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Might Taco is a curious phenomenon in that it really hasn't tried to expand much beyond the the entrance to the Thruway, which for us in the Finger Lakes, is a sad state of affairs. We are left to the ravages of Taco Bell. Which for me is much like eating lukewarm, Mexican-scented dog food, bound in a mediocre tortilla. The very idea makes me cringe. Unless you are hard pressed, can not cook or just really have a craving for bad food, there's not much excuse for going there. Seriously, think about what you're doing to yourself. Have some higher standards.
The real rub for me is not in the whole corporate atmosphere, which at times in not necessarily bad. The thing for me is freshness. The food at Taco Bell always tastes like it's been sitting in a warming drawer for the last seventeen hours. The tomato and lettuce are tasteless, soggy and generally ugly. The sour cream isn't even remotely cold, and only God knows what's in the guacamole.
This is where Mighty Taco truly shines. Let us be honest for a moment. The making of tacos is not a highly skilled trade. Most people can be taught to do it with only a minimum of effort. That said, it more often than not, comes down to ingredients. They have to be hot when they're supposed to be hot, cold when they're supposed to be cold. As a line cook, I learned this first hand. That's what separates great restaurants from crappy ones. You can be the great cook of the world, but if you serve cold food that's supposed to be hot, and warm food that supposed to be cold, you might as well close now. I know it's a simple thing, but it's truly amazing how many places screw this up.
Mighty Taco doesn't. That's really what makes them great. Their beef is hot, the tomatos flavorful and the lettuce is crisp and cold. The sour cream is colder than the rest of the taco, which is actually the way its supposed to be. And let me tell you something, that only happens when you're making them fresh and quickly. Then there's the other thing. They ask you what you want on your taco for each order. There's not the corporate stance of "standardize everything, so that the smoked-out seventeen-year-old that's making these things doesn't have to think about it." Mighty Taco actually teaches reasonable cooking skills to their employees. The folks that work there aren't robots. They actually pay close attention to what they are making, and they hardly ever get it wrong. Imagine that. In a world full of chain joints that always taste the same, with that sameness at a low standard at best, caring about what you serve up is important. Period.
Now, are there places that make better tacos in the world? More than likely. I've never eaten a taco from a street stand in Mexico City, or in Guadalajara. I'm sure there are tacos there that would bend my mind. But truthfully, I'm not there. I'm here and Mighty Taco is where I go when I need sweet, hot, taco love.
My order: Two Super Mighty's, hot, extra cheese, sour cream. I also ALWAYS get a Loganberry to drink. That bit of western New York lusciousness will get its own post later. For those of you that are traveling, Mighty Tacos at room temp or even cold are still good, though arguably they are best fresh and hot. If you are ever in Buffalo or Niagara Falls, go to Mighty Taco, even if you've eaten somewhere else already. In fact, it's probably better if you eat Mighty Tacos then anyway. If you aren't anywhere near Buffalo or Niagara Falls, what in God's name are you waiting for, get on the Thruway and get over there.
Thanks for reading....now go eat!
-E
Brass Tacks: Whatever's in your wallet.
Address: There's a lot of these things around. My favorite one: 6930 Transit Road, Williamsville N.Y.
Parking: Each place has its own parking lot, you shouldn't have trouble.
Website: www.mightytaco.com
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