Day 9 - SXSWhat?

Breakfast - I had to get up super early to make it down to Rainey Street for an 8AM call. Orlando was scooping Caleb, Joseph, and I at 7:30AM, so we had to get moving early if we wanted tacos. During the night I sold a $500 piece of exercise equipment on my eBay store, so I decided to treat the fellas to a bag of tacos. I walked across the highway to my favorite taco lady and purchased 8 ham, egg & cheese tacos. I nearly finished both of mine before I remembered to snap a photo.

Lunch - Art of Tacos was the only taco choice for lunch. There is a large food truck lot on Rainey however, many of the trucks were closed for lunch. The wait was long for my two chicken fajita tacos, and it wasn't worth it. Despite the numerous awards for "Best Tacos in Austin," it seemed less like art and more like a 6th grader's art project. Unheated flour tortillas filled with boiled chicken, vert little seasoning and gigantic hunks of raw onion. SAD.

Dinner - We got off the job site late, around 7:30PM. It was just enough time for Caleb and I to head back to my apartment, clean up and get going to Sam's Town Point for the Lew Card, Lucas Hudgins and Silo Road show. It was a freakin' blast. The whole gang was there and we drank the bar dry.

Day 8 - International Women's Day of Tacos

Breakfast - My wonderful friend, Mandy Rowden needed a ride to the airport and I saw an opportunity to score some free tacos. I offered a ride for two ham & cheese tacos and I even carried her luggage to the car, it was after all International Women's Day. We stopped at my favorite Taco Lady's food truck and got loaded up.

Mandy is an amazing singer/songwriter and the founder of Girl Guitar in Austin and Nashville. She was flying out to teach some classes at the Nashville location, and I was happy that she was happy with our taco selection. Mandy was less impressed with my poor Spanish skills.

Lunch - I had a tortilla wrap and a cookie at the phone bank to inform people about HB 577. Last year we passed Fair Chance Hiring in Austin. Fair Chance Hiring delays the question of a criminal background until later in the hiring process. Once the final candidates are identified, the employer can ask about an applicants conviction history. Well the Texas legislature want to stop other municipalities from passing their own Fair Chance Hiring legislation. House Bill 577, sponsored by Paul Workman, will prevent any other city like, Houston, Dallas, San Marcos or San Antonio from passing similar legislation. Eleven million Texas residents have a criminal record, and could benefit from Fair Chance Hiring laws. Without it, after checking the box on the application, many applicants are tossed aside and not given a chance to work. For more info go to www.fairchancetx.com

Dinner - I left the Travis County Democratic Party Austin headquarters and headed to the Hole in the Wall near the UT campus. My buddy, Lew Card was playing and a bunch of Horseshoe Refugees were bound to be there.

After the show I headed next door to the taco place that will remain unnamed. They were closed. I hate that place, it never seems to have consistent hours of operation. So because I was starving, I convinced myself that Verts was a Mediterranean version of a taco.

I choose the Beef & Lamb pita. I added cucumbers, hummus and snagged a Topo Chico to-go.

Late Night Snack -  This taco may have put me over the 4 taco limit, but it was worth it. Caleb was staying over and while heading back from Waco and mentioned he was stopping at the taco truck behind my apartment building to grab a few tacos for himself. I asked for a small favor, one bean and cheese taco. It was delicious. Although the hours for her taco truck are erratic the tacos aren't. She uses quality ingredients and she cares about the customers. On numerous occasions she has asked me if I like the taste of her food. I do, and that is why I constantly go back to Al-Takear.

Day 7 - Lunch Meeting at a Burger Joint

Lunch - I got a late start to the day, and before I could even get breakfast Bryan Nelson of Austrslian Cattle God Records asked to meet for lunch at Casino el Camino to discuss upcoming SXSW events. I obliged him, but I knew I was walking into a non-taco trap. Casino el Camino is famous for their burgers and dogs, not tacos. It is also a fact that they don't even have tortillas on the premises, I asked. So I went with the american version of the taco, a hotdog.

Bryan happily munched on his amazing looking burger and wings, and I threw down a Brooklyn Dog with a side of fries. Business is business, and sometimes compromise is necessary or you can end up looking like a crazy person demanding tacos at a burger restaurant. What I'm saying is the hot dog was good.

Dinner - The rest of the day was a blur. I ran a few errands and stopped into a few thrift stores. As I was heading back to the abode I made a "Run to the Border," at Taco Bell. A Double Decker Taco Supreme and a Hard Taco were a disaplined choice. I asked if they had any Choco-Tacos, and they responded like I was a crazy person. 

Fire sauce is the only choice for Taco Bell salsa. Two packs per taco, and these bad boys didn't last long. It was inevitable that Taco Bell was going to be a stop during the Forty Days of Tacos, but I really though it would take me longer than a week to get around to it. I dread the trip to Taco Cabana in my future.

Snack - I ate a green apple.

Day 6 - The Early Bird Gets the Taco

Breakfast - Although I had a noon call for the event load out, I still had to make sure everyone else got up and out of the house. Alarms were set for 7AM, 9:30AM and 11AM(mine). After hitting snooze a few times I arose, cleaned up and headed out looking for a place for tacos on the way to the hotel. The Taco Joint was not a mirage, and I stopped in to start the day.

I got a bean and cheese and a brisket taco. Because it was after 11AM they had stopped serving breakfast tacos. This news came to me at the counter and quite a cue was developing behind me, so I panicked and made a hasty order. The bean and cheese was off the kids menu, and since all the "lunch" tacos had clever names and complicated description I picked the first one I saw, the brisket taco. The bean and cheese was fine, and the brisket was sweet and filling. The star of this meal was the jalapeño ranch dressing. 

Lunch - Corner Bakery Burrito

Sometimes you can't control a company provided lunch. During load out we were sent a menu and told to text our orders for Corner Bakery. I was worried about the selection, or lack of tacos. I ordered a "Trio." It consisted of a cup of soup, fresh fruit bowl, and hummus. I assumed it would come with some pita bread and I would be able to taco up my lunch. Well, the crew chief called an audible and got me the cousin of the taco, a burrito. Not bad, but my stomach must have shrunk because I couldn't finish it.

Dinner - I had so much guilt from the burrito that I abstained from dinner. I also had "whole bag of gummi worm guilt," from the drive back to Austin from Dallas.

Day 5 - Only Two Tacos

Waking up in Dallas early on a Sunday morning is tough for a taco eater like me. Every viable taco retailer was set to open, "soon." So Caleb and I headed to our early morning call at the Marriot City Center to start work.

LUNCH - The crew broke for lunch around 2:00PM, and we headed to Deep Ellum to find some grub. I'm not one to force my beliefs on anyone else, so I didn't insist on a taco joint. We were split into two cars, and before I could park we had received a text that the other group had settled on a Ramen restaurant. I was a little worried. To my delight the menu had a variety of "Buns" available. Pork Belly, Shrimp, something else and Soft Shell Crab.

I ordered the Soft Shell Crab Buns. They were delicious. Surprisingly I completely forgot to eat anything else for the rest of the night. After we finished the event build, Caleb and I retreated to our crash pad to get cleaned up. Upon arriving at the house Caleb remembered that he needed a black shirt for the Monday morning event, and I needed a snazzier shirt for the SIXX A.M. Concert we got VIP tickets for at the Bomb Factory. So off to Ross we went.

The show was terrible, but a great chance to hang out with the other crew, and a good friend of mine, Aleisha. We enjoyed complimentary bevs and did a little dancing. Later in the night it was reported that I made some serious advances on Aleisha. I'm not sure if she said, "yes."

Day 4 - Hybrid BBQ Taco Day

All I had to do was pack some items, get them to the post office, feed Claudia's cats and get on the road to be in Waco by noon. After hitting the snooze button about seven times I finally woke up at 11AM. Waking up so late caused quite a bit of anxiety because I feared that a breakfast taco would be out of the question.

Breakfast - Breakfast was never really out of the question... Because I forgot my suitcase at my apartment, I was able to seize the opportunity to stop and see my favorite taco lady. A non-descript olive green truck in the American Fuel gas station parking lot on the corner of S.1st and Ben White is home to some of the best tacos in town. I love this lady. We are barely able to communicate, and she begrudging tolerates my broken Spanish.

The menu is simple, tacos, quesadillas, gorditas and tortas. What makes her tacos so good are the homemade corn tortillas. Today I went with flour however, not by choice, but because she was really busy. I care about my taco lady.

I ordered one ham, egg and cheese with one salsa verde and I hit the road north. Traffic was heavy, so I enjoyed the taco while driving.

Lunch - With rain and traffic it took nearly two hours to get to Waco. I arrived at Bare Arms Brewing and headed over to my friend, Reid's BBQ trailer. 

Guess Family BBQ opened up in mid-January and has already drawn quite a following. Reid has the best meat in town, and don't sleep on the sides. After explaining why I had a bag of tortillas in my hand, Reid told me to go in the brewery tasting room, and he would bring me some BBQ tacos. He did not disappoint.

Two brisket tacos, a sausage and a bean and grits taco with fixings.

Dinner - I had a breakfast taco and three  tacos from Guess Family BBQ, so I was at my four taco limit. When I started this taco quest I had thought about bumping the taco allotment to five on the weekends. So guess what, I bumped it up to five.

It wasn't hard to find a late night taco joint in Dallas. La Banqueta was packed, they were so busy on a Saturday night that they needed a parking attendant. The tacos are mini-taco size and the price was right, $1.25. I got a Suendero and a Chorizo taco. They were delicious. 

Caleb got three pastor tacos. We washed them down with some horchata and headed back to the crash pad to get some rest before our load-in the next morning!

Day 3 - Independence Day Hangover

Day 3 - The Amplify Austin shoot and the Silo Road show put a hurtin' on my old bones. I slept through breakfast, and around 2ish I reluctantly got up, packed my shipments, and headed to the post office.

Lunch - After the post office drop my only chore left for the day was a visit to my friend Claudia's house to feed her cats. En route to her apartment is a Torchy's Taco, the one made famous by the former POTUS. I grabbed a Migas and a fried avocado to-go. More on these soon...

Dinner - After a five hour nap with the cats I headed home. For dinner I wanted something fusiony some I choose Chi'lantro. I got the tofu tacos with kimch and bacon. More details soon...

Day 2 - Skipping Breakfast to Maximize Lunch and Dinner

Day 2 - I was super busy in the morning, I brewed a pot of coffee, packed up my orders for Bigjilm's Pickin' Paradise, and ran to the Social Security office to request a replacement card. I skipped breakfast. This wasn't by design, I fully intended to visit my favorite taco lady, but her trailer was gone. I rushed into the gas station when she is normally parked to inquire as to what they had done with her. They assured me that she would be back on Friday, she was getting her food truck inspected. So I went off to the Social Security office without a breakfast taco.

LUNCH - After returning home from the SS office it was time for lunch. I parked my car and walked across the parking lot to the taco truck behind my apartment building, A-Takear. The daily special was 5 mini tacos, but it included a side of rice and beans and I didn't think that was within my rules. I passed on the special, and instead ordered two chicken fajita tacos. I asked for the onions to be cooked because I was going to work on the live show for Amplify Austin, and didn't want raw onion breath. I order from this truck often, it's about 100 yards from my apartment, and it's always good. The husband and wife that run the cart are super sweet, and it's been great getting to know them and enjoying their cooking. I took the tacos to-go and ate them in my apartment and took a brief nap before heading to the Austin Public studios. A squeeze of lime and the green salsa, and these babies were history.

DINNER - After the live show I was ready to eat, but I needed to drop off my rent check. As I was driving to my landlord's house I decided to stop at a local drive through taco shop, El Taccorido. They recently changed the flow of the drive thru and I can't seem to get it through my head that I'm supposed to order at the window now. I sat idling at the sign for about 5 mins waiting patiently until I remembered I'm an idiot who can't learn new things. I pulled to the window and ordered my final two tacos of the night, two chicken fajita tacos. I ate one in the car and saved the other as a late night snack. I knew I would want a late-night nibble after attending the Silo Road show at The Continental Club to celebrate Texas Independence Day. The taco was delightful, and their green salsa has a surprising kick. I don't think I've ever been disappointed with a dry lime, and the mix of wonderfully marinated chicken with the onions, cilantro, salsa and lime was like a mariachi band playing a private show for my taste buds. I nuke'd the second taco around 2AM and promptly passed out on the couch. Until Day 3...

Day 1 - Ash Wednesday

I made a decision to switch it up this year for Lent. I was raised Catholic, and each year the decision to give something up for Lent was a tough negotiation with my faith. I would try and pick something significant, a worthy sacrifice, and yet obtainable as a 40-day goal. Quitting smoking, not cursing, abstaining from sugary treats, I never made it 40 days. Some years I would choose to give up something that I shouldn't do in the first place, like driving the wrong way down a one-way. This was a cop out, and would probably anger the gods with my attempts of circumventing the rules.

So it's time to change the rules. Instead of "giving up something," I will make a "commitment to something." A commitment to something bigger than me, tacos. For the 40 days of Lent I will commit myself to tacos like I've never done before. Each day I will eat only tacos. If it fits in a tortilla, I'll eat it. The only rule I've made is a limit of four tacos per day. Each regular sized taco(hard or soft) will count as one, an order of 5 mini tacos will count as 2 regular tacos, and because I will be working at The Liberty during SXSW I have worked in a way to allow for Pork Buns from East Side Kings. Each pork bun will count as a taco, just an Asian fusion version.

Day 1: BREAKFAST - I started the day with a taco from Live Oak Market on Manchaca. I grabbed a large coffee and a sausage egg and cheese taco. I neglected to snap a photo because I was running late to take a friend to lay some eggs at the fertility clinic, she was on a fast and I didn't want to eat in front of her. The tacos at Live Oak Market are made en mass each morning in various flavors: bacon, egg and cheese; sausage, egg and cheese; bean,egg and cheese; and cactus, egg and cheese. The delightful part of the sausage egg and cheese is the summer sausage they use, that I always forget about.  There is just something magical about the eggs they use for these tacos. They are fluffy, buttery, and have a sweet finish. Topped with their house made green salsa this taco is a true champion of breakfast tacos, even if pre-made. (Look for future posts for a picture)

LUNCH - I knew my friend would be hungry after her appointment so I waited until I scooped her to grab a lunch taco. We visited a favorite spot of mine on S. Lamar, Papalote. We called in an order to-go and picked up our order on our way back to my friends house. I decided to go with a reliable choice, the Alambres taco. Grilled steak, bacon, poblano peppers, onions and avocado make this a home-run choice for a satisfying lunch break. Paired with a Topo Chico agua mineral and the orange house-made salsa I was in heaven.  I also failed to take a picture, I remembered as I was chewing the last bite, please forgive me.

DINNER - I linked up with a buddy for a sit down dinner at La Mexicana Bakery on S. 1st Street. I had the opportunity to order my final two tacos of the day, and it was hard to resist ordering a piece of tres leches cake tambien. I ordered two chicken fajita tacos, my buddy ordered two breakfast tacos and a quesadilla. My tacos arrived and I was very proud of my choice. The chicken was flavorful, and the poblano peppers and onions were crisp and fresh. I pilled on two of the hotter salsas and liberaly applied some squeezes of lime. Once again, I failed to snap a picture, but a return trip is bound to happen soon. I must admit that I may have broken the rules on day one, but nobody can resist a freshly made churro. As we were leaving they were pulling these strange looking sticks of fried heaven out of the fryer, and we placed an order for two churros to-go. They didn't make it to the car. Again, no picture, but I promise to return again soon.