Episode 24: Two Reviews (Mexican and Somali)

At this point we've visited Taco Trio enough times, and sampled enough items, that I feel comfortable posting about it. A few notes:

• My favorite of their taco fillings would be the carnitas. Soft, shreddy, with some slight caramelization, they're like pig candy. The Little One seems to agree.
• Items that are supposed to have a certain intrinsic heat to them, such as the tacos al pastor, or the chicken mole, tend to be toned down. This can be made up for somewhat, but not entirely, by the excellent range of salsas of various bases, chilis and heat levels, not to mention the superb vegetales en escabeche.
• In spite of that, the mole, at least as I tasted it yesterday in a tamal special, was toothsome, making up in complexity what it lacked in heat.
• The tamales themselves are tasty, with good corn flavor from both the filling and the cornhusks in which they were wrapped.
• The inclusion of coconut in the horchata is unusual, but tasty. Even so, the tamarindo will be my go-to drink.

All told, it's good for what it is, a basic taqueria. I must confess to a bit of sticker shock ($3.50 for a taco? $3.75 for a tamal?), but unless and until Portland has enough of a Mexican population--and relaxed enough food vending regulations--to support taco trucks and street corner tamaleras, they're unlikely to be surpassed any time soon. After all, like any brick-and-mortar restaurant, they need to pay the rent.

A couple wishes:

• I'd love it if some day they could add tortas and/or cemitas to the menu.
• Some stew-type dishes (guisados), even if kept on a steam-table, would be nice as occasional specials.

One place where the spicing is not toned down at all is the Somali restaurant at 30 Washington Avenue in Portland--formerly known as Hamdi, then Fez (and a large sign with that name is still over the door), but now calling itself Safari African Restaurant. We tried it today: It was our first experience of Somali food anywhere. The complimentary tea with which we were greeted was exceptional--redolent with cardamom, and heavily but perfectly sweetened. (It was also welcome because the dining room was underheated--the hospitality and the tea were genuinely warm, but the room not so much.) If the dishes we ordered today--goat meat for me, and a kebab sampler shared between Hot Librarian and the Little One--were any indication, Somali food is simple but flavorful. Both came with a rice that appeared to have been generously buttered and flecked with saffron threads. The goat was fiery, and bathed in a thin sauce of tomato, pepper and onion, but intricately seasoned. The kebabs--kofta, beef and chicken--were similarly seasoned, which was a bit unfortunate, as LO found it to be a bit too much to take (and mostly ate rice as a result). My hope is that the kebabs offered on the children's menu are not seasoned as aggressively, and that if we had ordered her one of her own, she would not have had as much trouble. Otherwise, delicious as it was, we may not be able to return often.