4 minute read
IGNITE YOUR PALATE
PHOTOS BY TED HARMON
Spitfire Tacos + Tequila
By Alan Heathcock
Scott Slater has been working in the restaurant industry since the age of 15. He’s owned hot dog stands, hamburger and beer joints, and eventually graduated into tacos, a food he’d grown up loving in southern California. When his business partner and Boise native, Todd Ketlinski, purchased a plot of land in downtown Eagle, the decision was made that tacos would be perfect for the location. Slater had owned several quick-service taco restaurants in San Diego, and imagined a full-service version would fare well in Idaho. Thus Spitfire Tacos and Tequila was born.
Slater’s hamburger restaurants (Slater’s 50-50) were known for their creative takes on anything between two slices of bread. He’s brought the same spirit of experimentation to Spitfire’s taco menu. “There’s plenty of places you can get carne asada and pollo asada,” Slater explained. “But our carne asada has miso morita salsa. Our al pastor has green tahini. Every single thing on our menu will have some unique component that you can’t find at any other restaurant.”
The range of tacos at Spitfire is diverse and adventurous. There’s the Korean BBQ Pork Belly Tacos, with spit-roasted kalbi pork belly, Asian pickle salad, sriracha aioli, and honey sesame sticks. For the vegetarians in the crowd, Spitfire offers the Mushroom Quesataco, with marinated portobello mushrooms, avocado, charred serrano salsa, crema, and umami crispy onions. They’ve had a Nashville Hot Chicken Taco, Jerk Chicken Taco, Pastrami Taco, Smash Burger Taco, and even a try at Birria Beef Ramen. Part of the fun of visiting Spitfire again and again is discovering what new dishes have found their way onto the ever-shifting menu.
Even with all of Spitfire’s experimentation, Spitfire’s most popular taco is their version of the traditional al pastor. “The al pastor is cooked on a marinating spit, which is where the Spitfire name comes from,” Slater said. “With cooking meat on the spit, you get those crunchy fat bubbles, and all that texture and flavor. It’s al pastor carne asada, obviously a classic, but the sweet acidic touch of the green tahini salsa, and the smokiness of the mezclajete hot sauce, sets ours apart.”
While “tacos” is one half of the restaurant’s name, “tequila” is the other. The drink menu does not disappoint. Spitfire has one of the region’s largest selections of tequila and has quickly become known for their agave margaritas. Like the tacos, the margarita list pushes creativity forward with innovative blends of bold flavors— huckleberry, tamarind, smoked cherrywood— there’s so many interesting choices that challenge the norm. The Mexico City Margarita is Slater’s personal favorite, and its sweet/sour/spicy blend of naranja, grapefruit, jalapeño, activated charcoal, and serrano bitters is complex but familiar, challenging but comforting.
Spitfire Tacos + Tequila is open seven days a week and is even open for breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Head to downtown Eagle this winter, and let Spitfire warm your belly and your soul with some of the area’s most interesting and delicious tacos and margaritas.
