Wow. Wow again. You made the first North Texas Taco Festival a success beyond our wildest expectations. Thank you, and thank you for the feedback on our inaugural taco celebration. A special thanks to the vendors, special guests and all who made the NTTF a fantastic event. The producing team promises to make the second annual NTTF even better, with more vendors and shorter lines. Before then, though, take a look-see at some photos from Taco Trail’s design honcho, Alex Flores.
Filed under Dallas, Deep Ellum, DFW, Downtown, events, festivals, North Texas
DFW Truck for Tots — On Saturday December 8, 2012 from 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., 25 Dallas and Fort Worth food trucks are gathering at the corner of Elm Street and Gaston Avenue in Deep Ellum (2505 Elm Street, Dallas, TX) for a massive toy drive for the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of Toys for Tots. More than 20 United States Marines will be on hand to take toy donations and guests are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for a needy child. Pictures with Santa will be available in addition to live music, bounce houses and more than 50 vendors for holiday shopping.
In partnership with local schools including W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy and Lincoln High School, students will be encouraged to collect toys and bring them to the event with their family. There will also be a performance by the Lincoln High School Tiger Marching Band. More than 25 confirmed food trucks will be on-site, including Rock & Roll Tacos, Rockstar Bakeshop, Easy Slider Truck, Ssahm BBQ, Gepetto’s Pizza, Three Lions, The Gastro Bomber and more.
Guests are encouraged to ride the DART Green Line and get off at the Deep Ellum Station, which is across the street from the event. Guests coming from North Dallas can ride any line into downtown and transfer to the Green Line without worrying about the hassle of parking. This event is brought to you by DFW Food Truck Group, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Deep Ellum Outdoor Market and other local sponsors. Continue reading
Filed under Dallas, Deep Ellum, DFW, events, food truck, News, Texas
Happy National Taco Day. Great news: Dallas is finally getting a proper taco festival. The North Texas Taco Festival will be a celebration of our area’s taco diversity held in conjunction with the Deep Ellum Outdoor Market and presented by the Taco Trail and Entrée Dallas.
The event will host more than 10 taquerías, restaurants and food trucks, serving some of Dallas-Fort Worth’s favorite tacos. Among the vendors offering classic and unique tacos will be Cafeteria y Loncheria El Padrino, Rusty Taco, Rock and Roll Tacos and So-Cal Tacos. Those curious about Filipino tacos will amble into Zen Bistro & Dessert Bar.
During an Iron Chef-style competition, Dallas chefs, including Brian C. Luscher (The Grape Restaurant), will go tortilla to tortilla for the honor of best taco, as judged by a panel of local writers and discerning taco enthusiasts.
And that’s only the beginning. More exciting announcements will be made leading up to the festival.
The North Texas Taco Festival will be held Saturday, April 20, 2013, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., on the 2800 block of Main Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Crowdus Street, alongside the Deep Ellum Outdoor Market and its 40 vendors.
For questions and sponsorship or vendor inquiries, please contact José Ralat-Maldonado at 917-854-2917 or ralatMaldonado AT Gmail dot Com or Brandon Castillo at 972-898-9227 or Brandon AT DeepEllumMarket dot com. Visit www.northtexastacofestival.com for up-to-date information.
Now, go eat some tacos.
Filed under Dallas, Deep Ellum, DFW, events, festivals, National Taco Day, News, North Texas
I sustain myself on more than tacos. However, when dining at a non-taquería, I occasionally desire to see a taco option. Below are six establishments I wish would serve tacos.
Cane Rosso
My favorite Dallas pizzeria put tacos on the menu once. Jay, wouldn’t you’d rather eat tacos from your own kitchen than from Taco Joint? Continue reading
Filed under Bishop Arts District, Deep Ellum, DFW, Knox-Henderson, Oak Cliff
Since the May 16 friends-and-family preview, Rock and Roll Tacos food truck owners James and Mary Ann Quiñonez have been adding the finishing touches to their brick-and-mortar operation, the Kitchen inside LaGrange. Thursday, May 31, the restaurant will get its grand opening and have LaGrange rocking harder than ever before.
The 1954 Chevy truck bed salsa bar, not installed at the soft opening, will be stocked with America’s favorite condiment in variations like guajillo and habanero, ready for a plate of tacos with handmade tortillas or chips at the massive guitar tabletop. Continue reading
Filed under Deep Ellum, DFW
Last night, I attended the friends-and-family soft opening of James and Mary Anne Quiñonez’s Rock and Roll Tacos brick-and-mortar operation at LaGrange. Below is a photo catalog of the night, mostly of subpar images of the dishes prepared by Chef Gustavo Fernandez and his crackerjack team. Not included is a shot of the adult snow cone hut in the back patio. Rock and Roll Tacos officially opens to the public Thursday, May 31. Continue reading
Filed under Deep Ellum
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| LaGrange, Deep Ellum, Facebook |
James Quiñonez is a tireless taquero. One of the founders of the DFW Food Truck Group events coalition, the co-owner (along with wife Mary Ann) of Rock and Roll Tacos, a printer, the victim of the recent tornadoes that tore through DFW and now restaurateur. Quiñonez is partnering with the owners of Deep Ellum music venue LaGrange to fix what co-owner Stephanie Schumacher said just wasn’t working.
“We were operating at a loss but didn’t want to nix the kitchen,” she told me from across the LaGrange bar, while workers were covering the windows with paper. “So, we began looking for a taco place to come in and revamp the program.”
When Quiñonez, at last Saturday’s Ciclovia de Dallas, mentioned to Schumacher that Rock and Roll Tacos was looking for a kitchen in Deep Ellum, the club owner knew that she had found her taco place. Continue reading
Filed under Deep Ellum
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| el Tour de Taco group photo by Chris Curnutt/Facebook |
There are some days that are ideal for a bike ride, never mind a phenomenal group ride. Yesterday was one of those days. It was then that Bike Friendly Deep Ellum’s Paul Adams led the el Tour de Taco, a relaxed bike tour of Dallas through Deep Ellum Fair Park, the Arts District, Downtown, the Cedars and back to Deep Ellum. Cyclist of all stripe and experience levels joined in. There was even a four-person recumbent party bike. Continue reading
Filed under Deep Ellum, Taco Tours
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| el Tour de Taco, Facebook |
Who cares if your knuckles might crack from the cold? There is no other way to take a taco tour than via a leisurely bike ride. And taco-loving cyclists will undertake such an endeavor, Sunday, Jan. 15, during el Tour de Taco.
Organized by Bike Friendly Deep Ellum’s Paul Adams, the group ride will kick off from St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin Restaurant and Bar at 2 p.m. and end between 3:30 and 4 p.m. The itinerary, though, is freewheeling. Adams told me everything depends on the turnout. Continue reading
Filed under Deep Ellum, events
The Taco Trail 