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.

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
Read the rest of this entry »

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

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!

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

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 >