Tacotarian — Restaurant in Las Vegas

The Giant Taco is simple. It's a regular burrito filled with an additional side of beans and rice, making it impractical to fold. The overstuffed "burrito" is then placed in the oven for just enough time to give the soft tortilla shell an unsatisfying crunch. It doesn't have the primordial snapping of a hard shell taco. It's the nervous cracking of a newly frozen pond.

And so what we're left with is structurally suspect— an unstable creation that is delicious, but delicious in a precarious way that could make you wonder if a regular burrito would have been the better choice.

But I would never order a regular burrito. I'm only coming back for a giant taco.

The Giant Taco is a ridiculous food. But that doesn't mean it's without merit. It may be a delicious center transported in an imperfect vessel but it still has a lot to offer. And I think that's a worthy thing to remind ourselves.

From the moment my family noticed the Giant Taco menu item, the tenor of our little group changed. No longer were we a tired family, bouncing from one well-worn conversation to another. We became energized— excited by the impending ridiculousness of a giant taco. My big mouth (figurative) and my big mouth (literal) meant that I was expected to step up and order this mysterious creation. And I did so with pride.

What came to our table wasn't entirely unexpected. It was, as described above, an over sized taco. But that doesn't quite capture the surprise beauty of the thing. As it first came into view. I started laughing. I couldn't stop. The world slowed down. The family whipped out their phones to document the spectacle. I picked up the taco with a two-handed grip and took a theatrical chomp, savoring the glistening soyrizo with exaggerated delight of someone who falls in love just a little too hard. The shell was dry, but the first bite was perfect.

Bites two and three weren't quite as perfect— but they never could have been. Joy is a visitor that always leaves early. Other people's food arrived and the energy faded, our conversations returned to their normal state and soon the giant taco was no more. In the grand scheme of things, this meal changed nothing. It was good food. And I liked it. But there was a moment— ever so brief— where I tasted the sublime.

It's easy to forget that food is about more than just hunger and taste. These are noble desires and necessary for survival. But laughter and family and love— that is the maximum potential that food has to offer. And if a ridiculous giant taco can unlock just a sliver of that potential, then that is a taco I will...

Tacotarian was another woman-driven restaurant which had had a spot at Picnic in the Alley. I had liked what I had sampled so eventually went to the Arts District location for the full experience (really PitA has gotten a lot of mileage out of me. No regrets.)

Food Chips and Salsa ($4.19): Shareable amount of crispy flavorful chips. The salsa, which was chunky yet also thin in consistency, had an understated peppery heat.

Taco Al Pastor ($3.15): Dynamite. Nicely balanced between fruit cubes and shredded hearty "meat" in a double-walled soft shell, with a bit of zesty zip.

Fish Taco ($4.75): Very good but I was not as enamored of this taco variant as I had been of the Al Pastor. Fish had good breading and flake texture but seemed a bit overwhelmed by the toppings so didn't get to stand out in flavor.

Tacos were about four-five bite sized.

Also, Mexican Coke ($4.99). 355ml bottle.

Value: Relatively cheap eats, especially for the area, and a great option for vegetarians/vegans.

Service: Perky.

Atmosphere: Bright and relaxed. Cyan blue, black-and-white tile, masks, graffiti, logo'd apparel for sale, and a (probably temporary?) ofrenda which appeared to commemorate the favorite items of the honoree's lifestyle, to include ramen packets, Marlboros, and...

OMG! If I could give this 50 stars I would. These are the best vegan tacos I've ever had!!! I couldn't believe the diversity of flavor and at these prices wow.

I threw a birthday taco party for my vegan partner, and all of our meat-eating friends were floored at these tacos...some even did a double take!

What'd we get? -- Taco box: I'd highly recommend this for big groups! Tacos are small-ish, so if this is for a main meal, consider each person will probably have about 3 tacos each. -- Taco flavors: Birria is the BEST hands down, barbacoa/carne asada/al pastor are all delicious and unique to each other, the mushroom pastor feels like the least exciting of the bunch but still yummy. -- Cauliflower Ceviche: Super bomb! The citrus flavor was perfect, and the texture was great. -- Birria Ramen: This was delicious, though I'd probably opt to get more Birria tacos next time! -- Chips, salsa, guac: I love their chips and the red salsa was great for our non-spicy friends. I dipped my chips in the free habanero salsa they gave us, and that was FIRE. I LOVE the habanero salsa. My only complaint is that I wish there was more guac! -- Coconut cake: DON'T SKIP THIS. It was insaneeeee!

Thank you Tacotarian for all that you do to make vegan Mexican...