El Taquito Taqueria

This weekend some friends and I went to Oak Cliff for brunch and a day of shopping. I was running late (yeah, yeah, I know... when am I not?) so my girlfriend and her daughter chose El Taquito Taqueria. Looking at it from the outside, it looks like a place to grab a quick, inexpensive bite to eat. Let that teach us to judge a taqueria by its cover!

When I got there I had to frantically look for change for the parking meter. Luckily 20 cents bought me 44 minutes of parking time. Good thing, too. That's how long it took just to get my food. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We arrived at 11:30-ish. Still early enough for coffee on a Sunday, wouldn't you think? However, despite a sign announcing free coffee with the purchase of three breakfast burritos, coffee wasn't one of the drink options offered. Sigh. So we instead chose to drink bottled water and aguas frescas. Oh, agua de horchata. How I love thee!

When I got there, my girlfriend and her daughter had already placed their order. It took about ten minutes for them to get their drinks and for me to place my order. I immediately decided to order flautas. The waitress asked me what kind I wanted. I asked her what kind they had available. When she told me chicken, I told her that's what I wanted. Then she told me that they didn't have any. Then why did you offer it, to taunt me? This was only a sign of things to come...

Ten minutes later she came back to ask me, "What did you order again?" Agh!! So I had to place my order again. BTW, I chose carne deshebrada in place of the chicken that would have (hopefully) been so tender and juicy, so perfect in a flauta on a gorgeously gray and dreary Sunday morning.

My dining companions chose the gorditas and a torta. When asked which salsa (verde or rojo) she would like with her gorditas, my friend chose verde. Um, she never got it.

Her daughter ordered the torta. Poor girl. She ended up getting sick almost immediately after and blamed it on food poisoning. I'm not saying that that is what she had and that this is where she contracted it. Yet I'm not disavowing this theory either. She said that perhaps she was "too white" to eat here. Her words, not mine!

It didn't look like there was enough filling in the torta to make a flea sick. Don't you think?

My own order finally arrived 45 minutes after I did. By that time we were late for our appointment and I had to scarf it down in three minutes. Yes, it was possible. It's not like it was the type of meal that invited lingering anyhow.

The carne deshebrada seemed to be concentrated in the middle part of each flauta meaning that the first and last bites of each flauta exploded in corn tortilla shards. Very messy. Very annoying. Nor was the meat packed in there firmly enough. This meant that it had dried out and was in unappetizing stringy form instead of juicy, meaty goodness as it should have been.

This was supposed to be a memorable meal before we went shopping for a quinceaneara dress. Instead, it was a dismal and disappointing experience. When you're in Oak Cliff and want to grab a bite to eat, you may as well eat at El Ranchito right up the street at 610 West Jefferson. On similar menu items, the difference in price is negligible (only $7.95 for the Crispy Combo Tacos as opposed to the $6.75 for El Taquito flautas) and the service and food is much better.

Place? El Taquito Taqueria

Location? 301 East Jefferson Boulevard (at the Storey intersection), Dallas, TX 75203

Number to call when you get lost? (214) 943-1510

Cost? A bit too much for what you get and how you get it. The prices are what you would expect to pay in a Mexican food restaurant that actually cares about your service, your food, and its presentation.

Kid-friendly? Yes

Date-friendly? If a date brings you here, drop him or her immediately. Not because it's less expensive, but because it shows that he or she is not very discriminating and will thus not appreciate you for the gem that you are!

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Uh, no. See above.

Place to go with friends? Yes.

Bathroom cleanliness? Could be better. The roll of paper towels to dry your hands was sitting on the toilet tank. Come on, at least hang it up on the paper towel holder! Besides that, it wasn't filthy or anything.

Good service? No.

Would I do it again? No!