MAYBE IT WAS the Doritos Locos Taco that did it. Maybe that unholy alliance of ground beef, cheddar cheese and
sour cream enveloped in a giant neon-orange Dorito shell was too much for chefs to bear. Whatever the cause, gastronomy’s top echelon has plunged into a state of intense taco-consciousness.
It’s not limited to the New World. In Copenhagen, René Redzepi has taken a break from foraging reindeer lichen to help Rosio Sanchez, formerly his sous-chef at Noma—currently ranked number one on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list—to open the taco shop Hija de Sanchez. Albert Adrià, following his modernist exploits at El Bulli alongside his brother Ferran, opened a taqueria last year in Barcelona called Niño Viejo. Still, the taco fixation does seem particularly acute stateside. From New York to Nashville, American chefs are waking up to authentic Mexican cuisine, with a particular focus on the humble foldable street snack.
“Tacos are the one Mexican foodstuff we are all vehemently opinionated about,” said Alex Stupak, an alumnus of high-end modernist restaurants WD-50 in New York and Alinea in Chicago, who has committed himself since 2011 to serving up versions at Empellón Cocina and Empellón Taqueria in New York. Last fall, Mr. Stupak opened Empellón Al Pastor, a counter-service operation dedicated to his favorite taco.
This latest wave of American taco-mania has roots that go back decades. But until recently, tacos north of the border were going through what might be called their baroque period. We have been gorging on the likes of corn tortillas stuffed with Korean barbecue and chili soy slaw at Kogi trucks in Los Angeles, chasu pork tacos with hoisin sauce at East Side King in Austin and mushroom tacos with cashews and kale at ABC Cocina in New York. Then there is the