Let’s Get Ready to Ruuuuumble! Dine Around Downtown Hosts Ultimate Battle of the Tacos

The stakes were already high for this year’s Dine Around Downtown food festival on Tuesday, June 6, when 42 restaurants will descend upon Fosun Plaza (28 Liberty St.) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with all the tastiest dishes Lower Manhattan has to offer. But things are about to get even spicier: not one, but two local kitchens are bringing tacos. Competing taco dishes? Can you take this heat?

As Lower Manhattanites nosh their way through practically the entire neighborhood’s lunch options, a pair of reputed downtown eateries will have knives sharpened and chafing dishes heated in preparation for besting the other’s taco recipe. In actuality, the smackdown has already begun. Here’s what ONE Dine at One World Observatory (117 West St., 101st floor) and the Malt House (9 Maiden Ln.) had to say about their savory fusion samplings. 

Reuel Vincent, executive chef at ONE Dine, on their Korean short rib tacos — specially made for Dine Around Downtown with kimchi, cucumbers, gochujang aioli and chili crisp: 

Our taco is going to slap hard! We’re putting a lot of time, attention and love into slow-cooking the short rib for 72 hours. This way, it’ll slice like butter in that first melt-in-your-mouth, out-of-this-world bite. Brace yourself for a symphony of flavors from the cool, crisp cucumbers to the vibrant and tangy kimchi — topped with the crunch and punch of the chili crisp. Watch out, Malt House, we’re comin for ya!

Are Marcos and Tomas Gonzales gonna let him get away with that?! 

The brothers responded with some fighting words about Malt House’s mahi mahi tacos, served daily with pickled red cabbage, black bean salad, homemade chipotle aioli and avocado on flour tortillas: 

We’ve been refining this taco for almost two years — combining the texture and subtle Cajun-marinated spice of the mahi mahi with the pickled cabbage’s acidity, the fresh black beans, the creamy avocado. It all comes together to match and dance with the soft bite from the chipotle aioli. ONE Dine, you better ask somebody.

As objective bystanders, the Downtown Alliance should note that all Lower Manhattan restaurants are winners in our eyes, though a little healthy taco competition never hurt anyone. (We think.)

Previously: 42 Restaurants in One Plaza: Dine Around Downtown Returns on June 6.