Having spent the last five years eating in Texas, I’m pretty passionate about authentic tacos. You know, the kind that you find at a hidden gas station, prepared by an abuela who’s been doing it her whole life. Those are my kind of tacos. But I’m all for expanding my horizons. That’s why I headed to Locals Tacos & Tequila in Sterling, the restaurant that took over the space left empty by the closure of Mokomandy.
Although Locals offers seven traditional tacos, including carnitas, barbacoa and chorizo, I was there to sample from among the dozen resolutely American originals. If you’re looking for spice, go to La China Poblana. If you’re hoping to eat cheeseburger fillings stuffed into a taco, served cheekily with a side of ketchup next to your salsas, Locals is the place. The taco in question is known as the Americano, and yes, it’s as satisfying as it is strange.
The best of the tacos that I tried was the birria. What it lacked in heat, it made up for with ample beef short rib meat, stretchy Oaxaca cheese and an appropriately oily, cinnamon-inflected consome. I paired it with the BBQ Taco, a pile of sweet shreds of pork that split the difference between South and South of the Border with cilantro-lime salsa and avocado crema.
The California Fish Taco was heavier than I expected, thanks to similar toppings that also included chipotle aioli. Those two (as well as tortilla chips I ordered with a likably chile-filled queso) benefited greatly from a dip in the fresh-tasting salsa verde. It wasn’t the work of anyone’s abuela, but on a cold day, the fun of choosing a variety of well-packed tacos was just the comfort I needed. // 20789 Great Falls Plaza, Suite 176, Sterling
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