The green chile pork taco at Torchy’s Tacos, 2411 S. Shepherd Drive, comes one to an order and costs $3.25. The taco and the restaurant strive for authenticity but fall a bit short. | Emily Chambers/The Daily Cougar
For the longest time, all I heard about was Torchy’s Tacos and how great this Austin-based taco place is. When I heard that they had opened a location in Houston, I knew I had to check it out.
On the way, I had many preconceived notions of what constitutes a taqueria — little did I know that they would soon be shattered.
When I first walked into the restaurant, I started checking out the menu they had on the wall behind the cash register.
I saw the green chile pork taco listed at the top of the menu and it was love at first read: slow roasted pork carnitas simmered with green chilies and topped with queso fresco, cilantro, onions and tomatillo sauce.
I also ordered the taco of the month, The Revolution: ahi tuna, arugula, queso fresco and hot sauce.
The descriptions promised an interesting gastro-experience, until I was told that the prices on the menu were for one taco.
It is a law in the land of tacos: Three to an order.
I ended up paying $10.25 for two tacos and a fountain drink — a taco travesty!
I pushed on with what little optimism I had left, thinking that these might actually be $4 tacos.
I started with the carnitas taco — the amount of meat they packed into the taco was impressive. It was not a full meal by any stretch, but still pretty good.
The flavor of the pork was nothing special and a little dry.
The way carnitas are traditionally prepared is by cooking chunks of the pork in its own fat for hours, or sometimes even days. The end result is nothing short of pork bliss.
Torchy’s seems like it was a leaner cut of pork, baked and then shredded.
Ultimately, it was the tomatillo sauce that saved the taco, not too hot but just the right amount of acidity.
I then set my sights on “The Revolution.” I had an issue with this taco before even tasting it.
The arugula was sitting on top of the fish — a huge taco foul.
Why would you want to cover up the sole reason why I am paying so much for one taco?
Underneath the arugula canopy, you will find a four-ounce tuna steak, not cut-up chunks or sliced fish, but a little steak.
It seemed like they took a dish that would work in a nice seafood restaurant and tried to convert it to a taco, only to have it lost in translation.
Because of the large fish, you end up having to mash everything together to fit it into your mouth.
Just like the pork taco, “The Revolution” followed suit — a tasty taco but not worthy of four dollars.
I am a firm believer in the simpler the taco, the better the taste. It is a peasant food that doesn’t need to be jazzed up with arugala lettuce and ahi tuna.
If your customers are highly sophisticated foodies with pallets to match, then by all means put foie gras with beluga caviar on the taco.
However, the patrons walking into this establishment are college students and people on their lunch break, who mash tacos into their face and make arugula lettuce and ahi tuna seem like Iceberg lettuce and tilapia.
Just two small changes would make a world of difference.
First, divide the amount of protein they have in one taco into three. It gives the illusion that you are eating more and people like to have more bang for their buck.
Second, protein always goes on top — unless the taco features cilantro, onions or tomatoes. The protein is the reason why there is a taco. Why wouldn’t you shine the spot light on the star of the show?
Until they make these changes, I do not feel the need to go back to this place while there is a Freebirds, Chipotle and an authentic taquito within a three-mile radius that knows how to make tacos and burritos.
I give this place a rating of 3.5 out of five.
