Casa Azul Taqueria
C asa Azul is a small restaurant with big female energy , which emanates from Frida Kahlo ’ s monobrow hoisted up on the shop sign , as well as chef Carmen Anaya , with Javier Soto , in the kitchen . It ’ s a small space that holds a handful of tables , but it ’ s adorned with smoldering images of Kahlo alongside Pablo Neruda peering out from the walls . Their own work is worthy inspiration for a homestyle Mexican kitchen that offers enough artistry to match its earthy approach . ( Dishes are familiar but so is a table and Neruda thought it warranted an ode .) This is a homegrown endeavor with husband and wife Javier Soto and Alejandra Ruelas at the helm and a great many ancestors for inspiration .
To know Casa Azul in a single bite is to start with the handmade taco ($ 3 ), which is thicker and softer than its street taco and , stuffed with piquant chicken tinga , it ’ s a brief , heavily spiced poetic expression in its own right . Anyone who loves Mexican food will tell you that its sublime simplicity lies in the tension between universal accessibility and committed heritage . That dichotomy is apparent in the chilaquiles ($ 10.99 ), an amalgam of chicken and fried corn tortillas simmered in salsa — half snack and half stew .
But there is a modern side to Casa Azul as well , evident in the animated , Haring-style Day of the Dead mural that runs on the restaurant ’ s largest wall . Soto and Ruelas aren ’ t looking to scare anyone off with pernicious heat or abstract interpretations of burritos . But they are game for offering vegan chicharrons ( fried tofu ) as well as a plant-based chorizo , and they ’ re keen on keeping things light . Cheese is doled out judiciously rather than in oppressive fistfuls and even nachos ($ 8.50 ) are served more like salad — topped with tomatoes and greens — than a hardened volcano of queso . As much as it ’ s tied to an ancient culture , there ’ s something youthful about Casa Azul ’ s approach : Colorful and heartfelt , it ’ s a direct path to a distant land .
CASA AZUL TAQUERIA 890 Allens Ave ., Providence , 414-7799 , casaazulri . com .
MUST GET Chicken chilaquiles , burritos ,
handmade tacos with avocado salsa verde , choco-flan . Takeout and delivery available at press time ; call for details .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2021 85