Taco Journalism

Don't ever trust a Flaco!

2009-11-04T20:23:00.006-06:00

And I don't mean the skinny hipsters that hang out in the new East 6th Street bars. I'm talking about those distrustful skinny cooks and it seems like Flaco's Cafe y Cantina lives up to it's name.

I stopped by Flaco's this week to meet a friend "who will go un-named for bailing on me" for breakfast. Anyjuaysss. I ordered 2 tacos, one machacado and the other, bean, egg and bacon. As I was waiting for my tacos I had a good scoop of their red salsa. It looked fresh and sausssaay...but to my disappointment, it was worst than Pace Pecante sauce. It was really tomatoey and bland. The tortilla chips weren't the freshest either.

My tacos arrived and to my surprise they were nice and full. Not bad for 2 bucks. I tried the machado or as they described it beef jerky and eggs. It was mostly eggs and tomato and lacked a lot of the carne, making it the blandest machacado I've ever had. Kinda dissapointing. Next up, my Go-2-taco: bean, egg and bacon. The bacon was crispy and thick but again the bland consistency kept creeping up; the eggs and even the beans were pretty tasteless.

I've always passed by Flaco's and I've never been drawn to it. Now I know why.

Flaco's Cafe y Cantina - 1 Star - El Mundo de Mando

Flaco's Cafe y Cantina
3632 S. Congress
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 444-2767‎

Taco Taco Cafe: Best Taco in America or is it?

2009-10-23T00:23:00.005-05:00

I kept hearing about this little place in San Antonio, where the locals wake up early, tortillas are made in-house, ingredients are fresh, people are friendly and they've got a pretty good standing with The Food Network. A few years ago, The Food Network gave this mom and pop shop the Best Tacos in America title. I had to find out for myself how good these tacos really were so when I had opportunity to go to San Antonio for a day trip, that's exactly what I did.

El Norteño y Los Puffy Tacos

Walking into Taco Taco Cafe reminded me of the cafes in El Chuco like the Good Luck Cafe. These joints look like regular cafes/diners but they're all Mexicano! I sat down & ordered my diner coffee, just the way I like it, and ordered the 3 tacos the muy simpatica waitress recommended. I had the Carnitas, Machacado y Chilaquiles tacos. When I got my tacos, I was definitely impressed - they were huuuge! The tortillas were made in-house and the ingredients looked and tasted fresh. Okay, back to the tortillas - seriously, I haven't had tortillas like these in a while. They were so big and so good (that's what she said!). It took me back to when my abuelita used to hook it up at 6 in the morning and that's the smell you woke up to. So not only were these tortillas good, they made the tacos. The carnitas (thin cuts of carne con pico), machacado (dried shredded beef w eggs and pico) and Chilaquiles (that's Migas to you) tasted as fresh as the tortillas. And to top it off, the tacos were big and cheeeeeeeaaaap ($1.45 for starters), it completely made my trip worthwhile. I tell you, if you would bring that taco to Austin, the places around here would easily charge 10 bucks for just one taco. Austin, te quiero pero your peeps just don't have good tacos like these. Why? Because it's all about the tortillas and they know what they're doing down in S.A.

So in honor of one of the best tacos I have ever eaten, I made a short 3 minute video. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll salivate!

Check it out!

Taco Taco Cafe - 4.5 Estrellas - El Mundo de Mando

Taco Taco Cafe
145 E. Hildebrand Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78212

Taco Taco Cafe

Taqueria “Olivas”: Intro to South Austin LoCo Taco Trucks

2009-10-18T13:44:00.015-05:00

On one of the first rainy, cool nights in Austin in mid-September, after four months of 100-degree heat, we escaped Baudrillard’s world on West 5th Street for our favorite taqueria in South Austin. This would be our third visit to Taqueria “Olivas” on southbound South Congress Avenue in the parking lot of McCoy’s lawnmower repair shop, just south of Ben White, as you enter the recently nicknamed “Lower Congress” (LoCo) neighborhood.

Prior to frequenting Taqueria Olivas, my only other experience was in East Austin about four years ago, before mobile eateries in Austin had become swank. What had first caught our attention about Olivas was the flashing strobe light on the red and white painted truck – it didn’t even have a name for a long time. It was simply called TAQUERIA. Normally, the one (yes, only one) table next to the truck is taken over by a family with children, and we’d sit up on the service counter, but that night the table was free. It’s the perfect place to sit and watch dozens of people drive in and out of Wendy’s across the street.

For the first taco, I went with the Fajita de Res (beef). As Goldilocks proclaimed the final porridge – I deemed the beef fajita taco just right. Not too greasy, not too dry, and the seasoning not too salty, but flavorful enough to become addictive. The texture of the meat was tender and non-gristly (gristle is a major meat turn-off for me), and the grilled bell peppers were flavorful and not overcooked. The tortillas weren't necessarily memorable, but I did like the fact that they were firm yet moist, and doubled up to keep from falling apart. Corn only. Flour is not an option.

Left to Right: Capechano, Fajita de Res, Limes

For my second taco, I went with a combination called Capechano, made of bistek (beef fajita minus the bell pepper) and pork chorizo. Both the tacos were generously topped with freshly chopped cilantro and onions, and juicy limes on the side. If you want salsa for your tacos, you don’t get a choice of red or green – only the intensely spicy creamy salsa verde. This Undercover Mexican can’t take the heat, so I added only a few tiny drops of salsa.

I understand Barbacoa (beef head meat) and Pastor (pork cooked with pineapple), but I do have a difficult time remembering the combination tacos. I think I need to carry a taco glossary around with me. Every time I go to Olivas, I always have to ask them to remind me – what again is in the Discada? And the Cortadillo?

Which brings me to an interesting mystery. If you look on their menu, you can see that the pre-printed font ends with the menu item Chorizo. Below that, you will see Capecha written in permanent marker, and in less bold writing the final two letters – no. It had been merely Capecha for quite a while, so I had to wonder if my constant questioning prompted them to revise it. Because Capechano sounds strikingly similar to Campachano, refering to people or things from the state of Campeche, Mexico.

To add to my confusion, I had understood Discada to also be a combination of bistek and chorizo. I will have to go back and clarify this matter. Need to get my tacos straight. Please watch for an addendum to this blog entry. Or if you have any insight, please let me know.

Now, if you’re in the mood for something very greasy and spicy, try the Chicharron taco. While I thoroughly love the dry crunchy chicharrones (with Salsa Valentina!), which you may know as pork rinds, I’m not a fan of the cooked chicharrones. When they’re dry, they lose their resemblance to pig skin, but once cooked, they’re slimy and chewy. Much how you would expect the texture of cooked skin. I think these might be best preceded by a couple of Tecates and/or a shot of tequila.

Olivas is cash only – $1.75 a taco. While East Austin taco trucks may be used to seeing white folks, I think South Austin taco trucks are still mostly unchartered territory for the non-Mexican. Although during our most recent visit, after bar-closing time, we did begin to see a harmonic mingling of cultures, as seen in the photograph.

The vibe is always super-friendly – both from the owners and the patrons – and you pay after you eat, which seems to me a remnant of the old world and refreshing to know that such level of trust exists. It takes a while to get your tacos, but they want to be sure they serve you the best possible.

So see you at Olivas! And don’t let me catch you at Wendy’s.

Taqueria "Olivas" - 5 stars - Undercover Mexican Girl
4140 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78745

Places to Eat When You are White and Have Questionable Taste : El Chile - Downtown

2009-10-11T21:34:00.020-05:00

Why can't anyone open a good downtown Mexican joint? Downtown is home to some of the most overpriced, under-tasty places around (see Manuel's, La Condesa, El Sol Y La Luna, Rio Grande). El Chile's new Downtown location keeps that streak alive.

I've eaten at El Chile's Eastside location more than I would like. The downtown location is very similiar, although it lacks the large patio of the Eastside. Much like Mando and Curra's, I just don't understand El Chile's popularity. There is a littany of things that I dislike about it, but I'll just focus on my main complaint first: their salsa is not good. Sure, I eat it when I'm there, it's edible; but I'll eat anything laid out in front of me, so long as it is accompanied by a bowl of chips. That doesn't mean I enjoy it. Give me a good red or a green salsa over their brown, over-roasted sludge in a bowl. (I can't, for the life of me, imagine who buys it at the grocery store.)

So, after eating the chips-and-so-so-salsa, I ordered a smattering of selections. To start, I had the Rajas con Queso, which in Spanish means "small bowl of white cheese with two or three strips of caramelized onions and green peppers for only $6" (yes, Spanish is a very concise language.) It was decent, but barely lasted two minutes between my friend and I. Next I had the Tortilla soup. It was probably the best thing I had there. It had a nice smooth texture and a spicy heat about it that I liked. However I was disappointed in its relative lack of tortillas. Looking back, I'm not sure there were any in there; although I wasn't explicitly looking. You kind of expect them to be in there, right?

For the main course I figured I should order Puffy Tacos since this is, after all, Taco Journalism. The stewed chicken was tender but very bland. One of the nice things about 'fancy Mexican' is that the chicken is usually decent or, at least, non-nasty; El Chile lived up to that, at least. The two tacos were nicely garnished with guacamole and the usual accompaniments. However, like a lot of puffy tacos, it was damn hard to eat since the shell exploded into a million pieces on the second bite. Eating a taco with a fork? Nonsense! I didn't touch the rice or beans, so I can't comment on them.

I hope and pray that, one day, downtown will get a good Mexican (or Tex/Mex) restaurant. If you know of one, please leave it in the comments.

El Chile Cafe y Cantina - 2 stars - The Commish
918 Congress Ave
(512)291-3120
Austin, TX 78701

ACL Tacos!

2009-10-02T12:10:00.010-05:00

Atencion ACL revelers and taco lovers!

We wanted to provide you with a Taco Public Service Announcement in preparation for the Austin City Limits Festival.

Eat tacos because they're good, cheap, easy to eat, mobile and if you find a good spot, tell your friends about them.

We also wanted to give y'all a heads up on where to eat tacos this ACL weekend. I heard tacos will be available at the ACL fest but the only one worth mentioning on this blog is Wahoo's Tacos.

Here's the "in the city" TacoJournalism tops list...

Tacodeli
La Guera Taco Truck
El Primo Taco Trailer
El Taquito
Porfirio's Tacos
Taqueria Star
Taqueria Chapala
Joe's Bakery & Mexican Food

And the rest...
Warning: Eat at your own risk - some of these were chose because of their convenient location!

Wahoo's Fish Taco

Juanita's Tacos

El Chilito on Barton Springs Rd

Zocalo Cafe

La Casa Del Fuego

ACL Taco Map

View Austin City Limits Festival Tacos in a larger map

Introducing The Undercover Mexican Girl & La Michoacana Meat Market

2009-09-14T22:37:00.005-05:00

We were on a search and we didn't even know it! And finally, we had try-outs at La Michoacana and we finally came down to 1 winner out of 1 contestants. Yes, that's right, we found our Taco Journalista! She hails from the land of tacos, has a knack for South Austin taco trailers and everybody thinks she's a gringa (hence the name)! Taco world, get ready, here comes The Undercover Mexican Girl...

Undercover Mexican Girl
Undercover Mexican Girl spent her childhood in Aguascalientes, Los Angeles, and in her imagination. Ever since she was quite young, she was filling up notebooks full of stories and going off on adventures without her parents. At some point, she went to college (which she recommends only if you don't have to take out a loan) and earned a BA in History and a MFA in Creative Writing.

She's worked (for pay) as a violin shop manager, a film production assistant, a high school and college teacher, freelance writer and editor, and in the non-profit world doing public relations and development. She's also worked (without pay) as an actor, stop action animator, musician, decoupager, sketch artist, epicurean, and pirate.

First Review: La Michoacana Meat Market/Taqueria No. 1

What began with an e-mail inquiry to the Taco Journalists about their coverage of South Austin taco trucks ended in a merry lunch meeting at La Michoacana (minus The Commish). At first, we were stumped by the meal-ordering process. We instinctively migrated to the hot deli counter, where all the taco fillings and entrees resided in glowing warmth, but the cooks cheerfully instructed us to pay at the register and then return with our receipts for faster service.

I had fiercely hoped that their menu that day would include what I call "folded in half, fried mashed potato" tacos. These tacos were a staple in my childhood cuisine, and although I'd always thought they were my mother's unique creation to get rid of leftover mashed potatoes, they are universally known tacos. In fact, Mando explained to me that these are called "doraditos." But apparently, they only appeared briefly during my last visit to La Michoacana several months ago perhaps at the whim of one of the cooks. And the cook had referred to them as "taco dorados," or simply "tacos de papa."

Still lusting for the non-present tacos de papa, I settled for the Chile Relleno "antojito" plate, and I was thrilled that it didn't come with a side of rice and beans. Why does every Mexican and Tex-Mex dish in Austin come with rice and beans? I don't remember my parents or relatives (all from central Mexico) serving up rice and beans with every single meal. Mexicans eat other sides, too, like salads and vegetables! (Do Americans eat mac'n'cheese and french fries with every meal?) The Chile Relleno plate came with a salad of fresh iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, topped with a creamy queso fresco dressing. Queso fresco is crumbly like feta, but mild like mozzarella.

The chile relleno, as well, was stuffed with queso fresco and only queso fresco. No cheddar or fancy jack cheese, no pumpkin seeds or raisins, no blackened fish. I appreciated its simplicity, but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't topped with a warm tomato salsa and grilled onions (as my mother made it). As adequate back-up, the salsa from the condiment squeeze bottle was tasty enough.

Eating at the counter was an exciting experience itself, with an intimate view of the cooking action, busy market shoppers, and chaos from the cash registers. Sort of nostalgic, too, the way I would imagine sitting at the corner pharmacy soda fountain. And when you're done with your meal, there's a full selection of "pan dulce" (sweet breads), all-natural Grisi soaps and shampoos, and cuts from the meat market I recommend the marinated beef fajita for the grill. (Recommendation endorsed by Mando.) So, see you at La Michoacana... "donde usted siempre gana."

4.0 Stars - Undercover Mexican Girl

La Michoacana Meat Market/Taqueria No. 1
1917 East 7th Street
Austin, TX 78702

Preview of the new Taco Journalista: The Undercover Mexican Girl

2009-09-09T09:04:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we had our audition (yes, just one) over tacos. We met up with the Undercover Mexican Girl at La Michoacana to eat and talk tacos. We laughed, we cried and we found out what kind of tacos she's going after. Check out our preview of the Undercover Mexican Girl. Look for her first post within a couple of weeks too.

Mando

Tacos in Spaaaaace!

2009-09-08T08:41:00.003-05:00

Yep, that's right! They have tacos in space. Check out the slide show on the Discovery Channel. Click on the pic for the slideshow...

Thanks to the David the Soup Peddler for the tip!

Curra's Grill - People Like It

2009-09-02T23:01:00.006-05:00

I've been to Curra's Grill a few times; I eat their food at festivals and even at weddings. What can I say about Curra's; people like it. It's always been an okay place for me, nothing to get too excited about. So I finally tried it with my Taco Journalist hat on.

First of all I wanted to try a couple of different tacos. The only thing was that they were a whopping $3.49 a pop! So instead I ordered the Carnitas plate. A better value at $7.99 cuz of the rice and beans. When the plate arrived.....

Okay, I just can't get excited about this place. It's one of those places that the food is just good enough to eat but doesn't leave an impression. Yes, I know, lots of people like it but not this Mexican. Plus the prices are way too high. Although I will give them cred for the Cafe Mexicano, veggie options & fresh tortillas. Yeah, this place just doesn't do it for me.

Not much of a review but the place didn't even inspire me to write something good and juicy.

What's your take?

Curra's Grill - 2.5 Stars
614 East Oltorf

AVOID: Ken's Tacos and Subs

2009-08-26T13:52:00.003-05:00

A few of you have emailed us and asked if we have ever tried Ken's Tacos and Subs at the corner of Rundberg and Cameron in Northeast Austin. We actually have never heard of it and after seeing a few good reviews on Yelp we decided a trip was in order.

Cornbiter D. and myself were pleased by the menu's small number of offerings and decided to try one of almost all of the tacos (we didn't try any subs, 'cause that's not what we do!) The tacos arrived a few minutes later and to say they were big is an understatement, these things were monsters and for 2 bucks each, things were looking up! That is until we ate them :(

Big Ass Tacos

The tortillas were store-bought, soggy and not warmed beforehand, the Beef Fajita was chewy and flavorless, the Chicken Fajita was probably the best thing, but the tortilla drowned out anything good about it, the Bean & Cheese was mediocre, the Egg Potato & Bean tasted like wet cardboard and the Carne Guisada what not great and had tons of fatty parts.

Let's start by saying, what the fuck, Yelpers?? 26 of you reviewed this place and it has a 4.5 star rating, seriously? seriously!?! That shit is ridiculous, there is no way that many Austinites think these things are edible. There has to be a taco conspiracy happening here. Whatever, I'm done with this place, stay away if you can.

Ken's Tacos - 1 star - jarod

9408 Dessau Rd
Austin, TX 78754
(512) 837-9370

La Condesa – The Truth shall set you free!

2009-08-21T09:07:00.004-05:00

I’ve been struggling with this review and sitting on it for quite a while now. As a food writer/criticon, I believe in writing about the whole experience – los sabores, impressions, feelings, attitudes – todo. I also believe food bloggers should be honest about their experiences and do it in a way that is constructive; helpful and honest. Just because something wasn’t just right doesn’t mean the place & the food sucks!

So here’s my take on La Condesa…

A while back we stopped by on a Sunday morning looking for some downtown tacos. First off, the place is really nice, has modern Latin American feel to it & I hear the bar is really good. It was brunch time but we weren’t too hungry so we just ordered the Pot Belly taco plate. It was our only option. When the food arrived, it was definitely photo worthy. The tacos were dressed really nice with caramelized onions, cabbage, pineapple, cilantro & topped with a green salsa. What a picture! I was very excited to eat this little taco and yes, I do mean little – it was more of a callejero taco which are traditionally made with mini-tortillas. I was about to dig in until I saw little green bits of avocado on the salsa. Apparently, “sometimes the chef likes to add new ingredients to the food” as it comes out; before I ordered I checked to make sure there were no avocado ingredients in this taco – yes, I’m allergic – I know, lame. Anyjuays! They had to bring me another plate without the green killer!

Mira, que pretty!

Meanwhile, my taco buddies went to town on their tacos only to find out that they weren’t so good. They were super greasy and pretty much that ruined their experience. When I got my tacos, I was surprised that they just plopped down two little tortillas with meat on a small plate – no cebollitas, no cilantro, no cabbage – for some reason they didn’t feel like impressing this taco eater. As I picked up the taco to eat it, I did notice an overflow of grease dripping down towards my plate. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me a greasy pork taco but I expected more from this place. It was waaaay greasy. The kind that just sticks to the roof of your mouth and teef! I did let them know about their greasiness and the manager’s response was, “that’s how pot belly tacos are, they’re just greasy.” Now I know pork and I know greasy tacos, from homemade carnitas & chicharrones to tacos callejeros en el D.F. and I’ve never had tacos that greasy. I wouldn’t have minded the greasiness if the tacos weren’t 2 for $12! Yes, they’re 6 bucks a pop & they don’t even make their own tortillas. I’m sorry but if you’re going to charge me $6 for one taco, I’d expect to see La India Maria making the tortillas in kitchen!

La Graza!

They did apologize and offered to serve us something else from the menu but we had to go! At the end, they comp’d our meal so that made me feel better. Earlier I did talk with the chef and I asked him why it was so expensive and his reply was, “I gotta pay the bills.”

Well, that was few months ago. I’ve heard mix reviews but I do hope they’ve improved on their prices and tacos!

1.5 Stars (only because it was comp'd)

@elmundodemando

La Condesa

512-499-0300

400 A West 2nd Street

Austin, TX 78701

El Taco Rico in East-East Austin

2009-08-11T09:05:00.008-05:00

There’s no betta way to cool down than to show up to a parking lot of an old laundromat, walk up in the hot pavement of the newest taco truck in East Austin, sit down in a bench with zero shade and eat us some tacos! Yeah, it really didn’t cool us down but the tacos were good! El Taco Rico is a new taco truck in the Montopolis neighborhood – it’s the bright blue one with no name on it, it’s just blue. It’s in the corner of Vargas Rd & Felix Avenue.

So last week, we ventured into deep East Austin with $4 in cash – luckily, our friend Tony (Mr. Money-Bags!) was with us and we managed to have enough for a good sampling (suadero, fajita, chicharron, bean and cheese, al pastor), shared two Mexican Cokes + tip, and a pleasant conversation with Yolanda (♫Sabes que te quiero♫), the charismatic taco queen. Yes, you guessed it, like most small taco joints in Austin, this place has a puro effectivo policy – cash only!

We got our tacos made with fresh corn tortillas – yes they make them on the spot! We kinda had to guess the suadero from the fajita to the al pastor since our orders were combinadas. The suadero was good – kind of like a crunchy brisket. The al pastor had a unique sabor to it – not a traditional al pastor – it was more tame, less Achiote. I really liked the beans – they were creamy and fresh. The chicharron was pretty good too if you could get passed the soft texture of pork rind. They also had a good green and creamy salsa with a kick. Overall, we had some ricos tacos!

Striking a pose: Yolanda and her taco assistant.

So why don’t you venture into East East Austin to the Montopolis area, where you can find a nice blue taco truck with no name on it. Ask for El Taco Rico!

3.5 Estrellas - El Mundo de Mando

El Taco Rico

Hours: Tues – Friday 11am – 10pm

Saturday & Sunday 8am – 10am

810 Vargas Road

Austin, TX 78741

Addie on the Road - Guest post by Relish Austin's Addie Broyles

2009-07-31T09:14:00.004-05:00

Nuestra amiga & food blogger extraordinaire, Addie Broyles from Austin American-Statesman/Austin360 is on a road trip in the west coast. On her travels, she stopped by Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill in San Diego to check out their fish tacos. She sent us a taco update and we'd like to share with you!

Andale Addie!

Jalapeno Joe's

2009-07-16T10:59:00.002-05:00

Jalapeno Joe's is just down the street from the legendary Tamale House on Airport Blvd. On my way to the t-house recently, I decided I ought to do my journalistic duty and try the place I haven't eaten at one million times before. I was pleased to see a sign advertising three ingredient breakfast tacos for $.99 on weekday mornings. That's almost as cheap as the Tamale House!

I decided to try a trio of breakfast classics: bacon egg and cheese, potato bean and cheese and potato egg and cheese. Jalapeno Joe's features a walk-up window and covered patio seating, so I placed my order at the window and waited in the shade for my order.

5 minutes later, I had my food and I was not impressed. Things started out positive as I noted that the tortillas had been properly grilled, and had a nice texture to them. This was immediately negated by the overcooked eggs, the utterly run of the mill beans and the generally non-tasty nature of all of the tacos. The salsa was decent, but they only gave me two little cups for three tacos, so that was a negative as well.

These tacos were not horrible or inedible, but they were distinctly, almost aggressively mediocre. The price was nice, but I think the better value lies just down the block at Tamale House.

Jalapeno Joes - 2 stars - Cornbiter Deluxe
4905 Airport Blvd.
451-3326

San Juanita's

2009-07-06T09:39:00.008-05:00

San Juanita's

If you are not aware of San Juanita's on the Southeast corner of Stassney & S. Congress, let me be the first to introduce you to some of the best breakfast tacos in Austin. Located next to a used tire shop, San Juanita's always reminds me of one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall breakfast taco dealers, the Tamale House. They are a family-owned and run business that take their taco making seriously. Breakfast and lunch are served 7 days a week (they just started serving on Sundays!) from 6am - 2pm. Unlike Tamale House, and you wouldn't know if from the outside,they have plenty of indoor seating available and they take credit cards for orders over $5. Now, on to the tacos...

Machacado & Egg / Papas Rancheras

Unlike some Taquerias and Taco Trucks in Austin, San Jaunita's offers a lot of meat in their breakfast taco offerings, e.g. Carne Guisada & Egg, Machacado & Egg, and Fajita & Egg. I enjoy most of the options, the chorizo is outstanding, the machacado is a little intense/fatty for me, but the fajita is a real standout with grilled onions, peppers and jalapeños. They use store bought flour tortillas, but all of their ingredients taste really fresh. Even with all the delicious meat options these two tacos are what keep me coming back:

1. Papas Rancheras - OMG! This has got to be the best potato-based taco in Austin. Filled with chunky potatoes, jalapeños, melted cheese and a freakin' delicious ranchero sauce. It is by far my favorite breakfast taco in South Austin.

2. The Beans - OMFG! These are right up there with the best beans I have ever eaten. Smoky, bacon-y, tasty goodness. Do your self a kindness and get a bean and cheese taco at San Juanita's stat!

San Juanita's - 4 stars - jarod

5607 S Congress Ave

Austin, TX 78745

(512) 443-9308

Rio Grande

2009-07-02T16:03:00.004-05:00

Rio Grande - 3rd & San Jacinto

I would not say I'm a fan of the recent expensive taco explosion that is currently gripping our fair city. I think there are WAY too many wonderful, reasonably priced tacos in Austin to ever have to dine at one of these establishments, but when fate (a co-worker's birthday lunch) intervenes, dine we shall! Rio Grande sits on the corner of 3rd and San Jancinto in the location of the old 'Real World' house. We went in with low expectations so we were not disappointed!

Really Expensive/Small Taco Plate

The lunch menu was pretty basic, they offered up quesadillas, burritos, tacos, tostadas and fajita plates. All the entrees ranged from $8 - $15 and the plates where a decent size. The chips weren't stale but the salsa was most likely of the bottled variety. It had a certain Pace Picante feel to it, with a nice metallic aftertaste. Per our waiter's suggestion, I got the tenderloin tacos plate ($12.95). It consisted of three small tacos on store bought corn tortillas, topped with grilled onions, beef tenderloin strips, mozzarella cheese, and sliced avocado. It was fine, not great, just fine. I mean what the hell do you expect, they are serving freakin' filet mignon on tacos, they better be edible! So, for approximately $4 per taco (I'll say the rice & beans are worth $.95) you get to eat a really mediocre lunch and they let you leave the restaurant with a lot less cash in your pocket. Double win!

If you find yourself stranded in downtown Austin with a shitload of cash in your pocket and a need for bland tex-mex, Rio Grande should be at the top of your list.

Rio Grande - 1.5 stars - jarod

301 San Jacinto Blvd

Austin, TX 78701

(512) 476-8300

Mi Casita

2009-07-01T14:59:00.004-05:00

Mi Casita is a very unfancy restaurant that lives on a run down stretch of Airport Blvd. just south of 7th street. Jarod has noticed large crowds around the place on his way to work, so today we tried it out for lunch.

I had heard literally nothing about this joint, so I was excited to explore some virgin territory. It's location and modest appearance were both things that could bode well, so I was initially very disappointed to run into stale chips and some so-so salsa. I ordered a trio of tacos and hoped for the best.

I was very pleasantly surprised. My al pastor taco came on a light and flavorful homemade corn tortilla. The pastor had a great texture and was very well spiced. The hotter of the two table salsas was much better on the food than on the stale chips and along with the excellent meat and homemade corn tortilla made for a winning taco experience.

The fajita taco was even better. The store bought flour tortilla was carefully grilled, which is always a good way (short of making your own) to get the party started. The fajitas were fantastically tender and flavorful. Lots of grilled onions added a lovely extra hit of taste to an already excellent taco. This is one of the best fajita tacos I've had in town. It's right up there with the fajita tacos at Habanero.

My carne guisada was a disappointment. There was very little gravy involved, and more fatty chunks of meat than I like (and I'm far from picky in this regard).

Jarod and Mando were similarly stoked on their al pastor and fajita, but underwhelmed with the carne molida and barbacoa tacos they tried. We all shared a side order of rice and beans which were solid, but unremarkable.

Mi Casita does not get high marks across the board, but I think the fajita and al pastor tacos (at $1.75 each) are really something special. I recommend that you stop in and get one of each the next time you're nearby.

Mi Casita - 3 stars - Cornbiter Deluxe
817 Airport Blvd
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 389-2227

Taco Talk: What's your favorite breakfast taco? (TJ on KGSR Thursday morning show with TastyTouring)

2009-07-01T01:41:00.007-05:00

Jodi, foodie extraordinaire & blogger at TastyTouring invited us to join her weekly KGSR food segment this Thursday and of course, we gladly accepted. We'll be discussing breakfast tacos - the good, the bad and the ugly! Check out her post, listen to the KGSR Late Show with Bryan Beck & Andy Langer on Thursday morning and tell us about your favorite breakfast tacos!

What: Taco Talk (breakfast tacos)
When: Thursday, July 2nd, 8:30am
Where: Your Radio: 107.1 KGSR FM
Who: Bryan Beck & Andy Langer from KGSR, Jodi from TastyTouring & El Mundo de Mando
Why: Cuz breakfast tacos are good!

TJ on KEYE TV's We Are Austin

2009-07-01T00:26:00.003-05:00

We've been working the taco circuit! Check out my visit with Jeremy & the guys from We Area Austin and Roberto, owner of TacoDeli. Enjoy!

SFoodie: El Mundo de Mando - A Texas Taco Blogger's Crawl Through the Mission

2009-06-29T11:14:00.008-05:00

Last week I had a great opportunity to do a week long taco hunt in the City by the Bay & was asked to write it up for SF Weekly's food blog, SFoodie. Coolio!! Check it out!

El Mundo de Mando: A Texas Taco Blogger's Crawl Through the Mission

By Mando Rayo in La Vida Taco

Friday, Jun. 26 2009 @ 12:27PM

The holy trinity at Taqueria Pancho Villa.

Austin, Tex., taco blogger Mando Rayo (aka El Mundo de Mando of TacoJournalism) was in Cali this week, getting his first-ever taste of S.F. flavor. How did the Mission stack up to taco culture in Central Texas? Read on, homie.

Ahh, San Francisco: What a great city. You are home to Journey, Rice-A-Roni, trolleys, and most important ... tacos! I was told that tacos would be hard to find in the city by the bay but, alas, I have found you, your moms, your tias y tus cousins right in the heart of a gentri-barrio, the Mission. A place where you can start with a greasy torta de lengua, hacer hambre in an old-school cantina, top it off with a taco todo organico and finish it con un café con los hipsters, hippies, and one Taco Journalist with a sí, se puede attitude!

My goal was to get a good taste of the taco scene in San Francisco, and I think I got a pretty good start with the help of my taco-eating compadres: Lindsey Simon from dishola, Angela, Ruthie, and Ixchel. Not only did we eat tacos, we explored the Mission, its beautiful murals, and good coffee. We even ventured into Central America. Nice!

La Taqueria's off-menu carnitas taco dorado.

We started at La Taqueria (2889 Mission at 25th St.). We actually pounced on the doors 'cuz we were hungry and we heard that they made a mean taco dorado (which isn't on the menu). I ordered the carnitas taco dorado -- it's a taco with a soft corn tortilla on top of a fried corn tortilla with melted cheese in between, stuffed with your favorite carne, frijoles de la hoya/ranchero style, fresh salsa, avocado slices y crema. Just for looks, this taco got a 5 taco rating -- that's tops on the TacoJournalism system! Once I got that sucka into my mouth, I was in heaven. The carnitas were really tasty, reminded me of the times back home when we used to make carnitas fresh off the pig, diqueada style. The combination of the soft and hard tortillas, the messiness of the crema and salsa, the richness of the beans and the goodness of the carnitas took me back in time living between borders, to a place called El Paso/Juarez (don't laugh!). Ay, que rico!

Read full post on SF Weekly...

Preview: My SF Taco Aventura!

2009-06-25T12:33:00.007-05:00

Just wanted to post a quick update on my San Francisco taco adventure! Here's a preview...

SFoodie Hosts Texas Taco Blogger in a Week-Long Crawl Through the Mission and Beyond
Taco-Burrito Smackdown
Coming Soon: Most delicious tacos at La Taqueria, tequila shots at Carlos' Bar (Cantina), murals, cafe & yes burritos!

Check out my posts on SF Weekly this week!

Taco-on!
Mando

TacoJournalism guest spot on San Francisco Weekly: SF Taco Tour!

2009-06-19T17:16:00.005-05:00

I'll be in San Francisco tonight (yay!) and tomorrow, I'm doing a little SF Taco Tour with Lindsey from Dishola & some good amigos. Meanwhile, I've been talking with John Birdsall, online food editor for San Francisco Weekly and guess what? He wants TacoJournalism to do a guest post for his blog SFoodie! Yeah!

We'll be hitting up the Mission and Oakland & might even venture into burritos! I still would like some recommendations. What's your favorite taco joint in the Bay Area?

Wanna come? Check out the details on FB!

@elmundodemando

For a good cause, go to Café del Sol - Southwest Key's Taco Joint!

2009-06-07T12:23:00.008-05:00

So I finally got around to visit Layla and Southwest Key's social enterprise, Café del Sol. I enlisted two work buddies, Iris and Jackie to go on this taco hike in East Austin. I actually enlisted 3 but the third one bailed on us for a dentist appointment - but who am I to stop a Brit from going to the dentist, right?

We met Layla Fry, who's not only the marketing guru at Southwest Key but is in an all female Mariachi group (see photo for proof!)! She does a a great job at getting people to attend Southwest Key's projects and events. I actually find myself at their events pretty frequently. For months, she's been telling me about Café del Sol's tacos and their their homemade tortillas. So I finally made it out there. I had a migas taco and my favorite combo: eggs, beans and bacon. Considering we saw the cooks make everything by hand, we were off to a good start!

Taco Munching (L2R): Iris, Jackie & Layla

The tortillas, well they were really good! There's nothing like freshly made tortillas to start the morning off right. The migas taco was good, fresh ingredients and the tortilla chips were still crunchy - I do like the crunchies! My frijo-huevo-bacon taco was really good too. Well, y'know it's all in the beans and they did them right! The best part of this taco experience is that the money I spent goes back to their programs. Y'know I'm all about the kids!

Migas y Frijo-Huevo-Bacon tacos

Esmeralda making it fresh!

Café del Sol deserves many visits! Eventhough it's East-East Austin, y'all should check it out. I hear they sell their homemade tortillas by the bag! Check out their online menu, go try them out or have tacos delivered to your office.

This taco review and positive message was approved by TacoJournalism.com!

@elmundodemando

Café del Sol - 4 Stars
6002 Jain Lane
Austin, Texas 78721
512-583-2501

Los Catrachos y El Grupo Come-Tacos (Houston Taco Tour)

2009-06-04T22:43:00.007-05:00

About a month ago, mi amiguita y gran photo genius, Penny de los Santos came up with a great idea - doing a Houston Taco Tour! She had already been on some in the ATX con El Mero Mero Taquero (me) so I think she got the taco bug. So what did we do? We started pumping it up and recruited mas food bloggers (Addie, Marshall, Jam, Nelson de Austin y Alison & Katharine de Houston) to go to H-town with us. I of course called on Los Catrachos de Houston, Juan Carlos y Geraldina Reina. By the way, Catrachos = Hondurenos and for a good time, call Juan Carlos y Gera!

Los Catrachos: Juan Carlos y Gera

I started the day crudo and was not feeling so well. Instead of tacos, I was totally craving menudo but I kept it strong since we did make the 2.5 hour trek to Houston. We hit up 6 spots in this tour but only 2 mibbe 3 are worth mentioning; plus we were side tracked by a visit to El Campero which was basically KFC repackaged, taken to Central America and brought back to the States as Latin American fried chicken. Yeah, I wasn't feeling this Campero stop.

The 4th stop on the taco tour was this truck parked in a do-it-yourself car wash. Y'know the kind that takes your quarters and you try to hurry your ass up & wash your car in under 5 bucks! I had a good feeling about this trockita aka El Ultimo Taco; mibbe it was the Tecate that Juan Carlos handed me under the hot sun while I waited for my taco? Si, mibbe! I ended up ordering a fajita taco on a corn tortilla con jalapeños y cebollitas asadas. Sure enough, it was right up my alley. The beef was smokey & tender; the steaming tortilla embraced the carne & green salsa and the jalapeños y grilled onions gave it a great finish. Not only did the taco almost cure my hangover but hanging with good peeps and drinking beer at the car wash just made me feel right at home...ese!

Hanging at the Car Wash!

Addie y Ian posing it up!

Stop #5: This place reminded me of old school joints in MX - the type of places that keep you there for hours and hours just by adding little perks - y'know, free tequila, free taquitos y musicos! That's exactly what El Hidalguense did to us. Well, it really didn't keep us there for hours but we could of spent hours in that place if we weren't on a taco mission that day. I still remember the free tequila shots - who am I to say no to shots in tiny plastic cups! As you can tell, the atmosphere was way more memorable than the tacos. So I'll skip the tacos. Although I am for sure going back to El Hidalguense; by the time I get my 3rd round of tequila and beers, the tacos will probably taste great!

Musicos doin' some Son Jarocho

Final stop was Canino's Food Market but by then we were all tired and our bellies were full of tacos. So we ended up shopping for some good mercado veggies and headed back to Austin.

Okay, so I lied; there was only one place worth mentioning and that was El Ultimo Taco. Next time you're in Houston, go there cuz they good! Just ask Juan Carlos!

Until the next taco tour...Stay hungry, my friends.

elmundodemando

P.S. If you want to check out the "real" Houston Taco Tour reviews, check out Addie's Relish Austin and Marshall's Eat This Lens blogs.

Pachanga Fest: Free tix on TJ!

2009-05-25T12:55:00.010-05:00

I'm making plans to get my Pachanga Fest on; I'm checking out the line up, scouting the taco joints & gettin' ready for a great Latino music fest!

In case you haven't heard, Pachanga Latino Music Fest is this Saturday & TJ has a pair of tix to give away! Wanna go for free? Just leave us a comment & answer this question: What kind of chile is used to make "tacos al pastor?" First one to answer, gets the tix!

Now to get all excited about Pachanga Fest, check out this promo video by mis amigos, A.D. & Rules!

See you on Saturday!
Mando