Taco Journalism

TACORAMA - Good for the tacos, good for da communitaay!

2012-05-02T23:50:00.000-05:00

Next time you selfishly eat tacos to satisfy your belly, you might ~~not~~ ask yourself, "Will one taco make a difference" or "How can I keep eating tacos and help someone in need?" Well, now's your chance to let your conscious be your guide while looking good in front of your friends while eating tacos while helping da communitaay! We're big fans of all things tacos and we're so glad the fine folks at LatinoMetro are hosting a weeklong taco fiesta called TACORAMA. I know many of you will be partying it up Drinko de Mayo style but why not step it up and get your TACORAMA on! Do it.

via LatinoMetro.com

TACORAMA will take place May 5-12, 2012 to raise awareness of hunger in the Latino community while celebrating Latino heritage, culture, music, art and…tacos! Proceeds will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank. Latinometro , the new Austin-focused website, has teamed up with community partners and media sponsors to present the city-wide festival, which will be an annual event.

Saturday, May 5, 12-3 PM: TACORAMA celebrates Cinco de Mayo with free food, refreshments, music and activities for children from 12-3 PM at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. Please bring non-perishable food items to be collected by the Capital Area Food Bank. Performances by A.J. Castillo at 1 pm and TRAMPIA at 2 pm.

Tuesday, May 8, 6-8 PM: Town Hall Meeting for community leaders and concerned citizens to address hunger at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.

The Forum will cover topics such as food insecurity among Latino elderly, SNAP outreach, nutrition and wellness, childhood obesity and other issues. The audience will then participate in a question and answer session with panelists and speakers, including:

Linda Irizarry Crockett, Emma S. Barrientos MACC

Kathy Green, Sr. Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, Capital Area Food Bank

Juan Sanchez, Founder and CEO, Southwest Key

Victor Azios, Executive Director, El Buen Samaritano

Jeremy Everett, Director, Texas Hunger Initiative

Karen Patyk, Program Manager, Hunger Impact Area, AARP Foundation

Wednesday, May 9, 7-8 PM: Book reading by Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA, at BookPeople.

Thursday, May 10, 6-8 PM: Special film screening by Cine las Americas and cocktail reception with tacos by Austin chefs and silent auction at the Mexic-Arte Museum.

Saturday, May 12: Latinometro readers’ choice tacos to be announced at the Pachanga Music Festival at Fiesta Gardens.

For processed cheese, go to Dos Hermanos

2012-04-11T10:46:00.000-05:00

It was not my taco night. Saturday evening is a good time to eat tacos on East 6th Street. You have plenty of choices - Pueblo Viejo, Selene Tacos, Veracruz Taco House and unfortunately for all of us, we also have Dos Hermanos. These taco joints are all located in the food trailer parks in the hottest side of town, according to los hipsters - East Austin. La familia cruised down to get some good grub - gotta feed Preggers McGee y'know. Naturally, I was drawn to the newest taco trailer on the strip - Dos Hermanos. It was right up my alley, grungy, nice taco pics on the menu and family owned.

As I was looking at the menu, I was drawn to the creamy green salsa that was on the photo menu display. Yes, that Austin green salsa. I was like "yes let me have that!" Turns out they didn't have it and the photos didn't necessarily represent the food they served either. Que Trip'ao! That's "what a trip!" for you non Spanglish speakers and soon to be inducted into catchy phrase categories such as WTF, Duh and No Doy!

I ordered probably the dryest carnitas and beef fajita tacos I've ever had from a teenager that later went to a make-out session in the alley where we parked. Actually, the carnitas were okay, not great just okay. They did have a nice crispy texture. They were both topped with lots of pre-grated processed cheese, kinda like the one you get at a convenience store that reads "Fiesta Cheese." The fajita was so dry, not even the process cheese helped smooth things over. While the tacos weren't bland, the mix of spices just didn't help either. It was as if the spices were cooked separately and were just added to the carne in the re-heating process. All that and they are charging dollas a pop! No bueno.

So what was I supposed to do? Go to the taco trailer next to it of course! I'm sorry but Dos Hermanos had me craving for some real good tacos - Veracruz Taco House. VTH also runs Veracruz All Natural and these sisters make some fresh tacos. That's their thing - All Natural with fresh ingredients and avocado on every friggin' taco. I kinda didn't read that on the menu and if you know me, y'know that I'm allergic to avocados. It's the curse I have to live with as a Taco Journalist. So no fresh tacos for me. :( DAMN YOU FRESH INGREDIEEEENTS!

I actually did take a bite and had to counteract the avocado poison with salsa shots and it worked. I'm still alive!

Dos Hermanos - 1 Star
East 6th Street Food Trailer Park
East 6th and Waller

Behind the Tacos: El Pollo Rey

2012-02-16T23:52:00.000-06:00

It only took me a month and a half to post this one. See we're getting better! Here's the next installment of Behind the Tacos series. Love the tacos, love the people!

Behind the Tacos: El Pollo Rey
Photography by Joel Salcido

And my review of El Pollo Rey....

Pollo estilo Charcoal

Los Tacos: Al Pastor y Carne Asada

Los Sabores

El Pollo Rey - 4 Stars - El Mundo de Mando

2209 E. Cesar Chavez

512-924-6672

www.elpollorey.com

Viva La Revolución

2012-01-26T11:47:00.003-06:00

Tacos are nationwide. They are global. People all over the place can get a taco, even if they don't enjoy the kind of access to the best quality tacos that we Texans do.

The breakfast taco, however, is different. It's deeply ingrained into the culture and cuisine of Texas, but is largely unknown further north. This situation is baffling to many of us, and dire for miserable, hungover ex-pats who must go through life without the balm of the BT. I know that in the short time I lived and worked in NYC, it was a lack I felt daily.

Happily, it looks like there may be change afoot.

http://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/underground/gueros-brooklyn-whirlybird-2012-1/

Let's all hold hand and look forward to a day when no man, no matter how yankefied his locale, must be without access to a breakfast taco.

p.s. - The photo above was taken at my favorite breakfast taco destination in the world, Fina's Coffee Shop in Brownsville, Tx. Full review coming soon.

-Cornbiter Deluxe

Behind the Tacos: Pueblo Viejo

2012-01-04T10:57:00.000-06:00

It's 2012. Have you eaten a taco yet? Well, here's some ganas for you! Introducing...bam ba ram bamm....

Behind the Tacos series

In the series and by series I mean more than 2 episodes, okay mibbe 3, we will explore the stories and people who make the tacos we all love to eat. Yup, that's about it.

In this segment, we interview Margarita Mendez, owner of Pueblo Viejo Taco Trailer in East Austin. Margarita gives us low down on her tacos and a reason to live!

Special thanks to the great photography by El Mero Mero Joel Salcido. Joel hails from the West Texas town of El Chuco and really knows how to capture the feeling of the tacos and the taqueros. You can check out his work here.

Pueblo Viejo - 4 Estrellas - El Mundo de Mando
1006 East 6th Street
In the food trailer park on 6th and San Marcos

Haz click aqui (abajo) to play the video....

Tacos for a Cause: Joe's Bakery

2011-11-14T22:11:00.001-06:00

We're helping and you should too! Joe's Bakery is having a fundraiser and we want to invite you - the taco fans - to join us. We're meeting up at Joe's on Friday to eat some good tacos and help out East Austin families too. RSVP on Facebook and check out their snazzy flyer. For once in your life, stop hanging out con Los Lazies and eat some tacos with us!

Eat a taco. Photo a taco. Type a taco!

2011-10-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

We are trying out this new tumblr thing and would love for y'all to submit mini-taco reviews. Eat a taco. Photo a taco. Type a taco! Try it out here: http://tacojournalism.tumblr.com/submit

Help Aqui! Austin Bakes for Bastrop

2011-09-27T10:32:00.000-05:00

While we're not "baking" tacos, we think this is a great cause to support. So stop hanging out con Los Lazies and show your support for Austin Bakes for Bastrop!

Taco Service Announcement: ACL Tacos

2011-09-16T11:54:00.001-05:00

Dear ACL revelers.

This is not a test. This is a Taco Service Announcement brought to you by TacoJournalism.com: tacos.never.die.

For those of you NOT interested in buying $6 tacos at the festival, we wanted to provide you with a plethora of options for tacos in Austin.

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

El Primo Taco Trailer

El Taquito
Papalote Taco House

Porfirio's Tacos

Taqueria Star

Taqueria Chapala

Joe's Bakery and Mexican Food
Takoba
El Naranjo
Selene Taqueria - mibbe open till 2am
Tacodeli
Cisco's Restaurant and Bakery
La Mexicana Bakery - open 24 hours!

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 Alma

Zocalo Cafe

La Casa Del Fuego
Garrido's
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant
Bomb Tacos at Lustre Pearl
El Sol y La Luna
Izzo's Tacos

Now go eat tacos. Google it or view the Taco Map!

View Taco Journalism in a larger map

You gotta Songify your Tacos & thanks for the good times Google Places

2011-07-28T08:35:00.004-05:00

We ate, we drank and we ate some more...tacos! And now we songified the taco eating we did with Google Places. Enjoy!

Tacos + Bus + Drinks = Loco-times! TacoJournalism & Google Places Contest

2011-07-12T23:09:00.021-05:00

My Dearest Austin. It's time for another taco adventure! What What!?! Don't worry, we won't make you ride your bikes or walk in 100 degree heat from one taco stand to the next and make you eat tacos aguados. This time we'll be big pimpin' with your favorite location-based thingamajigy - Google Places.

Bus + Tacos + Drinks = Loco-times! So who's in? Well, it is a contest and you have to follow the rules - read below. The Taco Mafia will be out in full force so bring on your favorite reviews and start using Google Places yo!!!

Enjoy the Ultimate Taco Tour Austin Adventure with Google Places!

What’s better than discovering great new taco joints? How about discovering them while on a free Austin taco tour with Google and Taco Journalism!

Taco Journalism is teaming up with Google Places, the new personalized local recommendation engine powered by the reviews of users and their friends! Google wants to give you the opportunity to win the ultimate Austin taco tour experience, just for doing what you already do anyways--sharing your opinions on the best tacos in Texas.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to Google.com/Places and select “Start Rating” (You’ll need to create a Google account if you haven’t already)

2. Send your profile link to PlacesTacoTour@gmail.com from 8am on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 to 5pm on Tuesday, July 19th, 2011.

3. Rate and review as many Texas taco joints as you like--each review you write will be judged as a new entry, based on its usefulness, specificity, and creativity.

4. We’ll go through all reviews you write during the contest period and judge them (see ruleshere for more information), and the entrants with the top 20 highest scores will be invited to attend an all expenses paid taco tour with Google on Saturday, July 23rd!

Prize:

20 lucky entrants will win a spot on the taco tour bus! The bus will feature adult beverages and other fun surprises, and it will depart from downtown Austin to take entrants to a few of the highest-rated taco spots on Google Places. At each spot, Google will provide a sample plate of that location’s best grub, and you leave stuffed and satisfied, with a few new friends and favoritetaco places to rave about.

So what are you waiting for? Get reviewing today!

Additional Rules:

-21 and up only. Sorry, kiddos.

-Google will not provide transportation to or from the pick-up/drop-off location.

-Additional contest rules here: https://sites.google.com/site/contestrulesbbqad/.

Taco N' Madre: Better Than Curra's!

2011-07-11T22:48:00.003-05:00

I realize the title of this post isn't high praise, but the close proximity of Taco N' Madre to Curra's invites comparisons. So, let me be clear: Taco N' Madre is decent, Curra's is not.

Located in the parking lot of a Valero gas station (right next door to Curra's), Taco N' Madre is unassuming. The simple white and yellow trailer didn't even have a sign with its name ( I had to ask for it); but it does have an extensive menu, written all over the side (using what looked like whiteboard markers).

I ordered two tacos on flour tortillas and some fresh Lemonade. Unfortunately, only their large burrito-sized tortillas are homemade, so I had to settle for the 'small' ones. Even though they were store-bought, they did their best with them, letting them kiss the griddle just the right amount of time.

Although the tortilla was cooked "just right", the barbacoa was not; it really needed to be slow cooked for a while longer so that the fat melts on your tongue, as good barbacoa should. Even worse, my barbacoa didn't include cilantro or onions. When the meat can't stand on its own, toppings and condiments are a must! The salsas, a red and a green, were standard fare, but a bit tepid. Neither of them had much heat, unfortunately, and were forgettable.

In contrast to the barbacoa, the breakfast taco was great. They delivered a full tortilla stuffed to the brim with thick bacon chunks, large cubes of potatoes and egg. They were also prepared right, with all of the ingrediants cooked together.

If you find yourself at Curra's, do yourself a favor. Park your car, and walk next door to the trailer ... not the Greek place. Although that might be OK. You'll have to find out for yourself. I don't work for gyrojournalism.com, you know.

Taco N' Madre - 3 Stars - The Commish

628 E. Oltorf St

Austin, TX 78748

Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30am-3:00pm. Saturday & Sunday 8am-2pm

Taco Art Installation at Mexic-Arte (Friday)

2011-06-15T22:34:00.007-05:00

So I just heard about a cool taco art installation happening this Friday at Mexic-Arte. Sounds cool, plus they'll be serving up some fancy tacos too! Stop by if ya can. I'll be there with la familia in tow.

Taco Art Performance Piece

Young Latino Artists 16: Thought

Cloud. The piece is by Jorge Galvan, a Houston-based sculptor, and he’ll be serving tacos as part of the piece.

Thought Cloud Public Reception

Mexic-Arte

Friday, June 17

7:00-10:00pm

RSVP at PR@Mexic-ArtMuseum.org

UP-grade!

2011-06-02T16:16:00.000-05:00

This post is an update on our original rave review of Taqueria Jaliscienses, aka "Funny Shape Taqueria".

As stated in the original review, this is a favorite restaurant of mine. The big news is that in the last year, they've started serving homemade flour tortillas. I've waxed on at tacojournalism.com about the superiority of freshly made flour tortillas as often as I've lamented the ubiquity of store bought in this town.

I loved the Funny Shape Taqueria dearly when they used store bought tortillas. They took care with the preparation of them, and in a town that puts little thought into it, they were still ahead. Now that they're making their own, they have become a place that must be on everyone's list of the best mexican restaurants in town. As far as Jalisco Style goes, I think this upgrade makes them the clear favorite.

The photo show the newly upgraded tortilla in it's natural habitat: hanging out with the Tuesday lunch special. "Flat Chicken Tuesday" is an excellent time to try this place. It is really, really hard to get a better plate of food for $5.50.

Taqueria Los Jaliscienses - upgraded to 5 stars

Cornbiter Deluxe

Why do you heart tacos? PachangaFest Tix Giveaway!

2011-05-19T10:02:00.004-05:00

Alright taco peeps. We know you heart tacos but I keep pondering...why???? So here's you chance to share the taco love! Plus we're giving away a free pair of tix to Saturday's Pachanga Fest. Just check out the line up - Ozomatli, The Echocentrics, Maneja Beto, All female band - Mariachi Las Alteñas, Peligrosa All Stars y mas! Y'know you wanna go!

So tell us why you love tacos on the comment section or on our Facebook page and we'll choose the most appetizing comment. Go for it!

I heart tacos because.....

Flea Market Tacos

2011-04-22T09:11:00.003-05:00

We give you Flea Market Tacos! Andale con La Pulga!

El Paso Taco Hunt

2011-04-20T19:29:00.012-05:00

Down in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with...tacos, burritos y mas! Yes, we did go on the taco hunt, even if we had to make them on the spot (i.e. cut burrito in half, unroll and fold it over). And no, we did not hit up Chico's Tacos. This was the off the beaten path taco hunt. Yes, even El Paso has mainstream taco and burritos joints like H&H and L&J and Lucky's Cafe. Along the way, I was able to connect with El Paso Times food writer & only one of five bloggers (probably) in EPT (#sarcasm), Lucia Dura, aka Dura y Segura! We both hit up the first taquerias on our own (see Cachito's food truck hits the spot) then we joined forces for a taco hunt worthy enough to rub manteca all over your belly!

The first place I tried was The Lunch Box. Sounds very American doesn't it? It was recommend by an old school friend, Susie Favela. The Lunch Box is a very simple place with a few decorations but the main attractions were the chicken tacos, the tortilla in a box lady display and the musico soundtrack singer accompanied by double keyboard. See what I mean??

I ordered the "can I get a heart attaaaack!" queso fundido with chorizo. While it was quite delicious, it was equally hard to swallow. Okay not that much. Now for the chicken tacos. These were true El Paso style tacos; fried corn tortillas (no ready made shells here), pulled chicken, probably boiled in water, condiments - lettuce, tomato and an El Paso staple, Muenster Cheese. Good tacos, although I prefer a few more espices on my chicken or shicken as El Paso likes to pronounce it. I'm also trying to see how many times I can say or type El Paso in one post. El Paso!

The Lunch Box - 3 Stars

667 North Carolina Drive

El Paso, TX

915-593-8490

Local rec's only was our motto for the taco hunt. So I got on Faybuk & Tuiter and surveyed my El Chuco conexiones. Our next stop come up as a must go to since 1) it was a doubly credible source - Brie Franco and her pops, 2) it was old school since 1953 and 3) they still use manteca (lard)! The place - Moe's Restaurant. As Lucia and I started to get acquainted and were getting deep into our conversations of community, culture and food, we couldn't resist the "efferfecent exhale of the lard" coming from our mouths as we ate the tostadas/chips and salsa. We knew we were in an old school joint becasue of the manteca and the hair bobby lady at the cash register. We ordered a carnitas plate with rice and beans and a chile relleno burrito. The carnitas came out really crispy, a bit dry but still good. The burrito was good too. You can't go wrong with Hatch or Anaheim that's super stuffed with Muenster cheese. And what's up with the Muenster cheese? Sheese, everybody eats it over here! Anyjuays, what blew us away was the beans. I think we found the holy trinity of beans, cooked with Mexican chorizo, bacon and possibly manteca. We left with an extra fatty layer in our mouths but muy satisfied.

Moe's Restaurant 3.25 Stars

6298 Alameda

El Paso, TX

915-779-9542

Our "off the beaten path" journey took us to the Mission Trail in Socorro aka SocoLoco homes! Part of the deep Lower Valley, past the Wal-Mart and Whataburger on Americas on Socorro Road, you'll find old Mission, taquerias, peluquerias (hair salons) and casas still made out of adobe. We were drawn by fried turkey butts or tails (colitas de pavo) at Doña Chole's and tacos de carne asada at Taco X Cuatro which is also code name to not have to pay la mordida in Mexico; X Cuatro, remember that!

It took us a while to locate this Doña Chole's place but we finally found it and we were almost at capacity since the place only seated 6 people. We made it and ordered the special of the house - one colita de pavo for a whopping $1.00! It comes on a freshly made corn tortilla and red salsa - chile de arbol. While a turkey butt isn't as good looking as a wing or breast, it did please my taste buds. Juicy, crispy and accompanied with the smoothness of the tortilla and salsa, it made me want to go back for more. So yes, we would go back just for the colitas.

Doña Chole - 3.5

605 Fray Vargas Court

Socorro, TX

915-851-1888

Our last stop was at Tacos X Cuatro. The place had a fun and festive feel to it, rancho style. They too had a musico soundtrack singer and he knew all the hits from JuanGa to El Chente. We ordered the mixed taco plate which had carnitas, carne asada, al pastor and tripitas. We requested the tripitas to be prepared extra crispy porque nos da cosa when they're chewy. We were entertained by nuestro musico while our tacos were being prepared but unfortanatley, it was not worth the wait. The meats were very dry and tasted like they've been sitting around since last week. Plus the tripitas tasted like an old mangera or a hard chewy piece of plastico. No bueno!

Tacos X Cuatro - 2 Stars

9618 Socorro Rd.

Socorro, TX

915-858-2199

So there it is, our El Paso Taco Hunt. It was a good time, we laughed, we cried and we said we'd do it again! Big time props to Lucia for coming out and eating tacos like she's never eaten them before! Until next time, stay hungry my friends!

Lucia and Mando eating tacos like there's no tomorrow!

El Mundo de Mando

TacoJournalism

tacos.never.die.

MCLOTA (Man cannot live on tacos alone): Eat Cupcakes, Help Japan!

2011-03-28T21:00:00.011-06:00

It is true, Man or Woman can not live on tacos alone. So why not buy and eat cupcakes and help Japan Tsunami victims? You can do it! Check out the details below...

As part of a group of individuals and businesses in Austin that tirelessly support the local food community you've been selected to receive this email.

AUSTIN BAKES FOR JAPAN ON SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2011.

Several Austin Locations to Hold Bake Sales with All Proceeds Going to Japan Aid Charity.

Austin, TX (March 24, 2011) -- On Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. until at least 2 p.m., hundreds of bakers, bloggers, businesses, and consumers will unite for “Austin Bakes for Japan,” a bake sale fundraising event to help survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Over 70 home cooks and dozens of local bakeries will be contributing baked goods at locations throughout Austin with proceeds going to AmeriCares work in Japan.

Austin Bakes for Japan locations:

Downtown: Woof Gang Bakery Austin, 1204 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78703 (10am-2pm)

North Central: Foreign & Domestic, 306 E. 53rd Street, Austin, TX 78751 (10am-2pm)

South: Hotel San Jose, 1316 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704 (10am-2pm)

East: Nomad Bar, 1213 Corona Drive, Austin, TX 78723 (10am-2pm)

Austin Bakes for Japan location open later as part of a Community Block Party:
West: Shops at Mira Vista, 2785 Bee Cave Road, Suites 336 & 341, Austin, 78746 (10am-5pm)

Baked goods will include Japanese-themed cake pops, homemade pop tarts, classic chocolate brownies, cookies of all kinds, and more. Among the homemade offerings will be locally sourced, organic, vegan and gluten-free items. In addition, customers may purchase gourmet pastries that have been donated by some of Austin’s finest professional bakers.

All funds raised at the bake sale will go to AmeriCares, a non-profit organization committed to providing emergency relief to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. All baked goods will be sold by donation, so buyers can pay as much as they like.

Get Involved:

A team of food enthusiasts and bloggers is organizing Austin Bakes for Japan, and those interested in providing baked goods and/or volunteering to help with the bake sales should contact Kathryn Hutchison at austingastronomist@gmail.com.

We encourage everyone to visit the bake sale locations to support this effort through donations and to spread the word through e-mail, liking Austin Bakes on Facebook, following us on Twitter (@austinbakes), or whatever medium they prefer.

Austin Bakes for Japan is part of a national movement of bake sales for Japan on April 2. Our goal is to raise $10,000 or more to help the people of Japan in their time of need. Twenty-three cities across the U.S. are hosting fundraisers for Japan that day, including Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle.

AmeriCares is non-profit organization committed to providing emergency relief to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. AmeriCares has been bringing essential medicines and relief supplies to the region since the early 1980s, and they have consistently received high rankings for their work from Charity Navigator, Forbes, and The NonProfit Times. For more information about AmeriCares, visit http://www.americares.org/.

Contact Info:
For more information about the sale or to make a gift online, visit www.AustinBakes.wordpress.com
Kathryn Hutchison
AustinGastronomist@gmail.com
Phone: 512-695-2242
Twitter: @AustinBakes

VIDEO UPDATE: SXSW Breakfast Taco Fiesta: Hunger Badge Required

2011-03-22T17:44:00.001-06:00

In case you weren't hard core enough for the SXSW Breakfast Taco Fiesta (we know who you are!), here's the video recap...

Calling all Taco Fans!

What up? The TacoJournalism team is feeling inspired again - so why don't you join us for the SXSW Breakfast Taco Fiesta! Ay ya yay! Y'know we can bring the tacos and we're doing it again this year. RSVP on our FB event. Here are the details...

SXSW Breakfast Taco Fiesta!

Show up at 9am (We know it's early - Can anyone bring Bloody Mary's?)

>>>>YES IT'S AT 9AM - FB IS STOOPID AND DOESN'T WANT TO CHANGE THE TIMES ON ME! OKAY, I'll stop yelling now.

Eat Breakfast Tacos with us from such establishments as Takoba, Papalote Taco House and Joe's Bakery.

Drink coffee - Hot or Cold - We'll have Chameleon Cold Brew and Thunderbird's coffees, plus we'll have tea from Honest Tea.

Of course, we'll have a mix tape, tables and some chairs. So ya betta bring it!

See you there!

The Taco Mafia

www.tacojournalism.com

tacos.never.die.

SXSW 2011 Taco Guide

2011-03-09T22:33:00.021-06:00

Here's a quick listing of taco places in around a lot of the SXSW venues. Be warned: some of these taco places are aggresively mediocre, but are included because of their proximity to festival sites. Read the blurb before going.

Eastside

Piedras Negras
Awesome tacos. A bit of a walk/drive, but worth it.
The chalupas are good but cost a small fortune. Skimp and go with the tacos.

Takoba

A great place to drink and have a taco. Fantastic tacos, gourmet salads, and an expansive patio. Plus, it is located near all of the hipster bars on E 6th. You really can't lose.

Porfirio's
"I've been eating at Porfiro's for over 15 years. Consistent, good quality food. I have friends from San Jose who still talk about."

Rosita's Al Pastor
Best Al Pastor in town. Except when its not. Like anything amazing in life, it is a bit inconsistent.

Joe's Bakery
On East 7th, pretty close to the action. The place is great. It's families and neighbors and newbies all mixed up.

Mi Madre's
El Mundo de Mando's favorite place. A bit far away from the main venues, but worth a breakfast trip. Get the Machacado breakfast taco.

Taqueria Selene
We hit this place up during our last taco tour. Its a small place, but has quick, quality service. If you are into it, the lengua here is top notch.

Juan-in-a-Million
Not as cheesy as the name would imply. Juan is an old-school Austin institution, best known for the owner's stellar handshake.

West Sixth (Warning: mostly devoid of good tacos)

Colibri Cuisine

This taco/quesadilla trailer over by Hut's Hamburgers is muy delicious. Think of it as gourmet mexican-gringo fusion food. Good ingredients, good service.

Whole Foods
Seriously, don't go here to get a taco. But if you do, the taco bar is in the front of the store by the deli. The vegetarian chorizo (WTF?) is, surprisingly, not completely disgusting. It'll get the job done, but there are much better places around.

Screaming Goat
They have truly great chips and salsa. Try their drowned flautas and the quesadillas. This place is definitely worth the extra walking.

Wahoo's
Only listed here so you know not to eat here. Did you really come all the way to Austin to eat California chain tacos? No. You did not.

Zocalo
They serve decent tacos but they're a bit overpriced. Also, they seem to be confused about what carnitas are (hint: they are not chicken).

OneTaco
This trailer is normally in the parking lot of Little Woodrow's. We enjoyed their straight-up bean and cheese tacos. Everything else? Not so much. Last year, for SXSW, they parked by the Convention Center and sold "Pancake Tacos". Yes, it novel. No, it really isn't that great.

Garrido's
Garrido's is a sit down Fancy-Mex restaurant. It is generally expensive; but their brunch is surprisingly affordable. They have pretty good, fresh, homemade chips (but they charge for them). $2 Mimosa's at Brunch.

Downtown

La Casa Del Fuego
The breakfast tacos at this trailer are pretty good. They do them right too: they cook all of the ingredients together and let the flavors mix. Their hours are indecipherable. If you are lucky, they'll be open.

El Sol Y La Luna
Certainly not my favorite, this sit down restaurant charges for chips. The food is ok, and some people swear by their enchiladas. Its convenient location on Red River and 6th St guarantees it will be packed.

La Condesa

Good drinks. But, Jebus almighty, they charged me ~$14 for two taquitos (literally: two really small tacos)! Only listed here so you aren't tricked into entering.

Rainey Street

El Naranjo

Good 'Fancy Mexican' trailer with a great patio. A bit pricey.

Bomb Tacos (Lustre Pearl)

This is a taco truck that opens onto the outside patio of Lustre Pearl. Good tacos, but SLOW service.

North
Tamale House
As mentioned in the New York Times: An Austin institution. A bit off the beaten SXSW path, but not that far. Amazing, cheap, dingy, perfect.

Dos Batos

This place is probably close to some of your hotels. Their menu is limited, but the grilled chicken is nice and smokey. Worth a visit if you are staying up that way.

Juarez Mexican Bakery

If you are staying REALLY far north (book your hotel earlier, next year), this Mexican bakery in Round Rock is impressive in breadth and quality.

South Lamar-ish

Papalote

A bit pricier than average, but "a taco-worthy of it's price." Try it. Love it. Then love it again (for FREE) at the taco meetup.

Maria's Taco X-Press
Overrated, but 'ok' tacos. Film geeks: this isn't too far from the Alamo Drafthouse South. Someone will probably try to tell you this place is awesome. They are liars.

El Meson

Fantastic food. A bit on the expensive side (you have to get a plate), but totally worth it. Try the Al Pastor.

TacoDeli
Tacos done right. This isn't really on South Lamar, but its close enough if you don't mind some cross country hiking. You'll probably see their premade tacos at coffee shops around town. Go to their real locations for the real deal.

South Congress/South First
Guero's
If you are a fan of Grindhouse, you may enjoy this place (it featured prominently in it). The tacos are mediocre, at best. This is only included in case you are either desperate or tempted by the crowds.

Torchy's
Everyone is going to tell you to go here. It is ok, but not worth the crowds. Walk down to El Primo or La Mexicana and get twice the food for the same price.

El Primo
2101 South First. OK tacos, friendly service.

Izzo's Tacos
If you must eat white-person tacos, it is better than Torchy's. Note they've moved a few blocks south to a Used Car lot.

La Mexicana
Open 24 hours. Great tacos. Go there anytime.

Good/Cheap Non-Taco Places

Patika Coffee

Intelligentsia-quality coffee in a trailer. Downtown, on 3rd and Congress, right where Las Manitas used to be. They serve Cuvee Coffee, which is one of the best coffee roasters in the nation. The friendly staff had my name memorized after my first visit.

Thunderbird Coffee

Up by Mi Madres. Grab a breakfast taco and then enjoy some quality coffee (Cuvee Coffee, just like Patika). Try the single-serving bar.

Wurst-Tex and Best Wurst

Two great bratwurst places. Wurst-In is the South Congress trailer park. The Best Wurst is on 6th Street and open *late*. Stop by and get a late-night drunk brat.

The Whip-In
My favorite Liquor Store/Indian Fusion Restaurant/Beer Garden/Live Music venue in the world.

View SXSW Taco Map 2011 in a larger map
SXSW Taco Dictionary

Al Carbon: Grilled over charcoal
Al Pastor: Pork with adobo seasoning. Excellent.
Beef Fajita: Grilled skirt steak
Carne Guisada: Stewed meat usually with gravy
Carnitas: Roasted Pork
Lengua: Tongue
Tripe: Intestines
Menudo: Tripe Soup
Chicharron: Fried (or not) Pork Skin

TNT: Not so DY-NO-MITE!

2011-01-30T22:01:00.008-06:00

Seriously new trendy taco place, I really want to like you! Like all TJ fans, I love tacos indiscriminately, from the barrios of East Austin to the fondas of San Miguel or Westlake even! Anyways, so yeah, please help me, help you! Think of us taco eaters and what makes us happy and less about yourselves and your self-imposed coolness factor. Got it? Good. Moving on...

So I finally tried Tacos and Tequila - two of my favorite things to consume in the world! With the a name like that, why wouldn't you want to eat and drink there right? TNT is really nice place with an open kitchen and bar so you can see what the cooks and bartenders are up to. It has a modern Mexican taqueria feel to it, kind of like the trendy Mexican joints of el D.F. I liked their tablet menu and their potpourri de selecciones de tacos, burritos, skewers, salads, apps, etcetera, etcetera. A huevo, I ordered tacos and tequila! They had a really good selection of tequilas minus my fave Corralejo, so I ordered their chilled tequila on tap - Milagro Silver for $9. By the way, I totally recommend chilling your special botella de tequila; it goes down so smooth; you can leave the room temperature Juarez tequila for your moochy friends. Y'know who I'm talking about!

On to the Taco Platter plus one side for $12.50. I ordered the corn crusted chicken, pork loin al pastor and chile glazed steak tacos with a side of chimayo market corn. Just the way they describe their food makes your mouth watery, doesn't it? They also work really hard on the presentayshon. When they brought the food out I was like "guau muy nice!" until I took my first bite. I was like build up - build up, here it comes and.....wah waah; it was a bit disappointing. In my mind I was like what happened, I thought we had a good thing going? Instead my tasty buds got rejected - REJECTED!!!

First off, the tequila - yeah for 9 bucks and chilled, not so smooooth (in high pitch voice), and it reminded me of the tequila your trusty cheap friends order and I really didn't expect to do the "chiripiorca" when I downed it.

The pork loin al pastor tasted more like dried chicken unless it was chicken??? Also, when you put Al Pastor in your menu I don't expect a light brush of the sauce. Dele con ganas! It was probably the least tasting al pastor Al Pastor taco I've ever had...ever. The chile glazed steak taco was missing the chile and the steak was pretty mushy like it had been boiled instead of grilled. It was eh.

They did hit the mark with the corn crusted chicken. I liked the dressing of the pickled onions, muy good. The chimayo market corn was really good too. It was sweet and layered with lots of butter, cheese, chile and lime. Also, the tortillas were house-made and I'll give them props for that but they were a bit bland.

I ended up spending a pretty penny ($9: Tequila, $12.50: Taco Plate) for lunch but I do it not to save the economy or so TJ fans can save some extra bucks but I do it for childrens. For reals, I think Tacos and Tequila needs to focus more on what it's customers want, good food and better prices; than just thinking of themselves and their good looking taco plates.

P.S. I almost forgot, I also had chips and salsa for $5!

Tacos and Tequila - 2.25 Stars - El Mundo de Mando

507 Pressler Street

Austin, Texas 78703

La Victoria - No Assembly Line Tacos Here

2010-11-19T09:40:00.010-06:00

Every time I go to a taco joint and notice their "assembly line" way of makingtacos, I just wanna tell 'em, "Stop hanging out con Los Lazies!" For reals! It doesn't take much to hook up some pretty good tacos and let the sabores mix as as they're prepared. Y'know who I'm talking about. Anywaysss. Now you don't have to eat or hang out con Los Lazies anymore cuz La Victoria Bakery on Burnet Road hooks up some pretty good tacos - no assembly line required.

I ordered chorizo con huevos and my go to breakfast taco - egg, bean and bacon, as well as a carnitas taco. As you can see from the pic, there is a FULL INTEGRATION of ingredients in my breakfast tacos. And when you cook up tacos todo mixiados, the sazon really comes out! Of course, it also helps that they make fresh tortillas and pan dulce to go along with your tacos. The carnitas taco was good but not really my style. It seemed to be prepared in a crockpot rather than in an hoya full of pig fat. Just sayin'. The best part of this taco experience was the price. You can't beat $1.10 tacos served up sin Los Lazies!

La Victoria Bakery - 3.75 Stars - El Mundo de Mando

5245 Burnet Road

Austin, TX 78756

512-458-1898

El Papalote: A taco-worthy of it's price

2010-09-20T14:23:00.009-05:00

By now, you've read our taco posts, and even disagreed with our tweets. Yes, it's true. We don't like paying for overpriced tacos and Austin has quite a few of them. Luckily, for you and me, I've grown a bit since my dollar taco days. Now I can proudly say that I will spend more than $2.00 for a taco. Mexican food and ingredients aren't too expensive and that's the reason I've been anti-expensive tacos but when the ingredients are mixed right, cooked con amor and the product is authentic, then hell yeah I'll spend some money on a taco (not to exceed $5 or $6 of course).

So last week, I met up with my friend, El Famous Soup Peddler at El Papalote. A small modern taqueria, El Papalote Taco House inspires un tipico cafe y taqueria de Mexico with a true homage to the iconic Mexican comic Cantinflas while serving up cafe de chaipas y un potpourri de comida interior. The place embodies authenticity, Mexican style!

Cantinflas

At first glance at the menu, you can really get overwhelmed and a bit confused. But if you're a mero mero taquero (like me!), you'll appreciate the fact that they don't translate los platos tipicos - the ingredients tell the story. The menu is laid out like a Mexican market with a plethora of choices from tacos to huaraches and tortas to aguas y Mexican cokes! Here's a rundown...

Los Guisados - Probably the best taco variety in town. Complicated and delicious! $3.25 per taco, definitely worth it!

Los Madrugadores - Breakfast tacos, of course! Eggs plus two items for under $2!

Las Tortas - That's the Mexican size hoagie sandwich - Try the Torta Poblana: shredded turkey breast in mole. It's the kind of mole everybody loves, not to thick, not too salty and not too rich, ees just right!

Las Callejeras - From de estreets! Tostadas y taquitos (rolled tacos)

De La Plaza - Variety of meat offeri

ngs, lengua (tongue), cabeza (barbacoa of sorts), pastor y surtidos (mix).

Los de Masas (for the Cornbiters!) - Sopes, Huaraches y Tlacoyos - Definitely try a Tlacoyo but only if you can pronounce it!

Para Morder - Bites! That's their sweet, tangy and espicy salsas and chiles

De Tomar - Organic coffee from the mountains of Chiapas, Mexican cokes, horchatas y mas!

So there you have it. Finally a taco-worthy of it's price. I'm down with spending $3.50 per taco, especially when it's cooked to perfection and it brings out los sabores verdaderos de Mexico!

Tan tan!

El Papalote - 5 Stars - El Mundo de Mando

2803 S Lamar Blvd

Austin, TX 78704

(512) 804-2474

Did you take your Revenge of the Taco Tour?!?

2010-09-15T21:56:00.009-05:00

We did! About 30 of us. Great times were had and lots of good tacos were eaten. Seems like it was just yesterday or 2 weeks ago. Oh the good times. Here's a short recap cuz I can't really remember most of it...

Ah yes, the TJ koozies. Kept our beer cold and made the tacos taste betta!

We still got some so shoot us an email (tacojournalism@gmail.com) and we'll get one in your manos for 5 bucks!

Our first stop was Takoba, a new taco joint on East 7th. We heard good things and they did not let us down with their slow cooked Al Pastor taco. We downed our first taco and had to move on quickly to the next stop.

Sharlene and Andres deciding and eating!

So off we were to Taqueria Selene on 6th and Chalmers. At this stop we met up with more taco lovers, Houstonians, Aussies and even some peeps from Nola. This taco trailer had everything, lengua, al pastor, desehbrada, guisada mexicana and cold Mexican cokes to cool us down. It was either the heat or people were really diggin' this trailer. See photo for proof!

Random people eating and enjoying tacos

Of course, we needed a little break from the heat and as we say en Español - Hacer Hambre - to make hunger aka drink some drinks! We made a pit stop at Rio Rita, a cool little dive in the Eastside. Fast forward a few drinks later and we were best friends with everyone!

The next two stops were the new taco joints on Rainey Street. El Naranjo, which is a taco truck parked in a driveway that specializes in true Mexican traditions, Oaxaca style. Word on the street is that the chef changes up the menu once a week. It was a packed house when we got there and everyone seemed to enjoy their tacos. I did as well but was too distracted by the flying ants trying to get all up on grills and it kinda ruined it for me. I do want to go back and try out their mole though.

Collin enjoying tacos at El Naranjo

Final stop was Bomb Tacos at Lustre Pearl. By this time I was kinda superful and unluckily had to pull an exit strategy cuz I had a baby daddy call - get home now cry! So off I went. I heard the chorizo tacos made the night for todos.

We're happy to report that we're not the only taco aficionados in Austin. Check out Craig's write-up and waaaay better photos of the tour on his The Adventures of Slightly Taller than Average Man blog.

So what's in store for the next taco tour? South Austin Baby! Coming soon, as soon as we get organized which will be in a couple of months when it cools down. Where should we go Southies????

REVENGE of the TACO TOUR!

2010-08-30T14:47:00.005-05:00

TacoJournalism presents REVENGE of the TACO TOUR - East vs DT vs Beer Drinking = Good times!

Join us this Saturday, September 4 from 5:00 - 10:00pm to discover the great tacos of the new downtown area. We'll be hitting up old school taqueria trailers to the taco in a bar set-up and taking in some good beers in between. Here's the schedule...

5:00pm - Takoba Restaurant (1411 E. 7th)

6:00pm - Taqueria Selene Trailer (1700 E. 6th)

7:00pm - Rio Rita (Beer Pit Stop - 1308 E. 6th)

8:00pm - El Naranjo (85 Rainey St)

9:00pm - Bomb Tacos at Luster Pearl (97 Rainey St.)

RSVP Aqui!

Stay hungry my friends!

TacoJournalism

tacos.never.die