Huaraches Doña Chio

Outside of the Maxwell Market, many taquerias have banished fresh masa in favor of machine-made stuff from local tortillerias. Here, there’s a little old lady patting and shaping balls of the cornmeal dough and griddling them until they puff up like corn-perfumed balloons. And while the tacos and gorditas (including a rich picadillo) are good, the star of the show is the braised chicken tinga flecked with smoky bits of chipotle, served on a flat oval-shaped huarache and topped with crumbly queso fresco.