vs.

El Paso’s “rolled taco” stallwarts Chico’s Tacos is suing Austin’s own Chuco’s for swiping their name (close-anyway) and their signature dish- which is basically taquitos drowned in broth and smother’d in cheese. I admit i’ve never been to El Paso, but Chuco’s version was a soggy disaster- not impressed.

and the citizens-against-frivolous-lawsuits weigh in:

“If Chico’s wants to sue, then the German guy who came up with the hamburger and the Italian guy who came up with the pizza should also sue,”Read the article here >

BREAKING NEWS: They must’ve sent the goons in to intimidate these newcomers, cuz they alreayd changed their name- its now called “10th Street Tacos“…I like that better anyway.

more: Statesman Article on Chuco’s

-cabeza

The first casualties of low blood sugar- Decision making and creative thinking/ you ever wait too long to take that lunch break and you end up pacing south congress like a zombie in search of any meat-based meal that’ll quench the pangs? yeah, maybe we should bring snacks to work or somethin…tacosnax…

Well, said pangs led me reluctantly to that mediocre stripmallueria they called Garibaldi’s on South Congress (just south of Ben white). BUT I was overjoyed to see that Baldi’s had been replaced by a shiny new Taqueria Chapala- IMO the best of all ATX Jalisco-style restaurants.

Chapala is sure to challenge the Tapatia family’s stranglehold on Ben White- much more class and quality (though to be fair- Tapatia has bigger portions than anyone).

At Chapala the decor is bright and simple, the service is lightning fast, the prices are dirt cheap, and the food is outstanding.

I ordered the old faithful - Combination Plate with all Beef Fajita (which i recommend to all virgin jalisco diners). I also took a chance on the barbacoa Adobado taco- a grilled taco stuffed with juicy, spiced up bbq beef cheek meat…the best barbacoa I’ve tried in some time.

BUT, not to be outdone- Chapala’s fresh red table salsa is SO GOOD…whips Arandas ass…

Chappy got the Torta Sandwich with Beef Fajita. no complaints.

ATTENTION/ 78704-ites: I strongly suggest you temper that “Torchy’s & highlife” fad-diet with some good ol’ jalisco-style at least once a week…its good for your helf.

Taqueria Chapala • 4201 S Congress Ave # 106 • Austin, TX 78745 [map]

Score:
Atmosphere: 6 (small, but bright and clean)
Price: 8 (hard to beat for the price)
Salsa: 7.5 (simple and tasy- the Chips suck though)
Food: 9 (first rate jalisco)
Service: 8 (all spanish/ but Fast & with a smile)
total: 77% Rating:

~Cabeza De Taco

Idgy Vaughn : Austin, TX
We caught her short set at Ruta Maya on Saturday and were drawn in by her delicate voice and tasty instrumentation (Austin mainstay Will Sexton accompanied her on a reverb’d out dreadnaught acoustic). Turns out her folky story-songs are autobiographical- in a nutshell: midwestern girl ends up working at a truckstop in Buda, TX; a customer finances her album after winning the lottery; instant success is marred by a bitter custody battle for her daughter that leaves her estranged from her family. Its the stuff country music is made of…KUT did a nice audio-story on her here>

Liam Finn : New Zealand
We had already attempted to catch Liam, the eldest son of Neil Finn (lengendary leader of Crowded House and Split Enz) Thursday at The Ale House - but like I said 10 times this weekend, “if you’ve heard of them, the line’s too long.” Luckily, we had another chance Friday at the Paste/Stereogum Party. Armed with electric guitar, drumset, two Line-6 delay pedals, and one talented female sidekick, Finn proceeded to floor the 200 or so in attendance. Great hooky songs (instantly Finn-like) that build into layered sing-along anthems. The drumset was probably his most impressive talent - pulverizing finales over looped grooves / I suspect the album sounds very different- which makes his live act even more a MUST SEE.

just 1 night down at SXSW, but here’s 2 very good bands we stumbled onto:

Afenginn : Copenhagen, Denmark
We caught them by chance while grabbing dinner at Rio Grande - the brisket taco’s were bland, but these bad ass gypsy pickers brought the Danish Sabør - very melodic and inventive klezmer jams. And their bass player is disgusting/

…

AND

…

The Aggrolites : Los Angeles, CA
It was nearing 1AM, and the Black Keys showcase had an absurb line outside, so we took a chance on the Flamingo Cantina - IMHO the most reliable venue on 6th street. The Aggrolites dropped our jaws immediately with their air-tight Ska/Reggae/Funk stew- like The Specials meets James Brown in East LA. They had this vato on the B3 just rippin it up…really impressive live band/

-cabeza

[updated - 2008.02.22]
NEW! Here’s Holstein’s Flickr Pics of the event

Thanks to Joby for his hard work and big thanks to everyone who participated in this growing event…we hope to see more of you guys next year.

[updated - 2007.11.11]
THE RESULTS ARE IN!
Winner: Chappy’s Elbo Green Salsa
2nd Place: Meredith Oakes’ ASS PUCKER
3rd Place: Teresa’s fresh red salsa
4th Place: Grego Loboz “Polish Power”
5th Place: Dan’s Delicious Red

Read the rest of this entry »

Another South Congress discovery! We’ve passed this place numerous times, and for some reason never thought too much about it.. But sooner or later, a true taco explorer has to head into uncharted waters in search of mexi-gold. So it was on Monday February 18th that we set sail for this exciting new land, albeit with low expectations.

The vibrant colors are a nice change from the old-hat look of nearby El Gallo. El Flaco Cafe is a small restaurant of maybe 15 tables. The waitresses were eager to serve and friendly from the get-go.. We got our chips and salsa promptly. The salsa was roja.. pureed thoroughly.. and mighty tasty! It was mild, not much heat, but the flavor was unique and tantelizing.

The menu featured a standard selection of tex-mex fare.. Enchiladas, tacos, chalupas, and combo plates of the sort. Both Cabeza and I decided on combo plates.. I got the standard mexican plate with 2 beef enchiladas, a taco, rice, beans, and tortillas. Cabeza got the special plate- same as mine, but with carne guisada.

The food arrived in no time, and we dug in.. Wow.. this is as good as anything else in town. It was simple tex-mex, done right.. The beef taco was savory and fresh.. a perfect beef crispy taco.. no frills. The enchiladas were excellent, cheesy and smothered in a classic con carne sauce.. Nothing bland or tasteless about this meal.. we were enjoying every bite. The carne guisada on Cabeza’s plate took the prize though.. it was just the way I like it, full-flavored and tender, with no fatty chunks just mouth-watering morsels of roast beef in a delicious brown gravy.

The icing on the cake was El Flaco’s homemade tortillas, both flour and corn that came with our meals and were wrapped around our enchiladas.. They were perfectly done and they added to quality of our meal immensely.

 

 

The tortillas are a small detail that, to me, indicate the amount of pride a restaurant takes in its mexican food - and its is an art that seems to be lost on Austin.. hardly anyone in the ATX is making their own tortillas anymore, whatup with that? do we have to go to Taco Cabana for a fresh tortilla? perhaps we need to start a coalition to advocate fresh tortillas in more mexican joints around town..i mean, apparently this is not a problem in Houston, c’mon people!

Whale, definitely check out El Flaco if you’re down on south congress and you want a quick, laid back, and quality tex-mex experience. The manager was even cool enough to come out and check on his patrons a few times, pitching in to help the waitresses when he could.. I appreciate that kind of attention to detail.

heres the score:

El Flaco Cafe [map]
3632 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 444-2767

Score:
Atmosphere: 6 (casual, but clean)
Price: 7 (inexpensive)
Salsa: 8 (unique, tasty)
Food: 9 (great)
Service: 9 (great)

total: 78% Rating:

I had passed this place on the corner of Congress and Ben White a million times..a funny looking place with a sheep on the sign.. I never really thought it would be very good, but after giving in and eating there a few times, I have been proven wrong.. I really like this place.. its unassuming.. the waitstaff is friendly (the little hispanic man that refills your tea and salsa is hilarious), and the food is made with pride…

I’ve tried the chicken tortilla soup twice and its great.. very hearty, with rice avocado, cheese,.. its like a good home-made soup that your grandma used to make.. try it during lunch and its cheaper!

the al pastor is just ok.. I thought the pieces of pork were a little too big and tender.. I know that shouldnt be a gripe, but my favorite al pastor is a little crunchy because the meat has caramalized and been cooked properly.. this is good in a different way.. like carne guisada almost..

the tortillas are made fresh in-house.. nice.

the salsa is a little watery..but tasty nonetheless.

overall, I would definitely reccommend this place to anyone.its well above average.

El Borrego de Oro
3900 South Congress
Austin,TX 78704 [map]
(512) 383-0031

the Score:
Atmosphere: 6 (low key, no frills)
Food Quality: 8 (good)
Service: 9 (great)
Salsa:5 (meh)
Price: 7 (ok)
Total: 70%
Rating:

A first for tacotown: the audio review.. thanks to the handy ‘audio notes’ feature of my blackjack phone. I’m a gadget fiend, man..tacos and gadgets…gadgets and tacos..whats the deal with Garibaldi’s? listen to the audio clip to find out..I apologize if it my voice lacks the emotional vigor that one equates with my writing.. I was actually just dictating for a writup later.. but then i realized that I could cut a step out of the process with the magical powers of my gadget.. voila:

Garibaldi’s Mexican Food
4201 S Congress Ave # 106
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 326-9788 [map]

After a long 10 hour day at work, and nothing much to do this evening, I got the feeling I got to ramble… So I head down to where I used to dwell, Riverside area in South Austin. Thank god I just paid my car insurance, one thing about driving on the East Side, especially around Oltorf and Riverside is that folks drive like cock-asses. After dodging low riders and angry community college kids, I decide to go down memory lane and drive by my old misery pit, my old apartment complex in South Austin. Chevy Chase Downs, I actually picked the place because it was named after Chevy Chase, it had two pools and looked pretty depressing. Read the rest of this entry »

Rating:
I was taking my necessary weekly break from tacos the other day.. visiting the salad bar at Whole Foods.. feeling good about myself..salad, sushi, Feeling like a yuppie prick, which is something that bothers me about WF.. that place is eerie….its like yuppitopia -pious aroma in the air …sure, they got some cool shit but it needs some balance.. it could use a dash of Fiesta Market to even the keel …

anyway.. As soon as I paid for my food, I saw it.. A new taco bar at whole foods.. build-your-own-style tacos nestled up next to the raw food and the coffee bar.. the sign said breakfast tacos in the morning, regular tacos at lunch.. $2.99 each or 2 for $5.00… Read the rest of this entry »