Bartaco Secret Taco

I used to be, to the horror of all Southerner’s around me, someone who hated short rib. To me, there was nothing less palatable than this cut of meat, and I would always refer to its taste as “if the color gray had a flavor, that would be short rib.” 

I know, I’m horrible. I’m also horribly wrong about short rib now, or at least as of late. There have been numerous restaurants that have been working on changing my perception, and one of those happen to be Bartaco’s new secret taco: the coffee braised short rib. 

I am no foreigner to bartaco. You can consistently find me popping into one of their locations around Atlanta for a quick taco fix and or a carafe of margaritas with my friends. So when the weather this past weekend surged into the mid 70’s (are we really sure it’s Winter?), my sister and I planned a date to soak up some sun on the patio while our stomachs soaked in some Mexican calories. 

After setting our sights on a couple of drinks, we promptly put our dragonfly up and ordered the lot: a large taco platter accompanied with their fried plantains, fresh pineapple, and Mexican Street Corn, plus four of the braised short rib tacos. With a squeeze of lime, we were ready to dig in. Our grumbling stomachs causing stray fingers to reach into the plantain bowl for a quick caloric fix before diving into the main course. 
 
Not quite able to put a finger on it as to why, but my loathe affair with short rib has slowly waned in the past year. Perhaps enough of my taste buds are withering away as my youth continues to escape me, or a more popular theory, chefs are embracing new ways to prepare short rib to fit more difficult palates. Present company included in that list of “difficult palates”. 
But I must admit, the short rib is dripping in flavor. The fennel slaw a nice bitterness against the sweet sauce that oozes out the back upon your first bite into the taco.  It’s so good, I couldn’t help but reach out for more. 

I’d easily spend another afternoon devouring my weight in the short rib taco again, it might just be my new favorite taco on their menu. Make sure you pop in this month to try the bartaco secret taco while you can!