AVOID: Chicken tacos almost everywhere

Photo courtesy of Murky1

I don't know why, but otherwise decent taquerias (and trucks) that make great beef/pork tacos, have trouble making edible chicken tacos (or, really, chicken anything).

My guess is that these places are buying the cheapest chicken possible ... and it shows. They then compound that by overcooking the chicken until it is dry. Then, hoping to hide that, they shred it. The result is a nasty, disagreeable taco and an equally nasty, disagreeable Commish.

Anyways, I've been burned too many times with chicken dishes and I generally avoid them. Here, though, are a few of my general rules of thumb on when to order and when not to order the chicken.

1. Is it a Jalisco-style taqueria? Does it say Arandas on the sign? DON'T ORDER THE CHICKEN!
2. Is the place a bit 'fancy' and full of gringos (e.g. Torchy's, Zocalo)? DO ORDER THE CHICKEN. An exception to this rule: Is it a subpar taco stand sandwiched between the excellent Alayna's and Mi Madres that has inexplicable long lines? DON'T ORDER THE CHICKEN!
3. Is the place named after, or does it specialize in, a particular dish (e.g. Al Pastor) that isn't chicken? DON'T ORDER THE CHICKEN!
4. Does the menu recommend the chicken (e.g. Habenero)? DO ORDER THE CHICKEN.

Please share your chicken finds in the comments. We'd love to hear what places are safe for chicken lovers.

Tacodeli

Tacodeli

I'll start off by saying that this was my first lunch experience at Tacodeli. I have eaten breakfast here numerous time and I really like a lot of things that Tacodeli does, lunch was not one of my favorite Tacodeli moments. Tacodeli has two locations now one near Barton Creek on Spyglass and a second location on North Burnet and Mopac. We visited the Spyglass location today for lunch and it was packed, packed to the gills with a bunch of gringos. Nothing against gringos, I am one of them, but with the influx of gringos and good service comes some drawbacks: 1 - Muy Spensive Tacos! All were over $2.50 each. 2 - Lack of significant flavor. Most of the items we tried were really good cuts on meat, but you need a little fat in there to make things special.

Grilled Queso Taco

We tried several taco fillings on our visit. Picadillo (good, but a bit runny), Puerco Borracho (great), Grilled Queso (tasty), Al Pastor (marinated - not great), Mole (too sweet, but lovely looking), a Cowboy (decent) and a Frontera (good, meat was lackluster). As you can see they were all fine tacos, no real complaints. The standouts were the Grilled Queso and the Puerco Borracho . The Grilled Queso was fresh and unique and the Pork had the best flavor out of the bunch and reminded me of Concina de Consuelo's machacado. Also, it is worth noting that the all the tortillas were very good (possibly homemade) and charred to perfection and their salsas are really good, especially the wonderful blended jalapeno Dona salsa, but it couldn't save the otherwise bland meats.

Chicken Mole Taco

Now breakfast on the other hand is where Tacodeli shines. The eggs are cooked perfectly, the fillings are fresh, the tortillas are crispy and the prices are much more affordable. The potatoes are crazy good, but unlike anything I have had elsewhere. They are pureed and a little runny, but amazingly savory. The migas plate and taco are really good, the Jess special is delicious and the black beans are pretty tasty. You can find TacoDeli tacos at several locations around town, including Emerald City Press and a few convenience stores. I tried to find a list of locations, but their website didn't include them.


Tacodeli - 3.5 Stars - jarod
1500 Spyglass Dr.
(512) 306-8770

12001 Burnet Rd.
(512) 339-1700

Mi Madre's For Breakfast

photo of #0 from doggedknits.com

Mi Madre's is an East Austin Legend, serving up delicious, authentic mexican food on Manor Road for quite some time. There are a lot of johnny come lately taco vendors on Manor nowadays, but Mi Madre's is still running the show.

I'm especially fond of their breakfast tacos. The Number 0 is usually my weapon of choice. It features eggs, bacon, potatoes and cheese in a nicely grilled flour tortilla. Topped with their delicious red table salsa with it's peppery, vinegary twang, it is the breakfast of champions, and affordable to boot!

While visiting Mi Madre's during our tour with the Fox folks, I took Mando's advice and had a machacado con juevo taco. It was delightful. The dried beef added a fantastic smoky flavor and created some delicious juice as it was hydrated by the eggs and salsa. If you have not tried machacado before, Mi Madre's is an excellent place to start.

The Migas are also terrific. I suggest getting a migas taco to go along with your machacado or #0.

Mi Madre's also serves lunch and dinner, but I have to admit it's been a long time since I've been there for any non breakfast action. This shall soon be remedied.

UPDATE: Helpful commenter, Bryan, says: 'One correction: they don't serve dinner and close at 2:00 p.m. SHARP. I see them turn people away all the time.' Thanks, Bryan!

Mi Madre's - 4 breakfasty stars - Cornbiter Deluxe
2201 Manor Rd
Austin, TX 78722
(512) 322-9721

El Borego De Oro - Souther Congress

El Borego De Oro is located on South Congress in name only. Just a block north of Ben White Blvd, it is not as 'cool' as its more pretentious "SoCo" siblings. There were no hipsters, oversized sunglasses, or tight pants anywhere. Thankfully, El Borego knows what it is: a straight-forward taqueria serving cheap (and kinda-ok-to-good) food to hungry denizens.

The chips and salsa appear to be a crapshoot. On this visit, the chips tasted stale and the salsa was a bit watery. This stands in sharp contrast to a previous visit, where the chips were fresh and greasy (yum!) and the queso with chorizo was thick and amazing.

The tacos were decent, but not outstanding. The portions, especially the meat, were quite generous and we all left the place full. They were served on homemade tortillas which were tasty and certainly better than any store-bought kind.

The picadillo was served with cheese, lettuce and tomato which nicely complemented the meat. The barbacoa was nice and fatty, almost creamy, and delighted Jarod to no end.

The tacos al pastor were below average. They were definitely not made on a spit, and they seemed to be marinated rather than spiced appropriately. I would not order them again. On the other hand, the beans were delectable and were the best part of the visit. They had a great bacon flavor and the texture was just right (not too runny, not too thick.) Any place that can make good beans is worth a return visit.

El Borego De Oro - 3 Stars - The Commish
3900 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 383-0031
http://www.elborregodeoro.com

Taco Journalism on Fox7

So last week we got a little quote in the Statesman, today a full story on tacos and Taco Journalism. Check out the highlights from our Taco Tour with Fox7.

Ben Stein knows nothing (about tacos ... or science)

Don't listen to ANYTHING this guys says:

BEFORE I start on this little tour d’horizon, I just want to say that a good, fresh Taco Supreme from Taco Bell is more tasty than just about anything at any fancy-pants restaurant anywhere in the world. And they didn’t pay me, and they don’t even know me. Just for perspective.

... And Ben seemed so smart back when he was on basic cable.

Tacos Al Pastor - Still kicking your ass

I'm not sure if we've mentioned it before, but Tacos Al Pastor on E. Riverside is seriously awesome. I just wanted to mention that it is still seriously awesome. Just in case you forgot.

OK ... ONE time it was really subpar, and it tasted like I was eating a Slim Jim Taco. But every other time, it kicked my ass. If you went there on our recommendation, and ended up with a Slim Jim Taco, we're really sorry, but we beg you to give it another shot.

Chuco's vs. Chico's: The Smackdown Continues

Taco Journalism's own, El Mundo de Mando, gets quoted in today's Austin American Statesman article about Austin's Chuco's Tacos and the ongoing legal battle with El Paso's Chico's Tacos. You can read all about it here.

Tacos Para Los Mas Machos!

Oye, eres un Macho? Si si..then you gotta check out Macho Taco! That's if you're not currently being affected the crazy gas prices! We are but decide to go anyway. Jarod, Justin and I checked out the dirrrty south we didn't even know existed, off Manchaca and 1626 to be exact. Macho Taco has an old diner feel to it with a walk-up bar/order your comida before sitting down stylez. I chose the gordita plate and when they told me that it would be an extra 8 minutes longer because they had to make it from scratch, well, I must say, I was SOLD! Jarod and Justin had the...blah blah blah...Machos Tacos. Anyway, back to my gorditas. As I was sippin' on my Mexican Coke (yes, it's the real thing), my plate had arrived just in time cuz I was a hungry! "Mr. McGee, don't make me hungry, you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry." That quote is from my pilot El Hulk...que tiene un chingo de hambre!

Mis Gorditas!

Okay, back to the gorditas again. So yeah, they did not disappoint. Fresh off the frying pan, stuffed with some great tasting pork, good green and red salsas and with some great compañeros - beans, rice, and lettuce, tomatoes with some crema. Ay que rico! You were probably expecting a good write-up on those Machos Tacos right? You'll have to wait till next time or get Jarod to give you his take.

Los Macho Tacos!

Machos Tacos - 4.5 Estrellas - El Mundo de Mando
12110 Manchaca Rd # 102
Austin, TX 78748
(512) 291-5104

I just wanted to chime in on this one. I loved the hell out of Machos Tacos. The tortillas were well grilled, and all of the fillings were outasite. I was also completely knocked out by the rice and beans. We tried both the refried beans and the frijoles ala charra, and they were both really fantastic.

I was also very impressed by the super friendly lady who helped us. She even gave me a taster cup of their excellent carne guisada to see how I felt about it before ordering (I felt great about it). If you live near Manchaca, this place needs to be on your radar!

-Cornbiter Deluxe

Mi Gordi's - The Best Taco Stand in Westlake

A few months back we reviewed Sabor salsa. The heat and freshness were amazing, and we declared our undying (but manly) love for it. According to the side of the bottle, Mi Gordi's is the funky taco stand that produces this fine salsa. It took us a bit, but we finally made the ten thousand mile (estimated) drive to Westlake to journalize it.


First, let me say that I'm pretty sure Mi Gordi's is the only real taco stand in Westlake, so I feel safe in declaring, upfront, that it is the best. The stand has a nice funky/rundown look about it that immediately set me at ease. I don't think it is going to stay that way for long, though. Next door, there was a fair amount of construction. According to the slightly indifferent and flustered order taker, they are building an actual restaurant to house an expanded Mi Gordi's. Unfortunately, the construction seemed to swallow up what little eating areas there were, leaving a solitary picnic table to house the crowd.


The food was pretty slow getting out to us, taking around 20 minutes for 9 tacos. We ordered a cross-section of their menu, which seemed to have a strong breakfast-taco bias. The breakfast tacos were pretty standard fare: eggs, cheese, and "something else". Eric's taco included avocados which was a nice change of pace. They were decent sized, but it seemed that they were overly-generous with the eggs, and not so much with the rest of the ingredients.

The lunch fare was better, especially with the proportions. The chicken and beef fajita tacos were decent and came with a nice compliment of onions, tomatoes, and peppers. The 'crispy taco' was, alas, not really crispy and was a disappointment. The picadillo taco had a strange taste that didn't quite jive with our past experiences. We found it a bit off-putting, although it was still edible. Regardless, the salsa makes up for all of these sins. Drizzle it on your taco and enjoy a few minutes of bliss.

Mi Gordi's is a competent taco stand: if you live out in the Westlake area, you should definitely check it out. Judging from the lunchtime crowd that materialized, it seems to be well-known. However, if you live in Austin proper, it probably isn't worth the drive (but do stop at HEB and pick up Sabor salsa.)

Mi Gordi's - 3 stars - The Commish
1705 N. Cuernavaca Drive
Austin, TX 78733
(512) 263-3666
http://www.migordis.com
Tues-Fri 8am-2pm, Sat-Sun 8am-1pm