Pinche You!

Pinche Tacos a.k.a Tacos, Tequila, Whiskey

1514 York St. 

Denver, CO. 80206

720-475-1337

http://pinchetacos.com

In the spirit of Siskel & Ebert, Lucy & Ethel, Dale & Brennan and other well-known duos, we give you our next Restauview:

ReNe'e:
Can street food translate to restaurant food? That was the question for us at Pinche Tacos. Arguably the most popular street food truck at this past summer’s Civic Center Eats, Pinche Tacos recently opened a brick-and-mortar location just off Colfax Avenue.

Vanessa Van Hasselhoff:
My strategy going into this holiday season was to go into it at a deficit. With the aid of a recent stomach flu, I would go into Gluttonmas underweight so that I would arrive in 2012 with my normal body mass index. Why does it matter and who cares? It doesn't and no one, but it's a little game I like to play in my head so that I ensure I'm not enjoying life too much. No need 'cause I just stuffed my face hole with tacos. NOW I know why they are called Pinche Tacos, as in 'damnit, there goes my Holiday Deficit Plan. I ate too many pinche tacos'. Depending on who you ask and which link you click on google, Pinche is an expletive equivalent to 'fucking' or roughly translates to 'kitchen help'. Apparently, the name is offensive enough that the food truck turned brick and mortar restaurant on Colfax was not allowed to put Pinche on their signage so don't go looking for it. Even though you should go looking for it.

ReNe'e:
One difference from the street food version is that there is more on the menu. For lunch and happy hour daily, there are appetizers and desserts and a larger selection of tacos, then on weekends there is a brunch with their take on pancakes, waffles, hash, and of course, tacos.

Vanessa Van Hasselhoff:
The tacos are great. We sampled a large variety and by variety I mean nearly the whole pinche menu. We started with the guacamole that at first bite was wonderfully tangy and flavorful but we soon agreed that it was too tangy and too flavorful. We both like our guac with less flavor. The best guacamole, in my opinion, is an avocado in a bowl. The chips were light, crisp and salty – addictive. We tried so many tacos that I'll just give you the run down:
Queso a la plancha: crispy cheese with more cheese and limey tomatillo salsa. Simple and delightful
Carnitas: the pickled red onion and avocado crema added zest to what was not the most flavorful pork I've ever had but the flavors together worked very well.
Pollo a la crema: This was my favorite. I have this thing for creamy chipotle sauce that I shouldn't speak about in mixed company. I will want these again. Soon.
Rajas con crema y maiz: smokey and spicy roasted poblanos. One was enough but I was so glad to eat that one.
Pescado: battered fish (I should have known better) with avocado & pineapple guacamole just felt mushy in my mouth. The flavors and textures fought with each other and the texture won.
Vieiras verdes: the first bite of scallop just tasted a little too fishy. Scallop tacos were more intriguing sounding than tasting.

ReNe'e:
After trying six of the 11 different types of street tacos during lunch the other day, it can safely be said to stick with the classics (roughly the first six tacos on the menu) since the fish and seafood tacos were lacking. The pescado taco was a mushy mess where the flavors did not come together. On the other hand, we did not leave a trace of the queso la plancha or carnitas tacos, and the polla a la crema with spinach and a creamy chipotle sauce was declared a favorite. Since it was lunch, neither of us ventured to the bar for the extensive tequila selection.

Vanessa Van Hasselhoff:
There are only a couple of these tacos I would want to eat a whole plateful of on their own, but that is the beauty of street tacos; you can sample a variety and the combination of flavors and sauces make a fun and delicious meal. Don't be too distracted by the term 'street tacos' though. At an average of more than $3 a pop for tiny tacos, a lunch bill can rack up quickly. These aren't the fresh corn tortilla and who knows (or cares) what else kind of tacos that Mayans sell you in the villages of the Yucatan for a single peso (which are the single best tacos in the world) but then I guess those would be more like jungle tacos.

ReNe'e:
Like many restaurants these days—truck or no—Pinche Tacos boasts of using locally-sourced ingredients as much as possible and it was impressive to see this extended to…pop rocks. Remember the fizzy candy? Apparently someone (Ian’s Inventing Room) makes a version right here in Denver and they sprinkle it on the Mexican Jarritos strawberry and mandarin soda floats for dessert. Local meets over-the-border.

Vanessa Van Hasselhoff:
Yeah, we tried both deserts, what of it? Churros with a chocolate dipping sauce were a little too doughy in the center but the strawberry ice cream float with locally made chocolate pop rocks was so fun and refreshingly satisfying. Street tacos aren't the kind of thing I eat very often but I will drag my husband back there and would love to try their brunch. They also have a great selection of whiskeys and tequilas that I would not love to try. Go check it out and see what translation of 'pinche' you come up with.

Décor: Clean and simple, with a hint of Mexican detail.
Waitstaff: Clean and simple
Food: We’ve become regulars in the time it took you to read this
Saucy Talk: These tacos are pinche great!
Tip: The joke’s on you if you look for a sign that reads, “Pinche Tacos” out front. It turns out that in Denver, you can drive around in a truck that reads, “Pinche” in enormous letters and park it for anyone to see. However, you cannot get a liquor license and have this word on your building or menu so look for the kicking donkey and the words, “Tacos Tequila Whiskey.”