When it came time to add a bar to La Taqueria, a longtime burrito institution on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, owner Marty Medina didn’t waste money on furnishings. Instead, he covered the wall with 100 bottles of tequila.
“I figured I could either spend money on decor or on tequila,” he said, laughing at the three bottle-covered shelves.
Medina didn’t only refurbish his popular restaurant; he’s also trying to resuscitate the reputation of its signature booze.
Tequila certainly deserves a revival. The best bottles in Median’s collection are aged (añejo) varieties that have many of the characteristics — oak, vanilla, honey undercurrents — that make single malt snobs go crazy.
And unlike Scotch, tequila is the ultimate mixer. Medina really shows it off in his house margarita — which uses fresh prickly pear juice.
It goes down easy. A little too easy.
La Taqueria [72 Seventh Ave., between Lincoln and Berkeley places, (718) 398-4300]. Hours: Sunday–Thursday, 11:30 am–10 pm; Friday–Saturday, 11 am–11 pm. Accepts American Express, MasterCard and Visa.
