Super Tacos at Rolando's

Rolando's Super Taco is a Tacoland legend. I had never been there myself, but I had heard murmurings of tacos that no mortal being could take on.. Tacos literally the size of your head. This morning I braved the humidity and heat in order to go where so many have gone before me.

Rolando's Super Taco
919 W Hildebrand Ave - (210) 732-6713

When we walked in we were greeted by Rolando himself. He smiled and welcomed us. As we got close to our table I realized who he was. I have had heaps of Migas lately so I was ready for something altogether different. I was hungry, too, so when I saw that they had free chips I was stoked. There were three salsas provided. One was bright, one roasted, one seemed like a green salsa. None of them had the flavor that I longed for. They were bland and had blind spiciness. The chips were a thick and brittle. No sweet tea, either, so that was another downer.

When I looked at the menu there were plenty of options for vegetarians and now they serve small tacos as well, so you don't have to order something that weighs the same as some newborn babies. I chose the Cheese Enchilada Super Taco. The service was good with frequent refills and tacos in a fairly timely manner.

The flavor of the taco was fully saturating and lively. The layers of beans, cheese, enchilada sauce, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole were perfectly complimenting. The only addition I would have made would have been adding some corn tortilla to the mix to give it the enchilada texture. The American cheese wasn't even half bad with this combination, but I imagine Cheddar would have been so much better. The only major complaint I have was that the tortillas didn't taste home made and they seemed tough, as if they had been microwaved. With a taco of this magnitude you really have to cut it into reasonable sized bites or you'll be wearing it instead of eating it.

I will definitley be back. Rolando's rocked my world.
I give them 3 1/2 out of 5 tacos.

Two Tacos from Garcia's

Garcia's is a tiny place on the corner of Fredericksburg and W Craig. The orange exterior and cock fighting velvet paintings (see below) hanging on the interior make this a lively place to grab a bite. This place is also very close to my house, so it's another spot that my family frequents.

Garcia's Mexican Food To Go
842 Fredericksburg Rd - (210) 735-4525

My husband went to pick up the food this morning. As he arrived the food it was being put in the paper bag. In my experience it takes a little longer at Garcia's than other restaurants, but the wait is so worth it.

I selected a Bean and Rice and Potato, Egg, and Cheese this morning. They included a few little cups of their green salsa. I sat down , unwrapped the foil, uncapped the salsa, dipped the taco and took the first bite.

I chose to start with the Bean and Rice. The tortillas at Garcia's are hand made and perfect. Chewy, soft, stretchy, pliable. They are very very tasty tortillas indeed. I'm not sure if the corn are hand made, but the flour are heavenly. The beans had a wonderful flavor and texture. I could actually tell that the beans were refried by hand, as they had a slightly lumpy consistency and the skins were discernible. The rice was fluffy and firm, yet yielding. An absolutley perfect accompaniment to the beans.

The salsa was a bright green with wonderful fresh flavor. It was pretty spicy. Two dips into the salsa cup had my mouth pretty warm throughout the entire meal.

The Potato with Egg and Cheese was delightful. There was not a terrible amount of flavor in the eggs, but the potatoes were cut very small and cooked until they were soft. They were mixed well together. Garcia's uses Cheddar cheese, though, which makes up for the lack of seasoning.

Neither of the tacos was greasy. They were fresh and tasty. Garcia's does not offer sweet tea, however, and the parking leaves something to be desired. There is a lot of variety offered at this local favorite and they have won their fair share of awards for their cooking. Vegetarians beware, some of the offerings are made with meat seasonings, and I believe the enchilada sauce is meat gravy.

My husband's favorite taco from Garcia's is the fresh Brisket with Guacamole. The house behind the restaurant has a BBQ pit in the back yard. They cook the brisket daily. If you're a meat eater, this is a highly recommended taco to try.

Overall, the tacos were excellent. The only improvements that I could think of would be free chips with lunch and dinner and the availability of sweet iced tea. Other than that, this is taco bliss.


I give them 3 1/2 out of 5 tacos.

My favorite breakfast...

Migas (pronounced MEE-GUS) is a Tex-Mex tangle of eggs, bits of corn tortilla, and a host of savory ingredients, from black beans, chorizo and cheese to salsa, avocado and chiles. Of course, this snob doesn't deal with the meaty bits in my own dish.

Migas is a dish that many professed egg-haters relish, it probably can thank its existence to thrifty cooks looking to use left-over tortillas, since tortillas are an integral part of the dish. The word, migas, in fact, is derived from the Spanish word for crumbs.

I like to tear up 2 corn tortillas per person eating (3 if they're a good eater) with my hands into small pieces and then I drop them into hot oil (I use canola, a little olive, and a little butter) until they are puffy and fairly crispy. Then turn down the head and plop on some salsa (Ro-Tel tomatoes are also good in this dish)..

Let the salsa soak in. Then pour in the eggs. It is of the utmost importance that you use organic free roaming vegetarian eggs. Anything else tastes like Styrofoam. I use 1 egg per tortilla. You can add sausage, bacon, jalapenos, chorizo, garlic, onions, sour cream, or guacamole if you like. I personally like it with diced bell peppers, diced broccoli, shredded potatoes, and crumbled queso fresco. Be creative! Improvisation is the real joy of cooking, you know.

Dust the dish with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt. Serve with piping hot flour tortillas and enjoy!!