Last Thursday was the stuff dreams were made of, the 4th annual Top Taco in Denver, located at the RiNo Festival Grounds. With over 50 participating restaurants and bars, there was so much food and drinks to be had. My brain was on stuff-your-face overload – my eyes and lizard brain told me to keep eating, overriding any feelings of fullness from my belly.
I had the honor of being a Top Taco judge — a duty I took very seriously by shoving dozens of tacos into my mouth. As part of the deal, I got to hang out with awesome fellow foodies like Meghan from Cake ‘n’ Knife and Shannon who were part of my judging pod. Thanks to Dining Out Denver & Boulder for hooking it all up!
Here are a few of my favorite tacos sampled (many which were Top Taco 2017 winners) that you should definitely check out:
Leña
Classic Al Pastor.
Scratch Burrito
Colorado Tandoori Lamb Shoulder with dill pickle salad, cilantro raita, crispy onions, Fresno hot sauce, on sumac and za’atar tortilla.
Range
Roasted suckling pig, grilled corn, radish, herbs, tomatillo, cracklins.
Del Frisco’s Grille
Ahi tuna taco with tuna tartare, avocado, and spicy citrus mayo.
For those of you considering going next year, here are my top three lessons learned from Top Taco 2017:
- Don’t wear a white shirt you’d like to NOT end up disgusting
- VIP entry is so worth it to avoid crazy crowds and lines. (It allows you to enter in one hour before everyone else.)
- Do NOT put a taco in your bag on your way out as “one for the road”. It WILL NOT stay in the cardboard sleeve. It WILL spill all over your wallet and phone. Or so I hear… 😉
Were you at Top Taco this year? What were some of your favorites?