Day: July 15, 2026

The better team won.

That was the consensus among disappointed French fans who gathered for a watch party at Bar Tabac on Smith Street in Boerum Hill on Bastille Day to watch Spain defeat France 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup semifinal at Dallas Stadium, ending Les Bleus’ hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final. France won the World Cup in 2018 and finished as runners-up in 2022 after Argentina defeated France in penalty kicks.

Spain controlled much of the match and capitalized on the French team’s technical and tactical errors. However, before kickoff, fans — including Brooklynites and France supporters Geraud and David — remained confident that their team, a World Cup favorite, would advance to the final on Sunday, July 19, where they would have faced England or Argentina.

Gerard, who attended the game with French friends, told Brooklyn Paper he supported France because he was a huge fan of Real Madrid and French national team player Kylian Mbappé, who plays for Real Madrid. He praised Mbappé’s effectiveness on the field and the humorous memes about him.

“I just want Mbappé to do well. I’m a big Real Madrid fan, so that’s what brings me here. He’s just great. You probably have seen all the dictator memes. I think they’re pretty funny, but at the end of the day, he gets the job done,” Geraud said, predicting that France would win 3-1.

David, whose dad is French, was convinced France would beat Spain 2-1.

“But I think that Spain should not be underestimated,” David cautioned.

Spain dominated the first half and took the lead in the 22nd minute after French player Lucas Digne fouled Spanish player Lamine Yamal, resulting in a penalty kick that forward Mikel Oyarzabal converted.

During halftime, France fans Alexia and Ameth hoped French national team coach Didier Deschamps would bring in right winger Désiré Doué, who was absent from the starting lineup. Doué replaced Bradley Barcola in the 52nd minute.

“We need Doué to boost everything. It’s gonna be the Doué year. We need to do it,” Alexia urged.

Ameth added that France started strongly but lost momentum after Spain took the lead in the first half.

“They just need a reset [and] halftime is perfect for them to get back in a good mindset, and they’ll be okay,” Ameth hoped.

During the second half, France briefly appeared to have regained its footing but unraveled after right back Pedro Porro extended Spain’s lead to 2-0 in the 58th minute.

The unexpected and disappointing outcome, however, did not dampen the pride French fans felt for their team.

“I’m really proud of the Le Bleu. I think they kind of fell apart a little bit in the midfield, but I’m still really proud of the way that the team really showed up for the whole tournament,” Emily told Brooklyn Paper, noting that while they had an “amazing attack,” it was a team effort to win a soccer match.

“There were some awesome moments throughout the tournament that they’ve had, but I think Spain just really outplayed them this time. So still really proud of them, but I think they just got outplayed,” Emily said.

Sophie reflected on the racist attacks against Mbappé by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, who posted vile messages on X after France defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16.

“I feel like going into a match where you’ve been attacked by a senator from a foreign nation, two foreign nations, and having to defend not only your soccer prowess but also your identity takes a lot of strength from a team,” Sophie explained. “I think France is probably one of the teams in the World Cup that’s faced the most critique overall, and they’ve come through with pride and dignity and respect for other teams, and I’m really proud of them, and really looking forward to 2030.”

Phillipe compared the match to the 2024 UEFA European Championship semifinal, when Spain defeated France 2-1.

“It was kind of almost what I expected with Spain. It’s just kind of a stalemate game of just very, very defensive, not a lot going on, and then France just never figured out how to crack [Spain’s] code. And it was the same two years ago in the Euros,” Phillipe explained, noting that La Roja was the first strong team the French had faced in the entire tournament. “I just don’t think we had the experience of playing a really good team before and having to really struggle. It’s the first time we’ve had adversity, and we didn’t know what to do. It’s sad, but you could see it coming in a way.”

In a city where tacos take the star of the show in Latin American cuisine, one Brooklyn family is inviting New Yorkers to discover another cornerstone and treasure of Mexican cuisine — one that’s been passed down through generations.

At Tamaleria La Madrina in Crown Heights, every tamale begins long before sunrise. Around 3 a.m., co-owner Artemio heads out to source ingredients — sometimes driving into New Jersey — before returning to Brooklyn, where by 5 a.m. the family begins making hundreds of tamales entirely by hand. It’s another routine rooted in tradition, one that remained unchanged for more than a century.

Behind every tamale is a bigger story.

The restaurant’s recipe traces back to Marisol’s grandmother, Malitde, who is now 103 years old and still living in Hidalgo, Mexico. She created many of the recipes the family still uses today, believing that food was one of the purest ways to care for people. Those recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, preserving not only flavors but also family history.

“This tamale recipe is our family’s history,” the family shared. “Every tamale we make carries the work, traditions, and love of the women who came before us.”

Today, the legacy is continuing with a fifth generation. Mitchell, the first member of the family born in the United States, is learning the same techniques her mother and grandmother learned decades earlier in Hidalgo.

“Watching Mitchelle learn these recipes is very special because it shows that the traditions of our family carried from Mexico are continuing in a new generation,” the family said. “She represents a bridge between our past in Mexico and our future in the United States.”

​Their journey to Brooklyn wasn’t easy.

Marisol arrived in New York at just 16 years old, while Artemio immigrated in his early 20s. The transition from the quiet pace of Hidalgo to New York City’s nonstop energy came with challenges. From adapting to a new language and culture to working their way up through restaurant kitchens.

Marisol had been cooking since she was 12 years old in Mexico before returning to restaurant kitchens in New York after working in housekeeping. Artemio began washing dishes before eventually managing a kosher restaurant, where he learned the business side of hospitality. Together, those experiences laid the foundation for opening Taqueria Milear a decade ago and for launching Tamaleria La Madrina last November

Their newest restaurant was born from one simple realization: New Yorkers loved their tamales.

Guests at Taqueria Milear repeatedly asked for more, often telling the family the tamales reminded them of home—or introducing first-time diners to authentic regional Mexican cuisine flavors they had never experienced before. The family also recognized a gap in New York’s food scene.

“Tamales have always been part of the city’s food culture, often sold by vendors outside subway stations and on the street corners,” they said. “But there weren’t many places where people could come specifically for authentic, handmade regional tamales every day.”

Today, Tamaleria La Madrina offers exactly that.

Fresh masa is prepared every morning using masa de maiz imported directly from Mexico, carefully selected because American alternatives couldn’t replace the texture and flavors of the tamales the family grew up eating. Every filling, sauce, and tamale is assembled by hand before being wrapped and steamed in small batches. Even while producing up to 500 tamales daily, the family refuses shortcuts.

“The most important thing is patience,” Marisol says. “My grandmother taught us that you cannot rush good food.”

That commitment extends beyond their traditional recipes.

Their mole contains more than 25 ingredients and takes several days to prepare — a process they refuse to simplify.

“There are no shortcuts that get you the same result,” the family explained. “I’d rather make less and have it be real than make more and lose what makes it ours.”

While its classic Oaxaqueno tamal-filled with pork ribs in a rich red sauce-has become a customer favorite, the restaurant also embraces creativity through dishes like its signature Gansito tamale, inspired by the beloved Mexican snack cake.

The family sees both as reflections of Mexican culinary traditions: preserving history while allowing room for innovation.

The restaurant serves another purpose beyond feeding guests.

“Tacos are everywhere in the city, and that’s great,” they said. “But Mexican food is so much bigger than tacos. Tamales take real time, real technique, and generations of knowledge.”

Ultimately, every tamale carries something impossible to measure.

The most rewarding part is watching someone taste something and their whole face changes,” the family said. “A lot of our customers are far from home. When they eat a tamale here and tell us it reminds them of their mother’s kitchen or their own grandmother, that’s everything.”

And if guests leave with more than a full stomach, they’ve accomplished exactly what they hoped.

“I hope they leave knowing this isn’t just a shop we opened — it’s generations of my family in every tamale,” they said. “If someone leaves here feeling like they visited a piece of Hidalgo, even for a few minutes, that’s the story I want them to carry.”