Welcome to The Taco Wire, your guide to news on Mexican and cousin foods from across the United States. Each week, we serve you a roundup of stories on all things tacos, burritos, enchiladas, pozoles, birrias, mezcal, cerveza etc. that are making headlines Los Angeles and beyond. Cuz, it's never not a good time for tacos.
Tex-Mex honored in Dallas
[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he Mexicano widely considered here as the pioneer of Tex-Mex is getting a street named after him in the city’s Uptown neighborhood. City Council members voted Aug. 8 in favor of renaming a small stretch of Alamo Street Miguel Martinez Way, in honor of the founder of the iconic El Fenix, the eatery opened in 1918 that introduced residents of Dallas’s Little Mexico to his menu of tamales, enchiladas, and chile con carne.
El Torito files for bankruptcy
[dropcap size=big]C[/dropcap]iting a struggle to compete in the increasingly competitive casual Mexican dining world, the operator of El Torito and Chevys Fresh Mex restaurants has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to sell the company to one of its major shareholders, the Wall Street Journal reports. RM Holdco LLC and its subsidiaries Real Mex will sell to an affiliate of Z Capital Group, LLC. The company’s 80 or so restaurants will remain open. The company originally filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011 to little notice. El Torito is credited for the ubiquitous Cal-Mex combo plate, a toned-down version of Mexican cuisine that helped bring the food into the popular lexicon.
Major taco sauce misconduct
[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap]n Aug. 9 LA Times piece tells the story of an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy who used taco sauce to mimic blood during the investigation of a jailhouse gang fight in 2003. The deputy, Jose Ovalle, was responsible for collecting evidence when he realized a bloody shirt belonging to a suspect accused of slashing another inmate with razor blades had gone missing. To cover his tracks, Ovalle took a clean shirt from the jail laundry and splashed it with taco sauce and took a photo to enter it into evidence. His picante misconduct, however, went unnoticed in court for years after.
Chipotle testing bacon on its menu
[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he Orange County-based burrito giant is banking on bacon to help in its turnaround strategy to come back from its 2015 foodborne illness debacle. Forbes reports that beginning in September, applewood-smoked bacon will be tested on the menus of eight locations in OC. If all goes well, the cured pork product could roll out to restaurants nationwide.
Jeff Sessions fury ensues at two Houston Mexican restaurants
[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] pair of Mexican eateries felt the fury of angry Houstonians after serving Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Eater reports. The brunt of the backlash went to El Tiempo Cantina co-owner Dominic Laurenzo, who on Friday posted a photo of himself with the A.G., along with a caption saying he was “honored” to serve Sessions. Naturally, followers were outraged that Laurenzo would welcome a man who oversaw 45’s family separation policy.
Got any tips? Send your taco leads to L.A. native Serena Maria Daniels, national taco wire editor, and founder of the Detroit-based Tostada Magazine.
