TacoTown is starting a new weekly taco lunch excursion – Taco Turrsdays! make sure you are our fan on facebook then be on the lookout for invites to meet us around town for some Thursday taco tastings..

for the inaugural run, we hit up the trailer scene on south congress near stassney.. site of the recent taco trailer murder..

First up was Chilango’s.. we had been here before and this visit was on par with last time .. the al pastor taco ($1.75) was good – flavorful and meaty, and the carne guisada was decent – the flavor was a little bland but he meat was tender – no dryness.. stay away from the fajita beef!.. no bueno. Chappy had a $1 cup of mexican coffee that was surprisingly good with a nice cinnamon flavor.

Next up was Tacos Linda, which was only 50ft. away and the site of the aforementioned murder.. the trailer was the same (it still had the ” La Surena” sign written on the side), but it was under new ownership. When asked, the owner said they weren’t really bothered by what had happened .. fair enough.. besides, it all makes sense to me now – their tacos really are to die for.. (too soon? sorry  :-/ )

Tacos Linda served up $1.75 tacos on handmade tortillas.. they were the highlight of our Turrstay.. as was the al pastor that edged out Chilango’s on flavor..
the owner and cook were friendly and attentive.. they even made us some free tacos before we left.. some tacos Campechanos – bistek and chorizo mixed and served on a freshly-made corn tortilla.. they were awesome! .. they serve their salsas wrapped in little sandwich baggies.. funny. We heard that the weekends are the best time to go to Tacos Linda because they have special goat barbacoa and fresh tamales.. The assortment of tortas on the menu also looked promising.. We will definitely have to return for a followup..

Lastly, we decided to swing by Antojito’s Mexicanos on south first near Clifford Dr. ..  Cabeza went for the Chicharron taco.. total fail.. I tried the al pastor.. moderate fail.. shoulda quit while we were ahead.
til next Tursday!!

Murder Scene: La Sureña Taco Trailer (credit AAS)

Austin Police are still searching for the gunman who shot and killed a 43 year-old employee Sunday afternoon at the La Sureña Taco Trailer (translation: “The Southern”) on South Congress near Stassney. {google street view}.

Hispanic male in his mid-20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a thin build, wearing a yellow shirt under a dark jacket and dark baseball cap, walked up to the taco stand about 3 p.m. and shot the man working inside, police said. The employee was pronounced dead at the scene. statesman article >

TacoTown has never tried La Sureña, but it’s about 100 feet away from Chilango’s, which is easily one of the best taco trailers in Austin.  We assume its a newer operation, cuz it seems to be in the same spot that used to be Taqueria “Angel”…

The suspect is still “on the runs“, and motive for the shooting is still unclear, though we highly suspect the chorizo.

WELL……on 2nd thought:  While TacoTown has never claimed to be a “classy” outfit, we DO apologize for the light-hearted comments on this subject.  Our hearts REALLY DO go out to the family of the victim and to all other mobile vendors in Austin.  Stay safe you guys.

-cabeza

Austin’s most popular gringo taco trailer & mobile food pioneers TORCHY’S TACOS turns 3 years old this week. To celebrate, they’re throwing a Birthday Party this Thursday evening at their non-mobile location on the corner of South 1st & El Paso.  FREE KEG BEER will be served from 7-10pm along with fiddle music from teenage prodigy Ruby Jane Smith.

Don’t forget about movie nights up the road at Torchy’s South Austin Trailer Park (1311 s. First). Tonight’s feature film is GroundHog Day

-cabeza

We have been to the Rio numerous times in the past.. The atmosphere and drinks – always good.. but the food- usually hit and miss.. Well, with the help of new management and an exciting new menu, it looks like they’ve stepped up their game and are ready to challenge the other downtown metro-mexuals like Garrido’s, La Condesa, Maria Maria, Manuels.  In addition to a variety of tasty margaritas, the food blogging elite in attendance were treated to samples of Mahi Mahi tacos, Steak tacos, Grilled 9-pepper Shrimp, and fresh-made guacamole.. Everything we tasted was outstandingly fresh and prepared with an attention to detail and flavor that truly impressed us.  Props to the new management at Rio Grande.. we will be back for a full meal soon.

Amaya’s Taco Village is a mainstay of the i-35 taco scene.. Not much has changed in years… expect to find the place packed at lunch time.  The highlight of the (otherwise lackluster) menu are the Village Tacos.. Served in thick yellow corn fried shells that are a combination of chewy, crunchy, and greasy..   with processed yellow cheese, lettuce and tomato.. then your choice of ground beef, shredded chicken, or beef fajita.  Though you can get as many as 3 tacos to a plate, with rice and beans, 2 is more than enough to keep your belly full for the rest of the day.

For me, its the combination of the greasy, chewy shell  and the half-melted yellow cheese that make these tacos taste so damn good.. sometimes you just have wipe that  ’south austin – holier than thou – organic – whole food ‘ look off your face and enjoy the beauty of processed cheese… at least i do.  The ground beef is ok, but i would reccommend the fajita beef at a small extra charge.. it adds to the amazing texture of these tacos.. Amaya’s tacos have a weight/mass to them that is unrivaled.. a true gut-bomb if there ever was one.

Amaya’s Taco Village
www.amayastacovillage.com
5405 N Ih 35
Austin, TX 78723-2429
(512) 458-2531
Get directions

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

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.

]]> http://tacotown.org/2009/06/08/mighty-cone-hits-wall-street/feed/ 1 http://tacotown.org/2009/06/05/fajitas-are-so-punk-rock/ http://tacotown.org/2009/06/05/fajitas-are-so-punk-rock/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:01:40 +0000 Cabeza De Taco http://tacotown.org/?p=1057

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 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..

Behind the Shell at Ben White & Packsaddle Pass

Taqueria Charly just came fresh out the box this moanin – new trailer player (map) on the taco block – mom and son servin up them goodies fer just $1.25 each…

The awning had “best tacos in town” skrawled across it in puff paint…whoa there hombre!  U gotta pay your dues before you go slanging that kinda bravado around…besides, we’ll be the judge of that,  holmes.

GET: Chorizo/egg topped with habanero salsa

GET: potato/egg (diner style hashbrowns up in eer)

AVOID: bacon/egg (looked like fuggiin BAco’s – FAIL)

more pics after the jump >

-cabeza

I pass this trailer most days coming home from work…its located in a convenience store parking lot off the southbound feeder of i-35, just past the Whip-In.

Trompo Taco (1.50), which is just another name for the Al Pastor taco, also referenced by the flaming trompo painting on the trailer itself.  It was a hearty taco, with big chunks of pork and pineapple smothered in mystery red Pastor sauce, in a fresh flour tortilla and topped with the ubiquitous green jalapeno paste salsa (which u gringo’s may recognize as TacoDeli’s Doña sauce)

…twas definitely above average al pastor, if a bit salty and i chomped a few bubblegum fatty pieces. but not baaad.  seemed like quality offering – but it could’ve been an off day for the trompo.

The real star here was the bacon/egg taco (1.50), topped with melted white cheese. The bacon was chopped up and cooked together with the eggs so the grease flavors just melded into pure breakfast bliss.  It may be a simple combo – but when done correctly, bacon & eggs is just the tits.

Verdict: I will return for sure after having the legit bacon/egg – and I might try the pastor or the Pollo Asado taco – since that seems to be their specialty…i do love me some pollo asado. -Cabeza

bacon/egg taco

Trompo Taco

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..

Taco Town contributors peso & tacolibre document their 1st visit to one of our favorite taco spots in Austin – Cabo Bob’s…enjoy!

Taco Town is baffled and enthralled.

This weekend Christopher Huang will attempt to run 200 miles from Houston to Austin non-stop, completely unsupported, and utterly untrained. He will run straight to East Austin’s legendary Juan in a Million mexican restaurant, where he will immediately attempt to break his own world record – a 10lb scarfing of 8 Don Juan breakfast tacos. The amazing quest begins Thursday, March 19 and ends in Austin on Saturday March 21st at 3pm.  Chris has set up a website to promote the event where you can follow his trek LIVE via GPS….One thing’s sure – TACO TOWN will be at the finish line for the full report.  Good luck Chris/ -cabeza

The Lazy Salsa Susan!

originally posted on october 4th, 2007
Down on South First.. in a little strip center, next to the sushi karaoke joint, just south of Stassney.. its called Evita’s Botanitas.. I have no idea what a botanita is and I never met Evita either.. nonetheless, and moreover, this place is not messing around. On my two visits, the food was way above average.. spectacular in a down-home kinda way..the decor inside is gaudy, full of momentos and various nick nacks from over the years.. it reminds me of my cuban grandma’s house. theres a wall full of plaques and awards, letting you know they’ve been to the proving grounds and they brought back gold a few times..

the salsa’s are creative and unique.. they bring out 6 varieties on a nifty little 2-tiered platter..I zeroed in on the black bean salsa and mixed it with the salsa verde.. plenty of combinations for your expirimenting pleasure (6*5*4*3*2*1 = 720, isnt that how you do that?).

Chicken Verde Enchiladas

the menu is well-rounded… plenty of seafood, and entree-type dishes. you get to choose between different types of rice and beans.. the cilantro-lime rice is outstanding.. the chicken verde enchiladas’ are best-in-town contenders.. the chimichangas are heavenly..Chappy will be back for more research soon.

the staff was very friendly and accomodating on my 2 visits… and being its such a small restaurant.. you just feel… grandma’s house.. grandma’s.

the prices seem a little steep when you’re first browsing the menu, but dont worry…this place isnt over-priced.. you will know why when you taste the food.. everything I tasted seemed to be fresher and more flavorful than most mexican food in Austin.. we get used to these restaurants selling us shitty produce, cheapo meats.. it doesnt have to be that way.. there are still places out there that cook food with love and use quality ingredients.. places that give a shit.. Evita’s Botanitas is one of them.

Evita’s Botanitas [map]
6400 S 1st St Ste B
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 441-2424
http://evitasbotanitas.com/

The Score:
Atmosphere: 8
Food Quality: 9
Salsa: 8
Price: 7
Service: 8
Total: 80%
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

World Record Trompo

originally posted on November 4, 2008
Most Austinites are familiar with the al pastor taco- tender marinated pork flanks stacked on a “trompo” with pineapple and slow cooked rotisserie style. Well, Did you know its origins are actually Lebanese?  That’s right – Lebanese immigrants in Puebla, Mexico introduced their neighbors to the Shawarma and the rest is history. more info>

Mexican taco franchise Chihua received world-wide attention when it broke a record for the Guinness Book of World Records by cooking the largest trompo in the world. The hunk of meat weighed 3.9 metric tons and served more than 24,000 people.

Here’s some of TacoTown’s favorite Al Pastor tacos in Austin:

• Fonda San Miguel - the gold standard
• Maria’s Taco Xpress – always solid
• Curra’s – amazing, if non-traditional
• Chango’s – a contender for best of austin

originally posted 10/31/06.. this review is in issue 61 of the Austin Daze! Check it out..
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
South 1st street in the ATX: Taco Row, The Isle of Mex, whatever you wanna call it, you could slip on an enchilada and fall into basket of tacos one step off the sidewalk. This is where the taco obsession started for me, my taco homeland. I used to work in an office at Monroe and South 1st.. come lunch time every day, we would choose the next restaurant in line.. El Mercado, Jovita’s, Little Mexico, La Reyna, La Mexicana Bakery, Aranada’s #5, and of course, Polvo’s…

Polvo’s is about a “South Austin” as you can get.. Its not overly-trendy by any means.. it is real. The decor is funky and colorful.. the patio is always crowded and the wait staff is laid back and helpful. Its where the real Austinites go to eat. Its a great place to have some drinks, you’ll probably run in to an old friend and see a semi-famous Austinite or two there as well. The food is not tex-mex, rather, it is mostly authentic central mexican dishes, they are known for their fish tacos.

The salsa bar is there right when you walk inside, a round ice trough with 4 or 5 fresh salsas there for the tasting. Grab a bowl and see how many varieties you can carry back to your table without having an accident. My favorite is the dark red roaste ancho salsa.. its the perfect amount of tangy-spicy-ness. don’t forget to try the free escebeche… pickled carrots and jalapenos…tasty.

On this particular day, I was in the mood to sample some new stuff. I decided to order 3 different tacos..one beef fajita, a chicken mole, and a pastor taco with rice and beans to complete the meal. My runnin pardner, Cabeza, ordered the fish encholadas with the cartuja pipien sauce, which is a rich almond creme sauce that I have sampled in the past.. Its an amazing sauce that you have to try to understand.

Food came. My tacos looked beautiful, large, and steaming hot. The homemade corn tortillas were everything they should be, dense and strong enough to survive a large amount of fillings without cracking or getting too soggy. they are damn near perfect in that they dont distract you from the taco fillings. I went for the chicken mole taco. It was tasty, with shredded chicken and a generous amount of mole sauce drizzled on top. I keep trying mole in this town and I am always led back to Curra’s.. if you dig mole – its my hands down favorite. Polvo’s mole was respectable, but not worthy of much praise from Chappy.

The highlight of my taco triage was most certainly the beef fajita.. it was amazing.. the beef was marinated and cooked to perfection.. tender and exploding with flavor.. the grilled pablano peppers mixed in were a pleasant counterpart to the beef. I was having a taste bud oragasm eating this taco. I was not expecting this at all.. most the time the beef fajita meat is a standard afterthought, but here, and in the late afternoon no less, the beef fajita was the shining light of taco beauty that made Chappy want to die and ascend into the the heavens while eating on the last bite. I’m not kidding.

Cabeza’s fish enchiladas where a very respectable runner up to the beef fajita taco. FYI – a past highlight of the menu has been the exotic tacos – where you can get the aforementioned Almond Creme Sauce on an open face tortilla with your choice of meat.. its cheap and huge – 1 taco is enough for a meal.
All in all, a great Polvo’s experience. Another reason why I love this town. There are endless opportunities for fearless taco explorers to roam the streets in search of mexi-perfection. On this day, I succeeded.

Polvo’s Mexican Restaurant
2004 S 1st St (Cross Street: W Johanna Street)
Austin, TX 78704 View Map
(512) 441-5446

The Score:
Food: 9 (quality across the board)
Salsa: 8 (great salsas – good variety)
Tortillas: 8(perfect corn, standard flour)
Price: 8 (cheap meal)
Service: 7 (sometimes slow, but always friendly)

total: 80%
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Changos is offering a damn good deal on lunch these days.   I got a 2 taco plate with rice and beans (refried per request) and Horchata- my favorite drink in the world- for $6.95.

As I’m writing this I can’t stop thinking of how fucking good that Horchata is . Its self-serve too.  I love to mix the horchata either the watermelon or cantaloupe agua frescas.  Oh man, I might go there again today just to get that drink.

The 2 tacos were Chicken Tinga tacos served on corn tortillas with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes – VERY TASTY.

I usually never order corn tortillas but i dont think i had a choice this time. I could be wrong about that. But either way, even with 2 corn tortillas supporting all that lovely stuffing, the bottoms were still soggy enough to fall out and thus force me to eat them with a fork and knife. Bernie hates this. I also cant stand when someone makes me a sandwhich that has so much shit on it that it just falls apart. That is not a fkg sammy, that is a plate of fail. However, in this case it was ok because the Tinga sauce was excellent and the chicken melted in my mouth.

Tinga Taco Lunch $6.95

Rice and beans are really tough to talk about because its so tough to tell any difference really. I mean, with the rice, all im looking for is that its flavored correctly, is fluffy, and doesnt have any crunchies in it that indicates someone burnt some of it. And for the beans, especially refried, im just looking to make sure there are no toenails or band-aids in it. That said, both rice and beans were WIN.

When i was leaving i asked the very friendly chiquita that was jockin the register what was in the Tinga sauce and she just simply replied that it was “a chipotle-based sauce with onions and other spices.”  Good enough for me.

I will definitely go back and have this same lunch special again…if not just for that crack juice they call Horchata.

-bernie

CHANGOS Taqueria
3005 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
menu here >