The Taco The Town

There are few things better than a good taco.

While they may be Mexican in origin, tacos are extraordinarily popular in the United States. Just look at all the variations of fast-food chains which are built on tortillas, meat and cheese. They even led to a highly-publicized legal battle between Wyoming-based Taco John’s and Taco Bell regarding the use of “Taco Tuesday.”

They’re so ingrained into our culture that comedy band Lewberger wrote the song “White People Taco Night.” More than three-quarters of Americans, in fact, eat tacos at least once a month. When looking for tacos in Saratoga, look no further than the Lazy River Cantina 2.0 (Cantina). Drawing from the popularity of street tacos, the Cantina offers tacos a la carte on their daily menu. These include the OG Taco, the Chorizo Diablo and the Shrimp Taco.

The OG Taco, as one might expect, is a simple combination of ground beef, lettuce and cheddar cheese on a flour tortilla. Though simple, this taco will take you back to your childhood sitting around the dinner table scooping seasoned, browned beef into a tortilla with a sprinkle of iceberg lettuce and shredded cheese. The seasoning for the beef wasn’t too mild or too wild, but was just the right amount of flavor and the beef was well cooked.

This is a good starter taco for someone wanting to work their way up into more adventurous ingredients or to keep the kids happy at the table.

The Chorizo Diablo is a pretty decent palate cleanser, if someone is looking to cleanse their palate with a little bit of fire. A little more complex than the OG Taco, the Diablo is chorizo, cabbage, pickled red onion, lime crema, cilantro and cotija cheese. Cotija cheese is an aged Mexican cheese that is both salty and milky.

The Diablo doesn’t immediately attack the tongue, unlike all the spiced up variations of foods seemingly growing in popularity. Instead, the heat of it spreads across the tongue with a little bit of burn at the back of the throat. Nothing overpowering, but enough that you’ll need something other than water to wash it down. The cilantro and the pickled onions help find the flavor in the spice, opening up the taste buds.

While it’s a small taco, the ingredients are loaded onto the white corn tortilla. So make sure to get a full, complete bite. Chorizo on its own might overwhelm the palette, but get a complete bite and this taco will be finished off in no time.

To add a little more variety, steer away from the beef and the pork and try some seafood. The Shrimp Taco includes cotija cheese, lime crema, cabbage and pico de gallo. A bit more adventurous than the OG Taco but not as warm as the Chorizo Diablo, the shrimp taco is a great way to end the a la carte taco journey at the Cantina.

Shrimp can be cooked wrong, getting mushy and mealy in a way that can ruin a dish. That wasn’t the case with the shrimp tacos, where the shrimp were well-cooked, savory and meaty. The saltiness of the cotija cheese helped elevate the bite while the pico de gallo provided some freshness. All of that, wrapped into a white corn tortilla, made for a wonderful taco. A prime example of saving the best for last.

Depending on the taco, expect to pay anywhere from $4 to $6, meaning three tacos will dent the wallet by anywhere from $12 to $15. While that’s a little more than a combo box at a fast-food taco restaurant, it’s higher quality and supports a local business. It doesn’t even have to wait until Tuesday.

The Lazy River Cantina 2.0 is at 110 E. Bridge Avenue and is open 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.