Zaragoza Deli & Grocery

215 Avenue A (Betw. 13th & 14th Sts.)

212-780-9204

Avenue A between 13th and 14th has always had this lively little crowd of loiterers, and I sometimes tense before walking through them. In New York, other people's good times often depend on making a bad time for somebody else, so I've learned to be wary of little knots of rowdy people. But I never got any shit on that block except for the time this one girl in a dive bar yelled, "She's got herpes!" just as I was leaving with a new friend. Way to ruin my night, barfly!

Oh, what a fool I was. Years went by when I could have been walking right through the merry makers and on into Zaragoza Deli & Grocery, which has amazing tamales and chile rellenos for two bucks each. The only comparably good tamales I've had in NYC are at this hole-in-the wall at the corner of 3rd St. and 1st Ave. It's not obvious where the door is, and handwritten signs visible from outside mostly advertise low rates on egg sandwiches, so it's known to only a select few. I challenge you to find it.

I had asked the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, who I often see playing at the Bowery Poetry Club, to take me to one of their favorite places. Zaragoza was it. As you probably know by now, the Trachtenburg act consists of Jason playing a guitar or keyboard and singing songs timed to vintage found slides that flash behind him, timed to minute perfection by his wife Tina, and their daughter Rachel on drums.

Tina and Rachel go to Zaragoza, if not every day, then three or four times a week, when they're in town. "I like the beans and rice a lot," explains Tina, "I always feel like if a restaurant can make good beans and rice, the rest is good. The food here is always really fresh, and different everyday-and cheap."

Far from being exclusive, the regulars in this small deli were tripping all over themselves to be helpful, offering to help step aside for my weak attempts at portrait photography. They seemed pretty happy. "Everyone starts drinking at 11 a.m. here, and everybody's drunk by now," Tina said, explaining the mid-afternoon bonhomie. "On Cinco de Mayo they have free tequila and free food."

Rachel was making a nice recovery from having been trapped in an elevator just before meeting me. "Do you collect anything?" she asked politely. I couldn't think of an answer that wouldn't bore a young person, so she helpfully prompted me: "I collect Hello Kitty stickers."

I restrained myself from running right up to the counter and ordering another tamale. At any rate, I was unsure of the ordering etiquette, putting on an obsequious smile but perhaps hesitating too long. Tina is an expert Mexican cook, and they're thinking of taking a break from touring and starting up their own Mexican restaurant. The Trachtenburgs are visionary do-it-yourselfers; on their Vintage Fabric tour they're thinking of collecting fabric from audience members' grandparents, and making costumes as well as Rachel Dolls and tote bags for tour merchandise.

"Tina has her own recipes, mainly her own corn handmade tortillas," Jason told me.

"I'm gonna make a bunch of food, and have investors come and eat," said Tina, and she could probably make it work.

"Our restaurant is going to be vegetarian Mexican. Regular meat is not necessary anymore; you can do it without the destruction." I asked Jason if he was interested in the new raw- food trend. He looked thoughtful, but Rachel came out firmly against it.

"I'm not going to eat a carrot on some plate, I wanna meal!" she insisted. Despite Rachel's opposition to animal testing-"You don't need to do that just so some person doesn't burn their eyes with shampoo. They can figure that out for themselves!" Jason is the real firebrand of the family. "I'm trying to raise awareness of the dangers of cellphone use. Dangerous levels of radiation-"

"This is getting boring Jason!" Tina interjected. "Anyway, I have a cellphone."

"I'm gonna get one," Rachel added.

"They're fine for emergencies," Jason conceded, "but they cause cancer. Think before using them."

I mentioned that Rachel, a teen, was probably going to be a rabid phone user soon. "I'm a phone person right now," She corrected me. "I talk to my friend three hours a day!"

We left the cramped and festive atmosphere of Zaragoza, as I silently vowed to add it to my repertoire.