Favorites or underdogs, fancy restaurants or taco trucks, it's all the same. In the end, they all have one chance to put some meat on a tortilla that can take the prize. That's the nature of the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Tacos.
GAME 1: Taqueria El Rinconsito vs. Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant
GAME 2: Taqueria Burrito Loco vs. Tijuana Taco
The Final Cuatro voting was a little puzzling. Blame it on Good Friday, the weather, or the announcement the American Idol Season 2 winner Ruben Studdardwill reunite with runner-upClay Aiken for a summer tour that will bring the joy the Snoqualmie Casino July 29 - whatever the reason, the voting crept along in the morning hours. Then, around happy hour, the voting exploded actually reversing the leads for both games.
With the second largest tally of votes in the tournament - and, as we mentioned, a fairly close tally through two-thirds of the day - Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant and Tijuana Taco managed to knock Taqueria El Rinconsito and Taqueria Burrito Loco out of the Readers' Poll.
In the end, old school ruled.
In 1978 Arturo Garcia opened Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant in a hole-in-the wall establishment on South Tacoma Way. Slowly Moctezuma's built a loyal fanbase and in 1988 Garcia moved his restaurant to its present location at 4102 S. 56th St. in Tacoma. Garcia opened a second location at 4803 Point Fosdick Dr. NW in Gig Harbor.
Tijuana Taco "Fine Mexican Food" has been serving Lakewood tacos and other fast Mexican fare for 41 years from its tiny spot at 10005 Bristol Ave. SW. In 1969 Rocky Van Scyoc opened the restaurant next to the Villa Plaza (now Lakewood Towne Center) working in the kitchen, serving food and busing tables. His daughter, Kelli Van Scyoc-Gomez, now runs the restaurant.
Monday morning is the date to vote for the biggest match of all, the battle across Pierce County, the titanic taco throwdown finale, the 2010 Weekly Volcano Tournament of Tacos Readers' Poll Championship. We'll launch the voting platform in the wee hours Monday, April 5. At 5 p.m. we'll close the online poll and move the voting process to our taco party at 6 p.m. inside Station 56 at 56th and South Tacoma Way. Load up the car with friends and head for the this restaurant housed in a large brick building in the Historic South Tacoma Neighborhood. Station 56 will be broadcasting the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game on all its screens while serving dollar tacos and $2 tequila shots. Nice. Throughout the first half of the game we'll be handing our taco voting ballots for a final push of voting. At half time of the hoop game, we'll announce the winner of the Tournament of Tacos.
Will it be massive Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant or tiny Tijuana Taco? That's your call.