The Inspiration

 

I have long been a bit of a taco shop connoisseur.  Located next to the Mexican border, San Diego is naturally home to an proliferation of taco shops.  This extreme concentration of greasy South of the border goodness is not seen in other places in the country.  A few years ago, when I first arrived at school in Saint Louis, I was amazed not only at the dearth of Mexican eateries, but that nearly all of my classmates (whom hail not just from the Mid-West, but from all over the country), were under the impression that Taco Bell constituted a quality taco shop.  These same classmates could be seen salivating over the thought of a Chipotle burrito-something that while solid, is nothing to get excited about in San Diego.

Back in San Diego, I find myself having a more sophisticated debate.  Rather than arguing the virtues (or lack thereof) of Taco Bell, heated discussion regarding the best local taco shop is routine.  Low-blows such as claiming the sightings of mold in a california burrito and  eucalyptus leaves in the tacos at rival establishments are commonplace and only add heat to the fiery discourse that arises when taco shops are mentioned.

About 10 months ago, I stumbled upon the “Burrito Bracket,” where Nate Silver (of Baseball Prospectus and 538 fame), created a bracket style single-elimination tournament designed to establish the best taco shop near his dwelling in Chicago.  While I am sure Chicago has adequate taco shops-after all, it is a large city with a demographically diverse population-I have always felt that someone in San Diego should partake in a similar venture.  Because I will be studying in London this year, and for some reason the Brits don’t start classes until October, I have suddenly found myself with the extra time required to engage in such a task.

In the next month, I plan to pit 16 highly regarded San Diego taco shops against one another to firmly establish, at least in one man’s mind, the best taco shop in the county.

The Bracket

(Click image to Enlarge)

Rules

The concept is generally the same as Nate Silver’s Burrito Bracket.  This will be a 16 eatery, single elimination tournament.  

Selection and Seeding

Taco shops were selected based on feedback I received from an assortment of people who truly know their taco shops.  Seeding was established based on the reviews of these close advisors, and the reviews of the general San Diego community as found online.  I tried to include a representative sample of San Diego taco shops.  Clearly, there are a lot of great North County-coastal taco shops, but some had to be left out in favor of taco shops in other regions of the county.

Menu Items

I cannot possibly eat dozens of Carne Asada burritos over the course of a month.  To avoid getting sick of the same item, I will randomly select a menu item common to both eateries prior to the face-off.  Burritos, quesadillas, tacos, rolled tacos, tortas, enchiladas, and chips (aka nachos) are all in play.  Likewise, I will randomize the filling, selecting amongst carne asada, carnitas, beef, chicken, and fish.

I realize many of the fine establishments in this tournament specialize in a particular menu item, but it is my goal to anoint a “well-rounded” eatery the king of San Diego taco shops. 

Judging Criteria

Taco shops will be judged on the overall taste of the food item (25 points), service/atmosphere (5 points), quality of the hot sauce (5 points), freshness (5 points), affordability (5 points), and presentation (5 points), .  The taco shop with the highest aggregate score will advance to the next round.  Ties will be broken by first looking to overall taste.  If a tie still exists, the taco shop with the highest service/atmosphere score will advance.

Other Issues

Like Nate, I do not necessarily plan on doing a direct side-by-side comparison of the taco shops.  I will frequent one eatery, and take notes.  I will then make a debut at the second eatery sometime in the near future.  The system isn’t perfect, but it will have to do.