(Michael Danser/The Daily Campus)
They’re becoming a favorite for those craving Mexican food, a quick dinner or a solution to Saturday morning’s headache: tacos. They’ve gotten so popular that Oct. 4 has been designated National Taco Day.
SMU students can conveniently take part in the trendy tacos on the northeast corner of University Avenue and Greenville Avenue where colors of yellow and blue mask the shape of a building that was previously a gas station.
Rusty Taco features a menu of nine $2 tacos for lunch or dinner. The number one on the menu is near the top of my list: the picadillo.
The ground beef is simmered with potatoes in spices, a simplicity that’s transformed into an indulgence when wrapped in a flour tortilla.
The beef fajita taco, number three, is also a must-try. (It’s best to stick to numbering with orders than names at the walk-up register).
The beef on its own is fine, but it’s the grilled onions falling over it that makes you wish you had ordered two of these.
While the brisket taco has average meat, the pile of cotija cheese and cilantro make this a standard lunch order. Squeeze lime over it and dive in. (Odds are, the meat and cheese are falling out the other end—you’re in a former car garage, scoop it back in with your fingers).
Rusty taco’s menu has a description beyond ingredients for number seven’s fish taco:
“Should be El Number Uno!” Well, around number seven is fine for me with the two sticks of grilled fish that come under the bed of cilantro and cabbage.
Take these fried, as you’re given a choice; the chipotle crema pairs better with the battered fish, as it doesn’t save the dehydrated grilled option.
I do however, agree with the restaurant’s placement of number nine: the Rusty Taco, which is also at the bottom of my list.
Charred pineapple is acceptable on top of a pizza. It’s delicious on its own. It’s simply odd on top of shredded pork.
Perhaps it’s the odd seasoning of the pork that the pineapple is supposed to overpower.
Obviously the restaurant has some confidence in the combination after titling the taco after the restaurant.
However, if you order a side of chips and queso with the rest of your meal, you won’t be disappointed. The creamy mix of cheeses is a thick consistency of comfort food, insisting that this is more than Velveeta.
Come in any morning for their other selection of $2 tacos, and you won’t be let down.
Pair your egg and cheese with potato, chorizo, bacon or jalapeno sausage in a corn or flour tortilla, and your stomach will be satisfied with a greasy comfort.
The cheese melts the best with the chorizo, which may be why this tops the breakfast taco list, but the bacon’s a morning classic worth trying with some pico de gallo.
Tacos come out on circular metal trays, most of which bear the word “Corona,” on the side.
The exposed ceiling and cement floor on the inside carries on the “garage-vibe” of the location, as does the partially covered patio.
Go for breakfast. Go for lunch. Go for a snack and then dinner.
Just don’t forget the squeeze of lime.
Taylor Adams is the news editor for The Daily Campus, and a flavor finder.
