Sunday Brunchies and
Crunchies: Taco Feista of Fools
15 April 2012
Author's note: It's been a while
since I've had a 'Sunday Brunchies and Crunchies.'
This edition of Sunday Brunch explores a single
item in WDW. Rather than dedicate a post to one
whole restaurant, we'll be taking a quick and
critical look at some delicious Disney treats
and dining individually.
An unofficial National Holiday
opened up this month and thanks to this festive
day for fools, I will forever associate April
with today's topic: tacos. We can all thank
Brent Dodge and
his March
31st article for that. Tacos are available
in multiple places around Walt Disney World.
Seasonally, you can find Tacos at
Tortuga Tavern. Annually, they are available
at the Pepper Market in Coronado Springs and the
dining locations in the Mexico Pavilion of
Epcot. The quick-service La Cantina de San Angel
was recently renovated in 2010 and is probably
the easiest way to get Tacos in Epcot. With this
makeover, the menu had also been changed.
Executive Chef Ernesto Zendejas stated that they
wanted to offer more authentic Mexican tacos
akin to what you would find in a Mexican market
and less of the 'Tex-Mex' type of food Americans
find in fast food chains all over the country.
La Cantina de San Angel offers
two types of tacos: either beef or chicken. I
have had the chicken tacos in the past, and as
Chef Ernesto had said, they are probably the
most authentic and freshest tacos I'd ever had.
The focus on the tacos is the seasoned, grilled
meat, balanced with the corn tortilla made fresh
daily. Most tacos I've had in the past are
loaded with all the garnishes of lettuce,
tomatoes, salsa, you name it, with just a
smackerel of the meat filling. At La Cantina the
beef or chicken is the star. Each basket comes
with three tacos in a soft corn tortilla with a
lime wedge for additional flavor, and a handful
of colorful and crunchy tortilla chips, hot and
fresh with a sprinkling of salt. A small cup of
pico de gallo accompanies the platter to garnish
and not drown the tacos or to scoop up with the
tortilla chips. At the condiment bar, guests can
also find two types of salsa, spicy and mild,
made from chipotle and Serrano peppers,
tomatillos, and mangoes.
With most editions of Sunday
Brunchies and Crunchies, I try to be as critical
as I can, and this time, I'm finding it
difficult as Chef Ernesto truly offers an
authentic Mexican taco meal of high quality for
a quick service location. I have never been to
Mexico so I do not know if they are exactly the
same, but compared to the 'Tex-Mex' tacos I've
had, these tacos are the new standard. The
chef's effort for freshness truly shows in the
visual presentation, food quality and flavors of
the tacos. At first look, I did feel like the
tacos seemed a bit meager and smaller than
expected. Though after finishing every bite
offered (as you should!), you feel as stuffed as
a Pinata.
Resources:
Brandon, Pam. 'Update on La
Hacienda de San Angel at Epcot' 20 August 2010.
Disney Parks Blog.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/08/update-on-la-hacienda-de-san-angel-at-epcot/