[Pigging by Wilfrid: December 7, 2009]
A comfortable stroll from the Marcy Avenue subway through the backstreets of Williamsburg, towards the river, brings you to the austere oasis of La Superior.
There's a small bench outside upon which to wait, and I bet it's needed at peak times. The food comes out through a hatch, when it's ready, in no particular order, signalled by the ding of a bell. It's served by the owner, a man of serious mien, and an assistant. The menu is notably short by Mexican standards - one laminated page, and not a crowded page at that. A couple of soups, several tacos, flautas, a few inventive entrées. One soon gets the impression that the selection doesn't really matter, because what comes out of the kitchen is good anyway.
Good because the ingredients are obviously fresh and of very fair quality for the price, spicing is subtle, and the plates are carefully composed. A simple Michoacán Tarascan soup, for example - a purée of black beans really - had a deep, almost chocolatey flavor - it reminded me of a mole. It came with separate garnishes of cheese, sour cream, ancho chilis and thin tortilla strips.
The filling for the beef tongue taco was hot and juicy - none of the dry mealiness to the meat found in inferior versions. Worth a return just to work through the rest of the taco list - cochinita pibil, for example, and even turkey escabeche. This first visit, however, demanded a sandwich.
A mighty pile of sweet shredded pork, colored by achiote no doubt and tangy with lime, served unusually on a sourdough baguette, with house-pickled onions, tomato, avocado, fresh cilantro and shredded lettuce. The meat had a slow-building, non-aggressive heat to it. The bread was delightful, but had no chance of standing up to the meat's moist wait. This is a multiple napkin snack.
Along with a side of ezquites - a dish I'd not eaten before; corn cooked with epazote leaves and topped with mayo and cheese - and a tamarind soda, this was a mountain of food for twenty something dollars.
Put it on your list.
Website here.
