Torchy's Tacos

While surfing the 'net I saw that an Austin eatery that I’d heard about had opened a branch in Dallas, so I had to find out if this transplant would hold. With a line out the door late on a Saturday morning, I figured Torchy’s Tacos had to be in my growing list of go-to taco joints even before taking the first bite.

It’s not easy to find Torchy’s Tacos – it’s fittingly located behind Potbelly’s in the northwest corner of the Preston Forest shopping center. The tacos have catchy newsworthy names – like Trailer Park, Mr. Pink and Democrat and Republican. And with five different sauces from which to choose, the salsa can be as hot or not as you’d like it – Diablo, tomatillo, roja, poblano and chipotle.

There are two breakfast taco offerings – the Monk Special and Migas – as well as the build-your-own breakfast.  The migas are an authentic take on the traditional Mexican egg dish and the eggs are perfectly scrambled – nowhere near the overcooked hard side.  And the Monk adds bacon for a special crunch.

Torchy’s also features a “taco of the month.”  A recent choice was the newsy “DamnBP” - grilled shrimp, cooked cabbage slaw, pickled onions, jalepenos, mango, queso fresco, cilantro, and jalapeno tartar sauce – yummy and 20 percent goes to a fund benefitting Gulf fishermen unable to fish due to the oil spill.  So, you can do your bit to help the fishermen and have a good meal to boot.

The Democrat and the Republican are both likeable – a claim that can't always be made for the meal's political counterparts. The Democrat is filled with shedded beef barbacoa and onions with avocado, cheese and green salsa with fresh cilantro and lime on a corn tortilla, while the Republican has sausage, cheese, pico de gallo and poblano ranch sauce on a flour tortilla.

Top off your meal with dessert.  Torchy’s serves a brownie or deep fried chocolate chip cookies. They call them little nookies – a real Texas treat – and a taste of the State Fair of Texas you can have 365 days a year – not just in September.

HelloDallas tip: the T-Shirts ($15) the staff wears at Torchy's Tacos would make a great souvenir - even if you live around the corner.

- by Constance Hannon, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Constance Hannon

Connie Hannon is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas. She is a native Texan and has lived in Dallas and Washington, D.C. for the majority of her life. Connie graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and received her masters in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. She was a staffer on Capitol Hill and worked in CNN’s Washington Bureau, and with most of the television stations in the Dallas market.