Day 6: El Taquito on Riverside

So just to get this out of the way, I didn't really like this place. It smelled pretty gnarly in there and the food seemed kinda old - like sitting around in a heat tray all day kinda old, but that's as descriptive as I'm going to be because A) I don't claim to be or want to be a food critic (not in this blog at least) and B) a couple friends of mine really like this place and since they usually have pretty good taste, I'm just going to chalk my bad experience up to first-timer's bad luck.

El Taquito is one of those places that, once you get inside, makes you feel like you could walk out the front door and be in any city in the US and almost any country in the world - it's universal... but it's also totally Tex-Mex.

They've got cheap tacos galore and enchilada plates with the most quintessential brown, pasty refried beans and bright orange Spanish rice (Come to think of it, why is Spanish rice often orange? And why is it called "Spanish" rice?).

Then there's the salsa bar. Win. 

And if you'll draw your attention to the taco on the right - They have a taco called the "gringa." ...Yeah. 

Basically all that means is I choose the meat, they'll put a bunch of cheese on a tortilla and fry both sides, including the cheese side, on the grill. That way the cheese melts and gets all crispified on the top. See the brown part that kinda looks like bacon? Yeah that's crispy beautiful cheese. Absolute greasy genius. Why doesn't anyone else do that? They also have a Jalapeño relleno taco. Again, brilliant. 

www.eltaquito.com

El Taquito
1713 E Riverside Dr

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Day 5: Julio's on Duval

Julio's is a boss at cooking up fresh and consistent Tex-Mex that, for me, is a welcome comfort food. With Julio's you will always know that every time you order chicken enchiladas, for example, they will show up piping hot, filled with delicious cheese and chicken, topped with fresh sauce, and served with perfect rice and beans. Nothing unexpected, but everything you would expect, done just right.

For some people comfort food is a big bowl of buttery mashed potatoes, or a hot cup of chicken noodle soup, or even dad's mediocre casserole he made every Sunday. The point of comfort food is to give us something that tastes just the way we expect so we can relax about the world around us and focus on enjoying life. On days that we seek out comfort food we don't want the fuss of trying something new, and that's how I felt today.

I had planned on going to one of the taco places on my list that I've never been to, but errands put me driving through Hyde Park right in time for lunch. I wasn't looking forward to the treks across town and I really was in the mood for something delightfully predictable.

My comfort food at Julio's is the chalupa. Before I first ate at Julio's I don't think I could have told you for certain what a chalupa is, but now I have come to develop a high regard for this crispy, fresh little salad on fried tortilla. I love knowing that for about $6 I can walk into Julio's at any time and order one. In the kitchen the chef drops a tortilla into the deep frier and leaves it there until it's super crispy and toasty. She then slathers it with refried beans, sprinkles it with cheese, layers on shredded chicken, fresh green leaf lettuce, diced tomatoes, and a heaping helping of avocado, and serves it with a side of scrumptious red salsa. 

Situated at the corner of Duval and 43rd next to Quack's Bakery, Julio's has been around since 1983. It has become a fixture in the neighborhood not only due to it's quality Mexican offerings, but also due to the casual and comfortable environment. The brightly painted walls outside and patio tables made of Corona signs are a great place to relax in the sun during spring and fall. 

Note the distinct lack of customers outside due to the 100 degree weather...

When you sit down inside you feel very calm as you anticipate the arrival of your delightful meal and it seems like the whole world slows down for just a little bit. And sometimes slow, predictable, and delicious is just what we need.

www.juliosaustin.com

Julio's - 4230 Duval St

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Day 4: Taqueria La Canaria on Airport

If you live in Austin and you haven't been to Taqueria La Canaria, stop what you're doing and go there now. This is probably my favorite Mexican restaurant in Austin. 

To describe Taqueria La Canaria as unassuming would be an overstatement. It's a janky little trailer painted bright yellow, green, and red in the parking lot of an off-brand convenience store at the corner of Airport and 51st. 

Before you head over there you may want to brush up on your Spanish or at least have an idea of what to order since it's a toss up whether the lady in charge on a given day will speak English or not. The menu is almost entirely in Spanish with the exception of the "breakfas" menu. (Adorbs)

The cuisine claims to be from the Tierra Caliente region of Southern Mexico. I'm no expert on regional Mexican food, but my tastebuds are experts when it comes to identifying total amazingness. 

The process: order your food at the counter, pay approximately $3, go inside the convenience store and buy a Topo Chico or Mexican Coke, come back out and find yourself a seat at the perfectly adequate outdoor seating area. 

Sorry, were you expecting table cloths?

While you wait, some remarkable women are hard at work making your gorditas or tortillas FROM SCRATCH. I'll say it again in case you missed it, this little trailer produces handmade, made to order, gorditas and tacos. 

Meaning "little fat one," a gordita could be described as a Mexican version of pita. It's a thick tortilla-like cake made of masa harina, a corn or hominy based dough also used to make tamales and tortillas. It's fried or baked in a cast iron skillet and then split open and stuffed with all sorts of ingredients. 

At Taqueria La Canaria your gordita will be thick, fluffy, crispy on the outside and still moist and slightly gooey on the inside, overflowing with chunky, porky, perfectly spiced refried beans, crisp shredded lettuce, fresh tomato slices, ample avocado, melted cheese, and the meat of your choice. I alternate between the picadillo and barbacoa, but the pollo (and I suspect everything else) is also amazing. I normally don't care too much for ground beef, but the picadillo is to die for. Picadillo is a stewed ground beef with mixed vegetables, and fall-apart-in-your-mouth cubed potatoes. Barbacoa is tender, slow-cooked, beef cheek. Taqueria la Canaria serves up some of the best of both that I've found. 

My favorite thing about the gorditas at Taqueria La Canaria is that the masa is still a bit uncooked inside the gordita. Not enough for it to taste raw, but just enough so that the masa mingles with the beans and the rest to make all the ingredients come together. Be warned though, I have only once finished one of these delicacies without it falling apart into my tin foil. That's okay though, just put some more spicy, bright red salsa on it and eat the left-overs with a fork (or your hands, they're all messy anyway.)

But wait there's more! Taqueria La Canaria is right next to Casey's New Orleans Snowballs. So since you've only spent about $5 on yummy gorditas or tacos, walk on over and grab a cold dessert to round out your delicious and cheap lunch. How could a Mexican meal in Texas get any better?

www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-la-canaria-austin

Taqueria La Canaria - E 51st St and Airport Blvd

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Day 3: Takoba on East 7th Street

Everyone knows that Takoba is awesome. The ingredients are fresh and vibrant, the drinks are some of the best in the city, and the meticulously kept gravel patio and grey concrete walls with pops of lime green make for an atmosphere that is a modern, urban, Mexican. 

Eight of us were there for happy hour today and I ordered the shrimp ceviche and a frozen lime margarita. My favorite Mexican flavors are cilantro and lime. At Takoba the shrimp in the ceviche is fresh and the bright lime zaps your tongue with citrus. Cilantro adds an element of herbaceous zest. Red onions and red bell peppers add crunch and freshness and avocado slices contribute a welcome creaminess. 

A couple friends ordered the guacamole. Normally I'm a purist when it comes to guacamole because I think that the whole point of this bright green dish is to highlight the creaminess and substance of the mighty avocado. I want my mashed avocado to be accentuated by a light burst of citrus from lime juice, a fresh pop from cilantro, and just a hint of salt. 

That. Is. All. 

Takoba takes it a step further, but even I can't help but approve. They top their substantial portion of guac with some diced ripe tomatoes. While I can't abide sour cream, onions, or other silliness in my guacamole, I can definitely get down with the way Takoba does it. Gorgeous.

As the group of us were all chatting and eating at happy hour this afternoon I suddenly realized that arguably one of the most critical parts of the Tex-Mex experience is often taken for granted. I've highlighted the wonderful ceviche and guacamole we ate, but what about the crunchy utensil we all use to scoop them up?

The all important chip is plopped down on the table in a basket just as soon as we receive our glasses of cool ice water. We immediately snatch up one after another and plunk them down into tomatoey salsa, creamy guacamole, or, in my case, the vibrant ceviche. Without the chip perhaps we would use a spoon or a fresh tortilla, but we would lack the crunch and the lightly fried flavor of these corn-based confections. 

The chips at Takoba are clearly homemade. The chefs cut tortillas into triangles, deep fry them, and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Sometimes they reach the table piping hot from the frier.  

I suppose today's blog should be read as an ode to the tortilla chip. Without these little guys we would be lost in our attempts to shovel spicy and beautiful Tex-Mex into our mouths.


www.takobarestaurant.com

Takoba - 1411 E 7th St

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Day 2: Mi Madre's on Manor

I have some fabulous friends in town this weekend and we wanted a chill, sit down, breakfast for lunch type meal so Mi Madre's was definitely the place for us. Mi Madre's has a full Tex-Mex menu: breakfast tacos, breakfast plates, enchiladas, nachos, chile rellenos, and even some salads. 

I was really hungry so I went with the ranchero plate and that was the right choice for brunch. Two perfectly cooked eggs over easy are seated atop a fried corn tortilla and covered with a rich, tomatoey ranchero sauce, stewed onions, and jalapeños. It also comes with a generous portion of carne guisada - tender, stewed beef (OMG), crispy breakfast potatoes, refried beans, and piping hot flour tortillas. I can hear the left overs calling my name from the fridge right now. Yum!

Mi Madre's is one of those Austin staples that wont disappoint. With ample indoor and patio seating, you pretty much always know they'll have a spot for you to chill, eat some good Tex-Mex, and clink a glass with friends.

www.mimadresrestaurant.com

Mi Madre's - 2201 Manor Rd

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Day 1: Taco-Mex on Manor

On my way to work today I stopped to grab a couple breakfast tacos. I figured there is no better way to inaugurate this blog than with a simple potato, egg, and cheese on flour. I picked a place I've never been to before, but have heard tell of on Yelp and from hipster friends who live in the Cherrywood neighborhood. 

Taco-Mex is a little hole in the wall, quite literally. You walk up to the window, order, pay, and wait on the sidewalk for your tacos. 

The menu is limited, but representative of the basics needed for a Tex-Mex fiend to survive: breakfast tacos, carne guisada, picadillo, barbacoa, etc. 

The tacos are substantial, the cheese is melty, and the potatoes are nicely done.

My only complaint, and it's a big one, the second taco had spoiled eggs in it. I know, gross. The worst part is that I am dumb enough that I ate half the bad-egg taco. Right now I'm hoping that I don't get a belly ache and I'm feeling like these 30 days of Tex-Mex aren't off to a very good start. You should know that spoiled-egg tacos are not typical (if they were I don't think even grungy hipsters would make such a fuss about breakfast tacos). I guess I'll have to try 29 more places to find a few winners...

www.yelp.com/biz/taco-mex-austin

Taco-Mex - 2611 Manor Rd

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