At Mexico City’s Tacos El Califa de León, there are only four things on the menu, all tacos, and all of which came from a cow’s rib, loin or fore shank.Though Michelin representatives came by Wednesday to present him with one of the company's heavy, full-sleeved, pristine white chef’s jackets, he didn't put it on: In this tiny, 10-foot by 10-foot business, the heat makes the meat. And the heat is intense.
In a way, El Califa de León is a tribute to resistance to change. It got there by doing exactly the same four things it has been doing since 1968. After less than a minute — he won’t say exactly how long because “that’s a secret” — he flips the beef over with a spatula, flips the tortilla, and very quickly scoops the cooked, fresh tortilla onto a plastic plate, places the beef on top and calls out the customer’s name who ordered it.
The heat is one of the few secrets Rivera Martínez would share. The steel grill has to be heated to an astounding 680 degrees . Asked how it felt to get a Michelin star, he said in classic Mexico City slang, “está chido ... está padre,” or “it's neat, it's cool.” Muñoz's son, Alan, who was waiting for a beef taco alongside his father, noted “this is a historic day for Mexican cuisine, and we're witnesses to it.”
And Hernández Alonso noted that his father Juan, who founded the business, never bothered to trademark the Califa name and so a well-funded, sleek taco chain has opened about 15 airy restaurants in upscale neighborhoods under the name. Hernández Alonso has been toying with the idea of getting the business on social media, but that's up to his grandkids.