![]() It would make a fine location should Richard Linklater decide to film a sequel. But maybe they are content to borrow from an Austin film icon. A little consistency will be needed before Taco Flats is really ready to roll. On the first visit, it took an excruciatingly long time to get the check (despite an almost empty dining room). The elotes had a bit of the silk left on, foil was slapdashed on metal trays, and the chicken only lived on one side of the panchos. It's often said that a good salad is the mark of a good kitchen, and some of the mistakes seemed to indicate an occasional lack of care rather than a fundamental crack in the system. A place called Taco Flats should know its way around queso (free with the order of two tacos), but who would have thought a simply dressed salad – the Daily Greens ($7) – would be able to impress? The best dishes were a bit of a surprise. Elote asado ($3.50) was fine, but could have used a bit of smoke or spice. Somewhat miraculously, the house-made chips kept their crisp through the entire meal – even after being loaded with refried beans, guacamole, pico, and a healthy dollop of escabeche. Panchos ($13 with chicken), nachos by any other name, were far more successful. It was something like sprinkling Twang on sashimi. A heady squirt of lime amplified the aioli tang, sharpened further by the liberal use of habanero sea salt. Aggressive flavors masked any seafood sweetness in the tostadas de atun (market price of $17 on our visit). We found mixed offerings in the appetizer section as well. Jicama "tortillas" are also available, should one be dietarily inclined. Regardless of filling, both the scratch flour and corn tortillas are a great foundation. The brunch options stand out too, with a more than respectable migas taco ($4.50) and the earthy Mister Popeye ($4) – fried egg with avocado, pico, and spinach, natch. ![]() The barbacoa's ($5) tongue lends fat to the leaner cheek, giving it uncommon tenderness. The carne asada's ($5) grilled jalapeño gives some oomph to fajita beef, while thinly sliced radishes give just enough tooth to the carnitas. That vapidity also infected the El Hippie ($4), where a smear of black bean was not enough to ground the briny escabeche.īut other tacos did strike the right balance. The pork was right, retaining just enough gentle chew but the tiny bits of pineapple were raw, robbing the taco of the classic caramelized foil. One would swear it was sweet potato had it any flavor. ![]() Cooked down to a granulated mush, it appeared as if the rice had been run through a ricer. The Mexican rice, however, required a few exploratory pokes of the fork. The mole component was appropriately dusky, although a bit of spice would have been welcome. The chicken mole ($5) was downright confounding. As with the motto, the tacos don't always have first billing. Is it fast casual? A sports bar? A neighborhood haunt? A Xeroxed fanzine of all three? At a good taco joint, all that discord really wouldn't matter.īut the motto printed on the door invites customers to "come for the beer, stay for the tacos." Certainly, the large and thoughtfully local selection on tap is no joke, and the bar program also delivers with a tequila- and mezcal-heavy mix. Nervously, the entire operation seems to be searching for identity. The server asked us to open a tab before ordering on a lunch visit, an odd touch for a full-service restaurant. That's fine at the bar, but awkward in the bank of banquettes, where cocktail tables literally bar you from your dining companions but keep you focused on SportsCenter. It's all designed to scream, "We're laid-back."īut the seating seems more geared toward last-call slumps than midday lounging. There's shuffleboard and reclaimed barn wood and beer signs. The Fifties continue with fiberglass parchment fixtures, ahistorically oversized and the dining room's only real point of interest. The entry features a taxidermy javelina and the type of Naugahyde dude-ranch sofa that midcentury Better Homes and Gardens would have recommended for your rumpus room. The restaurant website's wistful "about" section says, "No one ever said Austin had to be shiny and new to be attractive," but that's just what Taco Flats delivers – even if there's plenty of vintage simulacra in the decor. Yes, batons and blessings have been passed, but naming a sparkling renovation of a plumbing supply after the dive still feels a little hollow.
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