But all of that could disappear tomorrow and I'd still return to La Macro again and again for its beautiful trompo. It's the restaurant's signature item, and you can get it in nearly every dish La Macro offers: tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas, taquizas and even hamburgers. In fact, the only place you can't find it is in the breakfast tacos — which is okay by me, as they're offered all day long (a huge bonus) and come with some of the best and — somewhat paradoxically — least greasy chorizo I've seen in a while. And I'm willing to bet they'd stuff some trompo into your breakfast tacos if you asked nicely.
Taquizas are the most traditional incarnation, however, featuring the sweet pork draped gracefully across five corn tortillas, a scatter of cilantro and onions across the entire plate. La Macro's hot salsa verde in a squeeze bottle on your table provides a bright, sharp hit of acidity and heat to the taquizas, which can easily be taken down by one person.
Troy Fields
Trompo-style meat was brought to Mexico by Middle Eastern immigrants.
Location Info
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Taqueria La Macro
1822 N. Main, Suite B, 713-226-8226. Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
Breakfast taco $1.90
Taco de trompo $1.75
La Gringa $2.75
La Campechana $3
La Pirata $3
Trompi-burger $5.95
Taquizas $6.85
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Real Deal Trompo at Taqueria La Macro
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In Photos: Trompos de Mexico
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Inside a trompi-burger, which I've decided is Mexico's answer to a bacon cheeseburger, trompo functions as bacon while melty, salty asadero takes the place of Cheddar cheese. Sautéed onions top off the whole wonderful affair, and that same salsa verde is again a welcome addition between the two buttery, slightly crisped-up torta buns that hold it all together.
And while you can certainly get a taco de barbacoa or pechuga de pollo (chicken breast), the best tacos here are the so-called "Tacos del Barrio," which feature three of Monterrey's most iconic street eats.
La Gringa is the flour tortilla-wrapped version of trompo, nestling the pork between creamy layers of white, stretchy queso a la plancha before the entire taco is grilled to a slight crisp on the griddle. La Campechana features fajita beef and that same white cheese, along with fat slices of avocado. And my favorite, La Pirata, finds all of the Campechana ingredients — tender beef, soft cheese, plush avocado — topped with sautéed onions and, again, grilled until the flour tortilla that holds it all together is barely crunchy outside.
These last two may not feature La Macro's signature trompo, but that doesn't stop me from indulging in one or the other on most visits. After all, it's only $1.75 to get a taco de trompo on the side — a small price to pay for such a time-honored classic.
katharine.shilcutt@houstonpress.com
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