THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED.

Located in a former Mrs. Winner’s on Piedmont Avenue, just north of the intersection with Cheshire Bridge, I’ve seen the brightly colored Perla Taqueria many times.  With an original plan to cross another place off “the list”, that plan was thwarted by arriving twenty-plus minutes before they opened.  Regrouping, I considered options close by and remembered that I was close to Perla.

Walking in, there is a counter with a blackboard based menu above it to the right and a bunch of seating to the left.

I told the young man behind the counter that this was my first visit and asked him for suggestions.  He started by telling me that they make the corn tortillas for their tacos fresh daily, and suggested the special: three tacos, a side and a soft drink.  In addition to a Coke fountain, they have a wide selection of Mexican soft drinks, including sugar-cane Coca-Cola, Jaliscos and Senoral.  A three taco plate sounds simple, but they have twelve tacos to choose from, so I asked for suggestions again.  He said that his favorite, and the best seller was the buttermilk fried chicken taco (with fried chicken breast, caramelized peppers and onions and a smoked pepper-buttermilk sauce).   Beyond that, he suggested to go with what I liked.  So I took his suggestion and also ordered the puerco al pastor (pastor styled grilled pork, grilled pineapple and onions) and prime rib asado (grilled ribeye with pico de gallo).   And I ordered a side of black beans.  About ten minutes later, my plate came out of the kitchen.

The pork and beef tacos were fine, but the buttermilk fried chicken one, particularly the sauce, was the standpoint.  In fact, had I eaten it first, I would have been disappointed in the first two.  And if I do go back, I’d be challenged to order anything other than that taco.  The black beans had a thick sauce and a touch of cheese and sour creams and were filling, slightly salty and delicious.  The tacos were kind of small for three to make a full dinner and I was looking for a snack before I went to bed.