TNT: Not so DY-NO-MITE!

Seriously new trendy taco place, I really want to like you! Like all TJ fans, I love tacos indiscriminately, from the barrios of East Austin to the fondas of San Miguel or Westlake even! Anyways, so yeah, please help me, help you! Think of us taco eaters and what makes us happy and less about yourselves and your self-imposed coolness factor. Got it? Good. Moving on...

So I finally tried Tacos and Tequila - two of my favorite things to consume in the world! With the a name like that, why wouldn't you want to eat and drink there right? TNT is really nice place with an open kitchen and bar so you can see what the cooks and bartenders are up to. It has a modern Mexican taqueria feel to it, kind of like the trendy Mexican joints of el D.F. I liked their tablet menu and their potpourri de selecciones de tacos, burritos, skewers, salads, apps, etcetera, etcetera. A huevo, I ordered tacos and tequila! They had a really good selection of tequilas minus my fave Corralejo, so I ordered their chilled tequila on tap - Milagro Silver for $9. By the way, I totally recommend chilling your special botella de tequila; it goes down so smooth; you can leave the room temperature Juarez tequila for your moochy friends. Y'know who I'm talking about!

On to the Taco Platter plus one side for $12.50. I ordered the corn crusted chicken, pork loin al pastor and chile glazed steak tacos with a side of chimayo market corn. Just the way they describe their food makes your mouth watery, doesn't it? They also work really hard on the presentayshon. When they brought the food out I was like "guau muy nice!" until I took my first bite. I was like build up - build up, here it comes and.....wah waah; it was a bit disappointing. In my mind I was like what happened, I thought we had a good thing going? Instead my tasty buds got rejected - REJECTED!!!

First off, the tequila - yeah for 9 bucks and chilled, not so smooooth (in high pitch voice), and it reminded me of the tequila your trusty cheap friends order and I really didn't expect to do the "chiripiorca" when I downed it.

The pork loin al pastor tasted more like dried chicken unless it was chicken??? Also, when you put Al Pastor in your menu I don't expect a light brush of the sauce. Dele con ganas! It was probably the least tasting al pastor Al Pastor taco I've ever had...ever. The chile glazed steak taco was missing the chile and the steak was pretty mushy like it had been boiled instead of grilled. It was eh.

They did hit the mark with the corn crusted chicken. I liked the dressing of the pickled onions, muy good. The chimayo market corn was really good too. It was sweet and layered with lots of butter, cheese, chile and lime. Also, the tortillas were house-made and I'll give them props for that but they were a bit bland.

I ended up spending a pretty penny ($9: Tequila, $12.50: Taco Plate) for lunch but I do it not to save the economy or so TJ fans can save some extra bucks but I do it for childrens. For reals, I think Tacos and Tequila needs to focus more on what it's customers want, good food and better prices; than just thinking of themselves and their good looking taco plates.

P.S. I almost forgot, I also had chips and salsa for $5!

Tacos and Tequila - 2.25 Stars - El Mundo de Mando

507 Pressler Street

Austin, Texas 78703