Taco Bliss At Cacao Mexicatessen

Today it's mostly about duck carnitas from Cacao Mexicatessen, the five and a half month old Mexican cafe in Eagle Rock. The "duck carnitas sort of splits the difference between carnitas and confit. Cooked down to a rich, soft, fibrous mash, it tastes very much like duck but with a lingering presence that suggests the bird was cooked in pure lard — in a way, it's porkier than the restaurant's regular carnitas, which hasn't near the intensity." The restaurant has its downfalls including slow service and slightly pricier tacos (compared to street food vendors), regardless "the basic unit of consumption here is probably the taco, a very homemade-tasting thing filled with roast turkey, or stewy carne asada, or squash blossoms stirred into a mass of roasted poblano chiles and melted cheese." All in all, "Cacao is the kind of sweet, family-run restaurant that should really be more common in L.A." [LAW]