The third stop on the Tacogasm 2007 Tour brought together friends - both old and new. This was actually the groups second attempt to dine at this establishment. Upon arriving the first time, we were greeted with an hour wait for a table. This prompted an unscheduled visit to Torchy’s Tacos (to be reviewed at a later date). Our arrival today was met with open arms and fanfare… or an 11 year old host who kind of, sort of cared if we got a table.
The taco menu, which for some reason is part of the breakfast menu, featured ten U-shaped delicacies; from your typical Al Pastor to the more alarming Chicharron1. After a round of drinks and an unusually long wait after our order was placed, the food arrived.
Vegetarians Don’t Eat Meat - This is a hearty taco! It has everything - a tortilla, mushrooms, cheese, cow… no wait, it doesn’t have any cow. Well, it does have mushrooms, and plenty of them. This tortilla was bursting with big chunks of the size increasing fungus, all held together with an appropriate amount of Monterey Jack cheese. After taking my virgin bite, I instantly reached for the salt - some people at the table added lettuce and a spoonful of guacamole.
I hope you don’t take that statement as a testament that the flavor. I think that it, for me personally, was just more subdued to what I am used to as far as biting into a taco which is filled with meat and spices. As vegetarian tacos go, the freshness and quality of the ingredients was as good as one could hope for - but if a brontosaurus came up and asked me to recommend a taco, I would be more apt to point them to the Fried Avocado taco over at Torchy’s, which is literally like two blocks away. (again, review coming soon).
By the end of the experience, I must say that I had a great time. The group got a huge table out on the patio and the sun wash shining with a nice cool breeze. The service left something to be desired, and my buddy Dwayne’s food came out incorrect the first time. This would have really rubbed me the wrong way if it wasn’t for the sweet, sweet tunes playing on the outdoor speakers.
This was the second time that I have been to Polvos; the first of which I ordered the mixed grill fajitas. If you are a carnivore and headed to this establishment, I would urge you in that direction. If you fancy your meals to contain more veggies than that of meat, I really feel that you will enjoy these Monterey Jack & Mushroom tacos. The flavor really is tasty (after you season to your own specifications) and the chunks of mushrooms are so big and flavorful that if you close your eyes, hold your breath… and hum quietly, you might even convince yourself you are eating meat!
1 - All I can say to those at the table was that the waiter warned you!
April 15th, 2007 at 11:27 pm #Dwayne
All I have to say is…. CHICHARRON ES MAS CHINGON! That slimy, chewy pig skin was tasty. Oh Oh what is this? Fried Avacado taco?! You never told me about this! I MUST try one asap.
April 16th, 2007 at 12:16 am #mookie
I have to agree with Abraham. After the first bite into the mushroomy/cheesy taco I was looking for the salt. In my (unexperienced) opinion it had sort of a “flat” taste and needed the extra oomph. At the end what really mattered was the company and the people we spend our afternoon with, which made it all very well worth it (the afternoon - not the taco
)
April 16th, 2007 at 8:13 am #Edward
What mookie said. Although everything at polovos is basted is some crazy red sauce and i don’t know what it is. The absence of it on the shroom taco was a welcome change. Nice to have all my old friends,( and some new ones! ) for an awesome afternoon!
April 16th, 2007 at 9:51 pm #Linda
I can see (taste) why the Monterrey Jack and mushroom tacos made the list — different than the usual taco fare, the simplicity of the few ingredients and the melding of the flavors was perfect. I wasn’t one of those reaching for the salt, either because I generally don’t salt much of anything anyway or because I was the only diner who ordered the ’shroom taco on a freshly made corn tortilla. The tortilla was sublime in its own right and added that bit of flavor interest that perhaps made the difference for me.
Good times, good food and drinks, and especially good company followed by a good relaxed Sunday afternoon nap! What more could one ask for?
May 2nd, 2007 at 10:14 am #Edward Terry » Tacogasm Tour, Airstreams, and Wine
[...] The next stop on the Tacogasm Tour was a place down on South First street called “Polvos”. Now I had been here once or twice before (or every damn day for a 3 month stint one time) and knew the food here was pretty good. The tacos we were reviewing were the mushroom and jack cheese tacos off the a la carte menu. Well they were exactly that. Sauteed mushrooms and melted jack cheese served up in your choice of corn or flour. I would suggest corn for these tacos. They were good and I would order these again, but I figure it would be kind of hard to mess this up. We met some cool friends of Abraham’s and even my buddy Alex made it out for this one. Check out the full review over on Abraham’s site. [...]