If you want to talk about Mexican food in Daejeon, you will tell a sad and sorry tale of woe, of promises made and not kept, of being in your prom dress and the boy never coming, of being at the altar of one of the most beloved cuisines on earth only to find that the church you've joined is not about the true marriage of lovers but rather a cheap date with a gold digger.

Good news, Constant Reader--tacos are finally here. Bad news--you have to go to Techno Valley.



Techno Valley?!? But it's so FAAAAARRRR!

Yes it's far from the regular haunts of Daejeon but if you want to a taco, that's where you have to go. I know all the fine folks living in Techno Valley are overjoyed that their friends will now consider a night of drinking in their distant hamlet. Those same friends will now pay the 10,000+ won cab fare that they usually pay when they carouse far from home and, dare I say it (dare, dare!), the Techno Valleyans are sure to mention it at every turn "We have the tacos."


Don Enrique in Techno Valley has the stuff  to quell that hunger that builds and builds inside you. That hunger that forces you to travel to Seoul at least every couple of months to eat at On the Border or Vato's.

I love Vato's Taco's in Itaewon. Those crazy gyopos figured out a way to move an L.A. taco truck into a building and have been killing it ever since. I love the fact that the bar staff shouts in joy when I pull up a bar stool. 

You may still have to travel to Seoul every couple of months but now it will be for another reason as the food in Don Enrique fills that desire for a taco. And as prosaic as tacos normally are, these tacos are far from that. These carne de res tacos came three to a plate (8000 for two, 12,000 for three) with an odd side salad that I tasted and poked at, but really didn't eat. I know you did a double take at the price. This place is more expensive than Vato's but their tacos are different. Don Enrique likes cheese, Vato's doesn't cheese it up.

The beef is fork tender, topped with a cabbage mix for crunch, a bit of pico de gallo, and some cheese. A delightful bite. I prefer things with a hit of acid so maybe they can spare a bit of lemon or lime wedges when I go next. I don't really appreciate the little side slaw that accompanies the dish but with the exception of coleslaw, I am not really a raw cabbage kind of dude.