07th Jan 2007
Tacogasm Tour 2007 – The Famous El Rancho
Recently Texas Monthly magazine published an article entitled “The 63 Tacos You Must Eat Before You Die“. Our group of friends decided we would go to each of the places in Austin that were cited in the article and try the tacos that were written up. There were about 8 restaurants in Austin and we started the “Tacogasm Tour 2007″ last night at Matt’s El Rancho (now called “The Famous El Rancho..I guess Matt was ousted).
El Rancho was written up for its Smoked Brisket Tacos. I ordered 2 and Linda ordered the Tacos Al Pastor, which were sautéed pork and pineapple. The basis for our tour was either to agree or disagree with the article and rate the tacos on a 1-10 scale. For the Smoked Brisket Tacos I gave them a 7. The flavor was good with not a whole lot of “smokiness” but meat was a little dry. I know its possible to smoke meat and still have some moisture in it. Interestingly enough the Tacos Al Pastor were very good, better than the tacos in the article.
My buddy also has a post about this. Please leave a comment and let us know where YOUR favorite tacos are, in Austin or not! Stay tuned for more posts from the tour…
I ATE AT EL RANCHO WHILE IT WAS STILL MATT’S EL RANCHO. WOULD YOU BLELIEVE IT WAS THERE WHEN I WAS A KID AND THAT’S A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG TIME AGO. GLAD TO KNOW ITS STILL AROUND. BUT WHY MATT’S EL RANCHO? SHOULD HAVE BEEN MATEO’S EL RANCHO. I SUSPECT IT WAS MATEO BUT BACK IN THOSE DAYS IT WAS SOMETIME NECESSARY TO GRINGOIZE TO BRING IN THE CROWD. IT HAD A GREAT REPUTATION AND THE FOOD I GUESS WAS OKAY. IT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST MEXICAN FOOD I HAD EVER EATEN AND I DID GROW UP TO REALLY LIKE MEXICAN COOKING.
MY ADVICE ON TACOS — WATCH OUT FOR THE STUFF WITH GRINGO SOUNDING NAMES. IT THE TACO HAS A NAME IN SPANISH — TRUST IT. EVEN BETTER IF THE NAME IS NOT EASILY TRNASLATEABLE INTO ENGLISH. ANOTHER BIT OF ADVICE WHICH YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW AND ADHERE TO — NEVER, NEVER LOOK IN THE KITCHEN BEFORE YOU EAT (OR AFTER FOR THAT MATTER). IT CAN BE SCARY, SCARY!
UNLCE RON
Report submission: Taco tasting participant #4
I wasn’t planning to be the final entrant on the taco review team, but here I am, better late than never…
It’s hard not to sound like I’m saying “ditto” to what the rest of my colleagues have already written, but they have basically articulated the essence of the El Rancho brisket taco experience. The flour tortilla in which it was served was very plain, and it somehow managed to take flavor away from each bite. The meat filling was less than moist, as has been noted, and had a cursory smoky flavor. Very plain. At that point I began wondering how the taco made it to ‘the list’. The grilled brisket tacos had a little more interest in the flavor department, but unfortunately the flavor gain was offset by their greasiness.
Some of this review will be mitigated by several other factors; the restaurant was very crowded and noisy and we were sitting halfway into the bar area during a televised sporting event. Add in the effect of a couple of serious Mexican martinis and you will get a feel for the sensory overload I was in the middle of. Not a bad thing, but contributions to consider when judging the taco at hand.