Destination Austin: Torchy's Tacos

We've all heard the familiar story. A tremendously successful food truck upgrades to brick and mortar. Occasionally, as in the case of Torchy's Tacos in Austin, the little food truck that could expands around town and commands an eternally loyal following. I recall reading a list of top restaurants in Austin. The entry for Torchy's says that it is almost a cliché at this point to recommend Torchy's to visitors, but nonetheless, the praise is well-deserved.

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There were two types of cuisine I wanted to try on my brief visit to this capital city with a small town feel--Texas-style barbecue and Tex Mex. The barbecue requested would be satisfied many times over, but Torchy's was the only pseudo-Mexican food I had.



Yes, it is a chain. Yes, it looks like it was designed by a former store manager of a Hot Topic. Yes, it is fast casual dining. None of these factors took away from the fact that you'd be hard pressed to find a juicier carnitas taco. The tacos are large, one is equivalent in size to two taco truck street tacos in California. There are also offerings of breakfast taco fillings and migas, but the main draw comes in between the corn or flour tortillas.



Although I heard pleasant accolades of the odder tacos, the Jamaican jerk chicken or Baja shrimp for examples, I opted for the more traditional. The Democrat, with shredded beef barbacoa, onion, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro, and salsa verde was decadently flavorful. Although I prefer a goat or sheep barbacoa, the beef here surely put Chipotle's own barbacoa offering to shame. The Green Chili Pork Taco, with roasted carnitas, green chilis, queso fresco, cilantro, onion, lime, and salsa verde was essentially the same taco as The Democrat but with pork. Authenticity aside, I've yet to find better carnitas tacos.

Torchy's is an Austin chain with eight locations in that city alone. They recently expanded to Dallas and Houston as well. If you're in any of these cities, just look for that devilish red baby signage. Grab some tacos and wash them down with some Dublin Dr. Pepper.

Torcy's Tacos
torchystacos.com
2801 Guadalupe St. (multiple locations, this one is by UT Austin)
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 494-8226
~$3-4/taco

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Ensenada Too Far? Try Ricky's Fish Tacos

Originating from sunny Ensenada, fish tacos are a common sight in California. On my visit back to Los Angeles, I finally got the chance to see what the fuss was all about. Ricky's Fish Tacos, a stand that would be perfectly for a futbol tailgate, had been on my list for a long time. Since my previous experiences with fish tacos were at Rubios or Wahoo's, I needed some convincing that fish tacos were more than just overbattered and greasy messes.

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Since I had trouble finding Ricky's, I will devote time to explaining how to find it. Luckily, Christine, the older sister who I never wanted, was an expert and guided me in the whole process. First, check Ricky's Twitter @rickysfishtacos to see if he's open that day. For the most part, he is open Wednesday through Sunday afternoons. However, since he also caters private events, check the Twitter feed for more accurate information.



Second, as I mentioned above, Ricky's is not a traditional restaurant. As you can tell from the picture, it is an outdoor stand of not more than a few tables, a frying vat, and some coolers with fresh seafood underneath a canopy. That said, he's in a small yard at the corner of North Virgil Avenue and De Longpre Avenue, across from the Vons parking lot.


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Once you arrive, go up to Ricky or his assistant and place your order. He has fish or shrimp tacos. If you're lucky, he will also be serving lobster tacos. They are fried in front of you in a golden vat. If you stand too close for too long, you too will smell delicious.



I ordered one shrimp and one fish. I was not lucky that day. A person of normal appetite will probably be okay with two or three. I can report that Ricky avoids the main problem with battered and fried fish, the batter does not dominate the flavor. Also, it felt surprisingly light; you don't get the uncomfortable feeling that usually accompanies a meal of fried fare. The pico de gallo and cabbage give some textual variety while the crema and salsas added flavor dimensions. None of the accompaniments overpowered the centerpiece seafood though. If you do feel like throwing the flavors out of balance, additional sauces are available for self-dispense.

That day, Ricky was also serving cucumber and spinach agua fresca. This was an odd combination for me, but perfect for the unseasonably warm January day.

Ricky's Fish Tacos
@rickysfishtacos
1400 N. Virgil Ave.
Los Feliz/Hollywood/Silverlake, CA 90027
$2.50 for the fish, more for the shrimp and lobster.

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Horray, Triumph for Taco Trucks

A Los Angeles County Judge overturned the unpopular ordinance regarding taco truck parking. I acknowledge that taco trucks may have lower costs and could be driving brick and mortar businesses out, but that's what competition is all about. Plus I would rather get a meal at a truck than many of the so-called taqueiras. Regarding the claims that taco trucks create noise and trash, I haven't seen it personally so I can't speak to that.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-me-tacos28-2008aug28,0,2873228.story?track=rss

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A Taco You Don't Need to Catch

El Super Taco
Corner of Pico and Sawtelle
Los Angeles, CA 90189
$1.25 per taco

El Super Taco is basically a sedentary taco truck. The food is the same as you can get from any of the many mobile eateries around LA. Meat choices include carne asada, pollo, chorizo, lengua, cabeza, tripe, al pastor, and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head. The tacos are cheap, three or four make a good meal. The salsa bar had many choices, including a refreshing avocado based salsa thinner than guacamole and a formidable habanero salsa.



I ordered three tacos: carnitas, cabeza and lengua. To be honest, the cabeza and lengua looked good, but tasted pretty similar, just chewy beef. The carnitas was sadly dry and plain. I can make better carnitas than that and I can hardly be considered a Mexican cook. Dry carnitas are just about the worst kind of meat there is. The bland pork almost feels like it's leaching flavor from anything else you put it next to, a kind of flavor abyss or blackhole. Luckily a little bit of salsa made it bearable. Next time I will try the torta though. I'll still prefer a random truck to this place, although the parking is useful.

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Cuando Vuelo, Vuelo a la Paloma Selestial

Paloma Selestial
Somewhere around Pico & Overland
$1.25 a taco

On the opposite spectrum of my Comme ça lunch, I went to my first taco truck the other day. Considerably cheaper, as reflected in the facilities, I think both are equal in terms of value to cost ratio. I'm paying less and getting less in terms of service and ambiance, but the food is still quality tasty. Now I know, being the food lover that I am, it's a great shame I have only just recently gone to a taco truck. I like to talk big about how I like food all along the price spectrum, but up until now, I just never found it convenient to go to a taco truck. I know where several are parked, but they've never been a destination in themselves rather than a convenience at best. Now I know better, a good taco truck is worth checking out.

Several months ago, the tacos were only $1 each. But seeing as how gas prices are outrageous, I suppose an extra $.25 per taco at a mobile kitchen is reasonable. I have a healthy appetite and four tacos were filling without weighing me down. I opted for the carne asada, lengua, cabeza and al pastor tacos. To be honest, when they came all on one plate, I was hard-pressed to distinguish between them. All come with cilantro and onions, but two had salsa and two had guacamole. Al pastor is a roasted pork rotisserie similar to a Middle-Eastern Shawarma . Lengua is beef tongue, very high in fat and chewy. Cabeza is meat served from the roasted head of a cow. I'm not sure what parts of the head, but I'll just leave it at that. Sometimes it's better not to ask.

Paloma Selestial means Celestial Dove, but I'd be hard pressed to figure out what makes this truck celestial or dove-like. It looks like all the other catering trucks, which are under new legislation that seems to have little effect, so you might have to look around to find it. It's usually next to the Pep Boys, so you can use that as a reference point.

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