Tag Archives: des moines

Making Some Changes

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Hello, Taco Likers!  As Tacopocalypse finishes up its fourth year in the East Village we are making some adjustments to better serve you, and keep things smooth running on our side.  We appreciate all of the love and admiration you’ve thrown our way, all of the support you have shown, and we have some new and potentially exciting food coming your way in return.  Here’s what’s going down:

  • Please welcome the Burrito Of The Week. The BOD (Burrito Of The Day) is now the BOW (Burrito Of The Week).  Over the last 5 years of coming up with a different burrito 6 days a week I have received a lot of feedback from you all.  The overwhelming response is “We just come in and order the BOD, it’s always good and different.” Awesome, that’s what I was shooting for back in the day.  The Other Overwhelming response was that a lot of people, and I mean A LOT, were a little sad to miss out on certain burritos after learning about them too late.  The BOW solves this FOMO issue for many, as you can obviously get the burrito you saw on Wednesday night for Lunch on Thursday.  No Mo FOMO.
  • Tacopocalypse East Village will be closed on Mondays until summer. I never wanted to join the ranks of No Monday Restaurants, but it’s time for us to pull the plug on Monday until it’s nice and sunny out again.  We will be using Monday as a prep and delivery day, and be back open bright and shiny at 11am on Tuesday.  My apologies to the Monday crowd. Monday Lunch will be back, it’s just a small break.
  • Tacopocalypse is getting a new Vegan Menu.  I have been personally developing new Vegan recipes for our upcoming Sibling Restaurant, Vegetaire, and have also gone back to my former Vegan lifestyle.  This gave me some insight into the need to shake the cobwebs out of the Tacopocalypse Vegan offerings.  Soy free and gluten free Vegan/Vegetarian options are at the top of the list, with a focus on fresh veggies, Jackfruit, and introducing our new Vegan Cheese for Quesadillas/Nachos. Yeah, Real Vegan Nachos. I’m stoked. The new menu will drop in May.
  • The Cumming Tap Tacopocalypse Tuesdays are back.  We have returned to the place where it all began. This is the ORIGINAL Des Moines taco ride that has helped launch a restaurant, a few careers, and some Food Network appearances.  Tacos are being served from 5pm to 9pm, or until we run out.  Get on your bike, ride south on the Great Western Trail, and be a part of making this year the greatest year we have seen.

Again, thank you for all of the love both locally and nationwide.  It’s been a thrilling ride to get here, and we are looking forward to providing you all some more thrills this year, and in the years that come.  Thank you for your support.

Sam Auen, Creator

Tacopocalypse

Giving Thanks To Des Moines

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Giving Thanks To Des Moines

I am pretty blown away by the generosity of our community. We have received an amazing outpouring of donations from the Des Moines area for Young Professionals Connection‘s Tacopocalypse Central Iowa Shelter & Services Thanksgiving Dinner. We can’t wait to turn all of these ingredients into an unforgettable holiday meal for those in need. Thank you to all who have donated food, money, and time to help us make this even better than we had hoped for. We are still taking donations at the restaurant, and those who want to volunteer contact us at [email protected]. Thank you thank you!

Here is a link to the KCCI news piece on what we have going on.

 

It’s Time To Order Jerseys!!!!!

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MOM, THROW DOWN SOME MONEY, IT’S JERSEY TIME!!!!

You can submit your pre-orders for the new Tacopocalypse cycling jersey, from Primal Wear (See below picture for final design), between 8/23/13 and 9/3/13. Send an email to [email protected] with “Jersey Order” in the subject line. Within the email, please let us know what quantity and size(s) you will need. You will then receive a return email for pre-payment information with balance due.  Also you can give us this information in person if you would like!  

Jerseys are $65 each and are available in Women’s Sport Cut and Men’s Sport Cut from XS to 5XL.  

Tank tops are an option, but only if we hit the minimum order number of 12. 

We look forward to getting a giant team of Taco Likers together in their jerseys for a fun ride!!!

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It’s TUESDAY Again! Taco Menu For Cumming Tap!

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Taco Lovers,

It is again that day, the day on which all places taco near and far have some kind of CRAZY taco action to tell you about.  It’s Taco Tuesday. wee.  It’s not only Taco Tuesday, but also…

TACOPOCALYPSE CUMMING TAP TUESDAY!!!!

THIS day is extra special within the realm of our tacos, because of our unique brand of food stuff and our lovely location right along the Great Western Trail in Cumming, Iowa.  You will not find a better taco in this state, or most of the surrounding area, especially not in a tiny town like Cumming (I am not just saying this because I am the one who produces said tacos, this is a conglomeration of feedback from taco lovers like you).  AND WE ALSO HAVE $2.50 DRAFTS OF NEW BELGIUM BREWING FAT TIRE BEER. WHAT WHAT? Yep.

Tonight’s Menu:

  • Braised Pork
  • Korean Chicken
  • Bacon Chorizo
  • Vegan Chorizo
  • Sweet Potato and Parsnip - this is our new flavor which made its debut one week ago and has gone on to be a huge hit! It even elicited at least one marriage proposal for your not so humble chef here.

That is what is going down tonight.  We will be serving from 4 until 10pm, due to a few promised late comers and folks riding out after Cyclocross practice.  Take advantage of another beautiful day to ride, imbibe, and take down a few tacos.

ON THIS, THE SACRED DAY OF TACOS, TACOPOCALYPSE CUMMING TAP TUESDAY!

Taco Pastorius

two notes: 1. We are also open at Bombay Bicycle Club tonight serving our full menu. 2. Tacopocalypse/Cumming Tap Tuesday will go on for the entire year, all fall, all winter. Stay tuned here for any information on closings, etc.  We will be open every Tuesday, weather permitting.

It’s A Farmer’s Market Menu-athalon

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The HyVee Triathalon is happening this weekend, on Sunday to be exact.  We are celebrating by doing this whole taco thing this week in the name of running, swimming, and (mostly) biking. I have a good personal friend, world famous Ironman Triathlete Kale Halder, who swears by our tacos for his training and recovery meals while on the pain train (aka training for Ironman and/or road racing).  If Kale Halder performs better with the help of Tacopocalypse, so can you…or you could be an even better spectator!

This guy trains with Tacopocalypse. Fact.

(Kale Halder’s image, name, and skewed quote used completely without permission, but Kale, ir you see this, I will hook you up with a few free tacos…yeah?)

menu Menu MENU!

  • BRAISED PORK
  • BACON CHORIZO
  • KOREAN CHICKEN
  • WASABI BRISKET
  • VEGAN CHORIZO
  • POBALAMMMMO POTATO!

WE HAVE TACOS, BREAKFAST THINGS, SIDES OF POBLAMMMO POTATOES, AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF LOVE FOR ATHLETES WHO PUSH THEMSELVES TO THE LIMIT AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO WATCH AND SUPPORT THEM.  THIS YEAR IN PREPARATION FOR THE HY VEE TRI, COME DOWN TO 2ND AND COURT AVE FOR SOME KALE HALDER APPROVED TRIATHLON GRUBBING.   7 AM TO NOON.

SEE YOU THEN.

TACO PASTORIUS

Today Is The Big Day!

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Well, Taco Lovers, the day has finally arrived.  We here at the Tacopocalypse HQ were just reminiscing about the old days when we were just doing this to have fun and didn’t think it would ever really amount to anything.  There was just a great desire to ride our bikes, serve some great tacos, and ride our bikes some more.  We thought things like “maybe someday we will have a taco truck or a food cart somewhere.”  We were (sort of) dreamers. The kind that Ronnie James Dio sang about, but without all that dragon stuff.  Not that we don’t like dragon stuff. um…

We are no longer the same sort of dreamers.  We bypassed what we had wished for in the beginning and went straight to having a “brick and mortar” spot to serve our Almost-Famous tacos.  We have an actual kitchen with a real line with actual stations and the ability to do whatever we want with the menu (except stop making tacos).  This is far beyond the original plan.  Way beyond.  Like real job kinda beyond.  And we are breaking records every week at the Downtown Farmers Market and Cumming Tap.  And from the sounds of things, we are doing a good enough job to keep you all coming back to see what else we can do. I love it. You won’t find many folks smiling at the end of 18 hours of kitchen work, but that’s the pot of gold you will find on my face at the end of  my rainbow of a work day.

Why am I smiling?  Because at the end of every long day I know that my efforts and the efforts of my team are making other people happy.  When it comes down to it we aren’t in it for the money or the recognition, we are in this to make people happy and to have a good time while doing so.

so far so good.

I guess this is the part where I tell you that I look forward to seeing you all at our mobile spots, but take a trip out to Clive to our new digs at the Bombay Bicycle Club and check out what I have been working on for your mouths. (it might be the only rock  bar in the midwest where you can get Ceviche) There are a lot of new things going on out here, and we are constantly evolving…which is why our first two menus were just written on the backs of old show posters.  Printing menus seems to final and not very fun at all.  I will be posting a new page here on Tacopocalypse.com specifically for the BBC menu, but will be blogging about what special things we have going on as they roll out of our kitchen.

Where is this place?  8410 Hickman Avenue in Clive.  Live music, great beer selection (they even sell my favorite beer, 40’s of Old English 800), and a top notch chef-driven menu of Latin and Asian foods.  And Tacos.  You seem to love what we have going on everywhere else, take it to the next level.  BUT WE DON’T WANT YOU TO PUT A RING ON IT JUST YET.

Taco Pastorius

Sh*t People From Des Moines Say

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Some local talent made a “Sh*t People Say” video for our very own DSM, and according to them the Sh*t people from DSM say includes “TACOPOCALYPSE!” And we thank them for the shout out. Now go watch their video, out of towners can learn some insight to our thinking…DSM peeps can nod their head knowingly.

Taco Pastorius

Special Tuesday Announcement

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Dearest Taco Lovers:

This week we will once again be absent from the Cumming Tap.  We will be serving tacos at a special event called TechBrew in down town Des Moines being held by our good friends at StartupCity.  We are at the same time sorry to not be at our normal stomping grounds, and very excited to be a part of this networking event.

We are planning a special Holiday Tacopocalypse next Tuesday at the Tap.  Look for the announcement soon…

Taco Pastorius

Yes! A Taco contest!!!!

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Have you ever dreamed of having your dream taco that you dreamt up served at a Tacopocalypse event?  If so, read on!

Tacopocalypse Choose Your Own Taco Adventure Contest Thing!!!!!

Taco Likers!  Many of you have shed your shyness over the course of the last few months and have been offering up your unsolicited menu suggestions.  We here at Tacopocalypse enjoy listening to your ideas, sometimes taking them to heart and creating a taco taking bits and pieces of you ideas (Fall Brisket Taco), and sometimes we just turn around, stare at each other with huge looks of “wtf” on our taco eating faces then bust out laughing wildly and make fun of the suggestion for weeks to come (the never-realized Cheese Taco).  To what end of the spectrum has your past suggestion landed?  You will never know.  But thank you, Taco Likers (and Taco Lovers) for your neverending support and feedback.

HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR TACO VOICE HEARD!

We have decided to have a contest, nay, a battle to the taco death, for all of you out there who have been either wilfully offering up your taco wants/needs, or have been hiding your wants for some strange reason.  Here’s how it will work:

  1. Think of a killer taco.  Whatever trips your fancy. (what?)

  2. Submit your taco idea to [email protected]

  3. Sit back and wait for the voting to begin.

Submissions will be taken from Noon today (10/13/2011) until Noon on the today of next week (That is Thursday, 10/20/2011).  You can submit as many ideas as you want, but only one submission per email.

Your email should include:

  • Name

  • Taco Submission (you can even give it a name)

  • A short blurb on why you think your taco is such a great idea.

Remember, you can enter as many times as you want, but only ONE SUBMISSION PER EMAIL.  I don’t know exactly why, but them’s the rules.

  We will compile a list and pick our FOUR FAVORITE TACOS, then the voting shall begin!  You, the public, will have the chance to vote for your favorite of the four.

“But what happens when we do all of this submitting, voting, and possibly drooling?”

Great question!  The winner will be the featured taco at this season’s final TACOPOCALYPSE DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET ON OCTOBER 29.  Yep, your taco dreams will be realized and you will have the recognition of being a part of the greater taco machine known as Tacopocalypse.  Yay.

Now get out there and think of some great tacos.

Taco Pastorius