The Tacos of SXSW, Part I

photo of fried avocado taco by benjamin lim

I would like to take this time to run down a quick list of the tacos I have eaten during the first half of SXSW 2008.

* Breakfast. Porfirio's. 1(potato-egg-cheese) 2(bacon-potato-cheese).

Absolutely Fantastic. Porfirio's is not technically downtown, but it was a short bikeride for me. The potatoes at Porfirio's are just cooked so perfectly, and the salsa is sooo delicious. They always take the time to put a bit of char on their standard store bought tortillas, which is the least you can do if you aren't making them on site.

* LATE night snack. Alamo downtown food window. 2(quajillo pepper beef guisada).

Disappointing. To begin with, the tortillas were so limp and lifeless, that they must have kissed the grill for less than a second, if at all. This is a major pet peeve of mine. The meat was over-spiced and over-fancified for my palate. I prefer my carne to be traditionally spiced with the taste of the meat itself shining through. Disclaimer: It was late and I was drunk, so I might have gotten the name of the tacos wrong, but there is no doubting how I felt about the way they tasted.

* Breakfast. Taco Shack. 2(fajita-egg).

Solid. While the tortillas could absolutely have been grilled better, they were warm enough, and the fajita meat was amazingly tender and delicious. I also really enjoy the salsa at Taco Shack. You could do a lot worse downtown than this.

* Lunch. Torchy's downtown window. 1(fried avocado) 1(green chile pork).

Quite good. While I generally prefer my tacos to be of a more authentic variety than those on offer at Torchy's, I have to admit that these tacos really hit the spot. The pork was especially juicy and delicious. I can recommend Torchy's for your downtown taco needs, especially if, unlike me, you are not a snob about gringoized tacos and you don't feel like riding your bike to Porfirio's.

* Dinner. Nuclear Taco Party @ SXSW Interactive 0(nuclear soft or crispy beef tacos)

I did not eat a Nuclear Taco this year. I've done it before, and once was enough. While I love spicy food, these things are simply punitive. They are an SXSW Interactive tradition though, so I certainly can't advise you against trying them once.

-Cornbiter Deluxe