Tacos at the Irish Bistro?

Well, why not? We are definitely south of the Irish border! And while Celtic tacos may not be standard fare, you can be assured that – when made by Irishmen – they are certainly Irish tacos!

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Unfortunately, the kitchen is closed for the day, so you won’t get to sample them. But I wanted to share the diversity of our daily chalkboard specials. I didn’t have a chance to get this written before lunchtime, so it has to serve as a preview for next time.

Chef Dustin whipped up another winner with his Pulled Pork street tacos.

Street tacos?

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Yes. Here is the scoop on that, although I don’t claim to be an authority.

Many of us grew up thinking that what Taco Bueno served was Mexican food. It turns out, it isn’t really. There is no true entrée beyond the Rio Grande that could be termed a “Chilada Platter.” Topping an enchilada with a cheese sauce probably had its beginnings in the gravy that covers our mound of American mashed potatoes.

The various food trucks offering tacos in the Tulsa area don’t usually have a hard shell Old-El-Paso-style taco shell, and the ingredients aren’t likely to start with mildly spiced ground beef. Not to say I don’t enjoy those, but something closer to the real deal is just so much better.

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And that is what Dustin served up today.

He understands that not everyone shares our love for the spicy – the kind of food adventure that might include popping jalapeno slices on the tongue as though they were after-dinner mints. So his was a mildly – and deliciously – spiced taco filling and toppings.

The pulled-pork tacos featured a tomatillo green sauce (salsa verde, for you especialistas) and authentic Mexican white cheese. A little cilantro. And the tortillas tasted like they had just been lifted off the grill, thin and tasty.

It’s just about now that you’re wondering why I’m promoting a lunch special that has come and gone.

Simple.

The pictures can let you see the variety in our menu from day to day. Even though we offer Irish fare we’ve also got the Daily Special, and it can be pretty diverse.

Wednesday – for example – is usually Pony Day, a sandwich served with blue-corn tortilla chips and house-made salsa. It starts with soft crust sourdough bread and features bacon, thinly-sliced turkey, and Dustin’s fresh personal-recipe guacamole that I believe will stack up against any guacamole in the Tulsa area. It’s delly-delly delicious.

You can LIKE us on Facebook (click HERE to do that), and you’ll get a daily update of Dustin’s lunchtime offerings. It is a different page than the old site, which was set up before Facebook offered business pages. Dustin created a new page for the Books & Bistro which he updates with his daily specials and pictures. The page I created, oh-so-many-years ago, tends to host my anecdotes, Rose District stories, and generalized whining.

The bottom line is (if I understand Dustin correctly): you can simply “like” the new page, and you’ll be updated on the menu right on your computer.

And you can still get info the old-fashioned way: Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers and Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!