A Day of Mexican Food (El Taconazo aka "The Taco Bus" and Diana Kennedy) - 02/14/2009

Cary and I have been craving "real" Mexican food (not Tex-Mex or Cali-Mex) for a while, and this past Wednesday, we noticed that there was a full-page article in the St. Pete Times on El Taconazo, or as us locals call the establishment, "The Taco Bus".

When you first see El Taconazo, it does not look like anything spectacular. But once inside, the tastes and smells will take you back to a Mexican cantina by the sea. There are three seating areas - one when you first walk in, then two as you make your way towards the back.



The menu is very simple - chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetarian delights that can be served as Tacos, Burittos, Burittos Prenado, Quesadillas, Tortas, Tostadas, Papos Platos, and El Taconazo. They also have daily specials, and are known for their Tres Leche (three milks) cake, which is totally heavenly.

Both Cary and I had their Conchinita Pibil Meal special, which was Pork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, then wrapped in banana leaves and slow roasted in a smoker (based on a 5,000 year old Mayan recipe) inside two soft flour tacos plus red beans and rice:



For dessert, we shared a piece of their Tres Leche cake, which I have made at home before, but can never get to taste like their version:



The owner of the restaurant, Rene Valenzuela, shared with us that his mentor, Diana Kennedy, was going to be appearing at Inkwood Books, an independent bookstore in South Tampa. We totally forgot about that, and finished our dessert so that we could meet the woman that many are calling "The Julia Child of Mexican Cooking".

I had read reviews of her books, and was looking forward to picking up a copy of "From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients by Diana Kennedy and Michale Calderwood". This particular book appealed to me, as I wanted to take "baby steps" with cooking traditional Mexican style foods such as Tamales, Chiles, and the like.

When we got to Inkwood Books, the book signing was starting to wind up, and we were actually lucky to get the final copy of the book I wanted. We saw Rene, and not only thanked him again for a wonderful meal at his restaurant, but also sampled some of the foods that he was serving at the event. After nibbling on the delicious bites of food, we had the pleasure of speaking with Diana Kennedy, whom I found to be a very charming and interesting woman who basically uprooted herself from Essex, England, and immersed herself in the culinary delights that Mexico has to offer. I shared with her that both my husband and I enjoy eating true Mexican food, and wished that we had remembered her classes over at The Rolling Pin and El Taconazo. So, instead, we will be using her books as a way to learn Mexican cooking, and if there are any DVDs out there that she has done, we will be buying them as well.

All in all, it was an amazing day once more filled with awesome food that you just cannot find anywhere - you have to look very carefully for it!

Address for El Taconazo is 913 E. Hillsborough Avenue (cross street Nebraska Avenue), Tampa FL 33604. Phone number is 813-232-5889, fax is 813-232-5808. Easiest way to get to the place is to take I-275 and get off at the Hillsborough Avenue exit, and head east. You cannot miss the restaurant - just look for the big "Taco, Burrito y Cerveche" sign:



Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Chef Susan aka Chef Jersey Girl