Salt Lake City Tacothon (Cheat day on my diet in preparation for a muay thai fight)
In preparation for a muay thai fight, I have been on a diet for the past few weeks and have enjoyed some pretty good results. The beauty of the diet I’m on is that it allows for a cheat day once a week. Cheat day actually encourages you to go absolutely crazy for 14 hours each week.
There’s some science behind this, but that’s fodder for another post.
I’ve been craving tacos for the past few weeks, so I decided to host a Tacothon.
The premise behind the Tacothon was to find the BEST tacos in Salt Lake City.
I invited some friends (many of them are MMA fighters or muay thai students) and this is what we found:
I wanted to start the day with ‘Fast Food’ tacos. We’ve all been there… late nights, hunger strikes… what are you going to do? There’s nothing tastier after a night of drinking than a few tacos…that is, if you can make it through the driveway without getting into a fistfight with other late-night Taco Lovers.
I should note that we hold this Tacothon on a Sunday (my designated CHEAT DAY). Taco Time, as well as many other highly recommended taco places, were closed on Saturdays.
FAST FOOD
I picked up a Taco Bell and Del Taco party pack.
I went to my gym, where I met up with my fellow Tacothaners and had some tacos.
It was nice to see some of them, as I haven’t been the most outgoing person in recent months while recovering from knee surgery.
We opened the party packs and tried them out. The Taco Bell Party package had 12 tacos and was just over $15.00. The Del Taco had 10 tacos, but it was almost half the price.
However, Del Taco’s tacos were literally half the size of Taco Bell’s and failed the taste test miserably.
Taco Bell wins by unanimous decision.
TACO TRUCKS
Next, we decided to try the famous Taco Trucks that so many people talk about on State Street in downtown Salt Lake City.
There are two in the Sears parking lot at 800 South State Street and two one block south at 900 South State Street.
The first one we visited faces south (towards 800 south) in the Sears parking lot. Compared to the ‘fast food’ we had just enjoyed, it was heaven on earth. Very tasty tacos, and they cost $1.00 each.
The other faces east (towards State Street). We asked each one to serve us their best Taco. This truck recommended the Head, and it did not disappoint. VERY tender meat, and super delicious… VERY GOOD!
The third truck we visited faces east (towards State Street) at 900 South. They were OK. By far the worst of the four trucks we visited.
The last truck we visited was facing south on the 900 south. We have a winner. These were some of the tastiest tacos I’ve ever had. Without a doubt, the winner of the Taco Trucks. The name of the truck is El Rey Del Taco. Try them.
All trucks were consistent in price. All charged $1.00 per taco, served in small soft tortillas, and had a similar variety of condiments. El Rey Del Taco also had the best salsa out of the four trucks we visited.
If you’re craving a taco and don’t want to deal with the hassle of going to a restaurant, check out Taco Trucks downtown. Try the different trucks for yourself. At a dollar a taco, you can’t go wrong.
RESTAURANTS
As I mentioned before, on Sunday we did our Taco Adventure, so a lot of the places they recommended were not open. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve a mention if you don’t serve on Sunday anyway.
The first restaurant we visited was Taqueria 27. They have two locations, but we visited the downtown location. It was very clean and upscale. It had a very professional staff and a good selection of tacos and drinks.
I had the Bloody Maria, which was super good, and the Duck Confit Taco, which was recommended by our waiter. It was a very tasty taco, and I fully understand what all the fuss is about. I really liked this place, and I recommend you give it a try.
The second restaurant we visited did not serve alcohol and was more of a traditional Mexican restaurant. It was called TaquerÃa El Rey De Oros. There were many families there, and none of them spoke English. The tacos were, in my opinion, the second best tacos we ate in restaurants…very good! I also enjoyed a Crema Churro there which was out of this world.
We then walked up the street to Red Iguana 2. We tried to make reservations at these restaurants as we had 13 people in our party, and we didn’t want to be too much of an imposition on the waiters. We were told that they don’t take reservations when we phoned.
Arriving at Red Iguana 2, we saw a lot of people waiting to get in. When we approached the hostess we were told it would be a 20-25 minute wait.
We decided it would be worth the wait so we went to the back of the restaurant to the bar and ordered some drinks. I told the manager what we were doing and asked if it would be possible for them to only bring us 13 tacos at the bar, and not have them set up a table for all of us. He told us that it would be impossible, that we would have to wait for our table. There was a large table that was empty and I asked him about it. He said that it had been booked by another group. (I thought they didn’t take reservations???)
An hour and a half later, we finally sat down. It was another half hour before we got our drinks. By this time, most of our group was tired and had lost the enthusiasm to finish the Tacothon. Red Iguana 2 was a complete BUZZ KILL and frankly its food was average at best. It was at the bottom of the list when it came to tacos, but some of that might have been a result of the bad taste in our mouths we all had from the way they lied to us about a 20-25 minute wait that ended up being 2 hours, and the fact that we couldn’t reserve a table, while others could.
In complete contrast to Red Iguana 2, let me give you my HIGHEST recommendation for El Paisa in West Valley City. Unfortunately, most of our group didn’t make it to El Paisa due to the crappy service we received at Red Iguana, but those who did… LOVED IT.
El Paisa is as authentic Mexican as it gets. You’d better brush up on his Rosetta Stone Spanish classes if he wants to come here, and be ready to feel like he just stepped off the plane in Puerto Vallarta.
Live Mexican music and a real Mexican clown are the first things you’ll find here. (We left just before the music started, but they were putting on a show while we were there.) Sunday is their big day…unlike the other places we visit.
The waiters are very friendly and despite the language barrier they really make you feel at home.
The specialty at El Paisa is a Molcaheta Suprema, which is a large ceramic pot filled with onions, peppers, beef, chicken, shrimp, and cheese. You make your own tacos with the contents of the pot and the table shares the pot.
These were BY FAR the most delicious tacos of the day, and that’s coming from a group of people who were already sick of tacos. The food is amazing. The atmosphere is unlike any other Mexican restaurant you’ll visit in SLC, and you’ll be glad you stopped by. Everything is reasonably priced, and you won’t leave hungry.
All in all, the Tacothon was a resounding success. My intestine is bursting at the seams. I had the opportunity to spend some time with some old friends, and I had a great time. I’m not sure this is an optimal diet for a typical Muay Thai or MMA training camp, but it was fun. Thanks to everyone who participated and Happy Tacos!