By DCist Contributor Josh Kramer

Who needs a cellphone camera when you have a pen and paper? Drawn to Flavor highlights local dishes and drinks in vivid watercolor. In these posts, Illustrator and journalist Josh Kramer tries to honor all the energy and creativity that goes into making food beautiful and delicious.

Tacos! Taqueria Habanero (3710 14th Street NW) opened in September. It’s a ten minute walk north from the Columbia Heights Metro. The menu is simple, but these are really good Mexican-style tacos.

Choose any meat, you can’t really go wrong. The carnitas, barbacoa and lengua were all lean and flavorful. I’m not usually a tongue guy. However, the cubed lengua is soft and rich — the semi-soft texture a little like pork belly — and I really enjoyed it. The salsas all packed punch and had bright flavor: Rosa, verde, and habanero (orange here).

The tortillas are made right there in kitchen, practically to order. There is something different about eating tacos on fresh tortillas. They soak up the oil, toast differently, and you can taste a bit more of the corn masa.

Afterwards, walk a few doors up on the same block to Lyman’s Tavern and play Judge Dredd or AC/DC Pinball.

Josh Kramer