Hey wassup hello?!?

I forgot how much I like blogging until my friend called me out on abandoning the taco loving fans, so here I am, ready to get back on my little shamu car and go on more taco adventures and try the best and the worst so y'all can live vicariously through me!

LET'S GO!

Today I bring to you *insert drum roll* ... Taqueria El Vulcan. I was introduced to this gem of a taqueria by my best friend, Olga, aka My mother. She had been trying to take me since finals week, but something always seemed to happen and we never made it, but holy cow, I'm so happy to have found this amazing place. 

As of now, I have been there twice and fair warning, the food makes up for the drive. El Vulcan is this small little blue house/hut that usually has a lot of cars parked outside of it, so if you're not paying attention, you might miss it. My friend Andrew was sure I was planning on killing him and dumping his body somewhere... weirdo!

So the tacos!!!! They're carne asada tacos (hate the term grilled beef?!?! TF is that?) after I wasn't a noob anymore, I got a combo. A combo comes with four corn tacos, a small potato, beans, and a canned soda. (pay the up charge for a Mexican soda because duh!)  Now, before you freak out about only getting four tacos, they're big tacos. I fill up with three and that's because I LOVE TACOS. so, the combo is good if you want that, but if you just want the tacos, order the 'orden' and take the extra home for later...

My mom likes to call these "Light Tacos," simply because its a homemade tortilla with no oil on them... So delicious, but light? Lol no. When you order, everything comes on the side but they give you the works; grilled onion, cilantro, limes, red & green salsa. And once it's all prepared how you like them... explosion in your mouth! YUM! 

Everything comes together so well... I do believe that green salsa over all, even though my mom loves the red... nah. Just my opinion, so please let me know what y'all think ha! 

So, what you came for.. the taco verdict is in and i decided to give this place 4 tortillas out of 5!

(told y'all I'd make it a thing)

These tacos were pretty bomb, and just the fact that I drive out there for tacos says something too, only because summer has made me so lazy, and the tacos have definitely been catching up to me. That also says that I've been going on many taco adventures, just not blogging, so I promise to update y'all more on my excursions because these tacos have really stepped up their game! 

Love you guys, thanks for keeping me fat and giving me someone to blame!!!

the Taco Blogger,

Denisse 

***They're closed on Tuesdays, but if you've got an itchin' for tacos I've blogged about many Taco Tuesdays before so keep reading!** 

School's Out for Summer

Guys and gals,

As I prepare to retire from this self proclaimed "taco blogger" title, I've had quite some fun going to random taco places I hadn't tried before. This wont be the end though, I think I'll stick to taco blogging, but definitely a lot more sporadically, so only kind of retiring.

This week, I bring to you though, kind of a funny taco story/ review only because I've chosen to review Stripes Laredo Company Tacos!

Why? well, I lived in San Antonio for two years and one food item I would miss a lot would be the infamous Q Taco. If you've never gotten a breakfast taco from stripes, then you probably have no clue what I'm even saying. Well, let me explain. Q Tacos are made up of a freshly made flour tortilla bigger than your face. They are filled with re-fried beans, potato, egg, and cheese (if you're feeling extra, add the bacon too) Which is actually why they get their name; Queso = cheese!

 I've been eating these tacos so much lately. From early morning breakfast before work, to staying up until 4 am, (which is when they start serving them btw,) to go order a taco accompanied by a Gatorade. I really do mean a lot.

I would give these tacos a 3.5 because they really are kind of delicious. While I will say that it completely depends on what time, and stripes location you go, when you know what you're dealing with, totally delicious. So, good luck on finals and don't stress eat too much, but just make one of those meals a Q taco!

Went for the Tacos Stayed for the Entertainment

This week I bring to you another one of my alcoholic specials adventures! Ha!

I had no idea that Bourbon Street, Grill & Cantina also had their own version of a Taco Tuesday! So, even though we had class super early the next morning, (idk why, but for some reason, in college, 9am becomes the crack of dawn, and anything before noon is just too early.) We headed out to go taste these tacos that so many had started to tell me about.

PLOT TWIST!!! It's Taco Tuesday Karaoke Night!

We get there and the atmosphere was so great! I love bars and the people you meet at bars, so the fact that everyone was so happy and karaokeing made me so happy to be there and just take it all in. It was kind of packed opposed to other nights I've had there, but even then, there was a lot of room and open tables. We chose to be secluded since we were there for the tacos and sat down in a corner table, ordered two waters, (believe it or not) and I got three tacos, because if we didn't like them, we were planning on heading out...

I'm telling you guys, tacos are serious business.

Even though they were only $.50 my friend and I both agreed that the meat was kind of bland but then we found out that they are actually rib eye tacos. They tasted different from what I'm used to obviously, so definitely giving them a second chance, but a taco is only as strong as its weakest salsa, and let me tell ya'll the salsa came in clutch!  The tacos came with a green salsa, but a little bit of that and it completely overpowered the entire thing. It tasted like mostly avocado and needed salt, but so yum! So, pre verdict, both things were lacking a bit, but worth the try!

So, the official taco verdict, totally loved the atmosphere more than the tacos, but it is a bar... So, 2 tortillas out of 5.

LOL! Totally making that a thing.

Definitely went for tacos, but stayed for the super fun karaoke.

XOXO, Gossip Girl ha!!!! kidding just me 

Denisse, the Taco Blogger signing out <3



*** disclaimer*** this was obviously during the semester, so sorry for late posts but i'm a perfectionist and they weren't ready for this jelly... 

Just a bad experience?

So from the title you obviously get a lot, but I was uneasy about blogging this because I think I need to give them a second chance.. so a disclaimer beforehand?

This week I ventured to Antojitos!

So, they're getting kind of big and now have various locations, but the one I went to was their location in McAllen across from Hollywood theater, and super curious to see if any of you have had an experience like mine, so message me, DM me, whatever...

So, this is why it was bad... It's a sit down restaurant, but you order in the front and then they bring your meal out to you. Works in a combo system, so, I got a bistek combo; five tacos, fries (I know so random), and a drink. My friends and I decided we wanted to share a potato, so two of us wanted to order together and just split it. Whelp, PLOT TWIST, no can do. They don't split checks. I do not understand why. I've worked around cash registers forever and never had a problem splitting checks. So, it was just a bit annoying, but we survived by paying one check, not a big deal.

We get our food and it's so cold, SO COLD, like it's been sitting there forever. So, were all just kinda sitting there not knowing what to make of it, so I go and complain, like it was literally that cold. The man who took our order in the first place, is so rude with his attitude so out of context and completely sure that our food just got done and that there's no possible way it could be cold. I was livid.

I work in customer service, yeah it sucks, but you deal with it the best you can. The customer is not always right, heck, they're hardly ever right, but you suck it up and you make it seem like they are. It's basics of working with customers, and if you can't handle it, get a manager before you loose it.

So, this man obviously did not care what I had to say, and he just killed my mood so crazy.

So, I feel biased giving these tacos any review because their service was shit. So, should I go back and give another location a chance? Idk. I do not know.

We left. Took it all to find a microwave and heat it up lol, but I didn't eat because I was in a hurry, because when am I not? but, man it makes me so sad, because I fricking love tacos... So torn between this situation.

Tacos Kissi

Okay, so I feel like every other week is a cheating week, but this is what happens when you don't know what you're getting yourself into, all while trying to save the semester before its too late. I feel like I had midterms a week ago, Ha! But, anyways, this weeks taco destination: Tacos Kissi!

Cheating week because PLOT TWIST! they don't serve bistek tacos! So fajita  it was. Whoop!

I had heard a lot of good things about this place, but never really about how it was. There's a couple in the valley, but we went to the Alamo location. It was so nice, so I'll save you the embarrassment and let you know it is probably not the best place to show up in Nike shorts, an oversized T-shirt, and Sperry's, which is totally not what I showed up in... but maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was Church Sunday, I don't know, but the place has servers in slacks and vests, so that should tell you something.

Back to the food. As soon as you sit, you're greeted with a menu and chips with a variety of salsas, refried beans and a side of cilantro and fresh onion mixed. They were all so delicious. The tacos only come in combo orders and they consist of four tacos, beans, and a drink. So, accordingly, I got a carne asada combo.

These tacos are different from the rest in that the size of the tortilla is bigger than the rest, and the tortilla is not fried. I know that these are not the typical street taco, but they were so good! They came served in two separate foils, with the beans, and a side of grilled onions. We asked for lemon, and we were good to go.

I feel like it takes from the experience that they weren't bistek but they were so good! The meat was perfectly cooked, seasoned well, and the tortillas were definitely home made.

Even though it was not what I expected, both me and my friend were pleasantly surprised and it is defnitely a place we will go back to!

Final Verdict 4/5

Lets Taco bout it

Is "Taco Drought" a correct term to describe three long weeks of no taco intake?

Maybe there is no such term to describe that situation because people should not go that long without having tacos!

Well ladies and gents, the *insert nonexistent term here* is over! Spring break and getting settled back into school have seriously messed up my schedules for everything; sleeping schedule, eating schedule, homework schedule. It has been a hard couple of weeks for the taco blogger, but I am happy to announce that I am back with a pretty good taco place!

This week, I went to "La Herradura." So, I had heard pretty good reviews about this place, but was even more excited when I heard that these tacos were similar to "El Primo," tacos. El primo's is the best taco place in Rio Bravo, Tamps. and not only by my expert opinion, but by everyone in the city! totally not lying, there's probably stats and charts to prove it all. I'm definitely going by the fact that they're always busy.

Back to the valley though, "La Herradura," is in Pharr, but some would say Las Milpas, so it's pretty out there, but it's worth it.

When we got there, it was pretty packed. There was seating in three separate sections inside the location, and outdoor seating too. We looked around and sat at a table where a group of people had just gotten up to leave. The waitress cleaned it up super fast and took our drink order. Mexican sodas for the win; coke and a joya de manzana.

We got our drinks and didn't beat around the bush. We wanted tacos, bistek to be exact. It was surprising how fast they came out, but expecting that that is what most people order, I can see why. We got our order of five tacos, but they were so stacked, you couldn't even see the tortillas under! On the sides, we got cilantro, fresh onion, grilled onion, and red and green hot sauce. Being an experienced "El Primo, foodie, I knew just how to get my tacos into my mouth without making a mess, and of course I'm sharing with you.

They're in the business of taco making, and boy do they know... these tacos come with two tortillas, this is somewhat common, but I haven't written about this here. You need to split one taco to make two! There's enough to do that. Knowing this, you might have some to take come for later, or if you don't back down from a challenge, you're good.

The tacos did not disappoint. 4/5 is what I'm rating. I will say that it depends on the person because these tacos are kind of greasy. Tacos are not for dieting, so that does not bother me, but the friend that tagged along made a comment about it. I liked the flavor, I liked the amount, and I liked how genuine they were. When I think of valley street tacos, or search for good tacos, I feel like this is what you get, and they made me a .5 rating happier.

Midterm Tacos

Hey Guys,

So for this weeks taco adventure, I didn’t really adventure. I actually just went across the street, and it kind of just happened accidentally. So, as you all may know, I had midterms and after it all kind of ended on Thursday, my best friends fraternity little picked us up and we all went to get some lunch.

Since Spring Break just started, I knew I was not going to be able to go out to the destination I had planned because I wouldn’t be anywhere near the valley, so I convinced them to eat at La Mexicana in front of the university.

So, I feel like it was kind of a cheating moment, but it really was not.

I feel like it was cheating only because I feel like there is a lot of “La Mexicanas” in the valley so it gives me a sense of a franchise, but really, I think it’s just a valley thing. It’s a super cute restaurant super festive and a Mexican food destination, so I assumed they’d have tacos.

They did. I went ahead and got the taco combo. It came with four corn bistek tacos, everything on the side, obviously, and half a potato.

And the verdict was that I was kind of surprised. I don’t know exactly why I did not think they were going to be that great, but maybe that was it. That I had no expectations and then they were pretty decent. So, I’, gonna give them a 2.0 There was nothing crazy special about them, but they were good. Overall, the meat and the tortillas, everything was good, not mind blowing, but if I went back, I would probably order the tacos again.

Taqueria Rios

Hey Guys,

Today I went on my taco journey and I'll just start it off by saying that I expected so much more.

I went to Taqueria Rios. Original plan was to go to the original "La Curva," and bring you guys those pros and cons, but it was close... So, I've realized I should also probably put the times they're open on these things.

Taqueria Rios open 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily.

When we got there it was not super packed or anything of the like, but as we got our drinks and our food, people began filling the restaurant pretty fast. I guessed it was the "after mass," rush.

I'm not going to lie, I was very hesitant to try their tacos, because even down to the picture they have on their menu, they did not look too appetizing, and that's coming from me, self proclaimed taco lover. I asked the waitress how they came and she let me know... "If you get the combo its four maiz tacos with a potato and a drink, and their really good."

So, as it goes, ordered that and sipped on my lemonade until we got to the charro beans. I should have known there that this was not going to be my favorite. I know this is not a blog about the beans, but they were so bland I have to mention them!

Then came the tacos... My combo came with four bistek tacos, everything on the side; grilled onions, fresh onions, cilantro, and lime. As usual, I put everything on top and even added the green salsa because the red was too spicy. One bite in and my tacos tasted bland too.

I was never raised to add salt or any additives to season my food after it has been served. I don't know if that's a Mexican heritage thing, or just my family, but the way my mom makes food is always perfect. When we go to restaurants, salt is never needed, so to me this was a crazy concept.

I added a little dash of salt, more lemon, more green salsa, and good to go, but definitely was not because of the tacos. I was very sad, so I decided to give Taqueria Rios a 1/5.

I want to say that I hope this was just my experience and that others have had better, so let me know in the comments or on my social medias... whatever. Also, let me know what other places I should venture to. I did see Tacos Kissi right across the street and I've heard good things, so maybe coming to you soon!

Home is where the Tacos are.

Hey Friends,

This week I'm reviewing *drum roll please* La Taquiza! 

La Taquiza recently went through a name change, so many may know it as "La Curva," but now even their menus have changed to fit their new name, so we will go with that. 

Fun fact time. Many people believe the original "La Curva," is in Alamo, (it's on my review list to compare...) but actually that is not completely true. While the first one in the U.S. might be that one, the original one is from my hometown in Mexico! This helps explain their most popular taco order, which is the "Tacos RB." Tacos Rio Bravo! *Mind=Blown* 

This week I kind of cheated. I ordered the RB taco order. That's what everyone usually orders, so I followed. The tacos RB come in an order of five tacos. These were different from the ones I've previously had on my blog because not only was the tortilla not lightly fried in oil, they came with cotija cheese and avocado! Different style, but none the less, tacos just find a way to make me smile from the inside out. 

The atmosphere was like a restaurant. Sit down, waiter takes your order, hands blessed by God himself make tacos, and then they magically appear in front of you... something like that right? 

So... Taco Verdict! 3.5/5 These tacos were tasty. The tortillas were fresh and tasted homemade. That alone sold me. Even in the valley, where we're so close to Mexico, finding good tortillas is sometimes hard. Another thing that added to it was the avocado. I love avocado, so right off, they were on the good side. They came with cilantro and grilled onion on the side, which I added, of course. They had a variety of salsas, but the brown one made with a molcajete, (mortar and pestle) was my favorite, just letting y'all know. It's not too spicy it just adds flavor. 

Another thing that is awesome is that they're right next to UTRGV, so definitely a must stop if you're looking for lunch to grab during a break. They do get busy, just an fyi. 

Taco's are never just on Tuesday

Party people what is up?!?

HA totally kidding, but only kind of... because my second taco review happens to come from this super cool Loteria themed bar in the McAllen entertainment district, aka 17th street.

So, downtown usually gets lively during the weekends, but Suerte Bar and Grill brings in the crowd on Tuesdays for their Taco Tuesday. Even though I'm a strong believer that we should never limit our taco intake to Tuesdays only, it's a gift to all of us really.

Now, this is where it gets fun. Their tacos are only .50 cents each and they're totally worth it. You know it gets busy when they hand you a number to pick up your order at the end of the bar...I ordered five tacos and while we did wait a bit, they were calling out numbers throughout the night and we even got to enjoy a couple of drinks.

so, what you've been waiting for, the taco verdict... I was pleasantly surprised. The tacos come circling the plate. five tortillas all around and meat piled on top, cilantro, fresh onion, and lime in the center with their green salsa. (which totally packs a punch) I decided to give them a 3.5 out of 5.

This was a hard one but, I gave these a 3.5 because of the flavor. There wasn't anything I hated on them, I do wish I had been able to order some grilled onion, but details. The tortillas were a good amount of fried; not too soft, not hard. These tacos are not super loaded or filled with a ton of meat, but the flavor is what make them. Don't get me wrong though, there is enough meat for all of your tacos, and knowing that they're only .50 cents, makes you want to order a whole five more, especially after a couple of drinks.




Disclaimer: They sell tacos every night, but on Tuesdays they're on special.
This was not a typical sit down and wait to get served restaurant. It's a bar, that gets really packed on Tuesdays, so if you're expecting the whole restaurant vibe, I'll get y'all next week!

Taco Destination #1

Okay Ladies and Gents,

My first taco destination was Taqueria Mary's off of mile five in Alton. So, I've been to Don Felipe's before, which is right next to Taqueria Mary, and many people had told me these other tacos were better. I liked Don Felipe's so why not, right?
Well, let me start off by saying I felt very at home in at this taco destination. I grew up in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, so going out for tacos was a very similar experience to this. Walk in, take a seat on one of those aluminum folding chairs, soon after a guitarist singing famous rancheras walks by, and then a server speaking spanish comes and takes our order. Typical Valley taco place.
On this journey, I've decided to stick simply to finding bistek tacos, everything on the side even though I end up putting it all on anyways.

So, I give Taquria Mary 2/5 stars. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed. Maybe the talk everyone gave hyped up my experience too much, but i was not impressed.The tacos came and looked promising, but the lightly fried tortillas tasted like old oil. The meat was too finely chopped and slightly burned. We compared it to the bistek in our potato, to the one in our tacos and that one was better. It made me kind of sad. So, from the meat being chopped up too finely, to the cilantro and onion being mixed together, this was just not my type of taco. 

Here's to hoping the next one is bomb dot com and that y'all keep following me on my taco journey. 

*Disclaimer: We also had a loaded potato and lemonade and beans. Those were all amazing, but I'm reviewing tacos here people! Until next time. 

The Valley Taco Experience

Hey Guys and Gals!

Coming to you from deep South Texas, my name is Denisse. I am a 22 year old PR student at UTRGV who just likes to eat a lot of tacos! (but then again who doesn't?)

I'm sure you've heard a lot about these delicious meat filled tortilla gifts from God, and if you haven't, what rock have you been living under? Everywhere from fast food places to sit down restaurants, you can try some tacos now. I can't go a day without a Buzzfeed article popping up on my Facebook news feed talking about the best tacos in the U.S. Many magazines have even begun claiming 2016 to be "The Year of the Taco." The year even started off with a book dedicated solely to a "taco cleanse." Tacos are taking over the world and it is absolutely great.

The origin of tacos is unknown, but mostly credited to Mexico, so this is where my blog kind of starts. South Texas, as close as you can get to Mexico, without actually being in Mexico. Definitely known for some amazing tacos! Not going to lie, I've tried many places from the valley, but for you, I will venture out on the search for the best tacos in the valley! From Brownsville's "El Ultimo Taco," to Alton's "Taqueria Mary," I'll bring you my ratings and opinions of the valley taco experience, because I promise you, it's like no other. #WillTravelForTacos