Taco Trail, Day 2

Taco Trail, Day 2
Fresno, San Jose, Lunch
July 3, 2016

And here we are, Day 2 on the Taco Trail finds us in Fresno for our last three stops.

photo by Patrick

Don Pepe Taqueria, Fresno, spicy shrimp taco

With three stops in one city, we had to do our best to spread things out; thankfully, Don Pepe Taqueria opens early.  We arrived around late breakfast/early lunch, and the place was packed.  The line for the cashier weaved awkwardly through the seating area; we timidly took our spot.  I tried to talk Patrick into breaking the 2 taco rule (again), but he resisted.  We ordered the spicy shrimp taco and carne asada al pastor.  The spicy shrimp taco, served on a thin flour tortilla (a first for this trip), was stuffed with rice, cheese, guacamole, and plump shrimp tossed in a spicy sauce.  "Shrimp tacos aren't my thing," Patrick says, declaring he'd only have a single bite.  I didn't object - shrimp tacos are my thing, so I was happy to take one for the team.  He had a bite and he liked it.  "Not sure I taste the shrimp," he says, and takes another bite.  This was a shrimp taco even he could love.  For me, the taco bordered on a mini burrito, what with the flour tortilla and generous heap of rice inside, but the flavors worked well together, and I wanted another; this was a great taco.  The al pastor was less impressive.  Any virtues of the barbecued meat were lost under the helping of soft pinto beans, raw onion and salsa garnish.  It was good, but paled in comparison to the spicy shrimp taco of our dreams.

photo by Patrick

El Mercado Super, Fresno, al pastor + coconut aqua fresca

As the name may suggest to you, our next stop was part of a Mexican grocery.  The first thing you see walking in the door are clear plastic barrels of aguas frescas - melon (cantaloupe), watermelon, coconut, and horchata.  I had the coconut, Patrick again went for watermelon.  These were on the sweeter side, but still delicious; the coconut was ice cold and creamy, with little bits of shredded coconut.  For tacos, we chose the al pastor and carne asada; a steamer at the front of the counter filled with tamales tempted us to order one, chicken.  Sitting next to a flat top griddle behind the counter was a giant clear plastic bag of fresh masa dough, evidently the tortillas are made to order (omg, yes).  A salsa bar sat at the back of the small seating area; I perused the spread and selected red, green and avocado salsas and a little pico de gallo.  The tamal reminded Patrick of when he lived in Texas; he hasn't had one so good until this.  The masa was well seasoned, moist and amazingly light; the shredded chicken inside was mixed with savory green sauce.  The al pastor taco was easily the best I've had anywhere, ever.  Generously rubbed pork layered on a spit offered up piping hot roasted meat with crispy edges, and when folded inside that fresh corn tortila with a little white onion and cliantro, it needed nothing (which was too bad, the salsas were pretty delicious).  The carne asada was equally good; the garlicky, citrusy, peppery marinade made this grilled meat stand out, it was packed with flavor.  As we sat, finishing our desserts (aquas frescas), we looked up the next and final stop, also in Fresno.  We saw photos of giant tacos, packed with multiple ingredients and slathered with salsas.  "Should we just order more tacos here and skip the next place?"  "Yep."  So we did.  A third taco, the chile verde (tender cubes of pork stewed in a tangy green sauce) was added to the mix, but couldn't compete with the second round of al pastor and carne asada.  These were hands down the best tacos on the Trail.

And there we have it.  El Mercado Super won the prize - it was so good, we cut our trip short by one spot (we wanted to end on that high note).  The Viva Taco bus was a close second for Patrick, though for me it tied with that delicious shrimp taco-quasi-burrito at Don Pepe.  Would we do this again?!  Heck yeah!  Though, admittedly, we like the idea of just taking another, perhaps different, food-centric road trip adventure sometime in the future.  BUT!  If we ever end up in Fresno again, we know where to get tacos.