Last week I had the pleasure of appearing on Shari Bayer’s radio show “All in The Industry.” We talked about many things, including how I became a food writer and The Catskills Comes to Queens. (You can listen to the episiode here.) All that talking made me rather hungry. The Heritage Radio Network studio is located within Roberta’s, but somehow I wasn’t in the mood for Italian. So I ventured deeper into Bushwick on a taco tip from a friend.Taqueria Cocoyoc has such an overabundance of tacos—20 in all—that I was thoroughly confused, and wound up with a sandwich instead. OK, fine, I wasn’t confused, I just had a hankering for a Mexican sandwich, especially after reading the words “barbacoa enchilada cemita.” The idea of a sandwich packed with spicy goat meat proved irresistible.
Barbacoa de chivo—barbacoa for short—tender baby goat, is seldom seen on sandwiches in Queens. Cocoyoc’s was liberally seasoned with peppers and had a nice building heat. They weren’t shy about the papalo either. The bright lemony herb, along with the sesame studded roll, makes a cemita a cemita. It was a hearty, spicy gut bomb of sandwich. If I lived closer I’d eat one every week.
Taqueria Cocoyoc, 211 Wyckoff Ave., Bushwick, 718-497-4489
if you find yourself in Bushwick again, I recommend trying the tacos placeros de chili relleno from Santa Ana Deli and Grocery. Each one is made with a whole chili relleno and rice, and they’re excellent.
Hey thanks Greg. Sounds like I might have to find myself in Bushwick sooner rather than later!