[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he slivers of uni that are slicked back on Cacao Mexicatessen’s “Sea Urchin Chile Guero” taco are as stunning as the orange tongues on sushi rice at some of L.A.’s most baller sushi restaurants.
“This came from Santa Barbara,” asserts Andrew Lujan, Cacao’s owner.
Underneath the uni lies a battered chile güero that is filled with shrimp and garnished with micro cilantro, on a handmade tortilla made from locally ground, American-grown organic corn. The uni dissolves into umami seafood butter and the heat from the tender chile brings a rush of instant joy. It is a perfect bite by any measure. However, in the back of your mind, even the most appreciative and educated of diners are thinking it.
This taco is $8.
The concept of the restaurant taco, a.k.a., the $5 taco or the fancy taco, has always lived side-by-side with L.A.’s $1 taco. Together, all of the delicious variations within these two styles of tacos have formed the basis for the best taco city in America. However, as we enter 2018 and ambitious young chefs treat tortillas as a canvas instead of a staple ingredient — with rising food costs and the minimum wage creeping closer to $15 — it’s time to start embracing the $5 taco as the new dollar taco.