Taco Libre Festival
Main Street Garden, 1902 Main Street, Dallas, TX 75201
http://tacolibredallas.com/
The storms cleared in Dallas just in time for the 2nd Annual Taco Libre Festival. I was there when the gates opened. This girl was ready, I came prepared with: cash, camera and a list of the taquerias I wanted to try. Taco Libre is a festival of tacos, music and Lucha Libre wrestling. I have, to be honest, I was there for the tacos; although I did listen to the music as I tacoed. Unfortunately, no wrestling for me. Masks freak me out. The 21 taquerias at Taco Libre were hand-picked by taco aficionado, Jose Ralat. Check out his website called The Taco Trail. There were traditional and non-traditional taco choices.
From left: Barbacoa, Frontera Fundido Sirloin & El Frijolero,
The first stop on my list was Tacodeli. Robert Espinosa opened his first Tacodeli in Austin, TX in 1999. I, for one, am so glad he did. I ordered each of the three tacos on the menu for the day. I started with the vegetarian El Frijolero. This taco was crazy good. The flour tortilla was filled with organic refried beans and sauteed poblano-onion rajas. Then on top of that was a creamy, rich slice of grilled queso fresco. I paired it with their Salsa Dona. Next up was the Frontera Fundido Sirloin. This taco is made with tender, grilled sirloin, jack cheese glaze and some more of those crispy, sauteed poblano-onion rajas. This taco was great with the Salsa Roja. The last taco at this stop was the Barbacoa. This was the classic red chile braised barbacoa with a distinctively savory flavor with the freshness of the cilantro and onion on top. No salsa needed on this baby.
Fajita Taco
Next up was El Come Taco. I ordered the Fajita Taco. The meat was grilled perfectly and served street-style on a flour tortilla with cilantro, onions, salsa verde and a slice of lemon. I also ordered and a churro. The equivalent of a mid-meal sorbet. It was piping hot and loaded with cinnamon sugar. Yay!!!
Pollo de Mole Taco
My last stop was the Revolver Taco Lounge. I tried the Pollo de Mole taco. The mole sauce was not too bitter or heavy for the moist chicken. This taco was topped with pickled red onion and queso fresco. I was really pleased with this choice.
Taco Libre is a cool way to try a bunch of awesomely different tacos. Seriously, 21 taquerias in one location selling their best tacos for $2 a piece. You can’t beat it. Main Street Garden is a great location. Parking is available in a garage a block away for $3. Two tips for those planning on attending next year:
- Buy your tickets early – they have sold out both years.
- Pace yourself! There are a lot of tacos to try!
