by Kara Machowski
Okay, so unless you live under a rock in the Phoenix area, you’ve heard of the Arizona Taco Festival that happened this past weekend at Talking Stick Casino. This is the 8th year up and running and admittedly, it was a bit chaotic entering. I had read that last year, unless you purchased tickets in advance you were subjected to a line at least five-hundred people deep, so I figured I would be a shoo-in if I purchased my ticket ahead of time and pre-loaded my wristband that included a micro-chip with my selected pre-loaded amount. Yeah right. The line to purchase a ticket when we arrived was barely inhabiting a patron while the line for if you purchased a ticket was nearly held one-thousand people, and there were two. So I waited one-hour in over ninety degree temperatures and not a cloud in the sky to learn that all I needed was a festival worker to check my ID to give me a wristband that was for 21+.
Sooo after an hour and a half I had a drink and taco in hand. The first stand, Willie’s Taco Joint, was definitely my favorite, with their Sloppy Jose hard-shell beef taco. There was an array of offerings however, and while some lines were twenty to thirty people long, there were a few stands that were lonely, but delicious.
Two Brothers Tap House offered a pretty scrumptious Roasted Pork Belly Bahn Mi taco with spicy pineapple kimchi, marinated cucumber, carrot and serrano pepper and sriracha cream that I couldn’t complain about in the least bit. It had a bit of a spice to it that was mellowed out by the pineapple.
Ajo Al’s stood out before we even eyed the tacos. They welcomed you with a faux beach with imported sand and some festive tables set up with Corona stands that held fun photo-booth props to take Insta-selfies with. They made street tacos that were perfectly authentic tasting.
So, last but not least, SOL Cocina, my all-time favorite snack at the Arizona Taco Festival was the Mexican corn topped with Flamin’-Hot Cheetos®, ummm, hello. I went pretty light with the toppings too and regretted it just a little, but not enough to say that it a-maz-ing. All in all, I would say even with the hour and a half wait to enter and have a drink and taco in hand, it was totally worth it. Hopefully the festival will invest in more tents, water misters, or just an updated working system.
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