When this is the point-of-purchase display, it's a good bet that the kitchen takes a homey approach, too.
Those tiny grasshoppers (like the owner of El Globo, from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca) are offered in mojo de ajo, limon y sal, and adobado varieties. They don't appear on the menu board, but on request, the kitchen will set them aswarm on a taco (about $3), for a crispier, earthier chewiness than, say, barbacoa (shown on the companion taco below). An underlayer of queso blanco helped hold the chapulines in place, but even in their toasty form, a few 'hoppers sprang clear with each bite. Also shown below: a huarache topped with cheese and huitlacoche, the mushy, bland, black fungus also called "corn smut"; improved considerably by hot sauce.
My lunch buddy for the day, Joe DiStefano of Serious Eats, was sure he'd been here before in another guise (the restaurant, not Joe). We confirmed that within recent memory, El Globo had changed its name from La Espiga, though without any considerable effort at redecoration, or even decoration. I'm hoping to revisit this rough-hewn restaurant myself, perhaps for a plate of albóndigas en chipotle (Monday and Friday only) and something sweet from the baked-goods bins.
El Globo Restaurante
42-13 102nd St., Corona, Queens
718-779-7898
Man I wish we had a good taco shop like that around here. We still have a few good taco carts in the city though. I guess ill just have to use foodie blog s to hold me over. Thanks!
Posted by: Rick | September 14, 2011 at 03:32 PM