When I heard that 450 tamales from Mexico were confiscated at the LAX airport, I understood immediately what had happened. If I was going to smuggle something, it would be tamales. I was so sad that the tamales were burned to death instead of letting a bunch of people just have a big old tamale party on the spot. The real crime was wasting those tamales.

Especially now, there is no other food that takes me back to the happy childhood days of getting ready for Christmas. There would be huge pots in my family’s kitchen with red chile sauce in one and stewed pork meat in the other. On the table, a massive mound of  redmasa, ready for spreading. The corn husk leaves would soak in hot water with an upside down molcajete weighing them down so they would get soft and pliable for spreading the masa. Then we got to the work of assembly – spreading, filling, turning them upside down to steam. It was messy work. There was a big crew of us working while bits of sauce, lard and masa splattered all over because we worked so fast.

On Christmas Eve, we were rewarded with the steamiest, best tamales ever. My Dad joked he would start by eating a dozen. But judging by the pile of empty husks next to him he wasn’t actually joking. I have never tasted tamales as good as my family’s - anywhere.

So when I moved to DC I tried to recreate this cooking experience with my own little family and friends. I was so naïve. First, I invited a bunch of friends to a “tamalada.” I did a lot of the prep work, including making the filling and laying out seasoned masa for my friends to spread out. What happened instead is my girlfriends stood around the table drinking wine and staring at the masa, unsure of what to do next and not really interested much except for the eating part. FAIL

Another time I tried to make them on my own. EPIC FAIL

Ever since, I have been on the search for good tamales that I can buy. In DC. That are Mexican. And good. And not too big. And not dry, too expensive or bland.

Most folks who grew up eating tamales here are headed back home for Christmas – yay for you because you will get the real deal. But if you are staying local like me and need a Christmas fix, here are my top recommendations for finding Mexican tamales in DC:

• Call the Mexican Cowboy. Ofelio is well known to urban DC foodies. You just call him and he comes to the  rescue with pork, chicken, sweet or vegan  tamales. They come with red mole sauce or green chile sauce inside. Both flavors are amazing. The mole sauce is deep and slightly sweet. The green sauce is kind of smoky and tangy and just a little spicy. There is no delivery fee but you must be in downtown or Columbia Heights for delivery. My husband works in downtown so he ordered with his colleagues and added salsa for a fee. The office crew loved them. Ofelio came with three salsas – green, mole and a chunky tomato based salsa that I would slather all over huevos rancheros if I had any left. Order in Spanish for a free tamal! 3tamales for $8, 6 for $14 or a dozen for $24. 202-702-0637
• We’ve written about then before, but Lezo’s Taqueria in Mt. Pleasant has some delicious mole tamales. That makes sense because the owner is from Oaxaca.  They also offer green, rajas and sweet tamales. $3 each. (202) 265-0243. 3213 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010.
• I also cheated and texted my brother this request: Can you overnight me some tamales for Christmas? Are you serious, he asked? “Yes,”, so he did! Carniceria Matehuala in Irving, Texas (Dallas) has some fine red pork and green chicken tamales for about $6 a dozen! Call your brother, or stop by if you live in the Dallas area.

Feliz Navidad Y’all!

By Guest Blogger George Gonzalez

“I hate eating tacos. If tacos had never been invented, the world would be a better place.” – No Mexican, ever in his life.
 
It’s no secret among D.C.’s Latino community that finding real and authentic Mexican food can be as challenging as achieving any sort of political compromise in this town. In fact, it’s nearly impossible.
 
To make matters worse, true D.C. taco connoisseurs are a breed of their own. They know the elements that constitute a good taco. Why? Because most D.C. taco connoisseurs are not local, they come from California, Texas, Nevada, Illinois, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas (just for you buddy) and other places where high quality tacos establishments are a dime a dozen.
 
When I first arrived to D.C., my expectations for finding good tacos were pretty low. “Go to Oyamel or there’s always Rosa Mexicano” was the most common recommendation I would get. While those restaurants were just ok, I was left with the feeling that I had just paid $90 for what could have been a $25 meal in East Los Angeles. “Go to Hyattsville, there’s plenty of low-key good places there,” others would say. That turned out to be a better recommendation for what I was looking for, as Hyattsville has no shortage of good taco places – mostly as a result of the area’s demographics. However, if you rely on public transportation, taking a taxi, uber or metro to Hyattsville just isn’t something you are willing to do every day.
 
So what were my other options? District Taco? Tacos el Chilango? a hipster taco with yellow cheese? the Salvadorean restaurant that “also” serves Mexican? No offense to a good pupusa, but in my experience, if a place advertises both, that means neither of them are good. You have to pick one. 
 
A few years passed until a good friend said, “we have to go see Doña Rosa at the taco apartment.” That immediately caught my attention. “What’s a taco apartment?” I replied hardly containing the excitement in my voice. The place was described as “an apartment in Columbia Heights where this lady makes a few dishes like menudo and birria, and has a variety of tacos. You just eat right there in her converted living room. You call her once you arrive, she’ll throw you a key through the window, and you come up and eat with others who might be there. The most important thing is that she cooks grandma style and the tacos are amazing.” I was immediately captivated by this taco apartment concept and said, “let’s go now.” 
 
In a city full of urban legends, this one happened to be true. The taco apartment and Doña Rosa were real, and everything happened just as it had been described to me. We called, the keys came flying down, and the food was beyond my wildest expectations. We were greeted with a smile, lucha libre playing in the background, and the scents of pansita, carnitas, fritangas, and some sort of cheap perfume. Of course I went back many times, and the experience became more than just a place to eat tacos.  The apartment became a social gathering spot of sorts, a badge of pride for those who knew where to go, with politicos, celebrity chefs, and construction workers eating together in a cafeteria style table. 
 
Sadly, the taco apartment is no more. It’s gone, and if you were fortunate enough to live the experience, then you will never forget it. The good news is that Doña Rosa, an immigrant from Oaxaca, is now living the American Dream. She no longer has to host hungry taco connoisseurs at her apartment, she can now serve them at her own restaurant – Lezo’s Taqueria.
Word of mouth is a powerful tool. Just last weekend, the same friend called to say “hey man, did you know that Doña Rosa opened up an actual taqueria in Mount Pleasant? Let’s go and support her,” and that’s exactly what we did. Colorful first impressions must be a “thing” for Doña Rosa, because she didn’t disappoint in that department. A sound system playing loud cumbia, a disco ball, red confetti and a sign that said “Grand Opening” were all part of her vision for welcoming new and old customers. But we all knew why were there, we were there for the tacos.
 
At Lezo’s you have a wide variety of them, varying from the traditional carnitas and carne asada, to cabeza, sesos, huitlacoche, pansita verde, etc… While anything you order at Lezo’s will be amazing, I do have my personal favorites, and I recommend the following:
 
For tacos:
 
-Carnitas - these are not your traditional shredded pork carnitas, these are hand-selected pieces that have rib, loin and just the right amount of fat. Pair these tacos with the green guacasalsa, and you’ll be back for more.
-Cabesa de Res – not for everyone, but if you like mushy/fatty meats, this should be your top choice. Pair these tacos with the red habanero salsa, trust me.
-Chicharron Prensado – just good ol’ fashion pork rinds marinated in a green chile sauce. Need I say more?
 
For quesadillas:
 
-Flor de Calabasa – maybe the healthier option in the entire menu, but also a great alternative for vegetarians.
-Huitlacoche – not for everyone, as the flavor can be overpowering for those who are not used to it, but a great second option for vegetarians.
 
Seriously, do yourself a favor and take 30 minutes out of your upcoming weekend to treat yourself to Lezo’s taqueria. It may not have the same aura or mysticism as the taco apartment, but this is the fruit of Dona Rosa’s hard work and sacrifice, and you can tell everything is made with tons of love.
 
Lezo’s Taqueria
3213 Mount Pleasant Street, NW
Washington, DC 20024
(202) 265-0243