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Perhaps I haven’t bought into the bigger is better Texas attitude or that I’ve just been reading too many Mark Bittman articles talking about “meat guzzelers.”
Velvet Taco is a new place in the Knox/Henderson area where tacos are full of ingredients. At $3.50 a taco, they are surprisingly a good value. If tacos were priced by the pound, Velvet Taco would beat the average $1 street taco in value and most definitely shame the $3 tacos at local favorite Urban Taco.
Velvet Taco is a challenge to Urban Taco. It’s the street taco taken to a yuppie clientele with white linen chefs. An approach I honestly have no issue with, if this is what it takes to redefine the taco in America from hard, tasteless shells full of shredded lettuce, grated cheddar cheese, and ground meat – I’m all for it.
That said, I prefer Urban Taco’s yuppie answer to the “street taco.” Yes, it’s a worse value, if you equate price with quantity. It’s just that Urban Taco knows when to hold back by not adding too many ingredients. Simply put, I don’t find a whole boneless chicken breast in one taco a good culinary idea.
If bigger is better, you’ll love Velvet Taco. I tried three the #2 Roasted Chicken, #7 pulled pork, and the #12 steak tacos.
The one I’d try again is the pulled pork. The pulled pork was moist, lean and full of flavor. It could have used 60% less meat between the flour tortilla (yes I know I can fork that amount out and did.)
The roast chicken taco was a bit fatty, but not too bad. I removed a few pieces and even though the sauce was loaded on, it was decent just nothing I’d re-order with 20 other taco options.
My steak taco was good, but lacked balance with too many ingredients competing for my attention ending up in a flavor showdown where nothing won.
It is this excessive approach that takes something as luxurious as soft velvet and turns it into something odd, almost perverse. A little velvet trim can add a touch of style to a lapel, but a velvet suit is taking it too far.
In the end, I left unimpressed, but with a very active lunch crowd my review will matter little as I’m sure the yuppie taco crowd will find this place a welcome alternative to the more balanced Urban Taco choice.
For me, less is more.
Velvet Taco
3012 North Henderson Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206-6405
(214) 823-8358
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