Mexico

Taco al Pastor: an illustration of pork, vinegar, pineapple, onion and more on tortilla.

Taco al Pastor

Al pastor is a clock. A cone of adobo-stained pork turns past a flame, only the outer face cooks, and the craft is one cut: the instant the crisped band is shaved off before the heat reaches past it.

Taco al Carbón: an illustration of beef, onion, cilantro, lime and more on tortilla.

Taco al Carbón

Taco al carbón is named for its fuel, not its filling: skirt or flank over live charcoal and mesquite, the lacquered smoke-char a flat griddle cannot fake, from the cattle north to the Texas border.

Sushi Burrito: an illustration of fish, cucumber, avocado and maggi seasoning sauce.

Sushi Burrito

A hand roll scaled to Mission-burrito size, never cut, eaten end-on: the sushi burrito was trademarked before it existed, opened in San Francisco in 2011, and outlived the company that named it.

Sope: an illustration of lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa on tortilla.

Sope

A thick round of corn masa with its rim pinched upward while still hot, the sope is an open vessel: beans, meat, cheese, crema, and salsa held in place by a wall the cook builds in seconds.

Sincronizada: an illustration of ham and queso oaxaca.

Sincronizada

Mexico's flour-tortilla take on griddled ham and cheese: two rounds synchronized around the filling, melted flat on the comal, cut into wedges and dressed with salsa and avocado at the table.