Anyone who reads this section knows there are two things I love more than anything else: Tacos and booze. So much so, in fact, that Weekly Alibi did two food weeks on those tasty topics last year. I’ve also spoken highly of the insane creativity and dedication to perfection found at Dia de Los TaKos, which recently transitioned back to a food truck. I was over the moon, as you might imagine, when I heard of a collaboration between Dia de Los TaKos and Hollow Spirits. I was so excited about it that I immediately reached out to Chef Dominic Valenzuela to get all the info.Weekly Alibi: For those who don’t know you or your work, tell us a little about Dia de Los TaKos.Chef Dominic Valenzuela: Well Dia de Los TaKos began as a food truck in 2013, providing beer-battered fish TaKos and world-inspired TaKos. After closing up shop and moving to San Diego for six years, Dia de Los TaKos returned, this time with a standing location inside of Albuquerque Indoor Karting. Introducing an expanded menu, including house-cut fries and burgers, we gained a lot of popularity over this past year, including many accolades including Best Chef, Best Hot Tacos, Best Craft Tacos and Yelp Top 100 Places To Eat In America. Now we’ve returned to a food truck for the meanwhile as we are building up our standing location.What are some of the things people should expect out of this collaboration with Hollow Spirits?This collaboration is all about a party! Good music, good food, good drinks and good times!What’s your history working with Yanni’s mixologist Sheldon Auge and Andy Domski from Bosque Brewing Co., who are running the bar that night, if at any? If not, are you excited about getting the chance to work with them?Sheldon, Andy and I have never collaborated or even worked together. I’m excited to work with them because they’re professionals and passionate. Plus they build off of a theme, which I do as well.What kind of pairing work are you all doing together? What inspiration will they be pulling from for the drinks side of things?So the guys decided to do drinks inspired by the music of The Menzingers. They’re kind of a 30-plus punk band. The band is from Pennsylvania and plays fun party music. So I wanted to create some food that didn’t outshine anything—just something that really enhances the experience and vibe. One of the things I came up with is the Steel Town Fries, which are $15 crispy waffle fries. Drizzled with gooey homemade pimento cheese, chopped steak, caramelized onions and served with a trinity of sauces: bacon ketchup, green chile-garlic aioli and pickled yellow pepper chutney.My mouth is already watering. Where does the inspiration for your dishes come from? You’re definitely known for making some really fascinating flavor combinations work.My inspiration is pulled from good flavorful food, first off. That’s the most important thing to me. Food with a story and food with thought. Kind of like a CliffsNotes version of regional cuisine, enhanced with French and Japanese techniques.I love that description! It’s a really good fit for the stuff you do. You can expect to see me there. If people want to keep up with the event or the progress of the new restaurant, where can they find you or get in touch with you? Follow Dia de Los TaKos on FB and Instagram!
Monday, Jan. 27 6pm to 9pmHollow Spirits 1324 First Street NWNo cover, no tickets
