Saturday, November 29, 2008

Breakfast Report: Tink-A-Tako on Tezel...

Last weekend when we held our fantastic garage sale, I had slipped in to the new Tink-a-Tako on Tezel where the old Lone Star Grill used to reside. This morning, my wife went in to give them the tryout and I'm happy to report the state of the morning breakfast taco on Tezel is good! Do I sound absolutely presidential, or what?Breakfast taco places are a dime a dozen in San Antonio, but the truth is, most are good. No, most are really good. If you happen to visit our fair city, you need not spend big dime to get good eats for your morning fix of chorizo, bean & cheese or some tongue. Is it any wonder we do so "well" in those fattest city surveys put out by fitness magazines?But with so many good places to go, you have to narrow down your choices based on things like service, price, and of course the specific details about the taco you like. For instance, the tortillas used can make a or break a place in my book. I like soft, fresh, yummy flour tortillas, not hard, burnt or crispy. There are some extra things that go along way to sway towards a place including a good sized coffee cups and a selection of sweeteners. The little things count. I am happy to report that Tink-a-Tako meets these requirements, and apparently lots of people agree because the one on Tezel is their ninth restaurant. We are familiar with the Tink-a-Tako over by Ingram Mall and are pretty happy with it, so the only trick would be to see if they could reproduce that goodness just up the road from us.My wife ordered up a bean & cheese and a barbacoa with avocado. The barbacoa was great and she liked that they gave her avocado, not some guacamole mixture. She did have some issue with the beans, not sure if they were canned or maybe mixed with a blender. Who knows? But she still enjoyed the tacos and curious patrons at a table near us looked on as she started her little happy dance.I loaded up with a carne gusisada with cheese, a chorizo & egg, and a country sausage & egg. Really, three tacos is too much at Tink-a-Tako because they serve a good sized breakfast taco. The country & egg was standard, cooked right and I topped it off with some of the green verde sauce.I have mentioned before that I am partial to a way of preparing carne guisada. Some people do it to my liking, some folks don't. Tink-a-Tako sets the standard in my book. Oh sure, you could probably find many places (like I have) that serve a solidly prepared carne guisada, but I'm just saying if you want to try some that has been well prepared, try theirs. Oh, and don't forget the cheese.I am a huge fan of the chorizo & egg. But I don't care for potato & egg. Somehow, somebody got their potato into my chorizo. While that is a party foul, it is understandable considering all these things are cooked on the same grill, and it wasn't enough to ruin my good time. But just be careful if you happen to be allergic to potatoes or something. The chorizo had a standard taste and flavor, not too hot but good with the verde sauce thrown on for good measure.In spite of the inadvertent potato in my chorizo, the price, service, and continued quality makes the new Tink-a-Tako worth a visit, and in my book, it's a Tasty Treat every time.

4 comments:

  1. Dave,

    Excuse this innocent question from a cranky Yankee who has never been to Texas, but ...

    ... isn't "green verde" sauce redundant?

    Jeff

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  2. Jeff,

    You are correct. But that's the whole fun of the Tex-Mex language... You don't have to know what the words mean to use them!

    Orale, ese

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  3. Ok Someone's gonna have to take me to Tink a Tako (or as Cat calls it 'Tinky Taco') for a post Christmas Snack ;)

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