Are Designer Tacos Destined to Die Out?

Are Dallas diners growing weary of highfalutin tacos? Speculating that Cowboy Chow of Roanoke's impending transformation into a new taco concept may be too late, DFW's resident taco expert José Ralat-Maldonado says, "Even though tacos are more popular then ever, the specialty taquería model has choked the Dallas-Fort Worth market and residents are losing their taste for it."

Indeed, the area has been flooded with a rash of new taco concepts over the past few years—Velvet Taco, Urban Taco, Torchy's, Taco Republic, Rock and Roll Tacos, Good2Go, Digg's, Rusty Taco, and Fuzzy's are just some of the local taco hawkers stuffing tortillas with everything from buffalo chicken to crawfish to chicken and waffles, with prices ranging from two bucks to upwards of five dollars apiece.

It's not as if Dallas wasn't already a solid taco arena prior to all these new-fangled taco stops arriving, either; more traditional taco shacks like Tacos La Banqueta, Taqueria El Si Hay, and the ever-popular Fuel City taco stand all do steady business offering more conventional options like carnitas, al pastor, lengua and fajita accompanied simply with onions, cilantro, and salsas rojo y verde, for a dollar fifty or less a pop.

Can the market really sustain this many tortilla-wrapped options, or are designer tacos a fad that may be nearing its end?

· Is Cowboy Chow's transformation in Roanoke into a taco joint too late? [Pegasus News]