

Wednesday is National Taco Day, and for the second year in a row, Taco Bell has really gone all-out. The twist here is that they’ve gone all-out for an exceedingly small number of people, and those lucky few will get a chance to taste some of the best, most high-quality food the restaurant chain has ever put out on Wednesday.

Last month, Taco Bell put out a hyper-exclusive call for fans (because this was really an offer for Taco Bell FANS, let’s be honest here) to make a reservation on OpenTable, and a scant 32 diners will get a chance to take in a one-of-a-kind, five-course taco-inspired menu at Taco Bell’s corporate headquarters in Irvine, California. There will be two seatings of 16 diners each, and they’re going to get their socks knocked off by what’s in store for them.

I was lucky enough to try just a few of the items on this gargantuan menu, and I — along with two other news outlets — will comprise the entirety of the 35 non-Taco Bell employees who will ever lay a taste bud on any part of this one-time-only meal. Frankly, the thought is enough to make me weep.

I weep for myself, and for you, dear reader, for you have no idea the wonders I have beheld.



The appetizers and amuse-bouche that I was able to sample were absolutely phenomenal, and things kind of ramped up from there. There was a bowl of tortilla chips and cheese crisps, served with guacamole and a quintet of salsas, all inspired by existing Taco Bell sauce packets (and the dear, departed salsa verde … gone, but not forgotten). The Dos XX Diablo salsa infused with tequila packed quite a punch, and the “Hatch Hot” boosted by hatch peppers was robust and satisfying. The cheese crisps, by the way, absolutely need to be added to the Taco Bell menu nationwide posthaste.

Toasted cheese that resembles the glorious end of the fondue pot and can be dipped into a receptacle of guacamole? A thousand times, yes.

As for the amuse-bouche, the chef offered margarita shooters paired with miniature tacos, served atop a tiny platform of an entire lime. The tacos were light and the perfect mix of flavorful ingredients, as poached, shredded chicken was paired with a dollop of guac and corn. The chicken was moist and provided a satisfying chew behind the crunch of the perfectly-cooked hard shell.

But the real star of the show was a trio of inventions listed as “A World of Tacos” on the menu.