Texas Taco War a forfeit: Austin didn’t show up in Austin

Express-News food critic Edmund Tijerina lists his picks for what tacos should have gone to war over Texas taco supremacy. Express-News food critic Edmund Tijerina lists his picks for what tacos should have gone to war over Texas taco supremacy. Image 1 of / 71 Caption Close Texas Taco War a forfeit: Austin didn’t show up in Austin 1 / 71 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN — This was supposed to be the final battle, the showdown that would settle bragging rights for breakfast tacos once and for all, Austin vs. San Antonio, mano a mano, tortilla a tortilla.

Only it wasn’t.

Instead, it was a forfeit, as San Antonio chef and restaurateur Johnny Hernandez, who organized the taco throwdown, could find not one single Austin chef to accept his challenge of a taco cook-off.

Nobody. Nadie.

Yep, Austin shrank like a yellow-bellied coward. And the ones who were interested in competing were from San Antonio but living in Austin.

So Friday’s event became just another taco love-in, with Michael and Cariño Cortez of the famed San Antonio Cortez restaurant family and Diana Barrios Treviño of the Barrios restaurant family in town to cook with Hernandez at the event during SXSW Interactive in Austin at the S.A.-promoting Casa San Antonio.

“We wanted to allow them to feel an advantage, and they didn’t show up. I was hoping to get a nice group of Austin restaurateurs,” Hernandez said. “We’re going to see who among us three, who has the best — in Austin. That’s the best we can do, I guess.”

So the competitors were barbacoa tacos and lengua tacos from Hernandez; machacado tacos and chorizo with beans from Barrios; and beans, chorizo, potatoes, avocados, queso fresco and salsa verde from the Cortez family. Not a weak taco in the bunch.

The judges from Food & Wine magazine, Food Network, Mouth.com, Food.com and Texas Monthly gave the nod for traditional tacos to Barrios, modern tacos to Cortez and Chef’s Choice to Hernandez.

Video: Taco celebration

Our guess is that Austin chefs knew they had no real chance of winning. Everyone assumed that.

In fact, while sharing an Uber this morning, the driver asked this reporter where I was from, and when I said San Antonio, he told the other passenger: “Oh, San Antonio! If you want want great Mexican food, that’s where you need to go.”

Need we say more?

Friday’s event turned into a celebration of San Antonio, its traditions and its glorious homestyle cooking in a location that became San Antonio on Sixth Street.

It continued the peace love and tacos vibe from Thursday, when San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor and Austin Mayor Steve Adler signed the Interstate 35 Taco Accord, exchanged breakfast tacos and proclaimed an end to the hostilities. Taylor brought an assortment from her favorite joint, Mittman Fine Foods, while Adler brought tacos from Juan in a Million during Thursday’s Breakfast Taco Summit.

The Austin tacos on Thursday included a good filling but were wrapped in store-bought tortillas. (¡Ay, por favor!) On Friday, San Antonio’s tacos were all made in house and represented the city admirably.

“All the tacos were incredible,” said judge Arthur Bovino of Mouth.com. “The freshness of the ingredients and how they all came together.”

With so much love and aromas of great food in the air, the atmosphere was gracious and generous.

“Don’t talk bad about Austin’s tacos,” said event emcee Janet Holliday. “Talk much better about San Antonio tacos.”

But we all know the truth. There’s no substitute for tacos hecho en San Antonio.

Later in the afternoon, Austin’s mayor tweeted out a note that he took President Barack Obama, who came to town to speak at SXSW, to Torchy’s Tacos. Adler claimed it wasn’t a violation of the taco peace accord signed Thursday.

Taylor, who was in Houston, was unavailable for comment on the fragile peace.

etijerina@express-news.net

@etij