Sunday, January 18, 2009

vegan taco!


image from freewilliamsburg.com


last night, p and i went to taco chulo - a "taco bar and margarita lounge" in williamsburg. their ingredients are very fresh, and you are able to make many crucial choices: which salsa you want, rice or potatoes, etc. i actually used to live on the same block (grand between marcy and havemeyer), but i always walked the extra few feet to lodge. mistake!

let's start with the drinks. p was good with his 32 oz. bottle of tecate, which was really entertaining to watch him drink. i had a couple of the house strawberry margaritas. now for my taco chulo margarita rant:

last time i ate at taco chulo, i had three frozen margaritas and didn't feel a thing. i asked the waitress about this, and she said that frozen margaritas are 90% water and that being much less alcoholic is their nature. while i'm not sure that i believe this completely (i've gotten drunk at chili's guys), and even though i really prefer frozen, i went ahead and ordered them unfrozen. it was delicious and obviously made with fresh strawberries. next time, i might try a beer cocktail. they have a lot of them, and they all sound pretty delicious.

now for the food. oh, the food. vegan mexican fare is hard to find, unless you customize a taco or a burrito to the point where it's just beans and lettuce. taco chulo has two vegan options, and is kind enough to mark them as such on the menu. i had a conejo taco, which was $4.50 and contained the following: whole beans, cabbage, salad mix, guacamole, rice, pico salsa, tofu sour cream. it came as a heaping pile of ingredients atop a couple tortillas, which i prefer as you're able to experience it as more of a salad before it becomes a taco. it was incredible, and the tofu sour cream (which i've always been curious about) was unobtrusive but necessary. all in all i'd give this taco a rating of mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. and for the omnivore's info: p had a chorizo taco and smacked his lips many, many times, so i'm pretty sure he loved it.

the only real problem with taco chulo is waitstaff. the service was very good in the beginning, but quickly went downhill. our waitress completely forgot about our order of chips and salsa, so it didn't come out until after the tacos. kind of awkward. it also took a very long time for us to get our check, which is one of my serious pet peeves. i don't mind if the food is slow to come out, but i get antsy if the check takes a long time.

as annoying as the service was, i really don't think it would prevent me from coming back for another conejo taco! delicious. i'd like to go back and try the other vegan taco soon if any other SPFs are interested!

8 comments:

eLs said...

TAKE ME TO TACO CHULO.

I really have to be in the exact right mood for Mexican food, tacos, etc., but when I am in the mood I will NEED IT IMMEDIATELY.

mwr said...

Yeah the service there is pretty terrible. I love the food that is made, but the people serving it, I don't know.

CaseyMustPie said...

and that Queso Fundido might sound like a fundido idea, but stops being good after like two bites (scoops?). I was just asked why I am "making that face" and I said it was because I was thinking about something I ate one time.

k said...

yeah but i was amazed that the ridiculous service did not really upset me because the taco was so great and the drinks were as well. erin let's goooooooo!

and yeah that queso fundido was greasy and gross and took 20 minutes for some reason. blegh.

CaseyMustPie said...

haha oh yeah and it doesn't even take that long because of the bad service. they actually warn you when you order it that it takes a long time. because putting bacon & onions into melted cheese is pretty involved.

not but seriously I like taco chulo.

eLs said...

YES. I WILL GO. Just say the word and I will brave the multi-borough train ride for it.

On related transit tangents:

1. My friend lives off the G train and said that people try to make it sound really difficult when it actually isn't and that I should start taking it. I'm afraid to believe her.

2. I recently read an article that referred to Queens as the "third-coolest" borough in New York City. Sorry, I'm really not impressed that we beat Staten Island and the Bronx. Congrats on YOUR second-place finish, though.

k said...

we took the G today, and it wasn't that bad either way. but i have also had experiences involving mysterious 'express' G trains and waiting for 25 minutes during rush hour. it may not be too bad, but it's inconsistent. until further notice, i am ambivalent.

woooooo 2nd place. though i have a feeling that whoever made that list doesn't know about awesome thai...

CaseyMustPie said...

yeah guys, the the G really is a good train. I mean, where else: http://bitchcakescommutes.blogspot.com/2008/10/getting-lucky-on-g-train.html