The Screaming Goat

The little taco house with a history wins over a teen critic (and the grownups with him)

By Mike Sutter
AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT CRITIC
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

In a town that loves to tell its own story, the Screaming Goat has history.

See, it used to be called Chuco's, and it had these great flautas that came drowning (ahogadas) in a thin red sauce. Trouble was, an El Paso chain called Chico's (with drowning flautas of its own) took exception. Lawyers happened. And Chuco's briefly became 10th Street Tacos before one more administrative spasm gave birth to the Screaming Goat.

But even before all that, the charming wood-floored casa de cabra was the home of Cafe Caprice, and before that, you could have peeked in through the heavy-framed sash windows to spy on Basil's, for years the restaurant that whispered 'romance,' whether your date cared to hear it or not.

Exactly what hysterical arc transformed the vibe of the bungalow just east of Lamar Boulevard on West 10th Street from 'will you marry me' to 'quesadillas, please' is one of Austin's Great Unknowns. But I do know this: For a place with honeyed wood floors and bead-board wainscoting, the Screaming Goat is one righteous, laid-back taco shack. All it took to find that out was a trip there with seventh-grade restaurant critic Thomas Molina and his dad.

Molina and fellow Clint Small Middle School student Clifford Kinkade reviewed Artz Rib House in the school's Cougar Chronicle in December, tossing in this memorable line about how to get there: 'You'll know that you're close when you pass the vegetarian restaurant (Mr. Natural) that smells like barbecue.' A kid who can write like that? He was ready for the Screaming Goat.

The menu is simple: at the front counter, pick one of seven meat choices (sadly, no goat) or a veggie mix and apply it to a range of Mexican standards, which the staff brings to your table. And we ordered almost everything on that menu: tilapia and al pastor tacos at $2.35 apiece, a chicken adobado burrito, a tostada with carne asada, a steak quesadilla, chips and queso, beef flautas in red and green sauces, churros and sopapillas, even a hamburger. And why not? The burger is a square-pattied marvel on a slightly sweet bun, a mere $2 on Tuesdays, the same day Shiner Bock goes for $1.75.

Our shotgun-scatter of an order fazed the kitchen not a bit, with dishes flying out in rapid order, led by spoon-standing hot queso and thick, fresh-fried tortilla chips in an oil-stained brown bag ($3.99 for a large order), as good as any in town and better than most. The bulk of our choices hit a solid middle ground: well-cooked meat with good spicing at great prices, including tilapia with an earthy bite, like poor-man's catfish (and here I thought catfish was poor-man's catfish).

But when Molina's father, Gary, and I tasted the crispy beef flautas drowning in thin red sauce alive with tomato, salt and spice, we both sat back, and I understood how they might wind up as part of a court case. Part crispy taco, part messy cheese enchilada, part fortifying tortilla soup, all in one bowl. Easily one of the 10 best dishes I've eaten this year.

For his part, the teenage gourmand (who had turned 13 just days before, happy at last to be ineligible for a kid's meal) liked the simple spice of the adobado chicken, the cinnamon crunch of the churros and the milkshake flavor of the cold horchata. I liked that he got to write his own history of 900 W. 10th St.

msutter@statesman.com; 912-5902

The Screaming Goat

900 W. 10th St. 477-4628

www.thescreaminggoat.com

Rating (casual dining):7.1 out of 10

Hours:7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Prices:Tacos start at $2.35 ($1.50 at breakfast). Burritos, quesadillas and tostadas range from $3.79 to $6.49. Tortas (sandwiches on bolillo rolls) are $4.69. Flautas are $3.39 for four. Burgers start at $4.

Payment:All major cards.

Bar:Cold beer.

Wheelchair access:Yes.

What the rating means:The total of weighted scores for food, service, atmosphere and value.