New development: Austin based taqueria, Tacodeli, opens first Houston location on Washington Avenue. The new eatery is slated to open Fall 2016. Make your own homemade tortillas 1B · Local BBQ startup takes flight 3B • Art Valet talks grit and beer 6B Saturday, May 21, 2016 • Page 1B
All systems go for Tacos A Go Go in Oak Forest By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader
The new Oak Forest Tacos A Go Go is finally coming to fruition, and for fans of this affordable, quality, made-from-scratch taqueria, it’s not a moment too soon. Slated to open in mid-July, this will be the third Tacos A Go Go. The newest restaurant will eventually take over the 1,800square-foot location formerly occupied by Roznovsky’s Hamburgers at 3401 W. TC Jester Blvd. Sharon Haynes is the owner and founder of the little taco shop. Her first Tacos A Go Go opened in Midtown in 2006 next door
Back in elementary school, we were given a recipe assignment. The assignment was highlighting measurement units, all while incorporating a cooking lesson and probably a lesson on penmanship (maybe that was just my dad that included the penmanship lesson). I wrote out my grandma’s tortilla recipe, and
My Tia Lupe’s homemade tortilla with a little bit of butter.
About the consistency and texture you’re looking for when adding oil.
space to spread out on. Be sure to wash your space and hands before diving in. Once you’ve washed up, mix your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Work each dry ingredient in slowly, giving care to each with your hands; mix well. Next, gradually work in your oil. This step is where I can mark the distinctive difference in recipes for both sides of my family. On one side, we had a grandma that used oil – the lighter and fluffier tortilla. On the other, manteca, or lard, was the addiSee Tortillas P. 3B
Drive within a five mile radius of The Leader office and you can find at least five places to sit down and enjoy a taco. All different styles, probably all different owners, but one common denominator – a crowd that will flock for a well-made taco. Here’s a few standouts that we stand by. Betsy’s Picks Ten years ago when I moved to Houston I had never had a fish taco. Poor, poor me. Since then, however, I have been making up for lost time. If fish tacos are on the menu, it’s a safe bet I’m getting it. But like most things in life, I play favorites as do many Leader readers. Here are the two top two vote getters. Look for suggestions from people who went to bat for their favorites online. What can I say about the Grilled Fish Taco at EI Rey Taco, 3330 Ella Blvd, other than I get them at the drive through at least once a week for three years straight and I’m not even close to getting sick of them. For a mere $2.85 you get a tilapia filet with habanero sauce, nestled in a corn or flour tortilla – if you don’t specify, you get corn – with red cabbage. Some people think the sauce overwhelms the taco, but to me that makes it. According to Hugo, the manager at the Ella location, their fish taco is their number two best seller. Number one is the Cuban taco, which just happens to be my number two. While some people were fans of one location over another, many could agree on the deliciousness of both the grilled and fried fish taco at Berry Hill Baja Grill, 1201 W. 43rd St. and 702 E. 11th St. For $3.99 a la carte – there is a $1.99 special on Mondays – you can get the original, which is tempura fried and served with a yogurt based sauce, red cabbage and cilantro, or the grilled fish taco which comes with lettuce, Dijon sauce and Pico de Gallo. Owner Park Blair says that there’s more meat – it’s farm raised swai by the way – in the grilled version since the frying makes the fish expand. Blair prefers the grilled
Facebook photo A young Farmstand at Petrol Station patron showing approval of her taco.
rests on an onion, marinating throughout the cooking process. The trompo is sliced off the skewer, served in five (or more) small tortillas, and usually topped with cilantro, onions and pineapple. A rather new food truck that I’ve come across serves these tacos just the way I like them: La Marco Food Truck. The food truck is currently stationed outside of the Raven Tower, a newly opened bar and music venue off of North Street, at 310 North St. Another food truck that is spinning her take on street tacos, in a healthier light, is Julia Cooks Organic Food Truck. Her takes usually include ground turkey or veggies. Find them parked at Haute Dimensions at 6521 N Main St.
North Houston’s 50 Year Tradition
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Every Thursday 11:00 am - 1:15 pm El Rey’s Fish Taco from the Ella Boulevard location.
and also adds that it’s the same recipes, and often the same people, making the tacos at either location so there should be no taste variation despite the opinions of some aficionados. He also says that while both are best sellers, they sell an equal number of each. Christina’s Picks Lately, I’ve been on a great workout kick; probably something to do with summer being right around the corner. One thing that I crave the most, and one that is the (best?) worst for your diet: breakfast tacos. If I could eat a breakfast taco every morning and get away with it, I would. Being new to Houston, that was one of the many questions I had asked my Houstonian friends: where can I get a good breakfast taco? After serious research these past couple of years, I’ll stand by Mickey Morales and his handmade breakfast tacos at The Farmstand at Petrol Station on Saturday mornings at 938 Wakefield Dr. Usually, my test for breakfast tacos is the tortilla, first and foremost, but Morales changes the game entirely for me. In fact, Morales doesn’t use homemade tortillas, but what he does use is farm eggs from the farm he works on, Happy Heart Family Farm, and fresh ingredients from the farm, too. The only downfall of Morales’ breakfast tacos: you can only find them on Saturday mornings. Honorable mentions for breakfast tacos go to Andy’s Cafe at 1115 E. 11th St. and Fiesta Taco 4620 W. 34th St.
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Before getting started, you’ll want to have plenty of counter
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Ingredients 2 cups flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup or ½ cup cooking oil (canola or safflower oil) ½ cup warm water *Makes about 10 - 12 tortillas
Taco Tastes
I-4
cooked a few for my classmates. My parents saved the hand-written recipe, even to this day. Some of my fondest memories are walking into my grandma’s home and finding that distinctive smell of tortillas unfolding in the kitchen. Thinking back on family recipes, both sides had very distinctive styles of tortillas: light and fluffy; hearty and thick. No matter what side of the family it was, a guaranteed fight would ensue over the last tortilla. Those fond smells and fights seem to be limited in numbers these days. This week, I decided to jump in the kitchen with my Tia Lupe to deconstruct that family recipe to share with you.
See Tacos A Go Go P. 6B
Contributed photo Tacos A Go Go has been consistently placed in our Breakfast Tacos category in The Leader’s Reader’s Choice Awards.
Leader staff share favorite taco choices around town
TACO By Christina Martinez christina@theleadernews.com
with Chef Arturo Boada operating the tapas spot, Solero, downtown. Solero was Houston’s original tapas restaurant and secured many devotees with its fresh flavors and Spanish influences. It was popular with Houston’s well-heeled before and after the theater, symphony, opera, and ballet. “When I got out of the biz to have kids, I decided the only way I’d get back in was with casual Tex-Mex this time, because Houstonians have an insatiable appetite for it, literally eating Tex-Mex four and five times a week,” Haynes said. “The kitsch Mexican street culture that goes with it is
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to the Continental Club on Main St. The second opened on White Oak Blvd. in the Heights five years ago. The two little eateries have garnered many accolades since, including five consecutive years on the Reader’s Choice Awards for “Best Breakfast Tacos,” and a spot on Texas Monthly’s “Tacos you must try before you die” list. “We are really looking forward to opening in Oak Forest,” Haynes said. “We’ve found the people in near north Houston to be so gracious and appreciative. And the area is beautiful. It’s like driving through a forest of broccoli.” Haynes has a track record of success; she spent several years in a partnership
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Next on the taco standy lineup: trompo tacos. If we’re talking tacos for lunch or dinner, trompo is my go-to. Trompo is a style of pork that is skewered on a vertical rotisserie that has been capped with pineapple and
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