Taco Grande

aron Martinez, executive chef and partner with Take Root Hospitality-the company behind Vicia, Winslow’s Table, and Bistro La, and Thursday through Saturday nights. One of the standout specialties is the , a taco cousin that takes its name from its oval, sandal-like appearance. The base layer (the “vehicle,” in kitchen parlance) is a quarter-inch cake made from masa that’s sourced from Sureste (the Yucatecan kitchen at City Foundry STL). Next comes a layer of beans from heirloom variety producer Rancho Gordo; a coarse chorizo made from chopped chicken thighs, dark spices, and dried chiles; a squizzle of roasted garlic Mexican crema; a matchstick salad of batonnet-cut kohlrabi, lime, pickled red onions, and cilantro; and a salsa (meaning spicy), an oil-based chile crisp of sorts. A handful of cotija cheese finishes the dish, which Martinez suggests pairing with a watermelon and radish salad described as “simple but complex,” a fitting metaphor for the fare at the new CWE taqueria.