Fate Brought Us Together....

Sometimes things just happen for a reason right? It had to be fate that I ended up at La Lupe in Philadelphia yesterday for a couple of the best tacos I have ever eaten. Let me explain...

First off, I've been on hiatus for three months. I burned myself out badly on Mexican food during the first part of the year, so I needed a break. And just when I was wondering if I'd ever get back to it...along came La Lupe. This past Saturday night I was watching 'Best Food Ever' on TLC, specifically the episode on 'Buzzworthy BBQ.' Wouldn't you know it, #6 on their top 10 list, Bebe's BBQ, is right in my backyard in Philly! So I made plans to head down there Sunday with the kids while my wife was working. Everything was going according to plan until we arrived at the location where Bebe's USED TO BE. That's right...it's closed. Not sure if this is a temporary thing or permanent...but what a bummer.

Fortunately I had parked near Pat's and Geno's...so I figured I'd just get myself a cheesesteak instead right? WRONG. I'm not sure what was going on in Philly yesterday, but there were throngs of people at both joints, with lines wrapping around each building.

Two choices left...a Vietnamese sandwich shop, or an authentic Mexican restaurant. Should have been an easy call right? Not exactly. The Mexican restaurant is in a spot where countless other restaurants have tried boldly to survive right next door to Pat's and Geno's. So I had this preconception that any restaurant in that particular spot just couldn't be very good, which is completely ridiculous, I know. But I decided on the Mexican, parked myself and three kids at a table inside, not realizing I was about to be completely throttled by flavor...

The wait staff at La Lupe were courteous, friendly, and took an immediate liking to my children as they took turns holding the baby. When this 'baby' (more aptly called beastie) decided to pull everything off the table, they were only too happy to help me clean up our mess.

As is standard in the U.S., they gave us a basket of freshly-made tortilla chips and some delicious salsa to start things off. The food came out only shortly after ordering...two tacos al pastor and one taco de carnitas. The kids had french fries (they had already eaten lunch at home!), which were actually really good.  As I bit into my first taco, which by the way was wrapped in a conical shape in some tissue paper to help keep everything together, I forgot about the baby grabbing things off the table and throwing them across the restaurant. I had reached some type of zen I guess. Each taco was prepared with a dollop of guacamole, fresh cilantro, and some diced white onion. The pork carnitas were obviously slow cooked and shredded and just incredibly flavorful. The pork al pastor was a nice contrast, rubbed with spices and grilled, then finely chopped with some grilled pineapple. Oh, and let's not forget the freshly made corn tortillas that held all this deliciousness together! Still warm, these corn tortillas were the best I've had, hands down. Even through the intense flavors of the pork, guacamole, and pineapple (in the tacos al pastor), these delightful corn wrappers refused to be lost in the crowd. At $2.50 per taco (I would have paid double that, easily), this is a place you absolutely have to visit if you like Mexican food. And I haven't even breached the surface of their extensive menu...

All said and done, La Lupe brought me right back to where I was a couple months ago, in love with Mexican food, and ready to try my hand at some tacos al pastor...