A trio of tacos from Tortilladora, now open for delivery in D.C. (Photo courtesy of Tortilladora)

A new food delivery concept wants D.C. to say bye to Taco Tuesday and hello to on-demand taco nights, no matter which day of the week.

Tortilladora, named after the traditional Mexican tortilla press, is a solo project from chef Ed McIntosh that’s about eight years in the making. The first orders were shipped out of Union Kitchen in Northeast on Tuesday.

Prior to venturing into the taco business, McIntosh was executive chef with several large restaurant companies including Matchbox Restaurant Group, Great American Restaurants, and Hillstone Restaurant Group. His past work included a lot of travel to Miami and the West Coast, where McIntosh says he fell for the regional cuisine—and tacos in particular.

“This is really the type of food that I love,” he says. And he’s excited that his new business is getting him back in the kitchen more often.

McIntosh realizes that tacos are not new to most people, so he’s aiming to create combinations and flavors that go beyond basics like shredded chicken or ground beef.

“We’re visiting a lot of different countries around the globe and combining that with the cooking techniques and cuisine of Mexico,” he says.

The opening menu includes a slow braised pork taco with Chinese five spice and tamarind; a vegetable taco with roasted carrots, butternut squash, and goat cheese; a shrimp taco with Korean tomato stew; and beef al pastor with pineapple soy. All of it is gluten-free. A weekly special will also be available.

A taco meal isn’t complete without side dishes, and Tortilladora is ready with some eyebrow-raising accompaniments. He describes his version of rice and beans as a “sort of sushi rice risotto,” with Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and ancho chili beans. His Sushi House guac is made with Ivy City Smokehouse smoked salmon, wasabi peas, pickled ginger, scallion, lime, rice crackers, and cilantro. He also created an Asian-style Elote and a German-inspired potato salad with more smoked salmon and pickled jicama.

Fillings and sides are served in Chinese takeout boxes. Each order comes with three to five 100 percent masa corn tortillas and cost between $12 and $16. Tortilladora can be ordered on Caviar (4-mile radius) and UberEats (3-mile radius) from Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. In addition, it offers group catering at any time with 24-hours notice.

McIntosh said that opting for a delivery and catering model, rather than a brick-and-mortar location, lets him have a hand in more of the business, such as doing pop ups at locations around the city. As far as product durability, he tried multiple iterations to develop a tortilla that could withstand a crosstown journey and enlisted friends and family to make sure ingredients held up during transit.

But most important to him is ensuring that the individual flavors and textures of the ingredients don’t get muddled once combined.

“There’s that chef-driven mentality to really make sure that each individual part of the dish is going to be great on its own,” he says. “You don’t really know how a customer or guest is going to eat it.”

Tortilladora is available for delivery through UberEats and Caviar. Hours are Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Catering is offered at any time with 24-hours notice.

This post has been updated to reflect that Caviar has a 4-mile delivery radius, not 10.