I’m sure you’re already excited about the Taco Quiz and the possibility of winning a fabulous trophy and the enduring title of TACO MASTER.
As I explained yesterday, the format will involve correctly identifying the taco meat that I have pictured from a number of the premier taco establishments around Austin. Today, I would like to discuss the individual taco establishments and give you a link to find them should you decide to research their meat selection prior to the contest.
The first of the taco carts is La Canaria.
This taco cart can be identified by its bright yellow coloration, you know, like a canary. It’s not open as late as most carts, closing at an appallingly early 10pm some nights, but it is the only cart I’ve seen that offers both sopes and gorditas, both of which are fried from fresh masa at the time they are ordered.
The next taco cart is apparently unnamed and is one of two on St. Johns near the interstate.
This is near my house, and more than once I have biked past on my way home after a hard night of being out on the town, and I have stopped for some tacos, resplendent in their meaty goodness. Late at night there’s not much that is as welcoming as blinking lights wrapped around a taco window.
The name on the side of the cart is Tacos Selene, but usually we just call it the cart near the Liberty Bar.
Some people think that the East Side is cool because it has all the hipster bars and kids with the skinny pants and fixed-gear bikes. They’re dead wrong. It’s cool because of taco carts like this. This is a cart that exists for the night life. It’s rare to find it open while there’s light in the sky. It’s even rarer to find it closed before the sunrise. Maybe it’s a vampire cart? Do vampires all close on Tuesdays? This cart is also remarkable for serving a roasted onion with every taco order, a stunningly broad meat selection, and a creamy green sauce that is one of the most painfully hot (yet delicious) things anyone has ever served me.
You have to love a taco-shop that appears to be built out of the storage closet of a laundromat. That’s just one of the many things to love about the concisely named Taco-Mex.
Which would you prefer, a taco window, or a folding service? I prefer tacos.
Taqueria Rodriguez was once on Airport boulevard in front of a tejano club. It is no longer at that location. This only highlights the ephemeral nature of the taco cart.
If you see it anywhere, let me know. They were some nice folks, an entire family working out of an RV converted into making tacos. While you were eating your tacos, the kids might be sitting across from you doing their homework, or the dad might be playing soccer with his son in the parking lot. All at 9pm or later. Also, they served eggnog-flavored flan, which was awesome.
The final selection is from a taqueria in Elgin. Restaurant Guadalajara is also the motel-attached diner for the Sunset Inn. The weary traveler is unlikely to find a more comforting selection of delicious meat.