I recently tried another one of the great chef Ken Oringer's restaurants, La Verdad. This restaurant is located in a most unlikely area, Landsdowne Street directly in the shadow of Fenway Park. This is an area I tend to avoid at all costs unless I have somehow snagged some really great seats to the Sox (which is a pretty rare occurence). Landsdowne Street is known for two things in Boston, rowdy Red Sox fans and a rowdy club scene. The area directly around Fenway has never been known for having any cuisine other than burgers, buffalo wings and the famous sausages from the street vendors. So it was surprising to many when a Boston celebrity chef decided to open a restaurant right in the thick of a sea of sports pubs. Unlike his high end restaurant concepts KO Prime, Clio, and Toro, La Verdad is a very casual Taqueria with all items on the menu priced under $19. The focus is on tequila and tacos, always a good combination if you ask me. The atmosphere definitely has a Fenway vibe, with a huge bar and multiple TVs for the sports obsessed. The interior looks a little rough and worn around the edges (especially the bathrooms), which I'm sure is a result of over a year of supporting throngs of Sox fans, but it also fits the whole authentic Mexican taqueria theme so I won't hold it against them. Luckily it was not only sunny and 70 degrees but there was also no game in session the day we dined at La Verdad so we were able to sit outside on the spacious patio in relative peace and quiet.
We each had the "La Verdad" margarita and guacamole for one to start. If you are dining with just two people definitely just order the guacamole for one and not two as it is huge as an appetizer. It comes with tons of homemade salty tortilla chips topped with crumbled queso fresco cheese which I thought was a nice touch. I order guacamole almost every time I see it on a menu so I can attest that this is great (not the best ever, but great) guacamole. For our entrees we turned to the extensive taco menu instead of trying one of the few large plates or tortas (traditional Mexican sandwiches). Tacos come in threes, so you can order all of one kind or opt for the "Loco Mundo" option which allows you to pick three different tacos for $12 including a side of beans and yucatan slaw. Since I love to try a variety of flavors I immediately went for the Loco Mundo and chose the battered fish taco, the pork adobo taco and the shrimp in governor sauce (which I didn't have a clue what it was!). Jay tried the duck, carne asada and the fish taco as well. The verdict of the tacos was excellent overall. The portions were perfect and the beans and slaw were very tasty with great flavor. I loved the pork taco which was shredded and served with a pineapple salsa. The shrimp taco was my favorite though. The small shrimp were served in a spicy sauce that tasted like a Mexican version of buffalo sauce with some jack cheese. We both thought the fish taco was good, but that the contents made it a little on the mushy and watery side. I am sure we just caught this taco on an off day as I have read many reviews where people rave about it. Good Mexican is tough to find outside of one or two places in the Boston area, so I am glad to have tried La Verdad. I will definitely be back to sample more tacos and enjoy a margarita and guacamole on the patio, just as long as it isn't a game day!
Zoe! Find me a real Mexican restaurant in this town!
Posted by: Johnny Chefcoat | June 19, 2009 at 02:16 AM