D Magazine intern Erin Ahlfinger files this report.

If you’re wondering how many different tacos make a tacopalooza, the answer is twenty one.  Five of the most popular purveyors of tortilla-wrapped delights in town rolled into Bryan Street Tavern Saturday afternoon for Tacopalooza 2012. They brought with them an assortment of nearly two dozen taco types to be devoured by a full house of Cinco de Mayo revelers, as well as a group of discriminating judges to determine which taco was tastiest.

For the purists in the crowd, there were plenty of takes on the traditional street taco on hand, including Rusty Taco’s smoky, sweet namesake creation of achiote marinated pork, pineapple, and cojita cheese, wrapped in a corn tortilla. Fuzzy’s Taco Shop served up Baja-style tacos, while the Dos Paisanos food truck proudly presented their tacos al carbon. Though you won’t normally find street tacos on the menu at Bryan Street Tavern, the house kitchen rose to the occasion and presented a delightfully tender pulled pork taco of its own.

Jump for more taco goodness.

Those who subscribe to the philosophy that what is resides in a tortilla need not be dictated by tradition alone were among friends at Tacopalooza 2012. Taste buds with a wild streak quickly found their way to Velvet Taco’s creative concoctions featuring ingredients such as Thai basil, rotisserie chicken, goat cheese, and basil crema.  Opting out of the patio in favor of the parking lot, the Tin Star Taco Taxi offered an impressive eleven different tacos including fish tacos and vegetarian options.

While the array of available eats provided plenty of festivity, twenty one tacos alone do not make a “palooza.” Sombrero-clad bartenders serving icy libations indoors were supplemented by a margarita stand tucked outside among vendors peddling goods from beeswax products to cupcakes. Local bands provided air conditioned entertainment to those who sought refuge from the heat just inside the patio.

Judges determined that Tin Star Taco Taxi rose to the top. The steak, avocado, grilled onion, and jack cheese taco appropriately titled the “Number One” was deemed the most craveable taco of Tacopalooza 2012.

Upon learning of his victory, Tin Star taco vendor Bobby Oswald hardly bats an eye. “I’m glad to hear it. I’m not surprised, though.” Oswald confesses. “I know our tacos are worth coming back for.”  If you’re not willing to wait for them to come back to Tacopalooza 2013 to try the Number One, take a look at our Food Truck Finder to see where to find the Tin Star Taco Taxi in action.

Here are my destination picks for May 5:

Tacopalooza – This taco fest is where I’ll be stuffing my face at Bryan Street Tavern between the hours of 1 and 7 PM. Ten different taquerias, taco trucks, and dessert trucks will be available to taco-hungry people. There’ll be live bands, drink specials, and even a taco eating contest. My friend, the Taco Trail blazer José Ralat-Maldonado, will be doing some taco judging, too.

WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, May 5, 1 to 7 PM
Bryan Street Tavern
4315 Bryan Street, Dallas, TX 75204

May 5 also happens to be the Kentucky Derby, and what better way to celebrate than to head over to Sissy’s Southern Kitchen & Bar for their Jockeys & Juleps party? Guests will be dressing up in sharp, race-day attire and sipping from a selection of refreshing cocktails for $5. Watch the Red Carpet Special and Kentucky Derby on the big screens behind the bar and in the Scotch Room. Plus, you’ll receive a special prize if you’re wearing the best Derby outfit in the house.

Saturday, May 5, 2012
Drink specials run from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

WHERE:
Sissy’s Southern Kitchen and Bar
2929 Henderson Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206

The Dallas Wine & Food Festival is actually starting today and running until May 6. On Cinco de Mayo, though, there’ll be Chef Demos at Mockingbird Station from the likes of Kay Agnew (Bridge Bistro), Tre Wilcox (Marquee Grill), and David Trubenbach (Asador). Learn how to entertain with style.

Go here for the Chef Demo schedule.

WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, May 5
Mockingbird Station
Northeast corner of Mockingbird Lane & Central (I-75) [Map]
Registration inside the Angelika Film Center – Dallas [Map]
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Dress: Smart Casual - Free Surface Parking

$25 per person
$15 added cost to guarantee a place in each Seminar and Happy Hour*

]]> http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/05/02/alternative-ways-to-celebrate-cinco-de-mayo/feed/ 1 http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/04/26/torchys-nodding-donkey-and-world-of-beer-opening-on-smu-blvd-in-the-summer/ http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/04/26/torchys-nodding-donkey-and-world-of-beer-opening-on-smu-blvd-in-the-summer/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:43:43 +0000 Carol Shih http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/?p=40215 Bradford Pearson made me aware that three new restaurants (Torchy’s Tacos, Nodding Donkey, and World of Beer) have just signed leases at the new retail space called BLVD, at SMU Boulevard and Greenville Avenue.

“We are excited to add three such strong restaurants to those already in the area,” said Taylor Stone, Managing Director, Multifamily, for Prescott Realty Group. “Nodding Donkey, Torchy’s Tacos and World of Beer will liven up the pedestrian experience along SMU Boulevard and will draw people from the greater areas to the neighborhood to live and play.”

BLVD is supposed to have 417 residential units along with 9,100 sq. ft. of commercial space. God help the kids who move in there. How’re they going to get any studying done with all those beers and tacos to distract them?

Chilaquiles- crispy tortillas garnished with choice of homemade salsa, scrambled eggs, queso fresco, Mexican crema, red onions & cilantro (photo by Micah Nunley)

Customers had been bugging Markus Pineyro, owner of Urban Taco, about creating a brunch menu for a long time, but it wasn’t until he visited his family in Mexico that the idea started formulating in the back of his mind.

“A lot of things we do at Urban Taco are very personal,” said Pineyro, whose brunch cuisine (a mix of modern and traditional) draws inspiration from his trip down south.

Markus Pineyro, owner (left); fresh-squeezed orange juice (right)

The menu, starting March 31, will be available every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am – 3 pm only in its Uptown location. Some of the highlights include: chilaquiles rojas and verdes, huevos rancheros, and la jolla french toast with a sweet caramel sauce.

At the media brunch I attended, it took a lot of self-discipline to turn down the cocktails, mimosas, and Bloody Mary offerings, but there was no way I could get any work done later with a buzz. Instead, I sipped happily on my fresh-squeezed orange juice with just the right amount of pulp.

The portions are purposefully large and they are meant to be shared among friends and family, while Urban Taco’s casual atmosphere provides that leisurely weekend brunch experience we daydream about on Fridays before we clock out of work. What a perfect way to start off a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Huevos Rancheros with two sunny side up eggs, crispy corn tortilla, salsa mexicana

Bloody Mary (left); interior (right)

La Jolla French Toast with home made cajeta caramel, bananas, strawberries, and guajillo candied pecans

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

Little taco ducklings

Last weekend was rainy, wet, and gross. But did that stop the nine of us from dropping out of José Ralat-Maldonado’s (aka Taco Trail) first-ever Taco Tour? Nope. Gloomy Texas weather could not prevent the consumption of glorious, glorious tacos.

If you could measure taco obsession on a scale from 1 to 10, I would be a 7. Maybe a 10 when Cinco de Mayo rolls around. José ranks a solid 12 every day. (I once asked him if he ever gets tired of eating tacos. His answer was “no.”) It is little wonder, then, that he became the tour guide to a band of misfits united by a common love for all things taco. José gathered us little taco ducklings at 11 AM outside La Banqueta, a hole-in-the-wall taqueria that gives you free suadero (cow breast) tacos if it’s your first time visiting, for our first stop.

Jump for a guide to Dallas tacos.

Two suaderos and one cabeza

First stop: Tacos La Banqueta (formerly known as Tacos El Guero)
What I ordered (per Taco Trail’s suggestion): two suaderos and one cabeza
Verdict: Not that much room to sit. It’s a stuff-your-face-and-go place. Loved the charred edges and soggy middle of the suadero meat. So glad this place made it onto Serious Eat’s sweet 16 taco bracket.
Price: Only spent $2.70

Cabrito taco

Second stop: Chupacabra’s Restaurant & Buy Low Food
What I ordered: one cabrito (goat) taco
Verdict: Tortillas here are better than La Banqueta’s. They make them fresh at their other shop, Enrique’s Cafe on Buckner. You can sit inside this old gas station surrounded by mini mart shelves and try to pretend that the TV above your head is not playing a weird channel.
Price: I spent less $5 on a taco + drink.

Avocado, egg, and chorizo burrito

Third stop: La Victoria
What I ordered: Chorizo, egg, and avocado burrito (I realize this isn’t a taco, but I couldn’t help venturing into burrito territory.)
Verdict: The fresh slices of avocado, fluffy egg, and chorizo held nicely together, which is a big deal for me because I am the world’s messiest eater. I can eat a slice of pizza and make it look like road kill. It says a lot when I finish a burrito with zero crumbs on my fingers. (I don’t think Jose was too happy with his tacos, though.)
Price: Less than $4 for one very big burrito.

If  you have taco envy right now, worry not. Jose’s going to host another Taco Tour on April 7. Hopefully, the weather will be better. He has 15 precious spots open, and he’ll be leading you through Oak Cliff by foot. Get excitedddd.

David Trubenbach's takes his Farm-To-Fire cuisine seriously. The shape of the hotel whips winds into a vortex.

It’s been  a year since I wrote about the opening of Asador, the restaurant in the Dallas Renaissance Hotel. The report announced the arrival of chef/proprietor Dean  Max and, a young, talented and energetic chef with a focus on farm-to-table (or “farm-to-fire” as Asador would rather term it) principles. Ditto for onsite chef David Trubenbach. I also noted Marriott corporation’s commitment to a destination restaurant in the Dallas Renaissance Hotel, a promise they backed up with an extensive Tequila collection. As downtown Dallas restaurants convert, seemingly like flies, to steak houses, I decided to check-in, so to speak, at Asador to see if they are staying true to their original mission. Here is what I found.

Seafood Texas Cigar: (lump crab, gulf rock shrimp, cilantro, poblano, and lemon aioli in a wrapper or feuilles de brick.

I attended a media event this week which included the presence of Chef Max. After tasting the creations, I can confirm Asador is doing very nicely. Robust hotel bookings are the backbone of solid numbers at lunch and in the evening. The concept of corporate chef Dean James Max has actually expanded and deepened the restaurant’s commitment to preparing dishes in-house and using artisanal suppliers. The tequila collection has evolved into a full mixology program and includes an expanded beer list which currently boasts 35 selections, including eight from Texas.

The one puzzle, to me, is that Asador is still relatively unknown and not patronized by Dallasites seeking a destination restaurant. Here’s what those folks are missing:

The philosophy described above translates to a menu that is printed on pretty flimsy card stock. That’s good, because the reason is that Asador Chef David Trubenbach changes one or two items every day. The result is a constantly evolving expression of seasonal freshness backed up by a commitment to let the ingredients speak for themselves. Since my report last year, he has spent a lot of time exploring local producers and has been quite brutal dealing with any producers whose quality or ethics do not fit his ideals. He grew up close to the coast (in Florida) and has had an overall positive experience sourcing in the very different climate of Texas.

Grilled Calamari Salad (corn, mâche, avocado, bacon, lardoons)

He thinks cheese is a strong suit here. He’s uses Gouda from Dave Eagle at Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese and several cheeses from Paula Lambert at The Mozzarella Company. He is currently looking for a really good Texas cheddar-style cheese. Fresh produce comes from a number of farms including Rocco Tassione’s Tassione Farm in Stephenville and Chef’s Produce, an unusual produce merchant in that it requires that all of its sales representatives to be qualified chefs. The biggest challenge has been seafood, due partly to the move inland from Florida and partly to the problems in the Gulf during 2011. He has, however, made up the supply difficulties with some interesting preparations. For example, he smokes salmon (which he sources from the Bay of Fundy) and other ‘oily’ fish. He uses grass-fed beef ground up in burgers or braised but recognizes that most customers prefer corn-fed steak. So if a steak is really what you want, there is no need to leave the hotel.

Mahi Mahi with Mole Sauce

The new items I mentioned above take various forms. The ‘Taco Tuesdays’ program  I cited last time is flourishing. Each Tuesday at 4:30pm  you can order two tacos and a taste of tequila for $6. You can add a $15 Tequila Family Flight (three tequilas) or a $6 margarita as well. Mondays are ‘Reverse Happy Hour’ from 9pm until 11pm, and every day is Happy Hour from 4pm until 7pm. On Thursdays, select wines from the list are half-off.  Friday’s menu offers alternating Chef’s Table dinners. Wine, beer, and tequila rotate on consecutive weeks as the beverage that is paired with a three-or four-course menu (plus amuse) for $45 + t & t. The meal is served at a 12-place chef’s table and Trubenbach introduces the dishes and interacts with the guests.

Asador now has a selection of specialty cocktails prepared by Tyler Lott the, ahem, hottest Mixologist I have seen. She is self-taught, but hasn’t missed a thing. The cocktails  I tasted were carefully conceived and impeccably executed. The Bloody Maria is especially recommended.

Grilled Chicken with Mole Sauce

One thing I would like them to revisit is their wine list. They need to carry over the local element of the food to to the list.  There is not a single Texas wine on the list. This is at the very time in Texas wine history at which there is least justification for such an omission. I suspect that it happened because the list is sourced from ‘central listing’ and, rather like the case at the similarly focused Central 214, the local people need to bring the issue to the attention of the powers that be. If Hunter Hammett at The Pyramid Restaurant can sell Texas wine, then so can others. Also, the markup on the list is three times that of retail price (e.g. 2009 The Prisoner Zinfandel $89, 2010 Pascual Toso Malbec $35). That kind of mark-up is common in Dallas restaurants, but it is a big disincentive to order wine. That being said, this list shows good geographical coverage for its size, and there are over 20 wines by the glass and several available in half bottles. Perhaps the solution here is a dedicated sommelier?

Another welcome change is the ‘welcome.’ The large area that the restaurant occupies used to feel like an airport lounge. In particular, it wasn’t clear how you indicated you wanted a table after you arrived in the hotel lobby. Now the restaurant area is roped off and a maître’d stand learly marks the entrance.

Fried Gouda with Guava Purée and Spicy Arugula

The Chef’s Table menu I sampled recently illustrated what the food at Asador is all about. We started with an amuse of Seafood Texas Cigar : lump crab, gulf rock shrimp, cilantro, poblano pepper, and lemon aioli in a wrapper of feuilles de brick).

The salad course was Grilled Calamari Salad (corn, mâche, avocado, bacon, lardoons). What a creative change from the standard house salad. This dish did not just have the buttery-ness of avocado and crunchy saltiness of bacon, but the squid was presented in a way that did not make it seem like it had been swimming around the core of Fukushima reactor #3 at the wrong time.

Next, we had a choice of either surf or scratch, so to speak. The scratch was grilled chicken and the surf a grilled mahi mahi. Both were served with succotash of onions, plantains, haricot vert, and black bean purée. Both were covered with a mole sauce. Interestingly, the recipe for the mole sauce came from the mother of a former supervisor on the kitchen line. To accompany this, we had a smoked margarita which was uncannily smoky.

Warm Chocolate Chipotle Cake with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

Next Fried Gouda with Guava Purée and Spicy Arugula was like a warm cheese course.

Finally, the dessert was Warm Chocolate Chipotle Cake with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. All made in-house and accompanied by Jalisco Espresso, a cocktail with more coffee intensity than many real coffees.

The Chef’s Table is an excellent way to sample the kind of food served by Asador and an excellent value. In addition, the hotel has ample free parking and valet if preferred. Over the last year, Asador continues to expand the scope of its food and beverage programs. Get out of your comfort zone and give it a try.

Rib Eye Chicharrón (photos by Micah Nunley)

Mid to upscale Mexican cuisine is on a roll. Since last year (and despite the recession), this area has seen additions like Alma (RIP), Komali, Mesa, and Mesomaya added to main stays like Javier’s and Maximo. Four months ago, Lazaranda came to Addison Walk’s restaurant row on Belt Line in Addison. Each of these restaurants is different in terms of its influences, so a media event last week afforded me the chance to put this new entry in context.

Lazaranda is the brain child of LMA Concepts, a restaurant development group based in Monterrey, Mexico. After founding a handful of apparently successful establishments in Monterrey, this is their first outpost north of the border. It is a test case for a small chain in major markets in Texas, at which point an assessment about future expansion will be done.

The premises are large with modern fittings throughout. Along the east wall, a long bar is backlit by concealed azure fluorescent lighting. An open kitchen reflects the gleam of stainless steel in the back. To your right, a raised seating area embraces a pit in the center of the room where most of the tables are located, providing visual interest and a window view of the Belt Line Road traffic count. Mexican Art by Martin Molinaro is almost unobtrusive but adds an aura of understated class to the room.

Smartly dressed servers are attired one notch more formally than most casual dining places require, which lend to a sense of standards being maintained. But the proof will be in the eating.

Tropical seafood cheviche

The focus at Lazaranda is seafood. To start, we are served two ceviches. Good. I can compare these with two standard bearers of the art cooking in acid: Stephan Pyles and Mesa. Lazaranda’s Aztec Fish Ceviche $7.99 (grilled cactus leaves, marinated tilapia, avocado, onions, tomato, cilantro, spices and fried pasilla pepper) is an all around success. The pasilla is true dried chilaca chile. The buttery avocado cuts the lime juice and the cactus leaves add interst. While cactus is easy to find on the menus of the Mexican restaurants that line Jefferson or Maple Avenue, it is still unusual elsewhere. Here leaves are sliced like bell peppers and have a soft texture in the mouth without being slimy. The most remarkable thing achieved by this ceviche is making the normally dull and monotonous tilapia an interesting fish to eat. As usual, it provides texture and mass, but the lime and onion flavors insinuate themselves around it making it take on the character of something more subtle (like the snook at Mesa). The Tropical Seafood Ceviche $9.99 (marinated shrimp and tilapia, tomato spices, red onion, pineapple and mango, ginger, cilantro and sliced avocado) was popular with our group although I found it too sweet. Overall, these are good example of ceviche, cleverly making the most of a unflavorful fish. And to me, exalting the unexaltable represents one example of what a chef is all about.

Fresh seared tuna salad

Michoacán Fresh Tuna Tostada, $5.99, (guacamole on top of a tostada, fine sliced fresh ahi tuna, spinach chiffonade, citrus soy sauce and creamy chipotle dressing) would be the ideal charity walk-around finger food, although I think our serving size may have been smaller than the regular menu serving. The earthy crunch of the tostada combined with the cold fleshy tuna and emulsifying dressings made for a tasty snack.

The House Guacamole ($5.99/$9.99) is respectable, especially if you blend in the Serrano peppers that accompany it.

The main courses bring the Zaranda into play. This device, which gives the restaurant its name, looks like a kind of wire mesh with a hinge in the middle. Food (anything from meat to fish to tortillas) is placed on one mesh and the other one closed over the top. The whole thing is then placed on the heat to grill. We found Rib Eye Chicharrón $15.99 (cubes of seasoned steak) well done and well seasoned and reminiscent of some of the food in a Brazilian churrascaria. Mahai Mahi Zarandeado, $11.99, grilled fish marinated with 4 sauces (garlic, mustard, chipotle and soy sauce) was sauced to the point that the fish was reduced to a frame upon which to mount the other flavors. It was nice, with a flaky texture, but not a flavor constituent.

Mario Letayf (left); Antonio Márquez (right)

Rib Eye Taco ($4.99) sliced rib eye to an almost Arby’s-like thinness then marinated it and griddled it. Slices were lopped across flour tortillas covered with refried beans and grilled Chihuahua cheese. When folded, the tortilla went down really easy (thin slicing made the meat easier to chew) and the cheese/beans/meat flavor combination is one of the classic flavor synergies in Mexican food. This has the potential to become a signature dish, but with one problem: the meat is too greasy, making it not just gelatinous in the mouth, but liable to drip over hands, cuffs, etc. With this caveat, check this out.

Desserts are the familiar Dallas calorie bombs. The Fried Caramelized Bananas ($4.99) stand out to me as they are like a Mexican Bananas Foster – the dish that even Hurricane Katrina could not stop.

Fried caramelized bananas

What to make of Lazaranda in the scrum of new Mexican restaurants now available here? The prices are at friendly everyday levels (lunch can easily come in at under $10). The menu selection is broad enough to please a landlubber as well as the target seafood lovers. There are some unique things on the menu (and well as such familiar staples as tacos, salads and enchiladas). Some are authentic, others innovative. Service is helpful and attentive. Lazeranda is less authentic than Mesa, less idiosyncratic than Komali, more open than Alma. Chef Antonio Márquez and co-owner Mario Letayf obviously know their trade. With a tidy up of some of the menu, they can look forward to a long future and more locations.

Brisket taco with cheese, pico, salsa, cilantro, sour cream

The Palindrome (pronounced oh-ka-taco) by Maple and Motor’s Jack Perkins officially opened last Thursday for lunch. Even though the menu is short, it’s good for people like me who can’t really decide what to order. Three meat options – tender brisket, pulled pork, and chicken – are plenty enough, thank you. And, of course, I’ll take mine with a side order of chips and salsa.

Jump for more ocaTacocaTacocaTaco.

Store front

My lunch buddy and I were rather pleased with the array of toppings we could add to our tacos. Everything we could ever want and ever need (pico, guac, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, onions) was just a fingerpoint away. Both of us ordered two tacos because we didn’t want the three-taco combo ($7.75, comes with a 32 oz. drink) and opted to pay $2.35 per taco instead.

One black cherry Dublin soda (32 oz.) and four greasy tacos later, we sat contentedly eating our chips and salsa ($1 extra, booyah). Chunks of onion floated in our peppery, warm salsa, which was the real winner of the entire meal. The creamy chipotle sauce came in a close second.

If you’re not exactly sure how to find ocaTaco, let me direct you to taco heaven. If you’re going north on Harry Hines, turn right on North Exchange Park St. at the Chase building before you hit Mockingbird. There’s a visitor parking lot to your left and ocaTaco’s inside a food court behind a door labeled “6333.” It’s not too hard to locate once you get there. Once you see a bunch of firefighters, policemen, Chase people, and Southwestern workers piled into one place, you know you’ve made it to Jack’s kitchen.

Current taco hours: Mon – Fri, 10:30 AM – 2 PM. Hours will expand as time goes on.

“Siri, how do you like the steak?”

“What do you think of the waiter, Siri?”

“Siri, your microphone icon is lookin’ sexy tonight.”

A better title for your column, Mr. Reitz, would be “Five Places to Take Your Phone Out on a Date.” That means you need a fifth restaurant, though, because it’s pretty impossible to eat tacos and touch your phone at the same time.

Editor’s Note: Please come back after you pick up your sense of humor from the dry cleaner’s! Have a nice weekend.

SideDish @scottreitz I question people who eat out alone and commenters are bashing me for it. bit.ly/y6COek #nobodycantakeajoke

Scott Reitz @DSideDish Siri is a shit date anyway. She doesn’t put out.

SideDish @scottreitz Sounds like you have some experience, eh?

Scott Reitz @DSideDish try. It’s funny. She’ll tell you “she’s not that kind of assistant.”

What happened to the two taco places that were supposed to open at UT Southwestern? Rusty Taco and the Maple and Motor version? Are they still in the works?

The Rusty Taco location is already up and running. They opened at 5350 Harry Hines across from UTSW last October. They are also open in College Station and St. Paul, Minnesota.

I asked Jack “Harvey” Perkins of Maple and Motor for an update on ocaTaco. He replied: “We hope to take possession next Tuesday at the latest. If that happens, we can open Monday the 13th. We will open for lunch only for the first four weeks. After that it is breakfast and lunch with a full coffee/espresso bar M-F. This will be the only location we will be doing at UTSW. There will be a friends and family night some time the week of the 6th. I would invite you, but you wouldn’t come.”

My little, fat Filipino chicken taco of stewed chicken, tomatoes onions, and peppers.

Yesterday I mentioned Moto Taco, a new breakfast and lunch taco delivery operation. We placed an order and Mac, who calls himself the Chief Taco Jockey, showed up with tacos. After his arrival was announced over the intercom, Mac was surrounded by 30 hungry workers. I felt bad for him. He was obviously overwhelmed at the response. Not only did he take orders, he processed payment. And he ran out of food. Needless to say, Moto Taco is still working out the kinks of their new business. (They have partnered with the kitchen at La Hacienda on Henderson.) I asked my office mates to send in their reviews which are listed below. I tried the carnitas and, other than the soggy flour tortilla which I see as an inevitable problem with their vision, the filling was tasty. However, I love the concept of office delivery and what I shall now refer to as “cubicle cuisine™.”

Jump for more details from Mac and the relentless reviews written by my colleagues.

Tim Rogers is always first. Here you actually see him parting with $2.50. Very rare sighting.

To his credit, Mac the Chief Taco Jockey, surveyed folks while they ate. He writes:

I spoke with a few folks to get feedback as well. We do this after every delivery either in person or by email. Unfortunately, they said that some of the filipino chicken and the hippie tacos had soggy tortillas. This is certainly an anomaly because our standard process calls for thorough draining of the meats and vegetables for portability. They mentioned that the other day when they tried them they were not like that. I am working with the kitchen to determine what was different about today’s order so that we can correct it. And of course, I’ll be bringing by some more next week (on me) so they can see the difference.

He also described the Delivery Areas:

Over the past few weeks, we have been introducing ourselves to customers in zips 75204,05,06,19 and 01 but have a few regular customers outside of that area. We target one particular area for delivery of breakfast or lunch each day by letting them know the day prior that we’ll be going there, about the menu and asking them if they’d like us to deliver to their office. Some people give us specific orders and times and others just ask us to drop by. This gives them flexibility and reduces the hassle of having to track down everyone. It also provides a service to those whose lunch plans were canceled, who were just given a big project to complete by 2pm or who rushed out the door without their sandwich that day. However, if there are any special orders or catering orders that come in outside of that day’s run, we can accommodate them if we have some advance notice.We plan to continue expanding our normal runs to other parts of Dallas in the same way. There’s no minimum order on the regular runs. If someone calls from a different area we always try to accommodate them if we have tacos available.

Tomatillo salsa on the carnitas taco. $2.50.

Office Comments: I asked for quick review and a one (bad) to five (awesome) rating.

“I had one carnitas taco. I’d give it a 2. The meat was alright, but I did not like the toppings at all. Was it boiled cabbage?”

“Rating : 1. The tortillas were doughy (raw and/or soggy).”

“The chicken was soggy and the carnitas, though not soggy, was tasteless.”

“Hippie-3. I’m not especially fond of meatless tacos, but these had decent substance and texture, although the taco was unacceptably soggy.”

“Carnitas-4. Not the best pork taco I’ve had, but very tasty. Good neutral flavoring (meat and fillings), and very good meat tenderness and texture.”

“No sauce on either. Overall taco sizes and amount of fillings were good (slightly above average). Glad to see they use flour instead of the corn tortillas used by everyone else.”

“The hot sauce that came with the chicken taco was great.  The taco, not so much.”

“Chicken taco very soggy, overload of peppers-2”

“Brisket taco kinda dry/tough-3”

Sorry for the soft focus on the Hippie taco of roasted tomatoes, serranos, onions, cilantro, and what looks like arugula.

Here’s their pitch:

We’ve spent many long hours wishing for food we didn’t have, settling for scraps at the office canteen, rushing out to hit a crappy drive-through or waiting hungry for a cold, expensive, and late delivery.We figured there were quite a few other poor bastards stuck in cubicles, feeling the same pain so we decided to do something about it.

Brilliant! We placed an order for today and will report our findings.