El Grito Taqueria C/O The Robin Room

The Robin room is the newest hipster cocktail bar on the block. That block being the 800 block of East Johnson. I get to call them a hipster bar because the actually have Fernet-branca on tap.

Aside from some really magnificent cocktails available, a young hip crowd and a warm atmosphere,

Every Thursday night they have been hosting a pop-up of the popular "space age" Taco truck El Grito Taqueria. After securing a rare table in the small Robin Room we went to the backroom/window to order some tacos.

Obviously I gotta get one of each right? Each week this menu changes, mores the pity!

That's taco man #1(Josh), one of the co-owners of El Grito Taqueria, back there assembling our tacos!

Here is an $8 plate of unabashed taco. The tortillas used are pretty small (Miramar?), but packed full of ridiculously amazing ingredients.

The beef brisket had been braised down into a luscious pile of shredded, yet still tender and juicy beef. The flavor was deep and purely beefy, more reminiscent of beef cheek then beef brisket. Believe me that's a huge compliment, beef cheek is one of the tastiest parts of the whole animal. It was simply dressed with fresh onions and cilantro, a classic presentation of a taco.

This was a roasted sweet potato with an orange glaze, crema, crunchy sweet potato chips, and cilantro... This was very well balanced, and it shows the creativity and devotion to the senses that we find the the best cuisine. The flavors all meshed well, the crunchiness of the chips could have been played up a little bit more with larger chips, but all-over it's a win. Especially for a carnivore like myself.

Remember those other tacos I was gushing about? The ridiculous brisket/meticulous sweet potato? Yeah... fuck those tacos. The Duck Carnitas taco dumbfounded everyone at the table. It was just a moment of silence, everyone rocked back on their heels with a potent shot of animal fat coursing straight into their veins. We immediately needed to buy three more Duck Carnitas tacos. They were the taco version of chasing the dragon.

The duck must have been cooked confit, shredded in it's own fat and piled high on these suddenly far too small tortillas. A cucumber/green onion salsa added some acidity to cut through the fattiness of the duck. Hoisin(a traditional Chinese pairing with duck) added sweetness and a bit more acidity further cutting the fattiness of the duck. But the crowning debauchery was a little pile of pork cracklings on top for a crunchy flair.

El Grito Taqueria

Brisket Taco

Tortilla - 4 Filling - 5 - Toppings - 3 Appearance - 3 Total - 15/20

Sweet Potato Taco 

Tortilla - 4 Filling - 4 - Toppings - 4 Appearance - 4 Total - 16/20

Duck Carnitas Taco

Tortilla - 4 Filling - 5 - Toppings - 5 Appearance - 4 Total - 18/20

These were all really amazing tacos! Best in Madison so far.

-TACOTALK!

Salvatore's Tomato Pies... Tacos

I love Patrick DePaula, chef/owner of Salvatore's Tomato Pies. He makes some of the best pizza in Madison, hands down. Also, little known fact, he makes some of the best Korean food in Madison as well! Though you'll rarely find it in his flagship chain Salvatore's

But we're not here for the pizza... Though I wish we were.

Carne Asada Taco $8 for 2

The carne asada tacos stole the show. The meat was well flavored from a long marination process, it was tender, but still had the right bite. The flavor wasn't extreme, but carne asada shouldn't be! This was perfect lots of flavor, traditionally dressed. Exactly what I want from a carne asada Taco.

Roasted Vegetable Taco $7 for 2

Lets start off with their vegetarian option. This is a great corn tortilla well heated in a proper double layer. The fillings were broccoli cauliflower and some bell peppers. The accouterments were a standard cilantro and onion with a very tasty dark blended salsa. 

The fillings were, well they were broccoli, cauliflower and bell peppers sauteed with some salt. No discernible spices or flavoring was used. Unfortunately I think this is the fate of many vegetarians. Their options are flavorless roasted vegetables or... flavorless roasted vegetables. Punch it up with some Za'atar, or some Herbes de Provence. 

Carnitas Taco $8 for 2

The Carnitas tacos were... not amazing. The cold pineapple didn't add as much to the Carnitas as I hoped they would. The meat was very simply braised with few added flavors and a dryness which makes me think the hurried the cooking process too much. Cool your oven down, add more flavor to the braising liquid and after you shred your pork, add back the reduced braising liquid to punch up the meat some more. Remember authentic Carnitas are basically cooked confit (slowly poached submerged in it's own fat.)

I would also highly suggest searing off the pineapple before adding it to the taco for a caramelized treat!

Overall, I love Sal's. The carne asada tacos are pretty solid, but if I'm coming back it's going to be for their ridiculously amazing pizza. It seems they are jumping on the taco bandwagon, and it's great to offer the option, but I think it's best if they stick to pizza.

Carne Asada

Shell 3 Filling 4 Accouterments 4 Appearance 4 Total - 15/20

Roasted Vegetable

Shell 3 Filling 2 Accouterments 3 Appearance 3 Total -11/20

Carnitas 

Shell 3 Filling 2 Accouterments 3 Appearance 3 Total - 11/20

Salvatore's Tomato Pies

503 W. Main St. Sun Prairie, WI 53595 And

912 E. Johnson St Madison, WI 53703 

TACOTALK!