I love food.  And while you would never call me hard to please, I am difficult to impress.  Especially when it comes to tacos.

I grew up in West Texas, and I live in Austin.  I’ve been surrounded by good tacos my entire life.  I’m not going to waste your time talking about good, or even great, tacos. But today, today my friends, I met a taco that is worth talking about.

The Taco Taxi. I walk up to the convenience store (yes, like most great tacos, these are sold in front of a convenience store), and I see… a tricycle.  A tricycle with an electric hotbox on the back, and a small propane stove.  And it’s painted yellow, with a few blocks of checkerboard pattern thrown in for obvious effect.  As I get closer, I see the proprietor;  a tall man, with blue hair, and tattoos.  Many tattoos.  Including an elaborate neck tattoo.

Clearly, this would be no ordinary taco.

Brian Birde-Mann is no ordinary street vendor.  He’s a classically trained chef who has traveled across the country, and the continent, learning the techniques and flavors of the places he visits.  And he’s passionate about food.  He believes that taking a bite of food should be like making love.

Yes, he actually said that.  And no, he wasn’t engaging in hyperbole.  He went on to describe how a perfectly seasoned and cooked meal, with proper presentation, should elicit the same release of neurotransmitters and hormones that other acts of extreme pleasure, such as sex, do.  When the preparation of food is treated as an art.

True story.  The first bite of his barbacoa taco made me weep with delight.

So what’s a cat like Brian doing selling tacos out of a tricycle in front of a convenience store?  Shouldn’t he be an executive chef in a fancy restaurant?  That depends on how you look at success.  He’s done his time in that world (one gig involved cooking for millionaires at a private club in New Mexico), and he says too often he wound up being forced to cater to the least common denominator.  Serving sub-par food for inflated prices to people who didn’t appreciate it.  Now he’s trying to do something different.

“Gourmet food isn’t expensive”, he told me.  “The talent to make it taste gourmet, that’s what’s expensive”.  If he works for himself, he can make great food on a small scale and serve it at a price that people can afford.

Great food starts with great ingredients.  Brian is proud to offer a completely organic menu.  Brian uses produce from local organic farms, 100% grass-fed and hormone free beef from the Bastrop Cattle Company, and locally raised free-range chickens.

The tortillas.  How can I explain the tortillas?  Fresh, hand-made, flour tortillas.  But they’re a little… brown.  It was a bit off-putting at first.  And then I smelled it.  Cumin.  The tortillas are made with cumin.

It’s the little things, folks, that make the difference.  It’s the little things that push you from good to great.

His daily menu consists of several different tacos, including a vegetarian option, anticuchos (skewered and grilled meat), and a daily special.  Today’s special was barbacoa.  He tells me yesterday was sweetbreads.

This food is not to be missed.  You owe it to yourself to give it a try.  Don’t wait.

Seriously, don’t wait.  This guy is one of us.  He’s cool.  And he’s trying to do something a little different.  It’s not easy, man.  If you wait too long, he might not make it.  If you go now, he might be around for awhile.  Be a dude.

You can find him at the Texan Market, on the corner of Amherst and Adelphi in North Austin.  Pay attention!  Currently, he’s there on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 3pm, and Wednesday from 4pm to 8pm.

lady lascivious and I have already decided we’re eating dinner there Wednesday night.