I had to admit I was skeptical of any place that describes their taco and ice cream offerings as "craft," but after one bite of El Cottoro's tacos, I was convinced that perhaps craft is an understatement.
The colorful patio overlooks the corner of Campus and Carlisle, in a lovely and lively neighborhood where you might spy two minature poodles in the basket of someone's penny-farthing like we did. Or you might just catch some of the famous sunshine our city is known for, and fail to catch the sights because you are so immersed in the flavors of your taco order.
We ordered one of each of the four vegetarian options: a fried cactus pad taco, a soy chorizo and potato taco, a sauteed chard and veggie taco, and a bean and cheese taco. Each was fantastic, my only complaint is that I didn't specify "no cilantro," as I'm one of those people who detests cilantro. But cilantro be damned, I gobbled them up anyway; those tacos were some of the best tacos I've ever had.
Everything is made in-house, fresh on a daily basis, which may be one of the contributing factors of everything tasting so wonderful. Another factor may be the creative dishes and combinations. And one more: every person on staff we interacted with was happy and kind.
The ice cream side of the restaurant stays open an additional 30 minutes, so you'll never miss the opportunity for dessert. They encourage sampling, in ample spoonfuls of all of their inventive flavors. The ice cream is created Mexican style, which usually entails raw milk, and unique flavor combinations using fresh ingredients. Spices are included in many of the flavors, which adds a delightful kick to otherwise too sweet flavors. The waffle cones are made in house, and they have flavorful options, like biscochito and banana bread. I ended up choosing Mexican vanilla, which is entirely different than your typical vanilla ice cream. It was smooth, and creamy with a hint of cinnamon, and not at all underwhelming the way plain vanilla ice cream can be.
I have to mention the mango rose ice cream, which was beautifully refreshing, and such an unexpected complementary flavor combination.
I regret that I neglected to get pictures of both my tacos and ice cream, as they all looked too delicious to allow them to cool or melt, respectively.
This is the desert, this is New Mexico; there is no shortage of ice cream or tacos. But if you were going to eat either, El Cottoro is the place to do it. Whatever you get from the menu, you won't be disappointed.
All images courtesy of El Cottoro's website, since I was too engrossed in my meal to remember to get some snaps.
That is actually a really weird combination when you first think of it. Tacos and ice cream. Although I do love a choco taco from time to time. I have been to a Mexican ice cream place once and it was definitely interesting. I also tried cactus for the first time a couple of years ago. I don't think it was prepared the best, but It was still really good and I would totally try it again.
Wow @pinkspectre this is an awesome blog. The picture of the taco looks like it's on display at an art museum. If it tastes anything as it looks, I can assure it was a great choice. The desert has its own beauty on display as well. I'm sure your taste buds were super pleased with the choice you made. I will have to look into this place and possibly put it on my bucket list of places to visit. Again thanks for sharing this wonderful blog. Great job on giving an awesome review.
The tacos sound amazing and I like the idea of putting spices in the ice cream. That's pretty unique, you dont get that very often. I think the only spice (or herb) infused ice cream that I've tried is lemon basil, which was very good. I like how chefs are developing new flavors on classics foods and treats. It keeps things interesting and exciting. The restaurant sounds really good
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Great review. Looks delicious! Happy Sunday!
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