JOINTS: Taco Joint

I wish I could say that I'm not the type of guy who listens to reviews...but I'm the type of guy who listens to reviews. If someone says this place is good or that place is bad, I'll usually take their word for it.

That being said, I had heard good things about Taco Joint on Peak & Gaston in east Dallas. D Magazine said it was the best place for breakfast tacos in Dallas, and a number of friends have also extolled it's virtues. I had planned on going, but never got around to doing it. Till now...

I was driving into work, and finally decided to stop in and see what the fuss was about. Let's not beat around the bush...this place isn't in the best neighborhood. There are crack houses right down the street. But when you walk in, what you find is an open, inviting, and hip eatery. It's like if Chipotle and Freebirds had a kid.

The guy behind the counter was nice and talked to me for a bit (SIDENOTE: I think he thought I was someone else, cause he said, "Thanks for coming in again!" I didn't have the heart to correct him), and gave me a take-out menu and told me that if I call in my order, I don't have to wait in line. Good to know, since there was almost a line out the door.

I was going to try one of their signature tacos (either the Lester or the Sophie) but the sign on the door said they had a Thursday special of Fried Chicken Tacos with beans and rice and a drink. I was sold. I also ordered some chips and queso, since I am a queso connoisseur, and promptly dug into my food.

There's only one way to describe how good these tacos were...I didn't want to eat the second one because then the meal would be over and I'd be sad. That's how good they were. And I can only imagine how good their regular tacos are. Or their breakfast tacos.

This is the kind of place that is worth the journey to get there. Forget Urban Taco or Taco Diner. This is the real deal, and won't break your budget either. I got a massive amount of food for $12. And I over-ordered.

I think I found my new favorite taco place.

Taco Joint
911 N. Peak St.
Dallas, TX 75204
214-826-TACO (8226)

ps-I totally stole these pictures from another blog's review. I know, I'm horrible, but they're much better than the ones I took with my iPhone.

Tomorrow, I'm head to beautiful West, Texas for the annual Czech heritage festival, WESTFEST!!! Now, what does this have to do with food, oh Chubby one? I'll tell you.

There is a TON of delicious vittles all over Westfest. Beer bread sandwiches with sausage and sauerkraut. Homemade cheeseburgers from the Baptist church. Spudzillas dipped in cheese and BBQ sauce. And of course, kolaches by the ton!

This is one of my gastronomical trips that I look forward to throughout the year, and my stomach is already rumbling thinking about it. If you're in the area, check it out. It's a small drive south from Dallas, a short drive north from Waco, and a bit longer drive north from Austin.

JOINTS: Madden's Casual Gourmet

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I've been busy working and trying to find work, since I'm not supporting myself as a blogger...yet. Be sure you check out my Twitter page at http://twitter.com/chubby_kid. I'm always updating that. Now, onto my review!

Yesterday, Moms and I were having a nice mother / son bonding day in College Station, and decided to go to lunch at a place that she suggested. Located across the street from the Lasalle Hotel, Madden's Casual Gourmet is tucked into the corner of a specialty gift shop with a bunch of stuff that I would never buy...maybe the huge elk antlers they had hanging on the wall. The restaurant is very quaint, with half walls going up to the beamed ceiling, and a old, scuffed dark hardwood floor that reminds you that this used to be a warehouse at one time.

I ordered the tenderloin and portabella quesadillas with cotija cheese, which turned out to be our waiter's favorite. Mom got the crab and avocado salad, which came out in the shape of a hockey puck, with the crab on top and the avocado on the bottom. Both dishes were presented very nicely, like something you would seen done on Top Chef. While this doesn't impress me much (taste does), it tickled Mom pink. Fancy!

All in all, the food was good, but it wasn't "knock my socks off" fantastic. Maybe it as the quesadillas...I didn't know whether to pick them up and eat them by hand, or eat them with my fork like a civilized human being. So, I did both. But Mom's crab was some of the freshest I think I've ever had, and that's saying something, coming from over 200 miles inland from the coast.

I'll go back to Madden's and try something different, but there are a lot of new restaurants and bars in the downtown Bryan area, and I'll probably try one of them first. If I gave stars, I'd probably give Madden's three, but I don't so I won't.

Madden's Casual Gourmet
202 South Bryan
Bryan, TX 77803
(979) 779-2558