A Bone to Pick

alinche in Ellisville dazzles with small-plate presentations inspired by the cuisine of Mexico is a reference to the bone marrow accompanying the dish.) Two tacos are presented, one with pickled red onions and salsa verde, the other with and salsa roja. Both include homemade corn-and-cilantro tortillas, as well as homemade queso fresco laced with onions and peppers. But the ingredient with secretweapon cachet is the achiote-and-lime marinated arrachera. Sourced from a town near Mexico City, the skirt steak is “extremely juicy and tender,” says co-owner Angel Jiménez-Gutiérrez. “People order it once and then bring their friends back and order it again,” he says. Part of the appeal may also be the unusual garnish, an upright beef shank roasted with serrano peppers and onion that are seeped in to flavor the marrow. Patrons can scoop a bit atop the tacos for a boost of flavor. “I remember my father loving bone marrow and my mother making it for him often,” Jiménez-Gutiérrez says. “The dish is a tribute to both of them.”