Cheap Eats: tacos

Few people head to El Quijote in Uptown for an early supper. But in the 2:30am aftermath of eight beers at Big Chicks, tacos can seem like the only remedy. Nothing wrong with that, but would we treat lobster that way? Tacos are in a category all their own, but that category doesn’t have to be drunk food. When Antique Taco, Taco Joint and Big Star are putting out tacos that are bona-fide restaurant dishes (and still, at roughly $3 each, highly affordable), and spots like Rubi’s in Maxwell Street Market are frying tortillas to order, it’s time to treat the taco with more respect. We’ve been drunk dialing our tacos for decades. In this issue, we take them out on a date.—David Tamarkin