Recap: How the North Texas Taco Festival Stole Deep Ellum

Taco Party’s taco al pastor (photos by Ariel Gonzalez)

The tortilla. The filling. The salsa. They are, in the doctrinal words of Mexican author Alejandro Escalante, the “Holy Trinity of the Taco.” If so, then Saturday saw a veritable Taco Mass, when hundreds of hungry Dallasites genuflected before the altar of this elemental, but infinitely variable mainstay of Texan cuisine at the first-ever North Texas Taco Festival. But let’s be honest: with a dozen local taco shops plying their trade, not to mention eclectic arts and crafts stalls, funky live music, an erudite taco panel, a throwdown between five of Dallas’ hottest chefs, and—for good measure—abundant cervezas, the festival beat the hell out of church.

Taco Trail’s José Ralat-Maldonado joined forces with Rich Vana of Entrée Dallas, Brandon Castillo of Deep Ellum Outdoor Market, and Laura Allen of Walk the Light to throw a Mexican-style taquiza—or, taco street party—in DEOM’s usual block starting at 11 a.m. Like most, I strolled up at around noon, taking in the scenery, the breezy day, the good feelings before flipping out over the insanely long lines. For the moment, I reined in my appetite and decided to wade (read: jostle) through the teeming hungry to check out the non-taco offerings. At the first clearing, I came upon a lonely burro, adorned in kitschy burro-wear, and connected by a drooping lead rope to his equally lonely master. It took me a second to register that the pair were waiting to snap some shots with festival-goers (incidentally, the burro and his sidekick were stationed before a pair of sky-blue porta-potties, making for a killer absurdist backdrop). I obliged with a photo, helping kick-start the burro’s business for the day.

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