Have you seen this Taco Truck?

Taco-eater Bret has lost his favorite taco truck. Read his detailed description and leave a comment if you know where it might be parked these days...

My favorite taco truck has gone missing! Thing is, it had prolly the Best Beef Fajita in the city! Another specialty of this truck, and what might help me/you/your-loyal-readers/us find it and it's proprietor again, is the fact that the menu had two "a la ranchera" tacos available. The chicken or beef fajitas, could be ordered a la ranchera, fajita meat with a sauteed tomato/onion/jalapeno concoction tossed on it.

The truck WAS at the corner of goodwin and airport, in the parking lot of a mom and pop foodmart until three months ago when the foodmart decided to get into the taco business too, (horrible breakfast tacos, under-cooked grossness) thereby making the taco vendor move on. (I asked, they don't know where.)

Other distinguishing features of this generic white taco truck, an old white-haired hispanic man with a mustache runs/owns it, he is there most of the time, always two 16-20 yr old generic taco ladies, and it works the construction crowd, 6am-1pm monday thru friday only. The owner tows the trailer with a big white truck, that is usually parked close to the trailer. Easy to spot, in a drive-by situation.

But for real, the marinade and spicyness on this guy's beef fajitas was the signature of this taco truck. The absolute SHIT! And worth seeking out. I swear to God, the best beef fajita I have found north of Kingsville.

Please help me find my taco truck with the best beef fajita in town.

Help me Obi-Wan. Your my only hope.

May the taco be with you young cornbiter.

Jalisco Style: A Primer

Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, Mexican food has always been a huge part of my life. I brought this love with me to the Capitol City 15 years ago, and it has only deepened. While there are things about RGV food I still miss (the ubiquitous hand made flour tortilla, the fact that i still haven't had a truly proper breakfast taco here, etc..), I've been really pleased to explore the wide variety of mexican food on offer in the big city.

On one particularly fateful day in the early 90s, I wandered in to a restaurant called Taqueria Arandas #5, and began what will surely be a lifelong love affair with Jalisco Style Mexican food.

You've seen the phrase in many of our reviews, but what does Jalisco Style mean? It's an interesting question, and one that I can't answer with any sort of scientific rigor or academic authority. This fellow in San Antonio seemed to go around in circles with it. All I can share with you about Jalisco Style is what I've learned in 12 years of eating it.

In short Jalisco Style food is cheap, authentically tasty, and fairly consistent, menu-wise, from place to place. It's that consistency of menu that really solidifies, in my mind, what it's all about. Below I'll try and fill you in on the VERY basics of what I've seen Jalisco Style to be about in Austin.

The first clue that you are eating Jalisco style is that the sign or the menu will reference Jalisco, or it's capitol city, Guadalajara. Decor wise, maps of the region and calendars depicting grand Guadalajara public squares are common.

The main clue is the menu. All J.S. places offer these basic items all with the same choices of meats:

tacos - These are fairly small and priced at under two bucks each. I usually opt for flour tortillas which are generally store bought but nicely charred up on the grill.

tostadas - Served absolutely heaping with sour cream and shredded white cheese in addition to the meat of your choice

tortas - Sandwiches served on delicious 'bolillo' rolls. Torta 'Cubana' adds a slice of ham and white cheese. Excellent.

burritos - Served in giant tortillas with beans, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and your choice of meat.

quesadillas - Available 'regular' in taco size tortillas, and 'especial' in large burrito size torts. The yummy mild white cheese is all melty and delicious.

platos combinados - Dinner plates where you get to choose two meats
served w/ rice and beans.

I've had literally hundreds of each of the items listed above at any of a dozen places, and there is simply no way to get a better meal for a cheaper price.

The meat choices are generally:

Fajita - flank steak cooked on a flat grill and cut into much smaller pieces than the texas style fajita which is generally long strips of char grilled flank steak.

Al Pastor - this is usally a faux-pastor that is marinated and then cooked on the flat grill as opposed to the rotisserie cooked real deal. It is still usually really, really good, though.

Barbacoa - super rich and fatty headmeat.

Pierna - pork leg. I know less about this as I don't get it often.

Lengua - beef tongue Not my fave.

Milanesa - very thin beef breaded and fried, similar to wienerschnitzel. Though it can sometimes be a touch too greasy, I usually find it fantastic, especially on a torta cubana.

Of course many places expand both your choice of items and your choice of meats, but you'll find the above available 90% of the time.

Most J.S. places serve two freshly made salsas, a red and a green. The green is a weird cooked thing that tastes of tobacco to me. I usually ignore it. The red salsa is a simple puree of tomatoes onions and peppers and usually lacks the vinegar found in lots of texas red salsa.

The staff at J.S. places are almost exclusively Spanish speakers with some of them doing better with restaurant English than others. Knowing restaurant Spanish is quite helpful.

Here is a list of places to get you started on your own Jalisco Style journey.

Arandas (S. 1st and Burnet road locations are tops for J.S. in Austin. The Stassney/Manchaca location is also solid.)
Chapala (on Cesar Chavez. A top shelf place.)
Los Jalisciences aka Funny Shape Taq. (on 290 frontage attached to
econo lodge. A top shelf place)
Los Altos (just south of 38th on I35 near Dreamers)
Arandinas (near 290 on I35 north of the Target)
El Rancho Grande (across from the burned down Buffet Palace on Anderson)

Of course, I'm sure to have missed some of the best restaurants and forgotten or simply overlooked some of the things that make Jalsico Style food special to others. Please use the comments to edify us, as tacojournalism is MUCH more about learning than it is about teaching.

Actually, it's all about eating.

-Cornbiter Deluxe

Man Cannot Live on Tacos Alone: Kreuz Market

photo from odograph.com

While we here at tacojournalism.com are obviously huge fans of the taco, we have been known to enjoy other types of food. With that in mind, here is the first installment of an ongoing series of posts where we'll share our thoughts and feelings about some non-taco establishments. Don't worry, our coverage will remain taco-centric, but we're hoping to add a little spice to the mix for your sake and ours.

Kreuz Market is a legendary barbecue destination in nearby Lockhart, Tx who bill themselves as a 'German-style barbecue restaurant'. They've been offering their delightful smoked meats since 1900, so they've figured out a little something about how to do it. Kruez offers a sauce free bbq experience, and to keep it extra real, there are no forks in the building.

I've been to Kreuz Market three times, and eaten a variety of their delicious smoked meats. Every single thing I tried was fantastic. The beef prime rib is incredibly tasty. It's moist and smoky with a very satisfying crust around the edges. I've also sampled both kinds of sausage links, the brisket, the beef shoulder, the pork chops and the pork ribs. All of these are among the best bbq I've ever eaten, and I've eaten my fair share.

photo of ribs from kreuzmarket.com

The true standout is the pork spare ribs. They are huge, and have a meat/bone ratio that seems impossible at nearly 3:1. The smoky, peppery taste is absolutely unlike any rib I've ever come across. The meat is so flavorful, that you'll wonder why you've spent so much time getting bbq sauce all over your hands, when it's obviously not necessary.

While I understand the meat purism that is a large part of the Texas bbq experience, I am simply not happy with a bbq meal that does not include beans. Kreuz delivers here in spades. Their beans have a fantastic flavor and a gorgeous consistency. Plenty of tomato, onion and jalapeno really spice up the thick, bacon infused broth.

There is no place in Austin proper that makes bbq as good as Kreuz Market. The first time you have a couple hours to spare and bbq on the brain, go ahead on out to Lockhart and see what 100 years of German smoke craft has yielded.

Kreuz Market - 5 stars - Cornbiter Deluxe
619 N. Colorado St.
Lockhart, TX 78644-2110
512-398-2361

Rosita's Al Pastor

After being exposed to the taco truck 'Tacos Al Pastor', on Riverside Drive, we instantly fell under the spell of it's incredible hand rolled tortillas and delectable al pastor. On subsequent trips to get tacos from the truck, we noticed a restaurant set back in the strip mall, also enigmatically named 'Al Pastor'. Was there a connection? One would assume.

My wife and I recently made a trip to the restaurant, which was immediately followed up with a trip by Jarod and I for official Taco Journalism purposes. Oh, the obligations!

To say the storefront is unassuming would be a major understatement. The strip mall is pretty run down and the windows to the restaurant are completely covered in reflective silver tint masking whatever it is that is going on inside.

Once you cross the threshold, however, you'll find you are in a quite charming and clean little place with ample seating at booths and tables. The 1,000 inch TV hung in the corner playing telenovelas is something I could do without, but for tacos of this quality, I'll let it slide.

If you take a peek over the counter and into the kitchen before you sit down, you can catch a glimpse of the vertical rotisserie that makes this place something special. Genuine spit roasted al pastor is a thing of beauty, and is not found in a whole lot of places. Most taquerias in town marinate the bits of pork and then fry them up on the flat grill. This makes for good tacos, but the genuine whole marinated and spit roasted article is a real treat. This shawarma-like preparation started in Mexico City as Lebanese and other middle eastern influences were adapted to the local cuisine.

If the name of the joint wasn't clue enough that al pastor is the specialty here, the menu will remove all doubts. The first two pages are filled with dishes that seem familiar and delicious, but when you turn it over to the back, there is an entire 'al pastor menu' with about 20 items on it. I must say, I misted up a little when I saw it.


The al pastor is just amazing. The texture is much chewier and more substantial than the grilled versions found most places. The fact that it hasn't been fried up on the grill in cooking oil allows for the spices and marinade the meat has been treated with to really shine through. There is definitely a hint of citrus or pineapple to be detected.

It is not the juiciest meat you can find, as it seems to dry out some on the spit, but the enhanced flavor and texture more than make up for it, IMHO, especially since some salsa or a squeeze of fresh lime juice will lube things up nicely.

So far, I've tried two items from the 'al pastor menu' and both were phenomenal. The 'Al Pastor Special Plate' featured a mix of al pastor and carne asada with a light covering of mild white cheese. It was served with rice, beans and salad. The refried beans are very, very good, with a thick texture and a nice hint of bacon flavor. On my 2nd trip I had 'Juevos Al Pastor', which, as you may imagine, was simply a plate of eggs served with al pastor meat, beans and potatoes. FANTASTIC.

Both of these dishes were really sent over the top by the salsa and the tortillas. They make their own fresh flour tortillas here, and it's a beautiful thing. Far and away the best tortillas in town, along with those at the sister truck out front. Your humble Corbiter D could happily eat rocks and twigs wrapped in these tortillas for weeks without complaint.


The two salsas on offer were both absolutely fantastic. The red sauce is a straightforward salsa with a really good flavor, and a nice amount of burn. It's well above average in a town swimming in red salsas.

The real killer, however, is the green sauce. It's is the same soul glow inducing product of beauty we talked about in our review of the Taco Truck Tacos Al Pastor, and we love it just as much now as we did then. At first glance you'd guess this creamy green concoction was a mild avocado salsa, but once you taste it, you'll know different. It is HOT. My best guess is that it is made almost entirely of jalapenos and crema (or maybe mayonnaise?). In any case, it complements the excellent tortillas and delightful al pastor meat perfectly, and will set your skull to buzzing with pleasure chemicals.

According to the business card I picked up, Rosita's Al Pastor has been around for 20 years, and it is to my eternal discredit that I've spent the last 15 years of my Austin residency missing out on it. If you haven't been, you should reject that shameful state of affairs and rectify the situation as soon as you can.

Rosita's Al Pastor - 5 stars - Cornbiter Deluxe
1911 E. Riverside
442-8402

Los Comales

Los Comales Mexican Restaurant

A few weeks ago, the Taco Journalism gang gathered together to try Los Comales on East Seventh. This restaurant is not new to the playing field of providing Mexican food to the Austin community but it was a first for me.

Minutes from downtown , Los Comales is located at 2136 East Seventh. The building is set apart by its lush palm trees planted in front. Once inside, diners will feel right at home with the traditional décor of warm wood and bright colors.

The wait staff was attentive to refilling our drinks, which we all needed while chowing on tortilla chips and salsa. I had been warned the salsa would be quite spicy. Perhaps peppers were having an off day or my taste buds have been working out but I did not find that to be the case. In fact, I would have been comfortable with more kick.

Shrimp Fajitas

We all ordered fajita tacos: beef, chicken and shrimp. All the sides were standard- small portions of sour cream, pico de gallo and quacamole set on the plate alongside your average tasting rice and refried pinto beans. What wasn't average were the tortillas. We ordered corn and flour and between the five of us we had the waitress running to keep us stocked in both. They were delicious and provided an excellent backdrop to the goodness inside them.

The medium-sized shrimp came very well seasoned (with the tails on) in a bed of grilled onions and tomatoes. I love tomatoes and these were the perfect compliment to the slightly spicy shrimp and sweet onions. The chicken, flavorful and not too dry, was probably my least favorite out of the three meats sampled but was still solid. The beef was moist, tender and by far my favorite. Thinking about it now makes me want just one more bite.

Overall, I'd say the Taco Journalism experience was a great one. I'll be back.

If you are interested in checking out this spot yourself visit the Los Comales website. This simple, but informative site will answer most questions you might have: http://www.loscomalesaustin.com/

Los Comales - 4.25 Stars - aok
2136 E. 7th St
(512) 480-9358

Taqueria Chapala

Taqueria Chapala is a Jalisco Style joint about a half mile east of the interstate on Cesar Chavez. It's a place I've eaten at on and off many times over the years, but have recently visited more and more often.

It's safe to say that your humble Cornbiter Deluxe is crazy for the Jalisco Style food. Since my first visit to Taqueria Arandas #5 back in the early 90s, the incredibly affordable, delicious and authentic offerings of the J.S. universe have been a siren's call.

That said, one of the things not all J.S. places do well is consistency. A fantastic meal one day can often be followed by a merely satisfactory, or even disappointing session on a subsequent visit to the same place. All in all, I consider it part of the deal, and only mark a place off my list if the great meals start becoming the exception instead of the rule.

All of this leads to the fact that Taqueria Chapla is one of the most consistent J.S. joints in town. If I've had a disappointing meal there, I don't remember it.

One of my favorite items on any J.S. menu is the regular fajita quesadillas. I'll usually grab one or two of these bad boys along with a taco al pastor. Chapala absolutely kills the quesadilla, making them better than anyone in town. Their excellent fajitas, which have a terrific, toothsome texture, always show up in a perfectly grilled tortilla, and the flavor of the meat melding with the mild melted cheese is pure gold. GOLD, SEZ I.

Their al pastor is excellent as well, though since the discovery of taco truck Tacos Al Pastor, I'm having a hard time truly getting into the al pastor anywhere else.

In conclusion, Taq. Chapala is a rock solid place, and is easily in my top three Jalisco Style places in town. If you're on the east side, give it a try. If you're not on the east side, move.

Taqueria Chapala - 4.75 stars - Cornbiter Deluxe.

2101 E Cesar Chavez St

(512) 320-030

Taco...Bueno?

So, people are all freakin' out about Taco Bueno coming to the ATX, and we are all like, what? We may be a little behind the curve on this one, but rest assured we will be journalizing this joint to see what all the fuss is about as soon as it opens.

Yours in pastor,
The Journalists