The tacos from Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ are highly rated. See here, here, and here. We were in Austin recently and stopped by. Here’s how it went.
I ordered a pulled pollo taco and a barbacoa taco. I’ve read in other places that barbacoa is only available on Sundays, so I had to try it. The meat in each taco was excellent, especially the chicken. It was juicy and succulent. Garnished with guacamole and a habanero salsa, each bite was top notch. The barbacoa was also great; it was smoky, but–somewhat shocking to me–I rank Valentina’s barbacoa slightly behind Taconazo. The purist in me assumes that coming off a smoker, the barbacoa at Valentina’s would automatically be better. And it did have an excellent smoky flavor, but Valentina’s barbacoa was less fatty and tender.
But the smokiness and quality of the meat was evident. Inside the truck, I saw a rack of shelves with a variety of foil-wrapped meats. A new brisket was unwrapped while I ordered, and I nearly changed my order. It had a thick, beautiful dark bark, and there’s almost no way the brisket I saw wasn’t delicious. I’d love to try Valentina’s other meat preparations.
A couple of weeks before heading to Louisville, I was not familiar with Edward Lee. After returning home, I realize Edward Lee basically planned my trip, and to good effect.
Lee is a well-known chef from Louisville. 610 Magnolia is his primary restaurant, though he has other interests in the area. When I started researching Louisville, I read about 610 Magnolia, went to its website, and found out that it’s open Wednesday-Sunday and serves only from a tasting menu. I immediately e-mailed for a reservation. No luck. I was asking about a Wednesday, so I had some hope. But I went about my trip planning, thinking a visit to 610 Magnolia might not pan out.
Later online, I found an interview Edward Lee did with Andrew Zimmern. The subject was what to do in Louisville. Lee recommended staying at Gralehaus, part of the Grales family. I looked into that, it seemed cool, so I booked it. Gralehaus was cool. I added the Beer Lover’s package to my room, and four unique beers awaited me in the mini-fridge when I checked in. The room was dark and smartly decorated. It looked down into the biergarten, but the biergarten wasn’t open on Tuesday night. The room had an old school tape deck with a drawer of tapes I had never heard of. The set up looked too inviting, so after checking in, I put one of the tapes on and listened with headphones to some cool music. Next, I needed to get out and walk around.
I headed toward the Big Four Bridge; this is a pedestrian bridge over the Ohio River that crosses into Indiana and is recommended by any what-to-do-in-Louisville feature. On the way, I passed Cave Hill Cemetery, where Muhammad Ali is buried. It looked inviting, and I wish I had a gone inside to take a look. It’s huge, and you could see all the paths and plentiful green space through the entrance. I kept walking toward the bridge. The walk was too long, probably two miles, but I think I just wanted to get out in the city and explore. It was at times pleasant and at times ill-advised. Pleasant: walking through tree-lined streets near North Campbell Street, looking at lovely old houses. Not pleasant: walking past a desolate rock-crushing plant near the soccer stadium; there were sprinklers running here to tamp down the dust. Nonetheless, I made it to the bridge and walked across.
bar Vetti pizza; the Big Four Bridge; Gralehaus
The bridge was cool, definitely worth doing. There are great views into Louisville and into Indiana. The University of Louisville women’s crew team was practicing below when I walked across. There were a lot of people on the bridge, but it didn’t feel crowded. My plan was to eat at bar Vetti after the bridge, but I was now tired of walking and sitting on the Indiana side.
I’ve lived within five minutes of the Taconazo taco truck on Fulton for about 13 years before I visited, which is sad. Because after going for the first time in July 2021, I have probably been back ten times in the last year. It is great.
The tacos are delicious and made while you wait. Every time I have been, there have been other customers waiting. On weekend nights, I have stood in a line maybe twenty deep; it doesn’t take too long, but the line’s presence guarantees you aren’t getting food that has been sitting around. The line also contributes to a collective anticipation of the food and maybe the evening. People are in good moods in this line.
The official name is Taqueria Taco Nazo Veracruz. Importantly, it’s cash only. I’ve seen another truck with the same logo of a sunglasses-wearing jalapeño lounging beside a palm tree while driving north on S. Sgt. Macario Garcia Drive after returning from golf at Gus Wortham. I haven’t been to the East End one yet.
