Calling sister midnight
you've got me reaching for the moon
Calling sister midnight
you've got me playing the fool
Taco time! Staying in the east end, actually barely a block from the sublime Holi Taco and a likewise new addition to the east Queen Street East food scene... we've got Dirty Birrias!
First question: what the hell is a birria? At least, I certainly had to look it up (laugh away at my expense). According to my trusted sources (Googling it on the internet) 'birria' is a meaty stew, with origins being goat based but beef, being cheaper and more plentiful, eventually nudged its way into the description as well. I'm learnding!
How did Dirty Birrias find their way to the corner of Queen East and Coxwell here in Toronto? Great question... and the internets are stingy with the answer. Instead, lets further discuss what birria is! Here (at Dirty Birrias), they use it as a consomee served on the side (as an extra charge or included with a box of three tacos) giving the option of either pouring it into the taco or merely dunking it (I attempted both).
Straight off the bat, like watching Aaron Judge strike a baseball (you can tell I was watching a bit of Jays/Yankees this weekend)... Dirty Birrias does not really need this birria. It's a nice touch (this very thin side stew that is far more like a broth than a dip) but with the particular composition of these tacos? More liquid is the last thing you need, because they are both extremely greasy and the meat within is quite moist. It doesn't entirely match up, especially a beef consomee (the one I got) with the fish taco.
I'll dive into my overall conclusions at the end, as usual. For now, here are the tacos individually:
Three tacos! A beef, a pork, and the one you see most in focus: the fish taco. Also... cheese! Yep, Dirty Birrias offer a queso version/addition of every taco on their menu, and unfortunately the kind fellow at the counter misheard me and assumed I wanted queso on all three (rather than just the beef one). It certainly explains the slight extra charge.
So... these tacos are essentially a fiesta of deep fried decadence stuffed with cheese. The crunchiness is delightful, and by far the best part of the experience (aside from the pleasant pair of employees operating the place, and the quirky decor of checkered floors and painted mural upon a brick wall). Beyond that, however... is where things drift away from marvelous into... not that.
This fish taco is a good example. It's a minced fish not a battered fried fillet one, a curious choice that can work if the flavour or seasoning or texture is compelling. This here, while serviceable, misses the mark. Certainly not overly watery or dry... and even if the cheese weren't cramping it's style (seriously, cheese in this kind of taco really does not work)... it's a very okay-ish fish taste, crumbly texture, with very little distinction.
There is a delicate feel to it, which is good... not overly salty either. Totally fine, but it is begging so hard for some kind of texture or zip (diced pepper! garlic! coleslaw!) that simply isn't there. There is an extreme amount of cilantro at least? I'm generally neutral-to-positive when it comes to cilantro and this generous amount is pushing it even for me.
Calling it a generic taco is too mean, as I trust this was made in house... good generic? Nah, that's too kind. It's hard to describe... something entirely okay but with so little dimension to it.
The tasty crunch and oil of the thick taco shells are doing the heavy lifting.
The beef taco! Yeah, it's a beef taco. Shredded, not ground, as the photo shows. Also on the chewier side, and (shocker, since I got the beef consume as the side) is the taco that works best with its own juices avec herbs stewing in as well.
And, that's all I've got. Seriously. A moderately crunchy, tasty, greasy-as-fuck beef taco. The fried shells dominate this so much that...
I wasn't even sure if this one or the previous one was the beef, or if this was the pork. And to throw you all off again... this isn't even pork it's lamb! Look... I'm far from flawless with these reviews but if I can't even remember the difference between your items (and actually have to check my in-moment notes just to recall what I actually ate, seeing as pork is obviously much different than lamb)... best case scenario you made a very minor impression.
The lamb itself is adequate. You get that typical peppery taste inherent with lamb, which is good... but beyond that it is so similar in taste and texture to the beef that... well I'm honestly only guessing that this picture above is indeed the lamb taco and the previous one is the beef. I'm about 90 percent sure... but doesn't that say something anyhow?
Into the sauces before we leave. The green salsa is... a complete non factor. Such a slight flavour it barely exists. The consomme in the middle... watery thin but still quite beefy, with a herbal hint to it. Solid amount of flavour there. On a drier, non-fried shell (also full of unwanted cheese, a rare kind of cheese indeed) it would be a delightful drizzle. Thumbs up, it's good on its own. These just aren't the right tacos for it.
As for the red sauce... bit anti-climatic. This spice was apparently so intense, I was warned by the kind gentleman running the counter: "it's really spicy! Don't try it unless you're careful.!"... a caution that was similarly echoed to a wide-eyed couple that walked in while I was leaving.
I've been around some hot sauce in my day... mostly recent days... and this is far from too much. It has some juice, but to the point of alerting every customer? Seems both gimmicky and also a disservice to an otherwise quality spicy sauce.
As a hot sauce it's quite nice: there's a smokiness to it that is subtle and sadly fleeting... a bit of heat on the tounge but little build up, little excitement. Suggesting more than it has, heat-wise. But, that grounded taste really makes it work.
Hot? Sure: the smoke makes it interesting and the sting is moderate... a good hot sauce that isn't your typical punch... but come on. Warning everybody who comes in how on fire this is? This is a lava you made? Sweet, I kinda get it... proud of a pretty unusual hot sauce (thumbs up it is good)... but also, trying too hard to maybe validate it where it can speak for itself in a different way.
Overall. Look, the tone of this review is probably harsher than intended. Dirty Birrias is absolutely fine... but I don't really like it either.
It's a one trick donkey: those fried taco shells are indeed excellent and wonderfully greasy. But the rest of it (the ambitiously misplaced cheese and forgettable beef and lamb) simply isn't up to any taste test. In quality it's so unremarkable I (again) could not recall what I ordered for this review, or which photo was which. "Meh" is so perfectly emblematic of this particular weakness.
I would not recommend them. Dirty Birrias is an entirely okayish, decent pit-stop for a greasy fried crunchy taco. Nothing specifically they're doing wrong, not really... (aside from the heavy cheese in the base of the queso taco)... but beyond legit friendliness there's nothing in what I sampled/experienced that would compel me to go back.
Taco Tune
That's all for this time. Until the next one!
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