It all started with a boastful comment about a decade ago. But first, I need to backtrack a bit….
I first visited Nashville way back in 1985. I had come to town to spend the weekend with some of my friends in the country music industry. I had been playing country music on the radio off and on since the late 70’s, but in all honesty country music wasn’t my thing. But it all started changing with my first visit. There was something special about Nashville and it was more than just music.
In the late 80’s my radio career brought me close to Nashville (Huntsville, AL) and that gave me a chance to spend more time in the Music City. We would come to town to shop, dine, hang out, and just have a good time at least once or twice a month. As the years flew by Nashville was changing, for both good and bad.
Over the years I had many opportunities to move to Nashville to work in the music business, but the timing never seemed right. In 2006 that all changed and I finally decided to make the move to Tennessee. And that is when the idea for Taco Tiempo was born.
I had just moved to town and was hanging out with my buddy Bob. We were discussing which restaurant we wanted to try for dinner and the topic turned to Mexican food. It was that point I uttered the words that inspired this blog; “I think Nashville has more Mexican restaurants per capita than any town in America.” Bob told me I was “full of it” (but using a more descriptive word than ‘it’), so I had to prove my point.
It was then that I decided that I would try to eat 3 tacos at every Mexican restaurant in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Now I realize the tacos I’m eating everywhere I go aren’t truly authentic Mexican tacos. While I love those tacos (meat on a soft shell corn tortillas with cilantro, onion and fresh lime), I opted for the Americanized version that I’ve loved since I was a little boy. And while these hard shell beef tacos are similar to the kind you find at Taco Bell or Taco John (among other chains), they are truly a bit different. Trust me, I’ll one day be doing another round of taco tasting and enjoying the real thing, but for now I’m on the road trying ‘crispy beef tacos’ at every Mexican restaurant I can find.
If I’ve missed you favorite, let me know. I’ll probably be there soon!