Taco Loco: The Ultimate Taco Tuesday
You can't live in Houston and not love tacos. Seriously, it's a thing. I'm pretty sure you actually get your Texan card revoked if you don't like tacos and reside anywhere within the Lonestar state. If you're looking for an exhaustive overview, check out the Lucky Peach Guide to the Tacos of Texas. I always hear Mando Reyes on NPR slanging taco slang; he knows what he's talking about.
All the tacos.
For the rest of us casual taco aficionados, enter Houstonia Magazine’s Taco Loco. The ultimate Taco Tuesday where $35 + taxes and fees gets you access to 15+ tacos from around town and about 7-ish tequila drinks, all-included. You can’t beat that with a stick, ese. Although the venue? if you can call it that… let’s just say location was different... awkward? The parking lot of Uptown Park next to The University Co-op was where they held it. However, they did do a fantastic job with not overselling the event, and making it enjoyable, even despite a few, brief light sprinklings of rain.
The tacos and tequila were flowing, the mariachis were playing, and the people were vibing. Can’t ask for much more out of a Taco Tuesday. I learned today that I can eat 1 taco every 6.4 minutes. Not too shabby at all.
The event was judged by actual judges, but I'd like to think my opinion is worth something as well, so here were my top five tacos in order of preference. I'm curious to know how the judges voted.
No official winners that I've seen, but these were my top 5 tacos:
1) Field and Tides - Vegetarian Taco (full disclosure: this legitimately was one of the best tacos, because it was light and inventive comparatively, however, the chef is an acquaintance, so major loyalty points there)
2) The Tasting Room - 4 Hr Barbacoa (wasn’t expecting much considering I only think of wine, when I think TTR, but pleasantly surprised)
3) Cochinita & Co - Spicy Pork Pibil (traditional and satisfying)
4) Broken Barrel - Chicken Pastor (best part was the pineapple tortilla, cooked to order!)
5) Ambriza - Spicy Something or other (their drinks were actually really good too)
Honorable Mentions:
El Patio - Traditional Beef Picadillo on hard shell (tasted like childhood... also, El Patio is good for their blue margaritas. It's been a minute, but they are so worth it.)
Bosscat - Cheesy Egg + Pork Belly taco (wasn’t much in the mood for a bfast taco, but if I were, this would have slayed, and the jalepenos were quite tasty.)
Sammy’s Wild Game - Wild Boar Pastor (the fried jalepenos had me immediately)
Although I believe I had all of the drinks, they all tasted relatively the same to me. Like tequila and regret. I suppose my favorite was the Bosscat with the Grapefruit Radler + other ingredients, but that's about the extent of my critique on the drinking front.
All in all, my stomach was distended. I got full of tacos, tequila, and the good life. No “ragrets”… not even one letter. All I can say now, is bring on the Pepto and the detox, I'm done. It's time for me to check out of the hedonistic life, and check back into real life. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m breathing some life back into this blog, because now I’m taking the time to work on it. I need some down time, and I’ve decided it’s time to start the slow assimilation back into real life after a decade-long hiatus of avoiding adulthood, responsibility, and real life like the plague. I feel a new sense of purpose and dedication to lead the life that I’ve been dreaming of. I’m finally ready for it, bring it on.