Wrestlers ‘Draven' and ‘Saxon’ tag team 'Disco Kid' in a Lucha Libre match during the Arizona Taco Festival at Salt River Fields on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014. (Photo by Mario Mendez)The 5th Annual Arizona Taco Festival was nestled on the Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, a short walk from the quiet training grounds of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. My getup — a gray ASU shirt, green button up and slightly skinny jeans, did zero to combat the 90 degree weather. Others were styled a little more smartly than I; similar to styles seen at Coachella but not as wild as those could get.
Across the open field, kids ran around eating free popsicles while adults hung out in the shade to keep cool and knock back a few tacos. Even with the two big, loud bar booths blaring tunes you'd hear during an evening out on Mill Avenue, it still felt welcoming and friendly. The ska/reggae band seemed to frame the overall event — a laidback, barbeque-esque get-together with friends and family, complete with amazing food.
Tokens were the way to get the grub of the hour — no cash at the taco stands. After buying a set, I made my first stop at the Taco Guild's booth. They were popular, with a line stretching out to about 50 people. But it went down quickly, and I chomped down on a tequila pork taco, complete with a side of a lime-flavored sauce. The taco was tasty, with a hint of lime and a thick cut of pork. A soggy tortilla carried the load, but when you're getting a premade taco from a busy booth, there's not much to complain about.
Next up was Ling and Louie's, an Asian fusion booth where I was handed an ahi fish taco. I was expecting something shredded when I got it, but instead saw full raw cubes of the fish under cabbage and a slightly tangy sauce. A bit of a risk to serve outside of sushi, I thought, but this too tasted great.
Two tacos and a Sierra Mist later, a wrestling match broke out on the far side of the field. Not real, mind you, as a there was a ring to behold an amateur six-man tag match between evildoers Bad Company and a hero team led by Disco Kid. The referee was a guy called Mr. Clean — no, I am not making this up. It was fun to watch, and the slams looked harsh, but it certainly kept the kids entertained.
Exercise and wellness major Gage Hughes and family and child development major Lyndsie Kendall watched the match. They were first-timers to the festival and were having a fun go so far, having already tried the Taco Ruin, Nana's and Lone Dog booths as well as a quesadilla food truck.
I moseyed over to Dos Gringos's booth, which carried a hefty beach bar theme to it. The Ernesto's Famous pork taco didn't taste much different from the Guild's, but it was still good eating. Tacos Huicho was next up, and if you've ever been to a party with a taco booth, you'll have an idea of what was on tap. It came complete with a salsa bar to jazz up the chicken taco I ordered. Simple, yes, but that simplicity probably had a hand in the People's Choice Win for this year.
After checking out a hot pepper eating contest, I sat with Paul Steele, who had been crowned champion of the event four years straight before that day. He wasn't exactly happy with how the results played out, as it went down to audience choice for the winner. I had to agree — other contestants had friends there, while Paul was on his own. As a national competitor, he said that he was used to a 'last man standing' affair when deciding the winner.
Nevertheless, the self-proclaimed pepper head, who “eats this stuff on a daily basis,” had a lot of love for the festival, and said competing was, “a lot of fun." When I asked him what he liked best, it all came down to the people and the food.
“You run into fabulous new people, you get the introduction to new restaurants that are in the Valley and who doesn't love a $2 taco?” he said.
When asked for a favorite taco, he replied with a smile, “It'd be bad if I were a judge, because they're all so good.”
He went on to tell me what it's like doing a pepper eating contest in 90 degree weather.
“The Scoville heat units (used to measure pepper strength) and the temperature is very competitive,” he said.
Green shirt off and tucked into my back pocket, my final stop was Wigwam Arizona's food truck, which was sporting a more common take on its tacos — a fried shell complete with braised beef and cheese under cabbage. It was right up there with Tacos Huicho as one of my favorites, with the flavor combination putting a good pin on the day.
It was pretty hard to find a sour face in the crowd at the Arizona Taco Festival. Good food and good people made the event an enjoyable experience, and I walked out not only full, but quite entertained. I'm interested to see what new creations will arise when the festival hits again next year.
Reach the reporter at Damion.Julien-Rohman@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @legendpenguin
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