A Tale of Two Tacos

This chic new Mexican place popped up in Sonoma last time I was home, looking like the kind of place I would die to encounter in NYC. Yet somehow, it seemed out of place on the long stretch of Boyes Hot Springs dotted with long-lasting taquerias, bodegas and taco trucks. Still, I'm always on the lookout for delicious, so I tried to head there for dinner.

Unfortunately, they closed at a reasonable hour, and my 9:00 dinner was kaiboshed- so we went across the street to an old standby, still half an hour from closing. Without even really scanning the menu, we knew what we wanted to order.

We happily took away our carnitas tacos and carne asada burritos, tightly wrapped in tinfoil and accompanied by a greasy bag of paper thin tortilla chips. I amused myself at the salsa bar, concocting salsa combinations while we waited the 4 minutes for our food. Just what we were looking for: Coronas pictured on the menu alongside artfully skewed photos of the food. The next day, I wandered back over to El Molino out of curiosity, in part because I was enticed by their Blue Bottle Coffee advertisement, which was what originally tipped me off that this wasn't no standard taco joint. Here's what I found in their pocket-sized menu:

And they've got some good lookin stuff. Not your standard fare, but a good assortment of creative and high quality dishes, including a little fridge on the side with packs of pumpkin tamales to take home. They may not be Tacos de Jesus, but they know what they're doing- especially in this town, where the taco competition is stiff.