Taco DiVino
In a culinary mecca like NYC, fusion food concepts feel inevitable - sushi burritos, middle eastern pizza, even matzoh ball ramen have all found an audience in the Big Apple.
Things tend to stay a bit more straightforward here, although you could argue Texas is home to one of the most popular fusion cuisines around - Tex-Mex. Here’s a test - next time you’re at a Mexican restaurant, ask for a side of sour cream. If the response isn’t abject horror or a resigned ‘we have crema,’ chances are you’re eating Tex-Mex.
Now look, I know some of you taco purists out there want chopped onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime on top of your al pastor, all nestled in a homemade corn tortilla, and the rest is heresy. I get it. We’ve got Los Tacos #1 in NYC for that. But if you want to argue with me about the simple joy that is Tex-Mex, let’s go. Give me queso, refried beans, and a warm flour tortilla all day. Oh and I’m Hungarian - sour cream is my blood type.
But American-Mexican fusion takes on new meaning at Midland’s Taco DiVino. Now, DiVino can be translated as ‘divine’ or ‘of wine,’ which I would argue are synonyms. Here, it’s a play on words to describe the restaurant’s unique pairing of its signature taco offerings with wine.
This is a first for me. I tend to pair my tacos with cerveza, Dr. Pepper or Topo-Chico - as an aside, if you’ve never heard of Topo-Chico, it’s like the Dom Perignon of sparkling water. Teeny tiny oh so gloriously smooth bubbles! But most Tex-Mex spots don’t put Korean fried chicken or truffle risotto in their tacos alongside your beverage choices.
Like many delightfully weird fusion concepts, it could all go so wrong if Taco DiVino didn’t do it so right. Their proteins are stewed or poached to a tender and seasoned zenith, then topped generously with unique slaws and sauces. They range from the familiar - flank steak with queso fresco and avocado salsa - to the quirky - duck confit with creamed leeks and sautéed mushrooms. By the time the toppings are finalized, all mimic the size of a humble burrito. If possible, one must leave room for the elote, served by the whole cob.
Okay, so you’re wondering about the wine pairings, right? Well, confession - I’ve never actually paired my tacos with wine here. As one of my favorite lunch spots, I simply enjoy the food so much, I keep going back, and I’m not exactly in the habit of getting loose on Tempranillo at noon (silence, former coworkers). If I were writing a restaurant review, one might consider this incomplete research, but I don’t write reviews. The only thing I’m qualified to do is enjoy food, and I do here. I think you would, too.
Taco DiVino is open Monday - Saturday for lunch and dinner.
