Taco Libre and the Birthday Boy

Taco Libre 1 T turned a year older last Sunday and to celebrate we went to a couple festivals that were going on in the city, starting with the Cinco de Mayo Mobile Food Rodeo.  While we missed the actual Taco Libre that took place the day before, we didn't let that stop us from conducting a taco taste test of our own... nor did we let the rain clouds get us down either.  With two solid blocks of food trucks, we were expecting to be more than overwhelmed with choices but there turned out to be just enough to fill us up for lunch without busting a gut.


Taco Libre 2 Nosh, The Food Truck
The most memorably delicious taco that I've ever had to date was a lengua taco that was served up at the picnic wedding reception our friends threw for us in Golden Gate Park. That taco has since been seared into my mind with legendary status so when we saw that Nosh was serving up Taco de Lenguas, I was eager to relive that experience.  Unfortunately it wasn't quite what we were hoping for but still no less interesting.  Nosh's lengua was incredibly tender, taking on an almost stew like taste and consistency.  While it was very different from what we were expecting, it still served as a promising beginning to our taco tasting journey.  


Parked next door to Nosh, Contiga offered a carnitas taco so we didn't have to go far for our next fix.  While it looked and smelled promising, I was surprised at how underwhelming the flavors turned out to be.  I'm not sure why but it was as if the whole thing was on gustatory mute.  I know this place gets consistently rave reviews on yelp so we may have to give this one another try some day.  

  Taco Libre 4Marination
The defending champion of last year's taco battle, Marination is known for its Korean/Hawaiian fusion menu. True to form, they had a Kalbi taco and an "al pastor" variation inspired by spicy Korean pork BBQ. One bite of each and I could understand why they were last year's winners.  They had the biggest flavors of any of the tacos we had eaten that day... Unfortunately maybe even a little too big as I thought the Kalbi was a bit on the salty side. I was however intrigued by their Nunya Sauce, a Marination original invention, which is mainly made with kochujang, mayo and a slew of other secret ingredients (can't wait to try at home).  The Taco al Pork Star was a lot more balanced as the pineapple added a welcomed dose of sweet acidity.   


Taco Libre 5 Barriga Llena
While all the tacos we had eaten thus far were interesting, I found myself kind of pining after a more O.G. taco while reminiscing about the tacos I used to get in the Mission district and Oakland when I was living in the Bay Area.  That said, Barriga Llena was a welcome sight and ended up being our favorites of the day.  Goes to show, you just can't beat a classic.


Tron 1


After getting our fill of tacos, we headed to Belltown's Cinerama to partake in another festival celebrating yet another one of T's favorite things: Sci-fi movies!  Neither one of us had seen the original Tron that apparently came out in the 80's but we both enjoyed the more recent version so we figured we'd give it a try.  I have to say I was a little apprehensive about seeing it as I'm not the biggest sci-fi enthusiast but it ended up being pleasantly surprising ride.  While it was clearly dated, the special effects were still impressive and many of the ideas and concepts it brings up were pretty intriguing.

  Tron 2

All in all, I think both T and I enjoyed the day and I was pretty thankful to be living in a city that seemed to celebrate many of things that we love. I know it wasn't like Seattle the city had planned things around T's birthday but it certainly felt that way and let me tell you it felt pretty special.


Photo Credits: Tron poster from Tron Wiki , Tron screenshot from the Disney Wiki



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