It isn’t truly summer until you’ve had your first fried fish taco. (So I believe, anyway.)
Going by this policy, summer still hadn’t hit for me in early August. This late in the game, that certainly had to be fixed.
So on a recent morning, even though I had only just been to Rockaway Taco in New York‘s Rockaway Beach a few days before, I decided it was time to return …
When I first posted about Rockaway Taco, I have to confess to feeling a little ill-equipped to do so. The place is all about tacos after all, but I had gotten there too early to actually sample any. (The chilaquile breakfast I had, however, was truly memorable.)
After I left, I realized that not only had I missed out on tacos but also some supposedly terrific drinks.
“Get the pineapple juice,” the fabulous fashion stylist Doria Santlofer had urged on Instagram.
Since I admire Doria’s impeccable taste, this was the first thing I ordered on my return — one order of pineapple-mint juice and another of watermelon. As you can see from this photo, the drinks were summer in a cup — tangy, light and sweet but not too sweet.
Of the two, I preferred Doria’s recommendation — I especially loved the extra zing that you got from the tart pineapple, brightened up with the refreshing taste of mint.
We started with the quesadilla filled with black beans and cheese ($3.50). This was tasty enough — I liked the char on the grilled slab of cheese.
But what truly got me were the tacos ($3.50 each) — the carne taco (pictured up top) filled with minced meat and a jumble of julienned vegetables, was delicious, each bite dripping with meat juices.
And the fish — oh, the fish. The fish itself was lightly breaded and deep-fried to perfection — airy, crunchy, sweet and flaky. Combined with the tossed salad on top and wrapped up in a tortilla, this was delicious. I could have eaten five of these at a go.
I know I’ve said this before — and fairly recently, too. But if you find yourself in Rockaway Beach, run — don’t walk — to this taco joint.
We left Rockaway Taco with big smiles that day. We were full, yes. But more important, it now felt like summer had truly begun.
Rockaway Taco, 95-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Rockaway Beach, N.Y.; 347.213.7466; http://rockawaytaco.com/
