THURSDAY, MARCH 25: THE END OF ROUND ONE >>>
Yesterday's Results
Yesterday saw one blowout and two last-minute victories.
Here were yesterday's match-ups:
El Perran vs. El Tenampa
Reyna's Mexican Restaurant vs. La Fondita II
The Beach Tavern vs. Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery
El Pulgarcito vs. Taqueria Los Parados
Game 1 yesterday saw the biggest blowout of the tournament so far. The authentic Mexican environment of El Tenampa crushed el Perran's sports bar like environment. El Perran must have not paid attention to Tenampa's massive dance floor in the back of its restaurant. They packed them in on the weekends for Mexican cumbia by large touring bands.
The hole-in-the-wall Reyna's held a slight lead all day until the nightlife crowd logged on. On the strength of its bar we believe, La Fondita pulled ahead in the final few minutes of the voting to capture 86.7 percent of the vote. We're sure no one expected Reyna's to go down in the first round.
The Beach Tavern also held a lead all day over the Powerhouse in Puyallup. Then the comments began to flow in - every single one cheering on the Powerhouse. Where were the Beach Tavern fans? Where was its cheering squad? Our guess is the Beach Bunch was inside their beloved Titlow Beach watering hole instead of logged online. Powerhouse, with 52.2 percent of the votes, moves to the next round.
El Salvador wins! The Salvadoran El Pulgarcito nestled in Ponder's Corner in Lakewood grabbed 55.2 percent of the vote sending Taqueria Los Parados packing.
Let's get down to the hard shell facts. The following are advancing to the next round:
El Tenampa
La Fondita II
Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery
El Pulgarcito
Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.
OK, time to move on to today's competition, which is the last day of Round One. Hey! We heard that sigh. Grab a bottle of Pepto and get back at it! ...
Game 1: Hidalgo Mexican Restaurant (806 72nd St. E, Tacoma) vs. Bonita Restaurant & Lounge (5604 Portland Ave., Tacoma)
Hidalgo serves traditional opened-face tacos as one can find on the streets of Mexico City. While offering several meat fillings, we always head for the lengua (tongue). It's a strong competitor. Bonita is backed heavily by its loyal nightlife following.
Game 2: The Swiss (1904 S Jefferson Ave., Tacoma) vs. Hell's Kitchen (928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)
The Swiss' Thursday taco night squares off with Hell's Kitchen's popular Tuesday taco night. Both tacos are cheap, tasty and served fast. We expect the whistle to be blown constantly in this game.
Game 3: Matador (7212 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. El Toro (various locations)
The Matador serves outstanding chorizo and fish tacos with a strong tequila bench in a downright sexy environment. El Toro, locally owned with many locations in the Tacoma area, is the Cornell of the tournament. Nothing flashy - just a good consistent taco. Flash versus a workhorse. Hang on to your hats folks.
Game 4: La Huerta 2 International Market (5605 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. La Pecera Taqueria (10422 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)
The final game of Round One could be a blowout. Juan and Rossy Murguia opened La Huerta two years ago serving authentic Mexican food amidst aisles of grocery products, a meat department and a bakery. Their fresh tortillas alone could carry them to the next round. What La Pecera has in its pocket are authentic Mexican tacos served at unbelievably low prices.
Game 1: Los Reyes Del Taco vs. El Guadalajara Lakewood
Game 3: Taqueria La Fondita vs. El Purgarcito
Game 4: Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe vs. Duke's Chowder House