Slideshow

Slide Show: Border Town Street Food at Stella Taco

August 7, 2014

Snag a spot by the window and you’ve got the perfect spot for some Alberta people watching. You’re pretty much guaranteed to see something interesting.

Cancha: crispy organic corn kernels, refried black beans, sliced red onions, topped with crema.

Salsa y Tostadas: oil cured red chiles and garlic, charred Walla Walla sweet onions, cilantro, lemon, lime, and tomatoes.

Hanging plants, woven baskets, and aluminum buckets hang over all of the tables. Reach into one of the aluminum buckets to find napkins (we all know tacos get messy).

Stella Taco has frozen margaritas down pat. Stop in to enjoy the perfect combination of Olmeca Altos Reposado, Triple Sec, lime, orange, and piña.

The restaurant’s set up makes obvious the drill: order your food and drinks at the counter/bar, and take a seat at one of the enormous communal tables (or snag one of a few tiny two-tops).

Elote: roasted corn with fresh crema topped with lime, chile powder, and cheese crumbles.

Bold, colorful patterns line the walls of Stella Taco, and speak to the restaurant’s border town inspiration.

Brisket de Matamoros: Cumin, coriander, celery seed rubbed Painted Hills brisket dry cured, coarse ground and slow roasted and topped with toreados and pickled red onions.

Stella Taco is a labor of love from partners Becky and Ian Atkins, Texas transplants dedicated to delivering flavors from the border with Pacific Northwest ingredients. It's a noble task, which they aim to accomplish with the help of co-owner and executive chef Matthew Fields, another Texas native who’s done culinary stints at restaurants across El Paso as well as at Portland’s Little Bird Bistro and Simpatico Catering. The fast-casual Mexican street food eatery, set to open on NE Alberta on August 11, will be slinging drinking-friendly food—dubbed antojitos in spanish—like lamb barbacoa tacos cradled by organic tortillas from local Three Sisters Nixtamal, crispy pork skin chicharrones with citrus chile salt, and tortilla soup packed with seasonal veggies. Weekend warriors can also tuck into a loaded brunch menu every Saturday and Sunday, featuring menudo, sopapillas, and breakfast tostadas. A full bar featuring Mexican beers and a rotating selection of summer-ready frozen cocktails.

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