Mid-March cold fronts are a serious downer. But take heart: Spring's not far off, and until it shows, you can always warm your wind-battered soul with a bowl of steaming birria.
For the uninitiated, birria belongs, like pho, goulash or ramen, among the world's brothy wonders—dishes which, in their ability to cut through a chill or ease a hangover, seem at once meal and medicine. Associated primarily with the Mexican state of Jalisco, birria traditionally consists of goat (chivo) that's been slowly stewed or steamed, chopped and deposited in a bowl of consommé seasoned with drippings, chiles, tomatoes and spices. A basic selection of fixings—generally diced onions, cilantro and limes—is provided for DIY flavor tweaks, along with a stack of warm tortillas just waiting to be wrapped around hunks of chivo and dunked in consommé. Here are seven of the best birria specialists, or birrierias, in the city.