Now I know you’ve heard me say “I’ve found a great little Mexican spot” many a times, but I’m a firm believer in the notion that there is no such thing as too many great little Mexican spots. So without further ado, let me introduce you to La Carnita, a restaurant you will inevitably hear about if you utter the half-sentence, Mexican food in Toronto.
On a sunny Tuesday evening, we made our way over to the esteemed Mexican joint to get our taco fix. We somehow managed to snag a table on the patio which was ideal for me since it gave me all the natural light in the world for pictures (no maneuvering around with flash while strangers gawk in amusement, yay!).
After studying the offerings, we realized we had no choice but to get down and dirty with the menu and order it all.
We started with the Mexican Street Corn.
Now I’ve had the pleasure of trying this particular dish in the past at New York’s infamous Cafe Habana, and was skeptical that this would compare. I’m happy to report that New York ain’t got nothin’ on us. This was everything Mexican Corn should be, sweet, charred, creamy, spicy, I could go on.
Before long, we were presented with cod tacos, cheekily named In Cod We Trust. While others on the table vehemently disagreed, this dish happened to be my favourite. The cod was crispy on the outside, perfectly flakey on the inside, with a generous hit of spice.
Next came the squid tacos which are a special on Tuesdays. I’ll interrupt only to tell you guys that I got this picture at the risk of losing my eye because the boys looked like they were going to gorge it out when I asked them to put their tacos down so I could get a good shot first.
Where to start. The calamari was fried to perfection, topped with both a sweet sauce and a spicy one that resulted in a party in my mouth.
Beef Cheek tacos. The beef was juicy, the sauce was delicious, it involved avocados. End of story.
Pollo Frito, chicken tacos with a peanut mole sauce. This was the only dish I didn’t try, but the boys seemed to like it.
Last, but certainly not least, Paletas. Cookies ‘n Cream Paletas to be precise. Unfortunately, the picture just doesn’t do it justice – sitting on a patio can be a double edged sword – but alas you’ll just have to take my word for it.
This was singlehandedly the best ice-cream dish I’ve had in Toronto. It was some sort of Oreo concoction coated with cookie crumbs. I mean, really, it just doesn’t even give the competition a chance.
If it’s not already clear, I highly recommend a visit to La Carnita. And when you do go, get the Paletas (and maybe get one for me too).