A Trip to La Esquina

I finally made it to the intriguing taqueria, located at the intersection of Kenmare and Cleveland streets, called The Corner (La Esquina in Spanish). I think I passed it for the first time sometime last year, and its old school diner exterior called to me, "Come eat here. Rapido!"

A few months later, I finally made my way back. As one enters La Esquina, it's snug and warm from the sizzling grills that greet you to your left. I save myself the last available stool towards the back of the long counter that lines the window (which by the way is lined with an assortment of hot sauces - I am now officially in heaven), and then order a torta de aguacate con queso (sandwich with avocado, black refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and chipotle mayo), and a Mexican hot mocha.

I went back to my stool, and got a book out to read while I waited for my food, but there was a lot of ear candy going on to really focus on reading. Besides the cool music ranging from 1920's-sounding Latin jazz to modern Mexican cumbia, two different gringo-looking hipsters ordered their food about 10 minutes apart, both giving the name "Pepe" when asked for their name. I found that a little odd. Perhaps they were actors trying out for Mexican roles and both thought coming here for lunch would let them remain in character, or they both wanted to know what it would feel like to be called "Pepe" at least once in their life.

Anyhow, back to the food. It was soothing to the soul and yummy to the tastebuds. The chipotle mayo on the torta added a creamy spicy touch. The Mexican hot mocha tasted homemade - just like my Mexican friend makes from scratch.

La Esquina is like a Mexican getaway in the middle of SoHo. It's warm and cozy, the service friendly, and apparently it makes you want to have a common Mexican name, too. I definitely want to come back to try the tortilla soup which I hear is amazing, as well as platanos machos fritos (plaintains salsa verde, queso fresco) - as I have to try anything with the name "macho" in it.