Bonny Bonny Tacos

Hello, all, and greetings from Texas! It's been a while, I realize. Sometimes it is difficult to get inspired. But after months of pondering my next bonny offering, I finally grabbed my chance at writing about a unique experience. Last weekend I made a magical journey to a land lovingly known as Oak Cliff, a neighborhood in south Dallas.

Now, there are some things you might not know about Oak Cliff. For instance, it holds the famed "Texas Theater" where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested shortly after the Kennedy assassination (oddly enough also featured on this blog) and the homes of Stevie Ray Vaugn and Kay Bailey Hutchison. Oak Cliff welcomes those with three names, myself included. Another thing you may not know about this beautifully colorful neighborhood is that it is choc-full of character of the Hispanic variety. Namely: the Hispanic culinary variety. Also, Quinceañera dresses, but that is another post for another day.

Today, today dear readers, we gave our hearts and bellies to one great purpose: the pursuit of the perfect taqueria taco. Please join me for an adventure as we blaze our Taco Trail.

Now at this moment, I must pause to let you know the criteria for which we conducted this experiment. As a troop, my colleagues (Austin Dupree and Kelsey Foster) and I decided that our tacos must fulfill a list of requirements. All were rated on a scale of one to five with special attention paid to the following particulars.

Time

Price

Seating

Accoutrements

Taco size

Variety for the vegetarians

Cleanliness of meat

Ease of ordering for non-Spanish speakers

Tacos Chanos

Now, on to taco joint “uno,” Tacos Chanos.

I will be frank. These tacos set the bar high with the double salsa and pickled carrots as a side, earning them triple points in the "accoutrements" category. However, it lost points on the price and size categories, with a whopping $1.25 per taco. Too much for these working girls, if you ask us. But to end on a positive, they had a "call-in" option, great for fiestas of all sizes, an option for chicken, and some MUY DELICIOSO Mexican coke in a bottle. Yum yum.

Overall score: 4. Fantastic chicken and beef, and great pico. And that Mexican coke literally made me dance! For proof, see below:

Jerry's Tacos

Now, onward to Jerry’s! Jerry's is particularly delightful due to its location on the side of a grocery store featuring 15 oranges for $1 and also specials on dog food. One impressive note about Jerry’s (a shockingly un-Hispanic name) is the option for a flour tortilla. Now, as any taco lover knows, a true taco must be served in corn. Quiero corn! It is the only way! But for those who crave that floury buttery goodness, you are set to go at Jerry’s. They also won in the categories for size because they carried the largest tacos for the accessible price of $1. The experience was made more impressive by the convenient packaging and the sides of fresh onion, jalapeño, cilantro and tomatoes. However, there were los problemos. Ordering was a little trickier due to a language barrier, compounded with a bamboozling homeless man named Michael. Don't worry Brian, we fed him. Furthermore, such items as napkins, seating, and a menu were noticeably absent.

Overall score: 3.5. Great tacos, but logistically tough.

This man was a delight.

Si Hay Tacos (meaning: iYes! There are Tacos)

And were there ever. Many, many tacos of a high variety—including chorizo, tacos al pastor, bistec and fajita. At Si Hay Tacos we said, “iYes!” to the salsa, which was the most delectable tomatillo sauce I have had in years. Also getting them big points with these accoutrement lovers, Si Hay did not chinch on the cilantro and onions, so vital to giving a freshness to the taco stand-variety taco. Easy ordering and walking distance to the incredibly cool Bishop Arts district were bonuses, as well. One big minus, a big price tag of $1.30. Who do they think we are?

Overall score: 3. The tomatillos were rockin’, but that price tag hurts. Also, no beans. Austin was still very hungry after her visit.

Caesar Tacos

Last but not least, we come to the Granddaddy Of All Taco Stands, Caesar Tacos. Not only did they have a bean option (yay for Austin!), but they also had free funnel cakes. Yes, you heard right, FREE with the purchase of coffee or tea, you receive one humongous, freshly made funnel cake. Sigh. I salivate to think about it. I would include a picture, but we ate it too fast to photograph. Also winning major points for Caesar is the covered seating for temperature regulation, fresh limes, and an amazing breakfast option—two-for-one breakfast tacos.

However, there were some issues. The wait time was not ideal, at five to ten minutes. Long for a taqueria. Also, you have to request cilantro and onion specially, they do not assume you like the accoutrements. And as I have already stated, these are some cilantro/onion lovin’ gals. No good. But I believe the biggest problem with Caesar Tacos is the neon yellow walls, perfectly ok on a comfortable Sunday afternoon but not so good for hot hot summer days. Also with those breakfast tacos Caesar would be perfect for a hangover cure, but to tell you the truth I would be terrified to approach that garish yellow with a hangover. Might get vertigo.

Overall score: 4.5. Funnel cakes don’t lie.

In the end, the day was marvelous. Delicious cuisine and delightful friends made my first trip to Oak Cliff wonderful. Now, I challenge you to find some fun and make a taco! iOle!

Photographs were taken by the lovely Kelsey Foster. You can see more of her fun photography here.