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.

We’ve been to the downtown Serranos 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..

First you gotta realize that this thing is a technically a taco..then, come to terms with the fact that it might be the tastiest taco in town.  We are all children of the cone. [mightycone.com]

wait a minute! i just realized that back in 2007 when I wrote about the chicken cones at ACL fest, I entitled my post “The Mighty Chicken Cone” .. did I name the place?

this beef fajita meat is pretty good, substantial chunks, unlike say, the kind of thin-strip jerky shank you tend to get from Arandas and its clones. The meat was marinated and cooked right, so the flavor and tenderness were there. this could be the best thing on Maudies menu besides the standby tex-mex enchiladas..

The weather is just amazing right now in Austin – its a great time eat lunch outside..And you can’t beat a taco lunch under the oak trees at TacoDeli on Spyglass. I just had their NEW Bison Taco there yesterday…a hearty picadillo made with South Texas-raised, grass fed buffalo meat from Thunderheart Bison.

Awww shux!!  This shit right here was so rich and satisfying – like the feeling you get from a really good bowl of chili…plus its healthy! see below >

• Grass-fed Bison provides as many Omega-3s per serving as salmon
• It contains the highest-know levels of the fat-blocker and anti-carcinogen, CLA, which can reduce the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and more.
• It also has high concentrations of selenium, a mood elevator. Basically, shit gets you faded.
• Grass-fed Bison contains 4 times the amount of vitamin E found in grain fed beef
• It is also a rich source of the vitamin beta-carotene, which reduces the risk of cancer
• Bison meat has fewer calories & cholesterol than chicken

-cabeza

Corazón at Castle Hill
1101 W 5th St Austin, TX 78703 | Map | Menu | Website | Photos

Beef Carne Asada with Pablano Cream sauce

After 22 years of owning and operating one of Austin’s original fine dining favorites, Castle Hill Cafe, David and Cathe Dailey have translated their experience living in San Miguel de Allende into their new neighborhood restaurant & bar, Corazon.  The executive chef is now Michael Taddeo. The building and some of the classic CH dishes still remain.  But they’ve updated the interior design and added a small but inviting Full Bar. here’s a quick run-down of Taco Town’s lunch trip to Corazon:

Service
ice-tea fillups every 30seconds, waiter gave good recomendations, and even brought out the secret habby sauce for us. great service for a lunch/ Chappy says: snooty undertones. copious ice tea refills

hand painted signage facing 5th st.

Atmosphere

I thought the brooding castle theme was kinda gay for a daytime lunch…Clientel was fur-coat silver spoon housewive sluts…Hey, great location, though.  Chappy said “it wasn’t too fu fu…tho grego would prolly not approve.”  Bernie said “the bathrooms are fuckin freezing” all 4 times he went in there to “washup”…He also noted the fact that their baffroom trash bin is a cloth bag that can just be washed, thus saving the Hefties.  Good work, GREENIES.

Quality
Overall great freshness and presentation- I dig the banana leaf garnish & jello-mold rice servings
Chappy says: creative sauces and combinations

Chips/Salsa
The chips were thin, warm and fresh, ass.  Red Tomatillo Salsa was pretty good, tangy (7/10)
the Habanero/Mango sauce was awesome – very sweet and hot. We had to order by special request, and the waiter warned us it was really hot. We told him “pah-leez…why don’t you just step aside, pal”.  This salsa was simply delectable.  Chappy was craving more, but had to stop for health reasons. (8.5/10) Read the rest of this entry »

We were lucky to have some old friends in town last weekend (whatup T$!).  So, we figured, “what’s a fitting way to mark such a special ocassion?  How bout an amazing Brunch at one of Austin’s most influential eateries: FONDA SAN MIGUEL?”  Just off Burnet on Hancock in North Central Austin, FSM is a tour de force of traditional Mexican and South American cooking. Let’s eat!

Various botanitas

Everything is served buffet-style out of huge clay pots and antique mexican vats.   There’s always 4 or 5 main entrees, in addition to a variety of fresh fruits and veggies, escabeche, side items, migas, ceviche, homemade tortillas, and a full bar ($3 mimosas hit the spot).  And, if you leave any room in your gut, the gourmet desserts will seal the deal.

Some particularly GREAT items were:
The Carne Guisada: a juicy and flavorful classic executed perfectly- the sauce was less of a gravy, more of a rich broth.

The Corn Polenta: sweet and creamy with thick crust – perfect with a dollop of sour cream and rajas.

Pollo en mole Poblano: classic dish – rich and complex.  Very satifying….recipe here

Bread Pudding: sweet nirvana

Price was a bit steep at $40/each, but the ambiance was top-notch (they had a mariachi band playing beautifully harmonized love songs – none of that la cucaracha bullshit) and nobody hits the real mexican cuisine in ATX like Fonda.  The whole building is like an art museum…if you haven’t been yet, i’d suggest taking the folks out for brunch, or maybe a special date for your pumpkin face.

Cabeza like.

Fonda San Miguel
2330 W North Loop Blvd, Austin, TX?
(512) 459-4121
<map> <website>

Thursday Special: Scallop Taco | $3.25
pan-seared scallops with roasted peppers & corn relish on fresh corn tortilla

Thursday Special: TacoLomo | $2.75
Slow roasted pork loin with a basil pasilla mojo, shredded red cabbage and roasted red peppers

Cowboy Taco | $3.25
Grilled Beef Tenderloin w/ Caramelized Onions, Grilled Corn, Roasted Peppers, Guacamole & Queso Fresco

TacoDeli
MAP | 1500 Spyglass Dr, Austin, TX 78746
(512) 306-8770
www.tacodeli.com |   Taco Town’s coverage on Tacodeli >

:: cabeza

Al (of focus) Pastor Taco

Fuego’s was started up by a family of ex-patriate californians. Cabeza and I ate there about a year ago, and remember the place having a promising menu..but it was understaffed and seemed to be on a shoe-string budget.  I just checked out some of the recent reviews on Chowhound, and Fuego’s looks to be finding its groove. The fish tacos are a consensus highlight…We’ll be back for a followup visit soon. Oh yeah, and its BYOB and right next to a liquor store.. They are at a strange location.. on lamar, just south of 183..It takes a u-turn to get there if you’re coming from the south.. more reviews on yelp

Fuego’s
Authentic Mexican & California Cuisine
7600 North Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78752
512-524-1164