Oct
30
2009
El Potro – Mounted Police
By Taco Show Host
and has 3 comments.
| 1401 Rodd Field Rd. Corpus Christi, TX 78412 361-986-1028 Sun-Thu, 6:00am–10:00pm Fri-Sat, 6:00am–11:00pm www.elpotro.cc |
(Ian: Red, Kevin: Green)
| Tacotopia’s headquarters are in Downtown Corpus Christi, a once thriving heart of the city that has atrophied but continues to sustain its extremities. Most of the taco joints we visit are down here because they’re the places we drive by and see when we’re going about our day to day activities. Accusations have been made from some quarters that we focus too much on downtown, that we should look further to the North and West, and also to the South where most of the growth and prosperity seems to have taken place. We love downtown, but not to the exclusion of the rest of the city so today we packed a bag and headed down to Rodd Field off S.P.I.D. (that’s South Padre Island Drive for you folk outside of the tacotopia border) to a charming place called El Potro. The Hat and I were accompanied by my stepson Matt, who has considerable experience with the taco, and who suggested this taqueria to us. He was up and out the door by 6:15 to make the half hour drive to the outlands with me and made no peep about it being too early, truly a dedicated tacoteur. |
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It was a bit out of our normal AO. As I headed south, I couldn’t help but marvel at the line of traffic heading north to downtown. There was hardly any traffic going my way so I began to wonder if I was heading toward some disaster that everyone else knew about and was hastily avoiding. I’d been to El Potro before several times so it was easy enough to find. Ian and the young man were already there and waiting on me. The place was bright, clean, and thanks to the guys for saving me a spot at the table with my back away from the door. I guess it’s a fairly common neurosis, but I get a hinkey feeling with my back to the door. I felt safer knowing I would see any would-be maniac hell-bent on ruining my breakfast. I didn’t realize that we were probably in the safest place in the city. |
| Safe is right, Kevin, unless you have a life threatening taco allergy or a warrant out for your arrest. The place was crawling with police, and that is typically a good sign. Cops like to eat, and they have evolutionary pressure to consume constantly while they are on the job just like a shark. If the tacos weren’t there we might have been their next meal. El Potro means colt in Spanish, but I couldn’t find any horseflesh on the menu. The place was bright and clean as is with so many of the businesses constructed since the turn of the century, or more to the point, constructed since the last world war – which stands in stark contrast with many of the structures downtown. |
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OK Ian, I agree that downtown has places that are not bright and clean. But I think you can make the case that things are happening DTown. This week saw an art walk, and a street festival on Starr street. House of Rock continues to have a variety of music at their exceptional venue. And while I’m playing shill for DTown, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Lomax Compound for serving up great food, beer, and coffee. (Not to mention housing a really good graphics shop). Seems I remember reading something about loft apartments selling up on the bluff, too. I’m optimistic. I have to agree with you on the whole cops-as-evidence-for-good-food – not to mention the stray probation officer. Here’s a shout out to F.G. We definetly were in a good position for an emergency. Just out of the line of fire between what must be a table reserved for the boys in blue and the doorway. We joked that “This place should sell donuts!” And what did we see?
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| Donuts of course, but after a couple of their tacos there was precious little room for desert. I got the standard chorizo & egg, and carne guisada taquitos and I’ve to say they were both excellent. The chorizo and egg hit me like a billy club to the face, one might call it chorizo brutality. The flavor subdued me. It needed no salt or salsa. The carne guisada on the other hand took a much more subtle approach. The flavor in carne g is usually in the sauce but this was all about the beef, which provided not only the texture but all of the taste. For me it needed some salt and salsa but this allowed me to regulate the degree, most times you don’t get any choice. |
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Speaking of chorizo, I took a different tack than usual. Normally I go for something out of the ordinary and usually off the menu. But after months of watching you get all the chorizo, I couldn’t stand it. I’ve been thinking about a place that used to be in Kingsville, La Siesta. We would go in there for a late breakfast on occasion and order the chorizo and papas platter. This stuff was the stuff of legends. You had to eat quickly or it would jump off your plate and attack your napkin, the tablecloth, or any other textile within range, leaving a sinister orange stain as evidence of assault. (Here, long after the fact, sitting at a keyboard, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.) That was my inspiration for one of my tacos this morning. The other, was a regular for me, the chicharrone con huevos. Both tacos were on flour torts and were excellent. (No handmade corn tarpoleans at El Potro.) The aspiring tacoteurs out there would appreciate the chicharrone taco. Served a la mexicana – it was a jumbo-stuffed beauty. The chicharrones had just the right bite. I’d say it could have used a bit more of the pig skin, but really it was delicious. The chorizo and papas really brought back the memories of those college days at Taco Tech. When I opened the taco to take a look, the slightly vinegary aroma rushed out at my face as if trying to give me a kiss. You’re right about not needing anything, but I had to try the salsa and it was terrific. It had a smokey, almost chipotle taste to it. Very fresh. For those missing out on the tripas, or barbacoa review, it was a good thing my tacos were excellent. Otherwise I would have had a case of taco envy. Across the table, Matthew had ordered the tripas and a barbacoa. At his first bite, I heard the crunch of very crispy tripas. He reported that they were “very good” and that the barbacoa was “pretty good”.
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| Yes, Matthew is succinct. All in all I could find nothing wrong with anything. Even their tortillas, which seemed to lack any real texture were hot, fresh and complementary to their imprisoned filling. All of this served up by a pretty waitress who could have easily been dressed up for Halloween as an 80’s witch, complete with blue eyeshadow and what I thought at first was a collar but I guess was a choker. We didn’t see the bottom of a coffee cup while we were there. I guess that about wraps it up for this fall behind edition of Tacotopia, and welcome to the new our new home at Tacotopia.net. Keep those taco tips coming in |
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Happy Halloween all. May the Great Pumpkin find your pumpkin patch to be the most sincere and rise up from within and deliver toys to the true believers. Salud.
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I know – last week with the tinfoil hat paranoia and this week with the paranormal. I can assure you I’m not crazy (of course that’s what any crazy person says). I do, however, appreciate some good juxtaposition and weirdness. Like the other day when I was driving by the Municipal Court and a guy was sitting on the bench with a full blown campfire next to him – on the bench! Taqueria Alteño had it’s own strangeness going on – and I liked it. There were elephants all along one wall, and roosters on the other. The elephants faced the door, the roosters faced the elephants. I looked it up and their trunks were pointing up which is an American superstition, perhaps related to the Irish idea of the horseshoe needing to point up to keep the luck from running out. And then I notice – the Del Mar East campus is shaped like a horseshoe, right over where my mother lived. Once we all arrived we noticed the tejano music turn to middle eastern. I suspect the strangeness is only beginning and that by the time we get back from the renfest we’ll be able to give the LHC a run for it’s money in tearing apart the fabric of reality.
