and the lard into a dough and then running it through a big conveyor machine that presses and cooks it, much like a comal. The tortillas come out thick and warm and dusted with flour. They aren't crackly and they don't have layers that peel off when you take a bite. They have a nice chew to them, and taste like real ingredients with a hint of buttery fat. They are in short, amazing.
Lots of people prefer corn tortillas with shrimp tacos, but these people need to try the ones at Reforma. The flour tortilla keeps them light and highlights the freshness of the shrimp, chubby and bursting with a guajillo chile marinade. The squirt of zesty lime crema really sets them off, so that the flesh tastes bright and mineral-rich. At $5.50 apiece they are on the pricier side. But they are so worth it ...
Weird fact: Executive chef Zack Ghidotti cut his teeth up in Sonoma County where he did pop-up dinners and lived and cooked on an organic farm. You can say he brings a Bay Area aesthetic to his cooking, using high quality ingredients etc.
Location: 4310 N. Campbell Ave.
Phone: 520-867-4134
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays
Payment: accepts debit and credit cards
