On the Road 50 states fifty Visit some of these taco spots on During our search for America’s Cooking Channel’s tastiest tacos, we discovered that chefs Taco Trip, hosted tacos by Aarón Sánchez, will stuff anything into a tortilla: mac and cheese, 8 p.m. Sunday, hearts of palm, octopus. Our taco team tried April 27. Turn to find a hundreds of them to come up with this list of the taco nearL you! Spicy BBQ Pork Taco at Agave Grill in best taco in every state (and D.C., too!). Wherever Hartford, CT you are, these picks are worth the trip. 164 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE G MAY 2014 MAY 2014 G FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE 165 On the Road ALABAMA ALASKA ARIZONA ARKANSAS Grilled Catfish Taco Copper River Carne Asada Taco Chorizo Taco Kowaliga Restaurant, Salmon Taco El Güero Canelo, Tucson Local Lime, Little Rock Alexander City Baja Taco, Cordova Hot dogs are the specialty of the These little winners are proof This classic Southern taco is the The salmon here is as fresh house here, but the carne asada that a tiny taco can be big on best reason to visit Kowaliga. as you can get—it’s caught tacos are the reason lunch lines flavor. They’re packed with a mix Another: Hank Williams penned nearby and served on a tortilla wrap around the restaurant. You of chorizo, caramelized pineapple “Kaw-Liga” about a wooden smothered with salsa, chipotle get to top them yourself with and jack cheese—and each one Indian that once held court here. mayo and shredded cabbage. veggies, avocado crema and is gone in two bites. $10.50 for $5; 295 Kowaliga Marina Rd.; $5.25; 1 Harbor Loop Rd.; three kinds of salsa. $2; multiple three; 17815 Chenal Pkwy.; kowaligarestaurant.com bajatacoak.com locations; elguerocanelo.com locallimetaco.com GEORGIA Mac Daddy Taco Bad Dog Taqueria , Atlanta Get here early! Chefs make only CALIFORNIA COLORADO about 75 of these off-the-menu Short Rib Taco Pork Belly Taco tacos daily. They’re strange but Kogi BBQ, Los Angeles Pinche Tacos, Denver great: tomato-corn tortillas stuffed Mention “Korean tacos” in Visitors drive from several with four-cheese pasta. $9; 1579 Los Angeles and locals will towns away to dig into this pork N. Decatur Rd.; baddogtaco.com lead you here: Chef Roy Choi’s belly taco: a thick slice braised caramelized short rib taco in orange juice and vinegar, topped with chili-soy slaw served with candied garlic and started a citywide Korean taco a side of dipping jus. trend in 2008. $2.29; multiple $3.50; two locations; locations; kogibbq.com tacostequilawhiskey.com CONNECTICUT DELAWARE HAWAII IDAHO ILLINOIS INDIANA Spicy BBQ Pork Taco Tacos de Pescado Spicy Ahi Tempura Corned Beef Taco Birria Skirt Steak Taco Agave Grill, Hartford El Dorado Restaurant, FLORIDA Shrimp Taco Crooked Fence Barrelhouse, Birrieria Zaragoza, Chicago La Chinita Poblana, Rehoboth Beach Garden City Indianapolis You can order these blue corn Fried Chicken Taco Surf N Turf Tacos, Honolulu The menu proves just how tortillas with all sorts of fillings, Mahi mahi is called dorado in Huahua’s Taqueria, You wouldn’t think to put sushi This unusual taco is a hit with much regulars love birria, slow- All of the dishes at this fusion Miami Beach but barbecue pork is the most Spanish, and that’s the filling of fillings inside a taco, but it’s a Idaho’s Irish population. Chefs roasted, mole-marinated goat: taqueria are Asian-inspired, and loved. Fans say the tacos are as the most popular taco here: The Even past midnight, crowds form at smart move: Tempura shrimp serve traditional corned beef It’s one of the few things sold this one is the tastiest: curry- close to Mexican street food as fish is beer-battered and topped this hot spot for the fried chicken taco and spicy tuna are even better in a not-so-traditional way: here. Place an order and you’ll and-citrus skirt steak topped you can find in Connecticut. with a mayo sauce and cabbage. with jalapeño cornbread croutons. topped with pico de gallo in a beer-braised, on a corn tortilla. get a side of tortillas to build with avocado crema and fresh $11 for two; 100 Allyn St.; $3.75; 18766 John J. Williams $3.99; 1211 Lincoln Rd.; corn shell. $5; two locations; $9 for two; 5181 Glenwood St.; your own tacos. $10.50; 4852 herbs. $3; 927 E. Westfield HI: DUSTIN HARA. IL: NAOMI EZQUIVEL. IN: AMY DRENTLAW-ROSE. IN: AMY EZQUIVEL. HARA. IL: NAOMI HI: DUSTIN agavect.com Hwy.; eldoradorehoboth.com huahuastaco.com ERIC SHIN. AK: ANDRA DOLL. AZ: BRINK MEDIA. AR: ARSHIA KAHN. CA: LANDS. AL: RUSSELL HICKS. PAIGE STYLING: KIMM; PROP JAMIE STYLING: FOOD TESTANI; CHRISTOPHER MAIN PHOTOS: surfnturftacos.com cfbarrelhouse.com S. Pulaski Rd.; 773-523-3700 Blvd.; lachinitapoblana.com 166 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE G MAY 2014 MAY 2014 G FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE 167 On the Road IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA NEBRASKA NEVADA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY Original Flour Taco Buena Terra Taco Soft Shell Crab Taco Bánh Mì Taco Al Pastor Taco Silencio Taco Taco de Carne Asada Barbacoa de Tasty Tacos, Statewide Taco Republic, Kansas City Holy Molé taco truck, Pho Bistreaux, New Orleans La Choza Restaurant, Omaha China Poblano, Las Vegas Mixteca Taqueria y Cantina, Costilla Taco Louisville Durham The Tasty Tacos chain has You won’t have trouble finding This NOLA restaurant is known Many traditional pork tacos Renowned Spanish chef The Taco Truck, multiple locations been around for 53 years, and Taco Republic—it’s in a former These aren’t your everyday for its quirky multi-culti mash- are topped with pineapple, but José Andrés has created an This garlic-and-chili- this deep-fried beef taco— gas station. The popular seafood tacos: Fried soft shell ups. The banh mi taco has all the fruit gets extra play at this unusual, irresistible combo: marinated tri-tip taco gets This taco quickly went from a created by the owner’s veggie taco is an Argentinian crab and kimchi are served in the fixings of a Vietnamese Salvadoran joint: The pork is lychee and duck tongue in an extra-special topping: special to a menu staple: Locals grandmother—has been specialty: fried hearts of palm two steamed corn tortillas and sandwich, but in a lighter marinated in pineapple pieces, a corn tortilla. $5.50; The wild mushrooms foraged from love the extra-tender short rib a Hawkeye State favorite with a mayo-ketchup sauce and drizzled with chipotle mayo. (equally tasty) package. $5.50 then put on the rotisserie to Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; the woods nearby . braised in a garlic-chile sauce for decades. avocado. $2.95; 500 County $5; Twitter for location: for two; 1200 S. Carrollton caramelize the juices. $1.75; 3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; $9 for three; 10 Jenkins Ct.; and served in two corn tortillas. $2.95; tastytacos.com Line Rd.; eattacorepublic.com @HolyMoleTruck Ave.; phobistreaux.biz 5133 S. 25th St.; 402-733-9554 cosmopolitanlasvegas.com mixtecataqueria.com $5 for two; thetacotruck.com NEW MEXICO Navajo Taco Earl’s Family Restaurant, Gallup Navajo fry bread is a statewide favorite, and it tastes even better in taco form. Here, the puffed disks are piled with classic toppings: MAINE MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN ground beef, beans and Puerto Nuevo Tilapia Taco Short Rib Ropa Vieja Pollo Rostisado Taco cheese. $13; 1400 Langosta Taco Tortilleria Sinaloa, Baltimore “Double Stack” Taco Dos Hermanos Market, E. Historic Hwy. 66; Ypsilanti Zapoteca Restaurante This spot is known for its The Painted Burro, Somerville 505-863-4201 y Tequileria, Portland homemade tortillas—the staff You don’t have to pick a side The rotisserie chicken taco is Lobster gets extra-special cranks out thousands daily. in the hard-versus-soft tortilla a perennial bestseller at this treatment here: It’s steamed in Regulars love them even more debate: This short rib taco, authentic Mexican market, but beer, sautéed in duck fat and when they’re stuffed with stuffed with three cheeses and you’ll need to plan your visit: served in its shell next to corn Old Bay–seasoned tilapia. roasted poblano, has both. It’s available only on weekends. tortillas. $12; 505 Fore St.; $5; 1716 Eastern Ave.; $8; 219 Elm St.; $1.60; 412 W. Michigan Ave.; zapotecarestaurant.com tortilleria-sinaloa.com thepaintedburro.com 734-487-8839 NV: THOMAS SCHAUER. NH: KAREN SIGLER. THOMAS SCHAUER. NV: MINNESOTA MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI MONTANA Squash and Shiitake Carne El Cerdo Taco Tacos de Ostiones Elk Chorizo Taco Mushroom Taco Babalu Tacos & Tapas, Port Fonda, Kansas City Pescado Blanco, Whitefish Jackson World Street Kitchen, When chef Patrick Ryan tried Chefs here call their food Minneapolis Locals named the menu here to get rid of his oyster tempura “Mountain Mexican,” and Even meat lovers have ordered “Most Innovative” in the weekly taco with jalapeño crema, this taco is a good example: seconds of this hearty veggie paper. A case in point: this pork regulars petitioned for its crema-drizzled elk chorizo taco with pepita salsa. It’s the belly taco with citrus-chipotle return. But you can only get it with arugula, mushrooms brainchild of a former Iron Chef barbecue sauce and peanut from March to September. and caramelized onions. contestant. $6 for two; 2743 slaw. $8.50 for three; 622 $7 for two; 4141 Pennsylvania $12.50 for two; 235 First St.; Lyndale Ave. S.; eatwsk.com Duling Ave.; babalums.com Ave.; portfondakc.com pescadoblanco.com LEWIS. DAVID MO: BONJWING LEE. MT: BECK. MS: TOM LIEN PHOTOGRAPHY.