Asia meets Mexico under the Overpass

I went to Chow Yum because a friend told me to, with the kind of urgency that doesn't leave room for questions.

"Ooh. Ooh," she said of the tikka con queso. "It's delicious. Go."

So I went on Taco Tuesday, when the tikka con queso makes its weekly appearance. But menus have a way of rearranging intentions. The Bun Bo Birria Tacos appeared as another option, less as a choice than as a summons, and everything else disappeared.

Chow Yum sits under the Perkins Road Overpass, small in footprint and large in local reputation. At the restaurant, almost everything is made fresh, and the Thai slaw side dish proves it immediately. It is not the sad, wet cabbage that appears on plates at even the best restaurants in town. It is crisp, bright with citrus, beside pickled jalapeños that open with sweetness and close with heat. Both snap you awake between bites.

Tacos are eaten in a hurry. The Chow birria tacos make you slow down. They come with braised brisket, onion, cilantro and lime. The menu says two. Three arrived, a small act of generosity that felt especially welcome in the slow burn of summer.

The lemongrass beef consommé comes on the side. Do not treat it like a condiment packet. Let the tacos sit in the broth long enough for the shells to pull in the liquid while they still hold their crunch. Patience here is repaid.

Taco Tuesday also includes smoky pork flautas with chipotle and poblano crema, as well as crispy fish tacos with green chili aioli slaw, cotija and fried shallots.

I did not order the tikka con queso. That was the reason I came. That is not a failure. That is next Tuesday.