Texas Taco

2588 Route 22, Patterson, NY - (845) 878-9665

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Posted By Michael Stern on 2/26/2000 12:00:00 AM

When Rosemary Jamison, proprietor of Texas Taco, tells us her dream is to one day be a franchise bigger than Taco Bell, we take her wish with a few grains of salt. There isn’t a commercial enterprise anywhere in this country less likely to inspire either imitators or massive infusions of corporate capital. And we mean that in the nicest possible way, for Texas Taco is a one-of-a-kind restaurant sure to bring joy to the hearts Roadfood adventurers.

Truly, there is nothing like it anywhere else. With exterior walls painted in psychedelic swirls and a lawn outfitted with amusement park flotsam, it looks like a 1960s acid-rock poster come to life. In fact, it has been here all of thirty-one years, and during that time, the interior has grown ever more packed with décor that the term "eclectic" barely hints at. Hyperactive Lava Lites, a life-size Elvis bust, game trophies, gold lamé curtains, mannequins in Mexican attire, and hundreds of business cards heaped atop the tables and held down with glass: all of this is stuffed into a mazelike interior that couldn't be more than 500 square feet, including space for the indoor hot dog cart. Rosemary herself has grown ever more delightfully eccentric as the years have passed. With glittery eye makeup running from her upper lids all across her forehead to her hairline and hair tinted a day-glo shade of violet that she described as “Manic Panic,” she is the most unusual-looking restaurateur we have met in three decades of traveling. And she’s a nice lady, too, with a sly sense of humor that finds expression in the full-bore wackiness of her taco joint.

It is Rosemary you’ll meet when you walk in the door. She stands at the register adjacent to the blackboard menu and asks you to make your choice and pay your tab, then find a seat at one of the four house tables in the adjoining dining areas. The menu is short: tacos, burritos, a fiesta dog (topped with chili) in a steamed-soft bun, and a wonderful invention known as a taco serape – a crisp taco shell encased in a soft taco shell (thus solving the breakage and spillage problems), loaded with meat and/or bean filling, cheese, and lettuce. You can get a bowl of nicely spiced chili, or an order of guacamole; and beverages include apple cider garnished with a slice of apple. It is well-made food with an ingratiating flavor. In our experience, when we order a couple of tacos apiece, we’re back up at the counter midway through the second one ordering two or three more. The price is right, and the ambience is hypnotic; a person could spend hours here eating well and gaping at the scenery.

Meals arrive at the table on wax paper in red plastic trays. Diners are serenaded by a weird, hyperkinetic repertoire of alternative rock as well as a feral chirping sound whenever the front door opens; and if reading material is needed, Rosemary keeps stacks of 25-year old magazines around for browsing.

If ever you worry that American eateries are becoming homogeneous in any way, lunch at Texas Taco is a sure cure for that thought. It is an inspiring lesson in the staying power of individuality.

Scorecard

Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour

Fiesta Dog	taco serape

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"And you thought Ken Kesey was ancient history!"
Michael Stern

"The amusement-park aesthetic outside belies seriously good Tex-Mex food inside. "
Michael Stern

"The entrance is to the right, but the garden in front looks like a nice place to enjoy your Fiesta dogs on a warm day. "
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Some of the outdoor entertainment."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"We are guessing this is Rosemary's car. That's a lemon on the rear bumper."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Texas Taco's Peter Maxian parking lot is far out, man!"
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Rosemary's Texas Taco gives new meaning to the term "one-of-a-kind." We have to admire Rosemary's fearless independence."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle