tacos

The Arizona Taco Festival Takes Tacos Upscale

First it was salsa, then tequila, now it's tacos that are getting some overdue north-of-the-border afición. Scottsdale, Arizona will be the next to worship at taco altar when it hosts Arizona Taco Festival, a celebration of all the delicious things you can stack on tortillas of flour and corn and lettuce.

Curated by the same team that put on Scottsdale's barbecue festival earlier this year, the test this time is to see which chef can stack the the most tantalizing tacos in chicken, pork, beef and fish flavors. New York City chef Richard Sandoval (La Biblioteca, Maya, Zenga) is flying in to prep his team from Scottsdale's Fairmont Hotel resto La Hacienda. At the other end, Phoenix farm-to-table restaurant St. Francis doesn't even serve tacos, but the owner flew to Mexico to learn the trade. Between them will be 30 chefs and restaurants plotting the perfect light Latin lunch.

Because there can't be tacos without tequila, Tres Agaves will be doing hand-crafted margaritas, Corrido will be doing a private tequila bar, and labels such as Don Julio, Epsolon, Vince Neils' Tres Rios and Roger Clyne's Mexican Moonshine will be all be vying for the chance to rescue you from the dark side of the agave plant usually referred to as "Cuervo."

And if that's not enough, a hot-chili-eating contest featuring the ghost chili, the pepper so hot that the men who farm it say, "When you eat it, it's like dying." And yes, there will be a Mariachi band happy to serenade your chili escapades.

The AZ Taco Fest goes down October 9, 10 am to 5 pm, general admission $10, VIP tickets $50, tacos for a $2-spot. More info at www.aztacofestival.com.

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Tags: arizona, arizona taco festival, scottsdale, tacos

Mario Batali, Mexican Style

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Mario Batali took a turn away from the Italian fare he is famous for at an event recently to benefit his new charity, The Mario Batali Foundation at the Food and WIne Festival in Aspen. Batali prepared a gigantic batch of machaca for his friends, family and fellow chefs. The Mario Batali Foundation has a mission to educate and empower children with a goal of making sure that all children are well read, well fed and well cared for. Also on Batali's board is his longtime friend, musician Michael Stipe.

Batali's machaca is a little more labor-intensive than your standard taco meat but definitely worth the effort. For the event Batali used Strauss Meadow Reserve veal from Allen Brothers. The meat was marinated in a mixture of Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, chipotle, cumin and black pepper overnight. After browning, onions, peppers and herbs are added. The meat is cooked for two hours until falling apart, shredded, and returned to the liquid. Then the mixture is slowly cooked down until the meat is close to dry. The result can be used in tacos, flauta and just about any other Mexican preparation. The complete recipe is after the jump.

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Tags: celebrity chef, CelebrityChef, food, machaca, mario batali, MarioBatali, mexican, recipe, tacos

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