Asian-braised short rib soft tacos at Myers + Chang

Our recent feature on street food got us a little obsessed with the topic. And judging by the e-mails and comments we got, we’re guessing we’re not alone. Yet, even with so many fantastic street-food options here, true Boston-street-food aficionados look longingly to better-endowed cities like Los Angeles, a burg with so many great taco trucks that there’s room for fusion cuisine. Take the storied Kogí truck, whose $2 Korean-barbecue tacos have caused such a sensation in LA that hordes of devotees track its location via Twitter. The notion of finding street food as cheap and creative in Boston is about as inconceivable as finding public transportation still running after the bars close. One can dream. In the meantime, Myers + Chang (1145 Washington Street, Boston, 617.542.5200) is borrowing some clever ideas from other culinarily enlightened American cities.

Until M+C opened in the South End, Boston had nothing remotely like Manhattan’s Momofuku Noodle Bar, a place that slickly updates various Asian cuisines in an austere, not-too-upscale, open-kitchen setting. (We have Blue Ginger, you say? Too posh and suburban. P.F. Chang’s? Be quiet, philistine.) Alongside its creative examples of Taiwanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai cuisine, M+C pays tribute to Kogí’s fabulous tacos. For $13, you get a plate of three, each composed of two layers of soft but sturdy tortillas filled with fatty, tender braised beef short ribs. Asian pear and daikon offer crunch and sweetness, while chili-sesame salsa adds subtle heat. Cilantro and corn-tortilla flavor provide the Mexican accent. It’s a complex mouthful, rich and extraordinary. (The cilantro can be omitted for folks who find it soapy-tasting. M+C also offers gluten-free, shellfish-free, nut-free, vegetarian, and vegan menus — even raw-food dishes on request.)

My friends who don’t get M+C chafe at its prices, arguing that nearby Chinatown offers cheaper, more authentic alternatives. True, I counter, but would those joints enable us to a) make reservations, b) convince our less-adventurous friends to join us, c) watch our food being prepared, d) drink good beer, wine, and sake, e) order swell desserts, f) pay with plastic, and g) unsqueamishly use the bathrooms? For the crowds that fill M+C almost nightly, extras like these are worth a certain premium. I personally value the kitchen’s playfulness and skill, as well as the dining room’s kicky, kitschy atmosphere, complete with banging soundtrack. To assess the value question for yourself, drop by sometime, speak up to be heard over the buzz, and order a plate of those amazing tacos. It may not be the East Village or West Hollywood, but in Boston, a little of that casual, sophisticated urban flavor goes a long way.