RiCoco’s Latin Grill

121 E. Third, Taylor, 512/352-9300
www.ricocos.com
Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 10am-10pm; Sunday, 10am-3pm

When Austinites think of destination eating in Taylor, 15 miles east of Round Rock on Highway 79, barbecue probably first comes to mind; the town is known for Louie Mueller’s venerable joint, as well as Rudy Mikeska’s next door. However, Taylor is also home to RiCoco’s Latin Grill, offering a different kind of spicy dining.

Once a busy rail depot for the region’s formerly vibrant cotton industry, Taylor is making a valiant effort to revitalize its now rather deserted but movie-set-picturesque downtown. To reach RiCoco’s, housed in a 19th century building just off Main Street, diners must pick their way around and through major street-and-sidewalk construction, but the food and hospitality are worth the effort.

Owners Richard and Coco Torres are California transplants, and the menu reflects some distinct Cal-Mex influences. While supplying a wide range of the reasonably priced, hearty Mexican-restaurant fare that we expect in Texas — varieties of tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas; chile rellenos, tamales, and numerous combination plates; and a fresh red-chile table sauce — there is also a full bar and some pleasant surprises on offer.

The Coctail de Camarones ($7.99) is a huge footed glass of beautifully cooked bay shrimp swimming in piquant tomato sauce with fresh onion and cilantro. It’s a meal or an appetizer generous enough for two. House specialty dishes ($11.99) are called molcajetes for the traditional grinding bowls of black lava rock in which they’re served. Best described as a sort of fresh stew served volcano-hot, they are mammoth portions of grilled chicken breast (or steak or shrimp), onion and bell pepper strips, splashed with light chile gravy, garnished by grilled scallions and fresh tomato and orange slices, topped with melting queso fresco, and accompanied by a plateful of beans, rice, guacamole, and plenty of fresh tortillas to mop up the sauce. ¡Que rico! — MM Pack

This article appears in July 27 • 2007.

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Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.

MM Pack is a food writer/historian and private chef who divides her time between Austin and San Francisco. A regular contributor to The Austin Chronicle and Edible Austin, she’s been published in Gastronomica, The San Francisco Chronicle, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food & Drink in America, Nation’s Restaurant News, Scribner's Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, The Dictionary of Culinary Biography, and Southern Foodways Alliance’s Cornbread Nation 1.

Kate Thornberry worked in renowned Austin restaurants for 30 years while pursuing a reasonably successful career in music. She began contributing to the Chronicle in 1988 and became a regular contributor to the food section in 2006.