Hole in The Wall Friday: Sky's Tacos

Let's use the happiest of weekdays to celebrate the other end of the food spectrum: the hole-in-the-wall. You know of what I speak. Sometimes you run to these joints after the infused, pan-seared, foie gras-ed gourmet meal, when you're still hungry but don't want to spend another hundred dollars on sea bass and bottled water. Or sometimes, you're just in the mood for a down-home meal that you can eat with your hands.

I kick-off this series with Sky's Tacos. I am pretty sure that Sky, the proprietress of the creole-influenced eatery, is named so because she has been sent here from the Taco Heavens Above. Sky's isn't technically a hole-in-the-wall, in that they have an A rating and the space is really pretty charming. However, it's simple: no table cloths, no wait staff, but cardboard trays and plastic utensils. When you walk into Sky's, the smell of garlic and butter greets you like a grandmother's embrace: slightly overpowering and then immediately comforting. You order at a window, and often Sky herself is behind the register, smiling sweetly and asking if everything is alright. And at Sky's, everything really is alright.

The shrimp tacos are like plump, buttery, garlicky pillows. Doused in spicy but slighty sweet and velvety (I dare say oily, but in a good way) deep RED salsa, the fillings weigh on the perfectly grilled little corn tortilla in such a way that you either have to devour the taco before it collapses under the weight of heaven, or eat it with a fork (amateurs). There are also crawfish, lobster, salmon, chicken and carne asada variations of the same divinity. Then, there are the carnitas, which I am pretty sure are carved from the pork loin of the heavens. The meat is perfectly salted and tender, and a generous amount will come to you on the same type of perfectly grilled tortilla.

I recommend washing all of this down with Sky's homemade lemonade. It's not your minute maid's lemonade. This is the real thing, and cuts right through all the powerful flavors in order to cleanse your palate so that you can have yet another taco. Because you really should.

Sky's is on Pico. Sky's is so special that I think you should work a little to get the exact address and hours. You're surfing the web at work anyway, so google it. In this manner, you will prove that you are worthy to enter the Taco Heavens Above.