Don’t confuse this with the Brisket taco – the tenderloin at Rio is much better – juicy chunks of steak with avocado and a tangy tomatillo salsa…Great taco. Perfect base coat for a night of heavy booZin.

:: Cabeza

La Posada, or loosely translated, “the portopotty”, started out with a salsa that, while definitely spicy enough with jalepeno or serrano peppers, had way to much black pepper in it that was noticeable as soon as it hit the tongue.

We all got variations of tacos except for Taco-Tara, who rolled with their “Famous Enchiladas”. I think they were made famous in a Wal Mart parking lot trailor stand in Nebraska in the early 90′s when they actually cared about their food. Taco-Tara didnt complain too much about them but we’re pretty sure she was just being nice.

I had the 2 taco lunch special #1 which consisted of a shitty crispy beef bag of fail and a soggy pink chickened bag of fail. These atrocities were accompanied by the worst refried beans ive had since the Bears won their last Superbowl. They had obviously burnt the shit out of the giant metal bucket they cooked these things in because they tasted like burnt ass. I would have rather ate a flaming bag of poop as it would have tasted exactly the same and wouldve made for a better story.

We finished up with the FLAAAAAAAAAN. Im pretty sure that it was congealed giraffe semen accompanied by a sauce of pure sugar and vanillla. Fail. This was the worst Mexican i’ve had in Austin in since i can remember. Cabeza made the correct comment “This was the kind of place that we should’ve sent one person in to test the waters so that all 4 of us didnt have to have our lunch ruined at the same time.”

Nuff said.

Cabeza adds this:  it was the worst tortilla soup i’ve EVER had. tasted like a chicken taco drenched in bongwater. Never again.

pics after the break > Read the rest of this entry »

the benny compound

this is a great place to eat if you need a haircut.. Benny runs Barber Bennys Beauty, the unassuming barber shop that located next to his taco trailer on South Congress..  We were a bit miffed that Benny was out of Al Pastor, but we managed.. and got Beef Fajita, Carne Guisada, and Picadillo tacos.. the beef fajita was cooked right there in front of us and it turned out to be the highlight of our otherwise lackluster snack..

hot spot

now this is where its at!  classic taco trailer with all the usual items.. the al pastor was bold and flavorful, with plenty of pineapple.. Cabeza got the barbacoa and it was equally authentic and delicious.. the prices were reasonable and the service friendly.. this is a good stop for anyone wanting to try true mexican taco trailer food.. no sign of gringo compromises..

impressive selection..everything except the source

Carne guisada is one of my favorite dishes.. its a mexican beef stew with a spicy kick that goes great as taco and burrito filling or just in a bowl like chili.. I tried my hand at making it on superbowl sunday thanks to inspiration from a recipe post on the Homesick Texan (one of my favorite food blogs!).  Lisa’s recipe served as the jumping off point for my creation.. I went with an orange and yellow theme – yellow tomatoes, carrots (to give it more of the pot roast vibe),  no onions, a lot of garlic, and then I kicked it up the scoville units with the slow burn of habanero peppers! I let it stew in my crock pot for about 6 hours… bring in the taco cabana tortillas, avocado slices and fresh cilantro on special teams.. then turned the Chippys loose on my creation at the super 43 bowl party..