Tag Archives: Good 2 Go Taco

by | July 31, 2013 · 7:51 am

El Ranchito #3

El Ranchio #3's exterior

From the start, things were off. The waitress mumbled to herself as she led us to our table at El Ranchito #3. She whispered answers to our questions in Spanish and neglected to mention the restaurant was out of the drinks we ordered, part of the three-taco special platter with either a coca mexicana special, a Fanta or an agua fresca de tamarindo. The waitress acknowledged the order and it arrived quickly, but our drinks didn’t. When I asked for our drinks again, I was told the restaurant didn’t have any Coke or agua fresca. Only Fanta was available in the beverage case. She pointed to it. It was 11 a.m. The chance that there was a rush on the specials that had depleted the stock was, by then, zero.
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Filed under Dallas, DFW, East Dallas, Reviews, Texas

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by | March 7, 2013 · 8:07 am

Ten Joints With Great Breakfast Tacos

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Breakfast in Texas means tacos, and breakfast has been on my mind a lot lately. So, I’d thought I’d offer my current top 10 places for the proper way to begin a day—anywhere, not just in the Lone Star State.

Taqueria La Salsa Verde
Although its appearance shows otherwise, the taquera working this Richardson gas-station counter claims the taco de cabeza (above) is prepared al vapor. Whatever its preparation, the taco is still excellent. Which is really all that matters to me first thing in the morning. The choriqueso is the cabeza’s equal. 14225 Coit Road, 972-330-0403

San Juanita
The chorizo and cheese at this South Congress shack offers buckshot heat in a large tortilla, giving any road trip a fiery start. 4406 S. Congress Ave., Austin, 512-443-9308 Continue reading →

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Filed under Austin, Best of, breakfast tacos, DFW, East Dallas, North Texas, Oak Cliff, Plano, Richardson, San Antonio, Tex-Mex, Texas

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by | October 18, 2012 · 10:13 am

James Scott, DallasVegan.com & Texas State Veggie Fair Founder

Photo credit: Sylvia Elzafon

You could stand to eat more vegetables. We all could. In fact, veggie tacos are too often overlooked, much to our detriment. James Scott is here to help.

Scott decided to eat a vegetarian diet approximately eight years ago. He wanted to lead a healthier life and decided a month-long trial would be sufficient. One month wasn’t enough. Two years later Scott went vegan. He also founded the website DallasVegan.com. However, he didn’t want to leave the joy of the State Fair of Texas’ fried hurt behind. (As much as we disparage the Big Tex Choice Awards, we ought not lie to ourselves. Texans, especially Dallasites, look forward to the announcement of the finalists each year. Fried butter!)  Thus was born the idea of the Texas State Veggie Fair. The third annual celebration of vegetarianism and veganism—and fried food!—will be held this Sunday, Oct. 21, in a larger venue, Reverchon Park. It’s a free, family-friendly event that has more than tripled in size from the first year in 2010, says Scott. But it wasn’t always soyrizo and tempeh. And tacos needn’t be greasy packages of muscle tissue.

Before you attend the Texas State Veggie Fair, read what Scott has to say about tacos… Continue reading →

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Filed under Dallas, interviews, Lengua Sessions

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by | October 12, 2012 · 10:36 am

Taco Ticker: Julia Child, Hangovers and Xoconostle

After taking last week off to let the big news about Dallas’ first bona fide taco festival sink in, Taco Ticker is back with a roundup of this week’s taco news. On the Taco Trail, I reviewed rare—for Dallas—tacos al vapor, steamed tacos hawked by myriad street-side taqueros in Mexico. Veletta Forsythe Lill, the outgoing executive director of the Dallas Arts District and driving force behind the success of food trucks in town, took time to answer taco-related questions. Finally, the week’s second review hit up Mi Fondita, a new restaurant owned and operated by natives of Michoacán state, Mexico. Yes, regional specialties are available. And, yes, it’s worth multiple visits.

Elsewhere, on the Taco Internet, we follow in Julia Child’s footsteps, put the entire Tacodeli to the test and oh so much more: Continue reading →

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by | June 21, 2012 · 11:38 am

My Five Favorite “Specialty” Tacos

I lump specialty and traditional tacos in my Best Of lists because the pesky issue of taco authenticity is something I overcame long ago. The breakfast taco (a Tex-Mex classic) is no less legitimate than a taco al pastor (an iconic Mexico City snack appropriated from the roasting preparation Lebanese immigrants brought with them in the 20th century). The same goes for Velvet Taco’s fare or the Taco Bell-Frito Lay chimera, the Doritos Locos Tacos.

Today, I temporarily separate the categories. The specialty/gourmet/gringo/upmarket/whatever you want to call the tacos that do not adhere strictly to a misplaced perception of the uber-traditional deserve as much praise and scrutiny as the liquid fire of the guisado verde from La Nueva Fresh & Hot or the crackerjack carnitas from El Pueblo Restaurant on Jefferson Avenue. This list, then, gives greater  attention to tacos and restaurants who have earned it. And now—with old favorites and double-takes—in no particular order: Continue reading →

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