eLTacobar Creates 'New Vibe' on Main Street Sag Harbor

Some light research into the history of the “taco” reveals the word originates from taquito — a term for a fold of paper filled with gunpowder used by miners to blast out rock. What we now know as a taco was what Mexican mineworkers called the versatile, easy-to-handle food they carried underground with them for lunch.

In the early 20th century, those same miners brought with them to America their native food culture, and a hundred years later, taco stands and restaurants are nearly as ubiquitous as pizzerias and burger joints. And in the hands of some chefs, the once simple taco becomes a culinary quilt in which to wrap an all-things-possible menagerie of ingredients.

Thus, ways of evaluating the taco are all over the place. What makes a taco authentic? What makes it worthy of its ancestral modesty, its working-class roots? Is it a meal or a snack? High-brow or low? People care less about such things when the food is fresh and delicious.

All of this to say restaurateur Laurent Tourondel has a lot to think about as he brings a new taqueria to the middle of Sag Harbor’s Main Street, where hungry people, often in groups, are known to search valiantly for good things to eat.

Opening June 2023 — the new yellow and azure awning just went up — is eLTacobar. It will be taking over the space that was until last fall Tourondel’s LT Burger (62 Main Street), which he closed after a good run as a relatively convenient and family-friendly burger-and-fries option. When the LT Burger in Westhampton Beach closed and changed hands, as well, people were left wondering what was coming next.

Tourondel says to expect his new Sag Harbor concept to build on the wildly popular Mexican cuisine concepts sprawling across Brooklyn and Manhattan. He says “he fell in love” with the idea of doing a Mexican place, and, he was clear, it will not be “fusion.”

The “Mexican kitchen” in his new taqueria will keep it simple at first, serving a selection of tacos and bowls, as well as smaller plates like chili shrimp, plantains, guacamole, and assorted “classic Mexican stuff,” including churros for dessert.

“We have about ten tacos on the menu and they all feel very original,” he says, adding that he just purchased a machine for making al pastor. He will also be throwing into the mix his own take on a Korean-inspired pork taco.

But let’s talk about the awning — it’s chic and breezy and makes you thirsty for something tropical yet grounded in Mexican flavor to go with the hand-made tortillas. Thankfully, the open, airy interior will be structured around a large central bar, serving tequila, margaritas a million ways, and fresh-squeezed juices. “I’m creating a vibe,” Tourondel says, and part of that vibe will include an extensive selection of Mexican liquors to imbibe on while listening to some curated music and enjoying the casual, beachy atmosphere.

“I don’t know if we want to make a huge bar scene at 2 a.m., but I think more animated, maybe a DJ on the weekends, on Thursday and Friday, like creating a little vibe inside the place,” he says. “But I’m not looking to turn the place into a nightclub.”

He said the change in concept sprung from visits to the city’s newest Latin hotspots, as well as getting a read on the constantly-evolving restaurants market. “I don’t know that the burger was the hottest thing on the planet the last couple of years,” he says. “It was a trend, and it got tired.”

Tourondel is accustomed to moving on from ideas that have lost their momentum. “It’s good to change, to try something different. I’m the kind of chef that doesn’t really stick to one cuisine,” he notes.

While the competition around him is certainly increasing — there’s been a real surge in restaurants serving Latin fare in the Hamptons — he is sure that you will not mistake eLTacobar for something other than what its name suggests.

“Put it this way, I’m not going to do raw fish inside a taco, so I’m going to keep it in a way that you recognize it’s Mexican and not so much fusion,” Tourondel says.

And he isn’t overly concerned with how people perceive his style of Mexican food. “At the end of the day, you come, you have a good margarita, some good tacos, there is a good atmosphere, and you come back the next day,” he adds.

eLTacobar is located at 62 Main Street, Sag Harbor