Carne Asada Celebration Tacos

Diego took his first steps on Tuesday. He's been threatening to do it for weeks — pulling up on furniture, cruising along the couch with the focus of a man who knows exactly where he's going — and then Tuesday afternoon, while I was in the kitchen making lunch and Jessica was on a work call in the bedroom, he just did it. Four steps from the coffee table to the armchair. Four wobbly, determined, magnificent steps. And Sofia saw it happen.

Sofia, who is three years and eight months old and therefore considers herself the official family historian, came sprinting into the kitchen screaming, "DADDY! DIEGO WALKED! DIEGO WALKED! I SAW IT!" I dropped the spatula, ran to the living room, and there was my son — standing by the armchair, grinning with six teeth, looking at me like, "Yeah, I did that."

I got down on my knees and held my arms out and said, "Come here, buddy. Come to Daddy." And he did it again — three steps this time, wobbling like a tiny drunk, before face-planting into my chest. I caught him. I will always catch him. Jessica came running in from the bedroom, still on her headset, and saw me on the floor with both kids — Sofia jumping around like a lunatic, Diego in my arms, me trying not to cry — and she said to whoever was on the phone, "I'm going to have to call you back."

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the living room floor encouraging Diego to walk back and forth between us. He fell approximately forty times. He got up forty-one. This kid does not quit. He gets that from Roberto — the stubborn, relentless refusal to stay down. Jessica says he gets it from me. I say I got it from Roberto. Same thing.

Called Mom and Dad to tell them. Elena screamed so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear. Roberto said, "About time. You walked at nine months." Which is both competitive and untrue — Mom has told me I walked at eleven months, same as Diego. Roberto revises history the way other men revise their golf scores: generously and without shame.

Made celebration tacos — carne asada, because some things deserve the best, and your son's first steps is one of them. Used Dad's marinade: lime, garlic, cumin, salt, a little beer. Grilled hot and fast over mesquite charcoal, sliced thin against the grain. Corn tortillas, cilantro, onion, a squeeze of lime. Sofia helped me chop the cilantro (with a butter knife, under supervision, with the seriousness of a surgeon). Diego ate rice and avocado and grinned at all of us.

Four steps. That's how it starts. Four steps from the coffee table to the armchair, and everything changes.

Some meals are just dinner, and some meals are a declaration. When your son takes his first steps — four wobbly, magnificent, world-changing steps — you don’t microwave leftovers. You pull out Dad’s marinade, you light the mesquite charcoal, and you make carne asada the way it’s supposed to be made: hot, fast, and with your whole heart. Here’s the recipe that turned a Tuesday afternoon into a family holiday.

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 2 hours marinating) | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds flank steak or skirt steak
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes), plus lime wedges for serving
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 cup Mexican lager beer
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 corn tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 white onion, finely diced
Lime wedges for serving

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a shallow dish or large zip-top bag, combine the lime juice, minced garlic, cumin, beer, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake until combined.
Marinate the steak. Add the flank steak to the marinade, turning to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
Fire up the grill. Light mesquite charcoal and let it burn until the coals are white-hot with a thin layer of ash. You want high, direct heat — around 450–500°F.
Grill the steak. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Grill for 4–5 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on thickness. The exterior should have a dark, smoky char. Let the steak rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes.
Slice against the grain. Using a sharp knife, slice the steak thin against the grain at a slight angle. This is what keeps every bite tender.
Warm the tortillas. Place corn tortillas directly on the grill grate for about 30 seconds per side, until lightly charred and pliable. Wrap in a clean towel to keep warm.
Assemble and serve. Layer sliced carne asada on warm tortillas and top with chopped cilantro and diced white onion. Squeeze fresh lime over the top. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Carne Asada Celebration Tacos — Four Steps, Six Teeth, and the Best Reason to Fire Up the Grill