Tacos, good conversation, and The Cure at Derailed Pour House This Main Ave staple may not be in south Texas, but their tacos sure could have fooled us like Philly cheesesteaks, nachos, and flatbreads, I opted to start with the goat cheese bruschetta, which is thick rounds of goat cheese atop baguette bread, with cherry tomatoes, basil, almonds, and balsamic. I followed with the Derailed tacos: one carne asada, my favorite back home, and one avocado taco.
As a native of south Texas, I am a tough critic when it comes to tacos. The tacos I grew up with were made from scratch with love and a little bit — OK, perhaps a lot — of manteca. I used to love the smell of masa being rolled out from dense balls into flat tortilla rounds on the counter. The best part of this process, though — and trust me, it was a process — was the sound and smell of the masa hitting the piping hot cast iron skillet. I would stand there, mesmerized, as I watched the bubbles rising in the belly of the tortilla beast as it browned on the stove. If I was lucky, the hands behind the magic would toss me one right from the skillet. I would slather it in butter and salt before consuming the entire thing in one bite. Those memories, and those delicious homemade tortillas, make it tough to measure up. My childhood diet consisting mainly of other types of Mexican food only adds to the issue. Thus far, I haven’t found a taco in Durango that can measure up to those south Texas wonders. That said, I did find one that comes close, and I found it in one of the most unexpected places. As it turns out Derailed Pour House, the bar and restaurant located at 725 Main Avenue, can pull off one hell of a taco. I recently completed my two-shot series of COVID vaccinations, so I headed out to this bar midweek with a friend, who wanted to catch up and (more likely than not) spend a little time outside of the house. We’d both been trapped in our hermit cages, just like the rest of the world, for far too long — and thanks to the protocols in place and my extra boost from the vaccine, I felt it was finally time to unwind. Luckily, we were able to do so safely, as the bar area at Derailed had been modified with sheets of plexiglass between seats to avoid any cross-contamination among patrons. The restaurant tables had been arranged to accommodate social distancing, too. It was early evening when we stopped by Derailed, but the bar-slashrestaurant was already busy with socially distant parties, many of whom were seated facing the acoustic musi-
»» Tacos, tacos, and more tacos at De-
This bar’s version of carne asada tacos is a little different than what I’m used to. Compared to those traditional tacos of old, which are generally a thin corn tortilla topped with tiny flanks of carne, onions, lime, and cilantro, Derailed does it big. This bar’s carne asada tacos are made with house marinated steak, jack cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, with house tomatillo salsa.
»» Ahh, tacos. Who doesn’t love tacos?
railed. Whoda thunk it?
cian playing quietly onstage. While the social distancing and other modifications were obvious in this Main Ave staple, the atmosphere still felt more like a night out in Durango two years ago — prior to the pandemic’s entrance into our lives — than I’d expected. It was a welcome feeling. We took our spots at the bar — two cozy bar stools sandwiched between plexiglass — to start with a couple of drinks. Derailed is known for their creative cocktails, which are hard to pass up in lieu of your standard old fashion or vodka soda. We both opted for a drink called “The Cure,” which is a sea green cocktail made with house jalapeno vodka, fresh muddled basil, lime juice, ginger liqueur, and brut champagne.
And, luckily, the Derailed food menu is thick with choices, so there was no shortage of carbs with which to soak up the booze. Out of a lineup of items
The avocado tacos, on the other hand, are made with avocado, black beans, grilled onions, queso fresco, toContinued on Page 20
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The drinks appeared in short order, and wow — did I ever miss having a drink with friends in a venue other than my living room. Between the heat of the jalapeno, the sweet tang of the ginger liqueur, and the bubbles of the champagne, I felt like I was on another planet. The only problem? These cocktails are so delicious that they’re almost too easy to suck down. It took me maybe five minutes to see the bottom of my glass. No problem there, I guess. After a year and a half of social distancing, I guess I was due for some real bar drinking.
May 1, 2021 | 7
