I spent a few weeks in Seattle earlier this year and found the Capitol Hill neighborhood to be one of my favorite places to hang out, not because of the constant flattery of being hit on by dudes, the many groovy displays of very tasteful graffiti or even the many cool shops selling all sorts of crap no one really needs. The reason I loved Capitol Hill was for the food and my favorite place to catch a bite by far was Tacos Chukis!
Tacos Chukis is kind of out of place amongst all the other eateries in the area. It doesn’t boast it’s organic or gluten free ingredients, it doesn’t brag about being sustainable or environmentally friendly and it could care less about atmosphere or having a vibe.
Tacos Chikis cares about one thing, and one thing only… rocking your face off with the best tacos I have ever ate in my entire life.
WOW! What a statement to make. Really, the best tacos ever? Yes. They were that good, and I am somewhat a taco connoisseur. I love tacos; no I live tacos and Tacos Chukis’ offerings stood out above the rest.
I have sampled many different styles of tacos and my favorite tend to keep is simple, sort of like The Taco Stand in Athens, GA who instead of going overboard with the ingredients just focus on taking the traditional ground beef taco to the next level with their amazing signature sauciness.
Tacos Chukis takes it in a different direction. They trade ground beef for slow roasted pulled pork; they skip the lettuce and go for fresh sliced onions, salsa and guacamole and finally they take it to the next level with an unexpected slice of grilled pineapple. Finally, instead of housing all this in a bland, generic flour tortilla or generic hard shell, they serve it up on a crunchy tostada.
My friend Cindya agrees, they’re really frickin good!
It seems the world of tacos is one of extremes. The best of the best residing only on the fringes of the spectrum, finding bliss in simplicity or achieving perfection in a web of complex flavors, with all those in the middle simply trying too hard and falling shamefully short.