The Taste Bud: Run, Run, Run to Taco n Madres for Mexican Fare
Birria tacos from heaven. Photos by Kevin Gibson
Sometimes you hear a new local restaurant hyped to the point that when you go, it dissapoints — even if it’s good. I heard hype about Taco n Madres, located on Goose Creek Road just off Westport, and I’m thrilled to report that it lived up to every superlative.
It’s housed in a former fast-food building, and I remember it as being a classic taqueria at one point in time, but when you step inside the rather plain looking building, the transformation is like a pleasant sigh. A palm commands, it’s leaves topped with flowers, commands attention at the center of the room, while various decor from sugar skulls to crosses to posters adorn walls and shelves, splashing color everywhere.
On a counter sat three large containers of house-made drinks, including horchata. An outdoor dining area features different colored chairs and flags overhead.
And while the menu isn’t extensive, it’s a fair bet that you won’t go wrong with any of the dishes on it. (Granted, this is based on just one visit, but sometimes you just go with a hunch.)
It was my fiancee Cynthia’s birthday, which we told the friendly employee who took our orders at the counter. He smiled and told us we could sit anywhere, so we chose a table in the corner. He quickly brought to the table not the chips and salsa we were expecting, but instead a bowl of pretzel-shaped chicharrones and a lightly spicy avocado dipping sauce. Crispy, light and delicious.
Chicharrones.
I hit the salsa bar, which offers up everything from a mild roja to the aforementioned avocado sauce to a fiery habanero sauce. The latter was right up my alley, although Cynthia decided to steer clear.
She ultimately ordered fried shrimp tacos as her birthday meal, while I went for the traditional birria tacos — birria of course being marinated and slow-roasted brisket, served with consomme from the beef. Other menu staples include a variety of street tacos, quesadillas, tortas, birria ramen and a cucarachas boil that looks similar to a southern lo boil. The restaurant also goes by an alternate name of K-Brunch, as it serves brunch on the weekends. (The eggs look amazing.)
Our food came out fairly quickly, and the presentation was, well, just breathtaking. Cynthia’s dinner consisted of three enclosed fried tacos that actually resembled oversized empanadas, along with pickled red cabbage, avocado sauce, lime wedges and fresh avocado slices. Meanwhile, my birria tacos were ridiculously huge and garnished with lime wedges, radish and cucumber slices.
To say it was all delicious isn’t enough. The shrimp inside Cynthia’s tacos were plump and perfectly cooked. The generous portions of cheese inside the crunchy fried shells of my tacos had a pull like a deep-dish Chicago pizza. The meat was tender and bursting with classic birria spice. I couldn’t even finish my dinner, so I had lunch the next day (and that leftover broth tasted fantastic over sticky rice).
When we thought we couldn’t eat anymore, our server asked Cynthia if she was ready for dessert. We figured he would bring out a small plate of churros drizzled in chocolate sauce. Instead, he appeared moments later with a goblet filled with three scoops of ice cream topped with cajeta (a caramel glaze), garnished with churros and fresh strawberry slices. I swear, that ice cream vessel was as long as my forearm. She did her best to eat it all but fell just a few slurps short— hey, it was her birthday. I applauded her efforts.
All in all, it was a perfect birthday meal. Shame my birthday isn’t until March. Guess we’ll have to celebrate someone else’s birthday. Let me know when yours is and we’ll celebrate it at Taco n Madres.
