Sometimes a taco is greasy. And sometimes a taco’s so greasy that as you bite through it, you begin to feel your arteries clot as a pool of the fatty liquid forms on the plate a la primordial soup.
This was the experience with the barbacoa taco at Rocky’s Tacos, a 24-hour taqueria on the South Side.
(A quick note about barbacoa: I’ve been reluctant to explore barbarcoa because I consider the heady meat to be its own category in world of tacos. Same reason I’ve stayed away from puffy tacos, mini tacos, etc. Breakfast tacos — the backbone of S.A. cuisine, daily routine for so many San Antonians — must be explored, understood and conquered, first. To include barbacoa would mean I’d have to order it every place I go. Then I could visit places only on the weekends, along with other logistical issues. But we ordered the barbarcoa at Rocky’s, so we’ll go there.)
People, I realize this blog is about tacos in San Antonio and that it’s definitely not about eating healthy, or tofu or goji berries. There is, however, such a thing as too much grease. Maybe more of a sin at Rocky’s was the lack of beefy flavor in its barbacoa. The pool did indeed form on the plate, because I found myself wringing the taco to force out as much of the grease as I could.
The chorizo and bean greased, too. But my fellow taste-tester and I thought the spices of the chorizo and the homemade beans mixed well together.
The highlight was the country and bean. Those very good and well-mashed beans acted as a thick coating to sausage that had great flavor — whatever brand of sausage they’re using (assuming they’re not stuffing the tubes themselves) was quite good. And not too greasy. This was a good example of grease held in check.
The bean and cheese on corn was respectable, although the corn tortilla seemed stale. The carne guisada was a little tough but had good beefy flavor. The potato and egg was very average. All on flour tortillas that were a bit on the hard side.
Yes, Rocky’s is open 24 hours and I imagine this write-up would be more favorable if my visit occurred at 3:13 a.m. And I imagine, perhaps, I wouldn’t wring my barbacoa taco during that visit as well. Makes me wonder if Mr. Taco was indeed as heavenly as I remember it — pour some on the block.
Rocky’s Tacos, 2423 Pleasanton Road, (210) 921-9449
— Worth traveling across town for
— Average S.A. taqueria. Some hits, some misses
— Mostly misses
— Benjamin Olivo
What do you think? Is there a taco I should have ordered, but didn’t? Have any taco news, issues or concerns? Email me at ben@thetacoist.com.