Calexico - Red Hook

Calexico is a California town near the Mexican border, and that's where the three Vendley brothers, the owners of this Mexican taqueria-cum-American barbecue joint, originally hail from. On one wall is a blown-up photo of desert blacktop with a sign for Calexico and Mexicali. Elsewhere in the laid-back space are kitschy and arty shrines to Mexico and California. The chalkboard menu includes a number of tacos, rolled quesadillas, burritos and tortas, as well as salad and organic grits with pork or tofu. This is the first restaurant for the brothers, having started out with SoHo-based award-winning street-food trucks that developed a slavish following.