Mexican Mayhem

by Stephanie Sherrill
on Friday, January 29, 2010

Last weekend was Shanghai's second annual taco and margarita crawl. The rules? Seven establishments prepare their most marvelous margarita and terrific taco, while we - the crawlers - decide upon the victor through the fairest method at out disposal: taste testing.

Our bus, loaded with 30 gringos, all donning sombreros and some with the addition of a poncho, bowled along the streets of the city, our imminent arrival announced by whoops of "Arriba! Arriba!"

Last year's winner, Chef Brad Turley, was in tow to help defend Maya's reigning title. And once again Turley, with Chef Sean Jorgensen in the kitchen, blew away the competition. Their spicy and soft tacos with guacamole had many shouting for more between mouthfuls - myself included.

Fellow crawler and Owner of Cantina Agave, Kelley Lee left partner Raffe Ibrahamian holding up the fort to wow us with tacos that captured our hearts, and second place. A beautiful afternoon set the scene for al fresco revelry, which had patrons enjoying the free-flow brunch margaritas and tacos almost as much as we on our binge.

Adobo took third with their shredded pork tacos topped with a fiery sauce and a little bit of pineapple, sharing the bronze medal with Oscar's, whose crispy fried tacos contained the perfect ratio of grease to ingredients, resulting in something truly addictive - especially after a few Coronas. Rounding out the competition, Mexico Lindo, Taco Loco and the Big Bamboo all served up respectable, decent tacos, though nothing to wow the taste buds.

On to the second part of the competition: the margaritas, which were endless - much to our delight. They ranged from sweet to tart, frozen to rocks, and included original, strawberry and mango flavors. After seven margaritas (and several additional Coronas), we crowned Maya with first place, Mexico Lindo with second, while Adobo came a respectable third. Though most offerings were a treat, the next time I'm at Big Bamboo I'll stick to the beer.