Urban Taco is a newer hip restaurant located in the Alamo Quarry. It’s a modern take on Mexican taqueria’s introducing fun twists to old favorites. I went during a beautiful day on lunch and it was pretty busy. I still got attended to right away and opted to sit inside, although they do have a very nice shaded patio area. I loved the buzz I got from inside, it had a hip, downtown feel to it.
Our service was very quick and friendly. They have a great lunch time special where you can get any two tacos on the menu with poblano green rice and black refried beans for $7.75. Unless it is a seafood taco, you need to pay one dollar more. Even with the lunch special comes the free yucca chips. They are so thin they look like fried corn husk’s and have a lime chile seasoning on them that is very fresh. I also opted for the chips and salsa trio. The chips are made in house, this is a secret fetish of mine. I love homemade, warm tortilla chips, especially with a little butter and hot salsa on them, but that is another tangent blog. The three salsa’s I got were the peanut habanero, the jalapeno zucchini, and the rooster pico (a crowd favorite that our waitress recommended). The peanut habanero is a must try for spicy food lovers. It has a wonderful sweet peanut flavor in the beginning, but since it is habanero, about a second later your mouth feels like it’s on fire. I could handle it in small doses with lots of glasses of water. On a side note, as a consumer I love it when server’s never let your glass get empty, and even with the seven glasses of water I had to have, my server kept up with me, on a very busy lunch hour. The rooster pico was a very run of the mill red sauce. It was very mild, and reminiscent of a black bean salsa. I could see why it was a favorite though, it’s a crowd pleaser, one of those salsa’s you couldn’t go wrong with. The jalapeno zucchini was hands down my favorite. So cool tasting and creamy, they went really well with both the yucca chips and the tortilla chips.
On my entree I loved the cilantro flavor but the way the rice was bland, it kind of tasted like rice o roni. I like a more fluffy rice. The black beans were really good. I am not sure if it was all natural. They top it with queso fresco, but they taste sinfully good, in only a way refried beans with lard can taste. I am lucky that my dining partner let me taste her taco’s too! I tried the Al Pastor it’s cooked rotisserie style and topped with roasted pineapple, salsa, onions, and cilantro. I loved the pineapple it in, went well with the chile rubbed pork in the taco. The meat could be a little more tender and juicy though. I also tried the Dos Equis Amber Barbacoa taco. The meat is braised in the beer along with other chile’s and topped with roasted corn and pickled red onions. Again, pairing something sweet with the taco. I loved this adventurous take on a classic taco, the meat was flavorful. Moving on the the Chicken Al Carbon, it’s a garlic mojo grilled chicken with a green salsa and topped with manchego cheese and pico de gallo. I loved the salsa on it. The chicken was dry to me though, but the salsa and the fresh tomato helped to mask it a little. The last taco I tried was a big step for me. It was the Pollo con Mole. I have not had any kind of mole since my Aunt Sandra and Uncle George’s wedding when I was in the fifth grade and I vividly remember getting sick in a bad way at the wedding. I had since sworn of mole. However, in the name of journalism I retracted that fear and jumped in the water. The clouds parted and the mole gods took pity and mercy on me with this taco. It was sweet, and creamy. I didn’t know that the presence of chocolate would be so palpable. It’s like a sweet old friend that creeps up next to you. If I knew that I would be greeted like that, I would have tried mole a long time ago.
One of the endearing things at the end of my meal was the tiny chicle's that they have at the front of the restaurant for the end of your meal. I love the mini familiar mexican gum, it was a sweet touch. So the question...will I go back. Yes, not only will I be back, but I am recommending this restaurant to my fellow Dallasonians. See you soon Urban Taco.
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