I’ve done a decent amount of travel around Dallas as part of my own personal taco crusade.  But unfortunately, my taco radar is pretty much dark across the taco dense region just east of Harry Hines and north of Northwest Highway.  A few establishments have crossed my path in this area, but one experience in particular which involved a tiny, no-name roadside taqueria, lack of electricity and refrigeration and a putrid, spoiled pork barbacoa taco, has left such a sour taste in my mouth that I rarely adventure there these days.

Luckily, I was redirected back to the area by the highly respected taco tycoon, Jose Ralat-Maldonado of Taco Trail fame.  When this dude tells you to make a trip somewhere, it’s best not to question his authority.  This particular outing brought me to a previously unheard of joint called La Nueva Fresh and Hot.  I am a sucker for fresh, I’m a sucker for hot, I’m even a sucker for neuva.  How could I go wrong? I couldn’t.

Read on amigos…

When one enters the indiscrete, strip-mall tortilla shop of La Nueva Fresh and Hot, there is an immediate barrage of smells and sounds.  The aroma of freshly ground corn permeates the air as the incessant whir and grind of a conveyor-belt tortilla press nearly makes conversation within the shop impossible.  A plume of hot air from the machinery and stovetops slaps you across the face a few times as you walk through the door.  This place is not striving for atmosphere, don’t expect anyone to tuck your chair in or gently place a black silk napkin across your lap, La Nueva just wants to stuff you full of delicious tacos and they don’t care how that gets done.

What convinced me to sample La Nueva in the first place was the promise of exceptional pork guisado tacos, a personal favorite of mine, composed of stewed meats in rich, hearty sauces. La Nueva’s may be the best I’ve sampled for years.

Guisado tacos come in two varieties at La Nueva, pork verde and pork rojo.  The verde version incorporates tender, succulent pork stewed in a blend of sweet tomatillos and peppers and with a surprisingly spicy finish. The rojo version is laced with strips of cactus to give an earthy, slightly tart flavor to the stewed pork meat. Each guisado comes nestled in soft corn or flour tortillas, that couldn’t get much fresher, or hotter for that matter. Both were exquisite, but for me, I think the verde really stole the show.

La Nueva Fresh and Hot is the epitome of a hidden gem, a place that certainly deserves more attention from loyal tacoists in this city.  It may be a bit off the beaten path, but you know how Robert Frost felt about taking the road less traveled. And that dude knew his tacos.

La Nueva Fresh and Hot

9625 Webb Chapel Rd.

Dallas, TX

Eater Dallas will make sure the best food and drink news—and, let’s face it, sometimes the worst of same—boils to the top. We combine original reporting with tips, rants and raves from users, and also round up what’s happening in the rest of the food media around town and nationally. Food porn, recipes and reviews aren’t our thing, but readers who come back to Eater Dallas every day will never be out of the loop when it comes to the Dallas dining and drinking scene. Eater Dallas joins a national network of Eater sites, which stretch from New York City to D.C. to Chicago to San Francisco. With the co-launch of Eater Houston this morning, Texas is the only state to boast three Eater locales: Austin, Houston and Dallas. (We shouldn’t leave out Eater Atlanta, which also launches today. Hi, Atlanta.)

Yes, hi Atlanta! Hit it, MICK!

We’re still tweaking the information and accounting for the ebb and flow of restaurant life—closures, openings, new chefs and so on. But the arrival of the Fearless Critic guide to Dallas-Fort Worth allows me to shut down the current iteration of Critic’s Guide and start work on a revamp. It should be fun.

Chicken fried smoked brisket by El Smokeador.

A couple of weeks ago a commenter, who goes by El Smokeador and operates a meaty blog called El Smokeador y Smokehopper, left a comment with a link to his recipe for brisket cooked with Butterfinger candy bars. I printed it out and plan to try it soon. This morning, El Smokeadore and his co-blogger, Smokehopper, send another creation: chicken friend smoked brisket.  (I love the idea of using a leaf blower to stoke a fire, but I would suggest you proceed with caution.) I think this guy is wacky enough to be included in our blogroll. Et tu, oh brutal ones?

Make pasta not war.

Earlier in the week, I introduced you to Susan Marx and the Foodie in a Warzone blog she writes from her kitchen in Kabul, Afghanistan. Today she sends you a message:

I just saw your lovely post and link to my new blog on the Dallas Food and Wine blog and wanted to thank you very much for the support!  This is something that is quite close to our hearts, and in light of the recent attacks in Kabul, something we do for sanity as well – your support is much appreciated. Warm regards,Susan.

Dishers, I say we add her to the blogroll on the right. Perhaps with a little support from us, Susan can find a little peace. And we can get some great recipes! What do you say?

“Bill Addison will receive a national Association of Food Journalists award for restaurant criticism. The other finalists are: Will Ferrell for Talladega Dinner Nights and M.F.K. Fisher’s Recipes from the Grave. The ranking of the three awards will be announced at a conference in October.”

Kidding, so, so, so kidding. Way to go, Freckle Face, I hope you beat the pants off of your true rivals Lee Klein of Miami New Times and Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post-it.