Discussion of Robin Garr's El Taco Luchador review

[Robin Garr]

We wrestle and win at El Taco Luchador
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr



Okay, Taco Luchador, we get the "taco" part. But what the heck is a "luchador"? Simple, señoras y señores! The luchador is a skilled artisan, a practitioner of lucha libre ("free fight"), the manly art of self-defense. In other words, luchadores are Mexican pro wrestlers. But trust me on this, lucha libre makes the overweight, steroid-pumped thespians of the WWE look like a bunch of slow-moving sissies.

Smaller, lighter and far more lithe than the Norteamericano pros, the luchadores are acrobats and artists who leap high, twist and turn in the air and pounce on their opponents in a writhing dance that's not always bound by the ropes of the ring. And they do it wearing crazy masks!

Okay, fine. But where's the connection between Mexican rasslin' and the new, hugely popular taqueria that just opened on the Baxter Avenue strip?

Quite a few lucha libre masks ("máscaras") adorn the bright, salsa verde and salsa rojo-colored walls of El Taco Luchador, as do folk-art paintings of luchadores ready to get it down. And the folks behind the counters stand ready to wrestle up some very serious Mexican street food for you, too.

Frankly, the quality of the food and the mood should come as no surprise when we consider that this is the latest venture of Fernando and Cristina Martinez and Fernando's cousin Yaniel, who've hit a string of homeruns with Havana Rumba and Mojito, plus their current lineup: Guaca Mole, Mussel & Burger Bar, El Taco Luchador and, coming soon, The Place Downstairs, where top young chef Ethan Ray will preside over an upscale, innovative dining room in Mussel & Burger Bar's basement.

El Taco Luchador is the latest tenant in the tiny old shotgun house that has been home to the short-lived Potstickers, 14K Cupcakes and Lil Cheezers. There's room for just six four-top tables, and the place is usually slammed, so I advise arriving early; or if the joint is packed, see if you can't rely upon the kindness of strangers to share a table.


Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/we-wr ... o-luchador
and in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/we-wrestle- ... o-luchador

El Taco Luchador
938 Baxter Ave.
583-0440
http://facebook.com/eltacoluchador
Robin Garr's rating: 91 points

OK, I'll bite if nobody else wants to start. Maybe nobody has because, as with us, Robin's experience mirrors ours quite closely.
We probably won't get the mole fries very often as despite their taste they are just too darned messy. That's pretty much my reaction to poutine to which they are understandably compared. Various tacos are killer good, on a level with Taco Punk and that's high praise. The staff were numerous, in constant motion and cheerful.
While waiting I told my wife we should paint our kitchen in the festive colors we saw inside. She thought I was kidding and I was serious as a heart attack. I'd love it myself but she was horrified. The Mexican wrestling masks always make me think of two things: The old Santos quasi-super hero movies starring the famed wrestler & the band Los Straitjackets who have played in clubs here many times. All aforementioned wore masks like that.
With the prices and as long as there are bars in operation along Baxter Avenue, El Taco Luchador & Papalino's could stay open till 4AM and just use snow shovels to rake in the cash, if people used cash anymore.