Last year’s Mexico kiosk during Food & Wine had some very delicious options, and once again they changed up the beef taco offering.
While the fantastic Crispy Shrimp Taco returns, last year’s Grilled Ribeye Taco becomes the Taco de Filete. (2010 offered the Taco de Chilorio)
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The Taco de Filete comes topped with a Cascabel Pepper Sauce and scallions and is served in a flour tortilla. A wedge of lime is served on the side to add a bit of citrus acidity.
The sauce was a bit spicy (the Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun seemed a bit spicier), but there was a nice amount with the beef to help mellow it out, which was fairly tender. The scallion was a bit more difficult to bite through, as I’ve found to be the case with every dish that features it. It is still a welcome addition for a bit of green to the taco.
I think the Taco de Filete was tastier and more visually appealing than last year;s Grilled Ribeye Taco. I have yet to order this year’s Crispy Shrimp Taco, but those I’ve seen served looked every bit as good as last year’s! I’ll be ordering it during the course of the festival to make sure it’s as tasty as I remember it, and for a side by side comparison, so keep checking back!
Have you tried the Taco de Filete? Let us know what you thought, and if you though a previous iteration of the dish was better.
We tried the taco de Filete…..twice! The first one was really good, the 2nd one was smothered in sauce, making it a bit too spicy for me. plus it was impossible to eat that scallion.
It’s funny that you mention the scallion being difficult to bite through. I thought the same thing last year and mentioned in my review that I hoped they would switch to chopped scallions this year. The whole piece makes for a pretty presentation, but this is street food! Eating it is supposed to be convenient.
Jennifer – Oh no! Sorry to hear the second one was too spicy for you. There are a lot of inconsistencies to be had when a CM is assembling dishes as they go as opposed to those prepared and ready to go.
Melissa – Agreed! I was thinking that about the chopped scallions too. They already have to be trimmed, and it doesn’t take that much time to run a knife through the stalk a few times to help break it down a bit.
This definitely looks better than last year’s rib eye, which while tasty looking wasn’t really all that great. I agree that they should just chop the scallions as opposed to leaving them whole. Unless you braise scallions, it’s pretty tough to eat that way. I can’t wait to try this and the shrimp taco, which was very yummy last year.
The scallions almost seem steamed to help soften them, but it’a certainly not enough to break it down for ease of biting. I’m also looking forward to the shrimp taco again!
So just tried both tacos. The shrimp one was really good. Nice crunch from the cabbage, shrimp was nicely cooked and hot (temp wise) and nice spice heat from the sauce. The beef taco was really disappointing. They did end up chopping the scallion but the meat was pretty skimpy and it was very cold (kinda like eating leftover well-done steak straight from the fridge).
Glad to hear the report on the shrimp taco – it was a top pick of mine last year, though I have yet to try it this year. The beef one was tasty for us this year, but I’m sad it wasn’t quite there for you. Sounds like it could use some consistency/improvement. I’ll likely give it another try for some research!
Since you had a good dish with the beef taco I’ll try it again (maybe when the lines aren’t as long because I think I’d be pretty disappointed if I waited that long for a bad taco again) to see if I can get a better result. You definitely have to do the shrimp. My friend and I have had it twice already and each time it’s been really good.
Yes – the lines get VERY long at Mexico. I loved the shrimp taco last year and need to reorder it. Sorry you were disappointed in the beef version. Ours was tasty, and if you do try it again, I hope it is for you as well!