Taco and Mexican Food Reviews

70

By dboz

Review: Polvo's - Austin, TX

South 1st street in the ATX: Taco Row, The Isle of Mex, whatever you wanna call it, you could slip on an enchilada and fall into basket of tacos one step off the sidewalk. This is where the taco obsession started for me, my taco homeland. I used to work in an office at Monroe and South 1st.. come lunch time every day, we would choose the next restaurant in line.. El Mercado, Jovita's, Little Mexico, La Reyna, La Mexicana Bakery, Aranada's #5, and of course, Polvo's...

Polvo's is about a "South Austin" as you can get.. Its not overly-trendy by any means.. it is real. The decor is funky and colorful.. the patio is always crowded and the wait staff is laid back and helpful. Its where the real Austinites go to eat. Its a great place to have some drinks, you'll probably run in to an old friend and see a semi-famous Austinite or two there as well. The food is not tex-mex, rather, it is mostly authentic central mexican dishes, they are known for their fish tacos. Oh and by the way - Polvo is spanish for Octopus!

The salsa bar is there right when you walk inside, a round ice trough with 4 or 5 fresh salsas there for the tasting. Grab a bowl and see how many varieties you can carry back to your table without having an accident. My favorite is the dark red roaste ancho salsa.. its the perfect amount of tangy-spicy-ness. don't forget to try the free escebeche... pickled carrots and jalapenos...tasty.

On this particular day, I was in the mood to sample some new stuff. I decided to order 3 different tacos..one beef fajita, a chicken mole, and a pastor taco with rice and beans to complete the meal. My runnin pardner, Cabeza, ordered the fish encholadas with the cartuja pipien sauce, which is a rich almond creme sauce that I have sampled in the past.. Its an amazing sauce that you have to try to understand.

Food came. My tacos looked beautiful, large, and steaming hot. The homemade corn tortillas were everything they should be, dense and strong enough to survive a large amount of fillings without cracking or getting too soggy. they are damn near perfect in that they dont distract you from the taco fillings. I went for the chicken mole taco. It was tasty, with shredded chicken and a generous amount of mole sauce drizzled on top. I keep trying mole in this town and I am always led back to Curra's.. if you dig mole - its my hands down favorite. Polvo's mole was respectable, but not worthy of much praise from Chappy.

The highlight of my taco triage was most certainly the beef fajita.. it was amazing.. the beef was marinated and cooked to perfection.. tender and exploding with flavor.. the grilled pablano peppers mixed in were a pleasant counterpart to the beef. I was having a taste bud oragasm eating this taco. I was not expecting this at all.. most the time the beef fajita meat is a standard afterthought, but here, and in the late afternoon no less, the beef fajita was the shining light of taco beauty that made Chappy want to die and ascend into the the heavens while eating on the last bite. I'm not kidding.

Cabeza's fish enchiladas where a very respectable runner up to the beef fajita taco. FYI - a past highlight of the menu has been the exotic tacos - where you can get the aforementioned Almond Creme Sauce on an open face tortilla with your choice of meat.. its cheap and huge - 1 taco is enough for a meal. All in all, a great Polvo's experience. Another reason why I love this town. There are endless opportunities for fearless taco explorers to roam the streets in search of mexi-perfection. On this day, I succeeded.

Polvo's Mexican Restaurant 2004 S 1st St (Cross Street: W Johanna Street) Austin, TX 78704 View Map (512) 441-5446

The Score: Food: 9 (quality across the board) Salsa: 8 (great salsas - good variety) Tortillas: 8(perfect corn, standard flour) Price: 8 (cheap meal) Service: 7 (sometimes slow, but always friendly)

total: 80%

Taco Town Blog

  • Pigpen’s Quetzalcoatl Chicken Enchiladas

    Editor’s note: Please welcome our newest contributor to the friendly confines of TacoTown.  Pigpen has graciously opened his family’s culinary vaults to share this recipe for Chicken Enchiladas – you Texan readers may notice that he uses flour tortillas instead of corn- it yields a bigger enchilada- more akin to a smothered burrito…but tasty nonetheless…Onto [...] Editor’s note: Please welcome our newest contributor to the friendly confines of TacoTown.  Pigpen has graciously opened his family’s culinary vaults to share this recipe for Chicken Enchiladas – you Texan readers may notice that he uses flour tortillas instead of corn- it yields a bigger enchilada- more akin to a smothered burrito…but tasty nonetheless…Onto the recipe >> Ingredients: Your drink of choice! (for you, not the enchiladas) 2 tablespoons butter ¼ cup all purpose flour 2 ½ cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon dried coriander 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese 4 boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and chopped ½ cup cilantro ½ tablespoon dried cumin 1 lime Kosher salt 1 tablespoon minced garlic Fresh ground black pepper Light cream cheese 8 flour tortillas   Preparing the Chicken Marinade: Use a marinade dish for the following items. Roll the lime on kitchen counter to soften; cut in half and squeeze on chicken. Sprinkle kosher salt, cumin, minced garlic, and black pepper over chicken breast (about ½ tablespoon each) and half of the cilantro. Repeat for other side. Cover and place in fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.  I recommend cooking the chicken over charcoal as it gives the finished product a distinctive flavor that gas cannot duplicate. Making the Sauce: Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the chicken broth smoothing the sauce with a wire whisk as you pour and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in coriander and half of the green chiles and simmer. Remember to stir the sauce frequently if you are not using it immediately. Making the Enchiladas: In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped chicken, Monterey Jack cheese and remaining green chiles. Spread a little cream cheese on a tortilla and spoon ¼ cup of the chicken mixture into the center of the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in an ungreased baking dish, repeat until you’re out of chicken!! Pour the sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese down the center of the enchiladas. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven, plate, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and maybe a side of rice & beans, a salad, or tequila.  Enjoy!!  

  • About Chappy’s Green Salsa

    Conceived by entrepreneur and music industry mogul Lon Bozarth and perfected by his twin boys Evan and Dustin Bozarth, Chappy’s Original Green Salsa is a tangy mix of roasted green tomatillos, serrano peppers and a few treasured pickled carrots. The recipe is deceptively simple, yet the results are a complex and addictive addictive blend that [...] Conceived by entrepreneur and music industry mogul Lon Bozarth and perfected by his twin boys Evan and Dustin Bozarth, Chappy’s Original Green Salsa is a tangy mix of roasted green tomatillos, serrano peppers and a few treasured pickled carrots. The recipe is deceptively simple, yet the results are a complex and addictive addictive blend that goes well on anything from tacos to chili to scrambled eggs to White Castle burgers. Awards and Accolades CHAPPY’S Original Green Salsa was awarded honorable mention in the Individual Green Sauce division of the 2009 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. This was the 2nd honorable mention award in 4 years of competing at The Chronicle Fest, to go along with two 1st place champion awards at the famous Joby’s Hot Sauce Contest. More awards are sure to follow for this timeless and universally loved salsa. Music in the Kitchen: Favorite Recipes from Austin City Limits Performers Chappy’s Gets Published When Austin salsa music legends, Beto and the Fairlanes, were asked to submit a recipe for the newly released “Music in the Kitchen: Favorite Recipes from Austin City Limits Performers”, they of course chose the best salsa in Austin –  Chappy’s Green Salsa!  Thanks Beto!  It has been a huge honor to be included in the book– Other recipes include My Morning Jacket’s “Quinoa Eggs with Cheese, Please!”, Willie Nelson’s “Willie’s Tequila-Mango Salsa”, and Joss Stone’s “Veggie Lasagna.” You’ll find the recipe for Beto’s favorite – our famous green salsa on page 25.. [amazon link] The Future While Chappy’s Original Green salsa is not being commercially bottled at the moment, the Bozarths are using it’s unique appeal in other ways.  Under the umbrella of their boutique design shop AIRSHP, Evan Bozarth is designing a unique packaging for Chappy’s.  The handcrafted jars will be used to promote AIRSHP’s design and branding capabilities, while offering the friends and clients a delicious calling card and something to share with their loved ones.  it’s the gift that keeps on giving.  If you’re dying to get your hands on some Chappy’s Green Salsa, we suggest getting in touch with AIRSHP…Who knows, you may even strike up a working relationship along the way

  • Linked: 30 Tacos – 30 Days: A Gallery from Austin360

    a nice assortment of Austin, TX tacos Warning: do not click this link if you are hungry. a nice assortment of Austin, TX tacos Warning: do not click this link if you are hungry.

  • Tacos Villa Corona – Los Angeles

    Thanks to Chris Dye for this guest post from the mean streets of Hell-EH! This spot in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, “Tacos Villa Corona” is one of my favorite taco joints, it is also the favorite of many Los Angelenos and because of it’s meatless menu it serves a wide variety of people. My favorite [...] Thanks to Chris Dye for this guest post from the mean streets of Hell-EH! This spot in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, “Tacos Villa Corona” is one of my favorite taco joints, it is also the favorite of many Los Angelenos and because of it’s meatless menu it serves a wide variety of people. My favorite is the standard Asada Taco (Steak) their home made hot sauce is kickin’ and it is simply served with cilantro and white onion. My second would be the Papas Tacos (Potato) and I would have to say this is probably their best seller, not many places serve this and it is very popular. If you are in Los Angeles and get a chance to stop by “Tacos Villa Corona” you will not be disappointed and the prison art is only $25.00.. more photos after the jump! and be sure to check out Chris Dye’s music – he is a super talented songwriter and performer from LA who now lives in Lockhart, TX – home of the Purple Bee Crew..

  • Robb Walsh Makes Taco Truck Salsa

    Longtime Houston food critic, author, and salsa pioneer, Robb Walsh, skips all the roasting and hard labor involved in some salsas and shows us how the taco trucks do it – quick and simple, with a few fresh ingredients thrown into the blender.. oh and by the way: Robb has a new book out called [...] Longtime Houston food critic, author, and salsa pioneer, Robb Walsh, skips all the roasting and hard labor involved in some salsas and shows us how the taco trucks do it – quick and simple, with a few fresh ingredients thrown into the blender.. oh and by the way: Robb has a new book out called The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook.. Be sure to check it out!

Taco Shots

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