Changos
Fri., Sept. 11, 1998
Daily, 11am-10pm
Taquerias come in all sizes and styles. Changos, the new spot occupying the former Wrapidos location on the Drag, is small, busy, and hip — a taqueria of the designer variety brought to you by the folks who run Manuel's on Congress. Once beyond Changos' sterile white exterior, visitors can expect an explosion of color, sound, and flavor. The interior paint job includes shades of celadon, eggplant, and coral; classical guitar strains blare from the sound system, and tropical fruit and fresh fish feature prominently on the menu, which includes a limited selection of tacos, burritos, tostadas, salads, and assorted sides like nachos, quesadillas, and vegetables in escabeche.
The Bongos for Changos burrito captured my attention on one recent visit. Those with small appetites be forewarned: At $5.95, the mammoth roll is a meal for two. A formidable mound of beans, cheese, rice, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, and your choice of spicy chicken, beef, pork, mushrooms, or mahi-mahi (add a dollar for fish), occupies an oversized flour tortilla made right before your eyes by Changos personnel. I chose the moist sliced chicken filling and topped the combination with Changos' roja salsa — a fiery chile guajillo concoction — then set about unsuccessfully attempting to demolish the meal before finally asking for a to-go box. My companion opted for a mahi-mahi Maximo ($5.95), the same basic recipe minus the guacamole with chunks of citrus-infused grilled fish in place of the chicken. He topped the Maximo with a smoky Fogata salsa of charred tomatoes and tomatillos, onion, cilantro, and jalapeños. Burritos don't generally warrant description by dissection; suffice to say that Changos fills its creations with ingredients exemplary for their freshness, robust flavor, and low-grease quotient.
For those with wee ones, Changos offers an inexpensive ninos menu. My mini-food critic avidly devoured the exceedingly cheesy quesadilla ($1.35), happily dipping the just-crisp tortilla triangles into the accompanying sour cream dotted rather heavily with black pepper. She also went in big for Changos' rice recipe ($.95 a side) — long-grain rice cooked in an aromatic broth, as opposed to the ubiquitous tomato purée, then dotted generously with corn, peas, and freshly diced tomato.
On the beverage front, Changos turns out mean Batidos ($2.95), their trademarked tropical fruit take on the smoothie. The restaurant also offers beer and wine for those eager to imbibe. — Rebecca Chastenet de Géry
