Tag Archives: kimchi

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

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

Super Patriotic July 3rd Tacopocalypse Tuesday Insanity

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Tomorrow night is July Fourth Eve, which will most likely go down in history as one of 2012’s most exciting and completely awesomest/rad to the extreme holiday for partaking in Tacos and Refreshments and a bike ride to the Cumming Tap.  Okay, here’s the situation:

It’s a Tuesday night, you don’t have to work on Wednesday.  Why?  Because it’s the celebration of the birth of our nation, and nothing says America like sitting around eating a bunch of food and sharing libations with your fellow inhabitants of this country while recovering from a crazy Tuesday night of bike riding, tacos, and whatever else you can gather into your corner during your stay at the Cumming Tap and the ride on the Great Western Trail (you know, they don’t call it great for nothing).

What will you be eating?  Let us reveal the super not secret menu….

  • Braised Pork
  • Vegan Chorizo
  • Korean Chicken
  • Bacon Chorizo
  • Potato Poblano
  • Beef Cheek

There may be some other surprises, not quite sure yet.  We are fairly ahead of the game today and may have some extra time to pack some fun stuff along tomorrow.  We ARE bringing enough taco supplies for over 1,000 tacos.  If we sell out of all of this stuff… I think the taco staff will need a raise.

We all look forward to seeing you tomorrow night, come celebrate our Nation’s Birthday, and if you stay late enough I will be riding back to town by bicycle…come ride with me…

Taco Pastorius

CUMMING TOMORROW. THE MENU-ING

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TOMORROW…WAIT…Tomorrow, Taco Lovers, will be our official kick off of BEING IN TWO PLACES AT ONE TIME. We will be serving at the Bombay Bicycle Club from 5 to 11, and we will also be (duh, of course) at the Cumming Tap from 3 until 10, or whenever you Taco Animals clean us out of goodies.  Which was pretty fast and furious the last two weeks (we are bringing more stuff this time, but I am almost certain that won’t make a difference).

CUMMING TAP MENU FOR TUESDAY:

  • Braised Pork
  • Vegan Chorizo
  • Wasabi Brisket
  • Korean Chicken
  • Beef Cheek
  • Chorizo Verde
  • Whatever runs out first will be replaced with Potato Poblano

We may have one or two other “replacer” tacos flavors for when things start running out.

The Bombay menu includes some bitchin nachos, Thai Shrimp Ceviche, and a load of taco flavors including our new Seared Ahi Tuna w/Wasabi and spicy slaw topped with toasted sesame seeds. There will be a soup which will most likely be our Sopa Verde (it’s a green soup. go figure).

SO, you have two opportunities to get your mouths around our tacos tomorrow night.  Either choice is wise…

“It’s Taco Tuesday somewhere…”

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

Tacopocalypse Tuesday! (and Thursday)

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Yes, the realization that it is only Monday has already swept over the Tacopocalypse camp.  BUT WE ARE TRYING TO THINK AHEAD THIS WEEK AS (excuse the caps) WE HAVE SO MANY EVENTS FOR YOU, THE TACO LOVING PUBLIC, TO ENJOY.  It’s also prime cycling weather, so it is better to just get this out of the way right now so the weather can be properly enjoyed.

This is the spot to be on Tuesday!

 

 

First up is TOMORROW, and the someday-to-be-legendary Cumming Tap Tacopocalypse Tuesday.  We will be serving up tacos starting at 3 pm and the flavors will be….A SURPRISE!  But will include Korean Chicken and Braised pork of course.  And probably Vegan Chorizo.  So…one other flavor to be unveiled at 3 pm tomorrow.  Bob will be slinging the world’s greatest Moscow Mules, and waiting to hear your really exciting stories about your Fantasy Baseball Draft experiences this past weekend.  (go team)

 

 

Thursday Tacopocalypse in Madrid!

On Thursday Tacopocalypse will be in Madrid, Iowa at the Flat Tire Lounge located right on the High Trestle Trail serving tacos from 3-???.  It’s going to be great weather for a ride to the High Trestle Bridge, and a stop for some tacos and maybe a $7 pitcher or two of New Belgium Fat Tire on the FTL patio. I know that’s our plan!

Why not get out and enjoy riding your bike in this spring weather, have some tacos at two of the premier bike-friendly bars in the state, and get down with some of the best tacos you will ever have?  Right, didn’t think you could come up with an excuse.  See you this week!

Taco Pastorius

 

Tacopocalypse/Aj’s Sunday Funday Brunchpocalypse Menu!

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Taco and Brunch lovers, prepare for this Sunday when your two favorite things are driven full force at each other in a crazy game of “Chicken” resulting in a wicked crashing together of terms which will end up forming into ONE TERM which will be standing on the side of the road thumbing for a ride into your bellies.  BRUNCHPOCALYPSE is upon us….er…you?

(Translation: we are serving brunch this coming Sunday at AJ’s On East Court at E 4th and Court Avenue.  Aj’s has been kind enough to host a brunch event so that you, the taco and Sunday funday lovers out there enjoy both.  This is our first brunch, and if you all like it this time, it will most likely become a regular event.  You dig?)

The beer cooler at AJ's, they serve 80+ flavors of beer, including the Chef's Choice, PBR Talls.

I have been meaning to get a menu posted for this weekend, but have been running into snag after snag.  Today is no different.  We had a little incident of Van-dalism which has caused a few problems today, but here is the basic “gist” of what will be served up on Sunday:

AJ’s will be serving up killer Bloody Mary and Mimosas (I have heard that they are going to be XXL) and have a $1.50 domestic bottle special that is going all day.  That means during brunch also.

Tacopocalypse tacos served on hand-made corn tortillas and topped with our signature slaw flavors include:

  • Braised Pork - our take on the classic carnitas.  We have been told it is “waaaaay better” than carnitas.
  • Vegan Chorizo - Tacopocalypse Vegan Chorizo is very traditional-tasting blend of soy, spices, and vegetables.  But “waaaay better”
  • Wasabi Brisket - I had some other ideas, but the WB is so popular that I was practically threatened into serving it at brunch.
  • Spiced Tofu Scramble - Get your tofu scramble from the guy who was the first to put tofu scramble on Des Moines menus.  Still the best.  
  • Bacon Chorizo - It’s a morning thing, so we were like “duh, bacon chorizo”  I know, good description.  Chorizo made from only bacon.
  • Korean Chicken - with spicy mayo and kimchi….um…yummm.
  • Potato and Pepper - cumin dusted roast potatoes with peppers and onions….maybe even get some egg up on there…

AND WE WILL BE SERVING THE BREAKFAST THING!  Two corn tortillas sandwiched around melted Chihuahua cheese topped with eggs, more cheese, your choice of taco toppings, and slaw!  I was once told by a person after trying their first BREAKFAST THING “why didn’t you make me eat one of these before?  Dammit!” and hit me on the arm.  I guess that means it is good. er.

Vegan chorizo Breakfast Thing

We have also promised a few new items, but we are going to be leaving that for a Saturday announcement.  The details have not been worked out quite yet due to…things.  (like fixing slashed tires)

Brunchpocalypse

Sunday, March 11.  11am to 3pm

AJ’s On East Court, 419 East Court Avenue

Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Taco Pastorius

Special Awesome Romantic Taco Tuesday Getaway Event

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Taco Lovers!  Tomorrow is a very special day for some, a day of romance and gifts and candy and dinners.  When you think of romance, what comes to mind?  The first thing we think about is the most romantic of foods, the Taco.  Tacos are romantic on so many levels, and our tacos are among the most romantic. (?) At least we think so.

Si, Corazon!

So…come out to see us at the Cumming Tap tomorrow night for a special romantic dinner of tacos and beer specials and romance and tacos.  We will be starting around 3-ish.

Treat your loved one to something special for V-day, treat them to Tacopocalypse.

Taco Pastorius

P.S.: We will have some kind of special menu thing.  Not telling you what it is, you will just have to find out.

 

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight! Whoa-ooooo!

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Sometimes when I stare closely at my Phil Collins album covers a vision pops out.  Mr. Collins’ hair line becomes the outline of a taco shell, his scalp becomes some kind of taco topping which covers his brains, the talented super song-writing-genius-multi-instrumentalist filling to a pop taco (and a one-time prog-taco, back in the day before Miami Vice).  Is this some demented vision from a man who has made one too many taco, or just some funny filler for you to read before you get a taste of what you will be getting a taste of tonight (tonight, tonight) at the Cumming Tap?  I wonder…

Last week we missed making it to the Tap on Tuesday due to some issues.  Those issues are no longer an issue, and we are looking at what may be one of our last really nice riding days for a while.  Make it down to see Sam and Bob tonight and this is what is in store for you:

MENU DE TUESDAY

  • Carnitas - our now famous-ish pork.

  • Vegan Chorizo - Eat it.  Is Good.,

  • Chicken Bulgogi - Chicken in a Korean Marinade served with Kimchi.

  • Tofu Scramble - It’s the bomb. A Cruelty-Free bomb.

  • The World Premier of our new 187 Sauce!  We have been working on this stuff for a while, months.  A smoky, spicy, thick, chunky hot sauce that adds just the right burn to your taco.  Very excited to finally have this out for the Taco Loving Public.

The usual slaw, hand pressed torts, and salsas will be on hand for your eating pleasure.  Come share your best CX or Halloween party stories with us and enjoy the return of your favorite tacos to the most amazing bar south of the Raccoon, the Cumming Tap!  Party starts at 5, and we promise…no Phil Collins were harmed during the making of these tacos.  But, Seriously…

Taco Pastorius.

High Trestle Tacos In Madrid/Flat Tire Lounge!

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We will not be serving on the bridge, but we WILL be riding to it at some point.

Say what?  You say the Tacopocalypse is arriving upon the citizens of Madrid, IA at the Flat Tire Lounge tonight?  Tis true.  We are paying a visit to our favorite non-home-base cycling trail and bar, the FTL on the HTT (High Trestle Trail).  (You are probably wondering, at least a few select of you are, what the OG #1 trail and bar of the Tacopocalypse would be.  Great Western Trail, Cumming Tap in Cumming Iowa.  We are there Tuesdays from 5-???)

Yes, we will be in Madrid tonight.  It is just a quick jaunt for all of you Ankeny/Slater/Woodward taco lovers, and any of you that haven’t had a chance over the last year to open your mouths and pop in one of our tacos, it would serve you well to finally initiate yourselves into the fold.  Tonight should be clear, brisk autumn riding weather (read: perfect) and we have some great food for you, along with the already great times to be had at the FTL.

This is our menu for tonight:

  • Braised Pork: our version of Carnitas

  • Wasabi Brisket:  This has become a new favorite.  Slow cooked brisket topped with pickled vegetables and a Wasabi Crema.  Is Good.

  • Chicken Bul Go Gi:  A Korean inspired marinated chicken topped with Kimchi.

  • Veggie Chorizo: A meatless chorizo that will not leave you wondering “where’s the beef?”  This is soy/mushroom based and spiced with our own chorizo seasoning blend.

All tacos are served on hand pressed corn tortillas, and the pork and chorizo are both topped with our now-famous slaw (the slaw is the law).  All items are also gluten free, except for tonight’s chicken dish which contains some soy sauce which includes gluten (sorry about that, and sorry for all of these parentheses).

We will officially start serving at 5pm, but we may start a little early.  Tacos go until you stop coming to eat them!  See you tonight!  Don’t forget to bring your party shoes.

Tacos are important,

Taco Pastorius