What a name! I love tacos too, and when I kept seeing my foodie friends posting on social media about a new taco shack in town, I had to see for myself. This particular food shack is close to the Springfield airport so remember when flying in or out, stop by for a treat! But make sure you have plenty of time, because this shack stays busy!
Off of Chestnut and Hwy 44 you will find a taco shack called “I Love Tacos – Taqueria” and be ready for an experience! You walk into a little alcove where a lady greats you and asks what you would like to eat. There is a menu to the left, and a specials board to the right. Along with house made Horchata and an array of Mexican Sodas. I was very impressed that after I ordered my food, they gave me a fancy beeper to let me know when my order was ready, sweet! (you can chill in your car till your food is ready)
I can’t help myself but to get excited when I hear about new food, especially when it is authentic Mexican Food. I grew up on the Border of Texas and Mexico in Brownsville as a youngster and am very spoiled when it comes to good authentic Mexican Food. I order a Pork Tamale, Chicken Sope, Al Pastor Taco, Asada Taco, & a Breakfast Burrito. I might or might not have brought a beer with me to pair with this border town treat. They have a Green Sauce which is out of this world great! This is their mild version of salsa, but it definitely packs a punch. The red sauce is the spicy version, and definitely has some heat to it, but tons of amazing flavors.
I am so excited to tell you about the Al Pastor Taco that I can’t stand it!!! So there is something you need to know about Street Tacos, if they don’t come simple with some fresh cilantro and raw onions and simply a side of fresh lime, it isn’t a real street taco. This in my opinion was the best thing I tasted that day! The seasoned pork was absolutely a firework show in my mouth! I squeezed the fresh lime on top of the hot freshly grilled meat, and dove right in. I did not add any red or green sauce because I wanted to taste the full flavors of what this taco shack was cooking with, and you don’t need anything else on this. Holy Guacamole Batman!!!!! I could taste the strong passion that this cook was trying to express. Not scared to take that sear to the next level, you could tell that they have cooked this dish thousands of times before. That my foodie friends is what makes a true master of their trade, repetition. This is the meat to order if you truly want to be impressed, the “Al Pastor – Seasoned Pork”.
Now lets get into the “Asada Taco” which is the steak version. Now this was a very delicious option as well, but my favorite by far was the pork. The tender little seasoned chunks of beef topped with some fresh lime juice and the red spicy sauce was a match made in heaven! You seriously can’t go wrong with the tacos, as the name says it all. A Modelo Especial would pair brilliantly with this bright taco!
Now it is time to go onto one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, this is a very sacred treat to me, the tamale or as this shack refers as the “Tamal”. I absolutely love tamales! I will have to admit my favorite kind of tamales is a Salvadorian Tamale wrapped in a Banana Leaf because they are so wet and melt in your mouth good, but I also love and appreciate all kinds of tamales. The thing I loved about this particular tamale was how much filling they applied. Not only is there an art to stuffing a tamale, but also a budget to keep in mind. Some places will skimp on filling to save on the bottom line, but not “I love Tacos – Taqueria”, no way! This meaty delicious treat was seasoned perfectly and had some fun chunks of stewed tomatoes that blended so well with the mild Mexican spices. I highly recommend the tamales!
Now I have to be honest, I had the Chicken Sope and it wasn’t my favorite. I don’t know if the oil needed to be changed it was fried in, or what, but it had a distinct twang to it. I would say if I didn’t have the tacos first, I would have eaten every bite of this sope, but since I started with the kings of the show, it was hard to force myself to eat a flavor that wasn’t as superior. Are you like me, and when you have such an amazing flavor on your tongue, you don’t want to alter loosing it for something not as delicious? The chicken and toppings were good, but I just wasn’t a fan of what ever that dough was fried in. I will try the sope again when I return, because I absolutely love these home made treats typically and like I said, it could have been simply that the fry oil needed to be changed. I didn’t get a good pic of this dish, I was so excited about the Al Pastor that I lost my track of thought, hee hee!
I almost forgot, I also got the breakfast burrito. This thing was huge!!!! Chorizo and eggs with potatoes, what a treat! I will let you in on a little secret, don’t get cheese with this burrito. It just doesn’t need it, the chorizo is so rich and delicious, it just melts in your mouth and you would be trying to battle something, that you can never defeat. Don’t ask me what is in chorizo, because I want you to at least try it or continue eating it, lol. It is truly one of my favorite meats on this planet, what an extraordinary blend of fun spices like cloves, vinegar & cumin!!! You can easily come get one of these burritos and that is all you would need to order, for they are phat!!!
The special that day was a Hawaiian Torta which was – Ham, American Cheese, Pineapple, Grilled Onions, Avocado, & Mayonnaise. I am personally a fan of Pineapple on pizza, so why not on a sandwich 🙂 🙂 I didn’t have any room in my belly for anything else, but next time I return, I plan on trying the special of the day, what ever it may be, along with about 10 Al Pasto Tacos!!!!
One of my secret tips for this spot, don’t wear nice shoes!!!!! The parking lot is muddy and pools of water are everywhere. It is after all a taco shack on the outskirts of town, I recommend parking all the way to the left as your approach the shack and try and pull up on the concrete. This will save you from tracking mud and dirt in the car, but then again……..every time you look at that dirt, you will say to yourself……………I love tacos!!!!
I blog about what I love to eat, I want to share my finds with you so you can enjoy them like I do. Life is about the perfect meal…………..then the next one – Chef Paul Allen
THE CHEFS VIEW 