Ever wondered how to turn a Taco Bell Fail feast into a gourmet dish?  Fancy Fast Food shows you how to make a TacoBellini from a Burrito Supreme…Yes, its still liable to give you giardia, but doesn’t it look fancy?

Al Pastor taco $0.99

I found this GREAT little taco stand just a couple minutes South-East of Austin, off Hwy 183 and DG Collins Rd.  I was the only gringo there, and the girl inside spoke ZERO engles…which is always a good sign in my book.

Chorizo/egg taco (.99) was and great, especially with the chunky, vinagery house salsa piled on top..reminded me of Maria’s w/ the chimichurri (though not quite THAT good).

Bomb Taco Alert: the Al Pastor Taco (.99), was more like a BBQ pulled pork smothered in red sauce – but it was AMAZING…highly recommended.

Las Flores – try to remember that name – and go there next time you head out near the airport or traveling towards Lockhart – its right off 183 about 5 min south of hwy 71…It may be a little off the beaten path, but there’s also a Pollo Regio stand across the street- if you feel like u wanna double up.

will post more pics later.

-cabeza

California Love
ATX Taco Blogger El Mundo de Mando (of Taco Journalism) blogs his Taco Crawl through San Francisco’s Mission district for SFweekly. La Taqueria and Taqueria Pancho Villa both received high marks.  He goes on to weigh the pros & cons of Tacos vs. Burritos…is it even close, Mando?? (SFweekly)

Eat This Lens!
local photographer has some stunning shots from their recent Houston Taco Tour…nice work Marshall.

Houston’s Top 10 Taco Trucks
H-town’s finest mobile tacos – as compiled by the honorable and knowledgable Robb Walsh…El Ultimo (My favorite) comes in at a respectable #3….and the winner is >

Barbacoa 2 ways
Señor Robb Walsh gives us a detailed recipe and history lesson on the all-but-extinct art of Mexican Mutton BBQ, Barbacoa de Borrego…Also, peep Robb’s video tutorial on Backyard Barbacoa, AKA smoked cow head.

> NEW South Austin music venue/taco shop opens this Saturday | Its called Villa’s Music Garden – just north of Hill’s Cafe on S. Congress.  Shout out to our boy Shawn Nelson, who’s on this inaugural bill | event page

> Houston Taco Truck Tour by Camera Phone

> Austin Bloggers take the Houston Taco Tour 2009
Long Point Drive is Houston’s version of South 1st Street. taco Mecca.

> “Show Me Your Taco” is going to Iowa July 6th for a Taco Tour good luck Nelson, but if Davenport is any indication – Iowa tacos pretty much blow cabritos.  Sorry, el Boz.

> Stop Laughing at THIS retarded preacher, or you’re going to Hell

So, I just tried the brisket tacos for lunch today at the Vaquero Cocina – one of the the new trailers on South Congress- and part of the recent food truck explosion in Austin…

Brisket Taco $5.25

I gotta admit – the Mighty Cone was calling my name from only 50ft away.  But alas, i stuck to my taco exploring guns, stepped up to the Airstream counter, ordered a cold Topo Chico and TWO brisket tacos – the lone taco on the menu (also serving assorted smoked meats, corn, sweet potato fries and mexican drinks).

My meal total was about $12…not exactly cheap eats, but at least they’re big tacos.

Each Brisket taco starts with a big, fresh homemade flour tortilla, a generous pile of hot, lean and moist beef brisket (smoked on site), some cabbage slaw, a mild red salsa, and finished with a sprinkling of cojito cheese.

Oddly enough, the cheese and mild salsa combo reminded me of Italian marinara & parmesan at first – with no spice to speak of…

SO I immediately reached for Vaquero’s small selection of bottled sauces to add a kick …They had some Louisiana Hot Sauce, some Valentina, and my pick – Tex-Mex Rapper Chingo Bling’s Habanero salsa:

just a couple drops por la spicy pop, on my taco chop…i did the pop n lock, then i killed a cop…sheeet…Chingo got me rhymin’ bout taco timin.  just a lil clowin bout taco townin….

anyways…

Let’s get one thing straight: the real star here was the brisket – cooked beautifully – with plenty of pit smoke flavor and not dry at all…the beef really carried this one…moisty, hearty, tasty.

Still, this taco was one topping short from being truly outstanding – maybe a spicy cream sauce or a tangy green salsa would’ve kicked it over the top.

And, not to keep doggin on it, but the red sauce was so watery – it destroyed the tortilla and dripped all over the place…bummer.

All that said – this is a GOOD taco – at least worthy of a try…but not great (for GREAT, see Matt’s El Rancho – Pecan Smoked brisket tacos -da bomb).

cabeza

Wall Street Journal, that is…check out this article on gourmet food trucks, a trend that’s sweeping the country and bridging the gap between expensive restaurants and fast food:

Jeff Blank, Owner of Might Cone

Jeff Blank, chef and owner of Hudson’s on the Bend, in Austin, Texas, where the average check is $75, rolled out a lunch truck in March. The truck, called the Mighty Cone, specializes in fried chicken, shrimp and avocado coated with a mixture of almonds, sesame seeds, cornflakes and chili flakes; average checks are under $10. At Hudson’s, revenue is off by 20% to 25% compared with two years ago, Mr. Blank says, but revenues from the truck have made up for those losses and even allowed him to hire extra staff.

Good Stuff and congrats on Blank’s success. TacoTown will always be children of the cone.

Photo by John Anderson

Much Respek to the brothers Vallejo and their 2nd annual Pachanga Latino Music fest this past weekend in East Austin.  The fest was huge success by all accounts…but more importantly, they managed to expand the definition of “a musical instrument” to include the BBQ Grill.

Serrano’s owner Adam Gonzales actually cooked fajitas LIVE, onstage during the Panchanga All Stars set – a super-group featuring members of Vallejo and Grupo Fantasma, with Michael Ramos, Willie Alvarado, Haydn Vitera and a bunch more…

Now TacoTown calls that innovation.

Full Festival Review here >

We’ve been to the downtown Serrano’s location plenty of times, with pretty good results, but their south location – next to Best Buy and other “big box” stores down near Mopac and Ben White has been passed by 100’s of times.. I think the fact that its flanked by an Applebee’s just kills my appetite every time I see it.. But these days, Cabeza and I have basically run out of new places to try, so its time to start digging in the dirt..

My interest was piqued when i spotted the vinyl banner  hanging from the side of the building as we drove up.. “Tuesday Lunch Special $12.99 Fajitas for Two” Okay, i can work with that… Probably cheaper than my backup lunch choice – Spec’s deli.

Not surprisingly, the 2pm lunch rush was nonexistent.. we got chips and salsa and our iced teas quickly.. The salsa was a minced pico variety..  a little dry.. it couldnt even be stirred.. just a lump of pico.. but tasty enough.. I spotted a lady in the kitchen making fresh tortillas and my spirits were once again lifted..

The mixed chicken and beef fajitas came to our table in a matter of minutes and we got to making our own personal fajita tacos for which to scarf..  Accompanying our skillet of meat and onions, we each got a plate of mexican rice, charro beans (with shredded queso blanco on top), and shredded yellow cheese.   All ingredients were tasty.. The meat was cooked right.. the beans were flavorful.. the rice was a nice filler.. but the star was the fresh made tortillas that made every bite shine… A great lunch at a great price..

ps: Tuesday is the Fajita special, but Monday is buy 1 get 1 free enchilada plates..

Thanks to C. Brahkowski for this one

After trying TacoDeli’s bison picadillo tacos, and becoming intrigued by this wonderful red meat.. I decided to try making my own version for dinner last night.

I had to start with a little research into traditional forms of Picadillo. With roots in Cuba and Puerto Rico, this meat hash can include olives, capers, tomatoes, raisins, and pototoes. The name comes from the spanish word “picar” which the means to mince or chop. Its often used as a stuffing for empanadas. [ the delicious history of picadillo ]

Nueva Cocina Picadillo Seasoning

I decided to take the quick route with my preparation and start with a pre-packaged picadillo seasoning.. I found an all-natural seasoning from Nueva Cocina at Central Market that worked out nicely.. It includes sun-dried raisins, olives, vinegar powder, garlic powder, etc..

But i couldnt just go with the store-bought flavors, i had to add my own twist.. So i sauteed some sweet potatoes and pickled carrots in olive oil to create a nice hash with a bold color..
next I browned my bison meat, making sure not to overcook it as bison meat cooks faster than other red meats.
then i combined the picadillo seasoning, the sweet potato hash, some fresh ground cloves, and a sprinkle of sharffen-berger cocoa powder (gotta rep chocotown.org dog) to bring it all together..I covered the picadillo and set the burner on low to let the flavors all meld together while I steamed some rice and heated up some fresh HEB flour tortillas.

the finished tacos were amazing. the taste was so savory and comforting. bison is a great meat to cook with because its quick, flavorful, and healthy. [Bison Health Benefits]