Wachu TacoBot Willis? Shooters

by Daniel Leahy

Shooter’s opened in Victory Park this past January serving street and gourmet tacos along with burgers, salads, and wings. With some of the cheapest prices in the area this is exactly the kind of restaurant the AAC has need: cheap quick food and low priced drinks and all just a few steps from the main entrance to the American Airlines Center. Weekly taco and sandwich specials like this week’s Blackened Tilapia Taco or the daily lunch special with 2 tacos and a side of either the bacon cheesy rice and beans or a side salad help round out the menu.

The tacos at Shooter’s are something special. Time after time we end up eating the same basic taco at place after place, with only slight variations in the cooking and preparation from one taco location to another. Focusing on flavor combination Shooter’s have come up with traditional tacos that manage to taste completely unique. Our favorite of the night was the Slow and Low. The slow cooked brisket was so juicy it melted in your mouth and was also topped with huge avocado and a Portobello mushroom slices that added a creamy smokiness that not only enhanced the taco’s flavor but texture as well. Smothered in melted 3-cheese queso this taco was a huge surprise for everyone.

Next the Wilber and the Shrimpy tacos were easily the crowd favorites. The Wilber is made with Achiote-rubbed natural pulled pork shoulder, marinated sweet onions, Maui gold pineapple, cilantro, red radish, and chipotle honey drizzle. The sweetness of the pineapple and the chipotle honey is perfectly offset by the crisp bite and heat of the red radish. The is a pork taco lover’s dream and reminded me of a Hawaiian luau, all I needed was a Malibu and coke to make the afternoon getaway complete.

The Shrimpy made with tempura tiger shrimp, chili slaw, queso fresco, and sriracha cream packed the kind of heat that would make a Texan proud. I usually don’t go for seafood tacos and this was definitely one I will be back for. But probably the biggest surprise of the day and one of the best non-traditional sides I’ve had were the bacon cheesy rice and beans. Ooey gooey cheesy rice with a handful of beans mixed in, this little side come absolutely smothered in crisp bacon bits. Much like the tacos themselves they took normal ingredients and somehow coming up with something totally unexpected. I ended up taking mine to go to relish at my desk once the afternoon began to drone on.

But maybe our favorite part of the afternoon was getting to enjoy a laid back lunch right  in the heart of the Victory Park. This is an area many in Dallas and the surrounding Metroplex have wanted to see succeed for a very long time. It’s nice to see a taco shop doing for the neighborhood what a bunch of fancy restaurants never could.

Want to join Tacobots or have a great idea for our next Meetup? Check out our group on Facebook or email me at tacobotsdfw@gmail.com