Casa Amado Taqueria chef-owner Amado Lopez says he was surprised by his recent designation as a semifinalist in the emerging chef category by the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
The restaurant, he says, is a modest place for everyone. He quit the world of fine dining a while ago because “I realized my dad can’t even come in here, so why am I cooking this food?” And yet here are Beard judges, who visit anonymously, rubbing elbows with kids from nearby Berkley High School who hit the shop for a solid bite for under $10.
The Beard awards in past ages were reserved for higher-end restaurants, but the foundation has evolved with the times, and, rightly so, now considers less “fancy” restaurants, like Casa Amado, for its awards.
Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical — aren’t all the best tacos in southeast Michigan concentrated in Downriver and Southwest Detroit? Who goes to Berkley for tacos? Lesson learned. The flavors here are big and bright, and built around stewed meats. Though Lopez pulls influences from all regions of Mexico, his tacos seem to have more in common with those I’ve tried in Chicago or the west coast than in Detroit, which are often Jaliscan-rooted.
Lopez spent the early part of his career in the Chicago kitchens of some of the nation’s top chefs, like Rick Bayless, with whom he traveled to Mexico. He also worked in one of decorated chef Shawn McLain’s Chicago restaurants. McLain now operates Highlands at the top of the GM Rencen.
Lopez wanted to spend more time with his kids as his family grew, and the fine dining schedule didn’t jibe with that. Simultaneously, his wife, who is from Michigan, suggested moving to the suburbs — Detroit’s suburbs. The proposal left Lopez skeptical, but he landed a job and eventually took over Plum Market’s catering, where he prepared food for a who’s who of Michiganders, like Pete Karmanos. Circumstance during the pandemic led Lopez to the Atomic Dog hot dog restaurant in Berkley, where Casa Amado began taking shape as a pop-up before evolving into a full time operation. Atomic Dog closed and handed the keys to Casa Amado last March.
Among the best of Lopez’s tacos: the Mexican bistec. He describes it as if pico de gallo was cooked down and simmered with steak. The super-tender beef is braised with a tomato base, onion, garlic, and jalapeño, and spices like cumin or allspice could be added. It’s folded with an acidic nopales cactus and bell pepper slaw. The pork taco pops with equally tender braised pig shoulder done with guajillo chile, ancho chiles, and garlic, and coated with a tangle of pickled onions. Friday’s special is a fish taco, and on a Wednesday we got a shrimp taco with green chile, cheese, and slaw.
The bird in the chipotle chicken tacos is composed of thighs that are cooked down with garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, then chopped up, marinated with a chipotle-garlic sauce, seared on the flat top and mixed with red salsa. That’s topped with a rajas — a traditional mix of poblano, onion, garlic, corn, zucchini, and some sort of cream, like sour cream or crema, as well as cheese.
Some of the best bites are the Sonoran hot dog, which is a charred natural casing dog with a heavy dose of bacon, green chiles, pickled onion, jalapeño, and chile sauce on a toasted bun. The way all that acid cuts through the charred pork — oh yes.
Casa Amado does two veg options. A mushroom taco offers substantial mushrooms that are flavorful from the same chipotle-garlic marinade used for the chicken. It’s finished with queso fresco and arugula, and hangs with its meaty counterparts. The inspiration for the Seema was a vegetarian friend who doesn’t like mushrooms. The tortilla comes griddled with cheese that ends up caramelized and reminds one of the cheese around the edge of a Detroit-style pizza. The tortilla is filled with a cactus and bell pepper slaw, a healthy coating of arugula, pickled onions, jalapeño, queso fresco, and roasted chile sauce. Busy and delicious.
The guacamole and hot queso were the only items that left a bit to be desired — perhaps a bit flat in the shadow of all the dazzlers across the taco menu. The drink menu offers all the standard Mexican beers, a few craft brews, and solid margaritas. Expect an informal vibe — one orders at the register, and the food is brought out to the small dining rooms.
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