The great Robb Walsh recently wrapped up a mini-series of Houstoned blog reviews on Houston taco trucks entitled the Taco Truck Gourmet.

Need credentials? Robb’s the founder of the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, Lead Food Critic for The Houston Press and author of several books including The Tex-Mex Cookbook. If you thought taco journalism was a relatively safe form of reporting- think again. The seedy, nomadic and oft-times unsanitary world of taco trucks has claimed the bowels of more than one taco explorer. Mystery meats abound- Robb even tried sweetbread tacos for Christ’s sake…so move over Geraldo, there’s a new face on the front lines of batlleground taco journalism. Taco Town salutes you Robb Walsh!

Below: highlights from Robb’s blog mini-series, Taco Truck Gourmet:

Taqueria Tacambaro [2520 Airline Drive - behind Canino Produce]
The sweetbreads were white and just barely cooked through. They had a delightfully mild flavor and a lovely fluffy texture that might remind you of the filling of a German veal sausage, like bratwurst or weisswurst. The tartness of the lime juice and sweetness of the onion were beautiful complements. But it was the addition of that dark brown salsa that made me close my eyes and sigh. Full Post…

El Mapache III [Renwick Dr & Gulfton St]
The barbacoa taco was by far the best –a huge mound of hot cheek meat nicely shredded and very moist. I was offered my choice of flour or corn tortillas, which is pretty unusual. I went for corn. The salsa was a thick and creamy green concoction and it packed a major kick. The truck also sells roast chickens and the beans are free on the weekend. Full Post…

more after the fold… Read the rest of this entry »

El Ultimo Taco Truck (map)
7403 Long Point Rd
(in the Mr. Car Wash Parling Lot)
Hours: MON-FRI 8am to 10pm; SAT-8am to 12
Rating:

A great taco conquistador once mused that, “to unearth the mother of taco pearls, one must venture into the belly of the beast, deep into the dark recesses of the latino bum cranny….or just try the East side.”

The “bum cranny” in this case is Long Point Drive - proof that Houston is too big for just one East side, and a formidable bastion of crackheads, pawn shops and seriously dope taco spots. (truth be told- Long Point isn’t really east of anything, but its nestled firmly in the “bum-cranny” of 1-10 and 290…but, fuckit- just turn the map over and call it the east side)

El Ultimo Taco Truck is definitely in the hood- the roach-coach shares a parking lot with a Lebanese car stereo shop (Los Tigres Del Norte always sound better at extreme dB’s) and a Mister Car Wash formerly owned by Kenneth Allen McDuff. However, los gringos brave enough to endure these dire environs will reap the benefits of a Latino culinary slumsplosion. Read the rest of this entry »

Mila’s Taqueria Mexico [map]
3240 Fondren Rd
Houston, TX 77063
(713) 334-8999
Rating:

I’d been to original Taqueria Mexico (6219 Bellaire Blvd) and its the straight BOMB. We tried the lengua tacos, carne asada tacos, and the al pastor - they’re all on the money- and the chandelier of salsas and various pickled peppers n shit- made the wait for the food bearable to say the least. Scott & the Cabeza even shared a round of Patron to really get the party going. it was Authentic Mex done right- served with a smile and it filled the belly on the cheap. What more can you ask for?

So when La Femme Nataco spied another TaqMex location today, we were prepared for another killer meal. This location is actually called Mila’s Taqueria Mexico- Maybe a sister or daughter of the restaurant family…i dunno but it looks newer and more contemporary than its predecessor. In Taco Town that is not a good sign, but the badass mural of an Aztec warrior smoking out his nubile princess more than made up more the modern touches. As far as the food- it was a meal filled with ups and downs.

I’m just gonna name off the stuff we got - good stuff first:

Queso Fundido con Chorizo $4.75
DAMN! This lil boat of heaven was the highlight of the meal for me. melted white cheese concealing a bead of the dopeness- tangy, red, hot, meaty chorizo- just the way Cabeza takes it. Whedder jew sopped it up with a home-made flour tortilla or spoon-did up into your taco of choice, Fundido iz for real! A good change from the standard chile con queso. Read the rest of this entry »

Houston is BIG.  And Cabeza has but one stomach.  I was happy to find out some other Houston blogs have joined the taco review party.  Shit, the more the merrier.  The Houstonist Bites gives a berry favorable review to this unassuming Heights joint.

Chilosos has six varieties of breakfast tacos, all of which are $1.35 (add $0.30 for additional toppings). As we walked up to the counter to place our order, we were greeted with a smile and could see the fresh tacos being prepared in the background. We opted for one bacon, egg, and cheese (for comparison purposes) and one chorizo, egg, cheese and guacamole. Although there were no chips and salsa to munch on while we waited, we did enjoy the checking out the house’s decor…Full Review>

Another blog called Food In Houston skews their review of Chilosos to the lunch fare with equal enthusiasm. they say:

The breakfast tacos are good, but my favorites are two lunch tacos: carne guisada and puerco en salsa verde. Carne guisada is a stew of beef tips in gravy. Chilosos’ version does not have quite as much cumin as my favorite carne guisada recipes, but it is far above average. Even better is the puerco en salsa verde, chunks of pork in a mild green salsa. This thick, yummy salsa is not as spicy as I might expect, but it is full of flavor. Chilosos also makes a good chicken fajita taco, which is greatly improved by a liberal dousing of the salsa verde. Although the default tortillas are flour, I prefer the corn tortillas which are thick and taste homemade…Full Review>

Chilosos Taco House
701 E 20th St
713.868.2273
Mon.-Sat. 7am - 4pm

100% Taquito
3245 Southwest Freeway
Houston, TX 77027
713-665-2900
MENU • WEBSITE • MAP

You probably noticed Texas Monthly’s recent cover story entitled “63 Tacos You Must Try Before You Die“. Its a very comprehensive and impressive article, very worthy of tacotown’s praise. Well, the #3 taco on their list is the Tinga Taco at Houston’s 100% Taquito.
I had to verify things for myself.

So word is, 100% T began as a college student’s project to faithfully recreate a mexico-city-street-cart-taco experience in a generic Houston strip-mall. I must say, they did a pretty good job on the inside. complete with taxi cab and cobblestone floor. You even order from a pseudo trailer. Points for atmospere I guess, if you like the Mexican Disney-world vibe.

here’s the deal: stand in line while scanning the mean- the bulk of which is the taco plates- they come 3 tacos to an order. they’re got Al Pastor, Chicken, Garlic Shrimp, Tinga, shrimp and the combo order- 1 asada (beef), 1 tinga and 1 mole (chicken). This is the way to go for a newcomer I think…order you an aqua fresca or horchata while you’re there. better make it 2 orders of taco too, cuz they’re pretty small, like 4 bites each.

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