Bourbon and Tacos!

I have a confession to make. I've grown kind of tired of the search for the ultimate fish taco. Now had we moved to San Diego instead of Toronto... I might have been inspired. But as much as I love exploring the cuisine of my new city, it's the Bibimbap, dumplings and sushi that call my name. Then I heard of Grand Electric. You go to their website, and the first words you see are Tacos and Bourbon. Now how can you go wrong with a concept like that?! I was intrigued.

The buzz on this restaurant is huge and so it has a notorious wait list. Be prepared to put your name on the list, and grab a drink or two at one of the neighboring bars. As their answering machine will tell you, they don't take reservations and are "closed on Tuesdays so [they] can get drunk." Grand Electric is small, the chatter loud and the old-school rap sets the mood. The hipster vibe is complete with chalkboard menus detailing the food, a limited cocktail list and extensive bourbon offerings. While I opted for a Grand Electric Sour (vanilla bourbon, agave, egg white and lemon - $8), my hubby started making a dent on the bourbon list. The food menu is small, but it was still hard to decide what we wanted. There were a handful of mains ranging from $8 - $13 (we went with the Spicy Squid and the Miami Ribs) and half a dozen different tacos at $3.50 each (Pork Tinga, Baja Fish, Spicy Arbol Chicken, Beef Cheek, Cactus Queso, and Scrapple). Now of course I had to try the Baja Fish and added the Pork Tinga and Cactus Queso to our order.

So how was the fish taco after my long hiatus? The corn tortillas were just right. The batter was light and airy. The fish - tilapia - was light and not greasy. The crimson Valentina hot sauce was flavorful. The housemade salsa verde sauce was tangy. But what really set these fish tacos apart was the radish cole slaw on top. So crunchy! While this still is not the ultimate fish taco I dream of, it came pretty close. And I have fallen hook, line, and sinker back in love with the fish taco.

Grand Electric
330 Queen Street West
Parkdale
(416) 627-3459

http://www.grandelectricbar.com/

4 out of 5 fishies.