Secret Sauce: All the Tacos

Our critic ate his way through the taco menu at Mariachi’s Dine-In.

Photo by Crystal Wise

secret sauce

All the Tacos

Mariachi’s Dine-In on the East Side is worth finding –– and then gorging.

BY IAN CONNALLY

Eating good tacos, frequently and in large quantities, is, of course, one of the central tenets of living happily. Taquerias, priestly in their purveyance of these corn-cradled bursts of joy, rightly hold a place of reverence in the lives of the taco devotee –– for many of us, the question of precisely where we should go for exactly which taco, and when, is one that is as entwined with our identities as, say, our relationship with the divine. Or with bourbon. These are matters of doctrine. Of dogma. Of truth. And, because such truth is subjectively personal, you and I almost certainly disagree.

It has been, however, my belief that, beyond this landscape of subjectivity, there are a couple of truths that remain uncontroversial. First: There are always better fillings available than chorizo. Mostly, it’s cut too fine, drowning in a slick of yellow-red oil, and overseasoned. Because of this, I have established chorizo as a fallback position, an accent to the eggs on that fourth breakfast taco, the one I’ll eat only if my state requires grease for medicinal purposes. Second: Nobody willingly orders the chicken. Chicken is on a taqueria’s menu because, contrary to our collective better judgment, we keep bringing our children with us, and their underdeveloped understanding of goodness causes them to reject the unfamiliar. On tacos, no child is enlightened.

So it was not without strongly voiced doubts that I acquiesced when my guests insisted that we sample every taco available at Mariachi’s Dine-In. Ashley Miller and Chef Angel Feuntes’ new taqueria, housed unassumingly inside a convenience store on the corner opposite Martin House Brewing Company on the East Side, boasts a larger than usual range of options for filling your taco, torta, burrito, or bowl, including nine different meats, among them chorizo and chicken. We ordered all of them. We briefly discussed methods for ensuring some order to the coming feast before we were confronted by piles of animal parts enrobed in sweet yellow-corn tortillas, freshly charred and still steaming. Abandoning all plans of order, we flung ourselves at the platter without restraint.

Chef Angel Fuentes brings years of experience in upscale eateries to Mariachi’s kitchen.

Photo by Crystal Wise.

We had set out to eat the whole taco menu, so it made sense to order our chorizo in the namesake Mariachi Taco –– a flour tortilla piled high with lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, and avocado. We added a soft-fried egg to each because, well, they were available. And here it was, my reason to dream of this luchadormask-adorned corner of Dave’s Food & Deli. Runny yolk, creamy and rich, coated the vegetables and meat, an ur-hollandaise playing foil to the bright spice of the chorizo. Finishing the last bites, I realized that my taco doctrine –– my view of the landscape of this town, as well, perhaps, and my relationship with the divine –– have changed for good.

Who

Mariachi’s Dine-In

Where

301 S Sylvania Ave, FW, 682-760-9606

Vibe

Ramshackle chic, with brightly painted-on luchador masks and booths; set in the corner of a convenience store.

Don’t-Miss Dishes

Mariachi Taco with soft-fried egg, chicken taco, and pastor taco.

Entree Prices // $1.70-$3.25 When // 11am-7pm Sun, Tue & Wed, 11am-11pm Thu-Sat.

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