El Paisa: Tacos al-bistec or al-mistake?? Guest Post via Joel Salcido

When my compadre en tacos y photos, El Mero Mero Photgrafero, Joel Salcido texted me a pic of El Paisa taco trailer on William Cannon, my first thought was Neon Sign + tacos + picnic bencheees, sounds like a good mix! Next to neon signs, the taco art isa sign of a good taco truck. Much to his dismay, Joel didn't like the tacos and I asked him to write it up for us. I think this may be his informal induction into the Austin Taco Council, a subsidiary of the Texas Taco Council...patent pending. ;)

El Paisa taco trailer by Joel Salcido

From the car I could see the taco promised land.

The El Paisa neon sign of the food truck parked in South Austin radiated its orange glow onto the faces of the gathering crowd as they all stood there in an apparent and involuntary hunger strike.

My wife and I decisively made a quick U-turn on William Cannon just east of I-35 in our quest to partake of the taco fest.

Once under the aura and radiance of the orange sign I ordered four tacos al bistec.  My anticipation was so great that I could almost taste the Habanero burn of the neon light.

I could see the stress in the woman’s face and in her rapid-fire Spanish voice she informed us of a 30-minute wait.

In a split-second I concluded that a 30-minute wait only meant that these tacos would be, “la bomba!”  I should have figured right there and then that this taco bomba experience was never going to burst my tastebuds.

So several hundred seconds after our 30-minute mark, numero veintiseis (#26) came calling!

In anticipation I catapulted out of the picnic table and dashed for our tacos.

The paper plate could barely hold the excitement of the tacos-al-bistec or more like tacos- al-mistake!

The four, duo-tortilla tacos came with bistec meat that was Chihuahuan desert dry and that leaned towards a stubborn version of a fried beef jerky that vacillated between corkscrew strips of fat an alleged beef.

Thinking I could save the day by spicing and hydrating the desiccated valley of my tacos I looked around for a magic salsa.  I bounced around from table to table until I found a single squeeze bottle with some light orange concoction.

I poured and squeezed and baptized my tacos in salsa but never experienced salvation.

Needless to say this Mexican has never felt so betrayed by a taco.

Sin fin…

Joel Salcido, on location in Jalisco, Mexico

El Paisa Taco Trailer --- 1 Star
1821 E. William Cannon Dr.
Austin, Texas 78744

#TrompoQuest: Ten Killer Al Pastor Tacos in Austin, Mapped on @EaterAustin

The #TrompoQuest is done! We ate 'em all up, all the tacos al pastor in a week. Some didn't make the lista cuz they well, they weren't that good...this time. For now, here's our top ten list on Eater Austin. Check them out!

From our post on Eater Austin:

"Where are Austin's best tacos al pastor? Local taco interventionist Mando Rayo went on a #TrompoQuest to find out, along with the rest of the Taco Journalism team. Here's what Rayo has to say about their picks:

#TrompoQuest! For Eater Austin we went on a journey to find the best tacos al pastor in Austin, Texas y'all! If you know us (Taco Journalism), y'know we like real deal taco joints, not just what's hot or trendy. We looked for a great sabor, guajillo chiles y achiote, consistency and quality."

For the full map, clic aquí!

Mijo's Tex-Mex: Not for this Tejano

Here's the thing, Tex-Mex is a dying breed in Austin. There's only a few last standing Tex-Mex joints still around like Matt's El Rancho and Cisco's so when I heard about Mijo's Tex-Mex, I was down to try it. I've been there once before on a secret Tex-Mex mission but just for drinks and some queso - the real kind, y'know the velveeta kind that hardens in about 10 minutes. 

Mijo's is located in East 11th neighborhood just off I-35. As you walk in you can definitely feel the Tex-Mex feel, lots of colors, music in the background and the menu is actually more than Tex-Mex. From looking at el menu, I think they may be wanting to do a lot more than Tex-Mex? So we (my friend Cynthia and I - also I never eat alone, yes I have taco eating issues) ordered a sampling of their Street Tacos and a plate of the Puffy Tacos and chips and queso. For the record, the Street Tacos are more Mexican than Tex-Mex. Maybe they were inspired by TC? D'oh! Quien sabe?

Los Street Tacos

Los Puffy Tacos

Los Street Tacos definitely looked good. Mira el picture! They did not disappoint. La presentacion was good too, with 6 tacos, sauteed onions and jalapeños. La carne was rich and smokey and left a hearty taste in your mouth. That and the kick with the jalapeños and the green salsa brought it home for me, which was a good thing because the tortillas were a little bland and well so was the rest of the meal. The Puffy Tacos looked muy rico but the promise did not deliver. The puffiness was great but again, the puffy tortillas were missing something, like salt and maybe some manteca??? The picadillo on the taco was pretty tame. The beans needed a lot of help too. They tasted like they were sitting in that big container that most restaurants have and diluted with lots of water. Besides the Street Tacos, the green salsa was really good. It was jalapeño green, hot and they brought it out warm. The queso was just okay but the green salsa helped to give it a kick. 

Pos there you have it. Mijo's, you've got a mix of things going for you but Tex-Mex may not be the one. Well not for this Tejano. 

Mijo's Tex-Mex and Cantina --- 2 Stars

1000 East 11th St, Ste 150,

Austin, TX 78702