I'm on a pretty strict gluten-free diet. I discovered, more than a decade ago, that wheat flour was a migraine trigger for me. Cutting it out hugely improved my quality of life. And yet. Once or twice a year I think, "What if I just
tried wheat?"
I don't eat shitty pizza any more. I'm okay skipping bread. But I kept reading about
Sonoratown, how I ought to "
worship at the altar of [its] flour tortillas and mesquite-grilled beef" and feeling unreasonably pissed off. Like, how dare the darling new taco spot serve these amazing flour tortillas. It felt like a personal attack. I finally decided to go try them. Just try them. Maybe I'm not still sensitive to wheat!!
(Spoiler: I am.) (Though the headache wasn't debilitating. Sonoratown was worth a few Advil.)
Everything was good. Even the one gluten-free, vegetarian option, the Lorenza, served on a flaky corn tortilla. But man those flour tortillas, with their lard and their wheat flour,
trucked in from Sonora. That's what this place is all about.
The grilled steak taco ($2.50) is served with salsa roja, avocado crema, slices of radish, and a grilled green onion, atop an almost delicate tortilla, thinner than I expected, but pliable and a little chewy. This taco needs no doctoring, no salsa bar, it's perfect as is. I did take one bite with the grilled onion, yum, and then remove it. Didn't hate the onion; didn't need it.
And then, you guys, the Burrito 2.0 ($8.50), with chunky guacamole, jack cheese, pinto beans, and chiltepin salsa. It had been so long since I'd had a burrito. Not only because wheat, but also LA's not a burrito town. SF is the burrito capital! But the tortilla on that fucking burrito. A little thicker. Chewy. Just, killer. We ordered that with grilled steak, too, which is the way to go. Best thing I've eaten in 2020.
A year from now, when it occurs to me, "I really should try wheat again..." I'll be back for that burrito.
xoxo,
Laramie
p.s. If you happen to be in LA and you can tolerate lard/gluten, forward this to your person. You've gotta go to Sonoratown, like, tonight. If you're seeing The Laramie Report (aka The Taco Diaries) for the first time,
subscribe here to get it every month.
p.p.s. As always, here's your trusty
taco map. Also featuring tlayudas, arepas, gorditas, chavindecas, and, now, one singular burrito.