I’m still toying with the idea of seasonally moving my taco trips to Saturday lunches to avoid deer. However, tonight I had to go for a ride, as the internet had informed me that it’s National Taco Day. I felt like I could do so safely because this morning a friend gave me bell for my motorcycle, which according to motorcyclist lore will bring me good luck and safety. I don’t know if it works, but I do know I spend enough time on two wheels that I need all the luck I can get.
My plan tonight was to ride straight to West Liberty, eat a few tacos quickly, and be home before the sun set and the deer started running. I wasn’t sure where I would go, but I figured it would either be Puebla because of their fast service, or El Sarape for their excellent tacos de tripas. That was the plan.
However, as I was rolling into West Liberty on Highway 6, I spotted something new out of the corner of my eye. Every time I ride past the building on the western edge of West Liberty I see a diner and remind myself I ought to stop in sometime. I never did. I guess now I never will; the diner is no more. It’s been replaced by a restaurant called Tres Compadres. I believe they’re fairly new and I was excited to check them out.
As soon as you enter, the diner’s previous life as a diner is evident. The booths and tables are all classic diner furnishings. The Aztec calendar on the wall gives notice, however, that this is no diner. 
The space is small but comfortable. There are a few booths, tables of a variety of sizes, and a counter with stools. The counter seating looks into the kitchen, and from just about any seat you can hear the chef singing along to the music in the kitchen. That’s a good sign; singing chefs are happy chefs, and happy chefs make the best food.
The menu is modest but has everything you need. It’s sort of the Mexican restaurant equivalent of a diner menu, which makes sense. I didn’t see any big and complicated platters, or fajitas, or Gringo Tacos. I did see tortas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and the like. Given the important holiday I was celebrating, I decided to skip the rice and beans and just get a whole mess of tacos.
The waiter asked if I wanted the tacos “with everything.” I said I did, and then moments later worried that I might wind up with some iceberg lettuce and Gringo Tacos. I needn’t have worried; Tres Compadres is a place where it goes without saying that “with everything” means “with onions and cilantro.” Because it’s West Liberty, each taco also had a slice of avocado.
The tacos al pastor were pretty good. Of course, I don’t believe I’ve ever had bad, or even mediocre, tacos al pastor. It’s such a simple and delicious type of taco. I would fully support a new holiday — sometime in June perhaps — dedicated exclusively to tacos al pastor so they wouldn’t need to share today with all the other tacos. At any rate, I tried one with the red salsa and the other with the green. Both were delicious.
I’m still trying to figure out the tacos de tripas. I know I liked them a lot, but I’m trying to decide why. I prefer my tripe crispy, like they make it at El Sarape. Good crispy tripas tastes like a beef-bacon hybrid and it’s exquisite. Chewy tripas is not my favorite. I’ll eat it, and enjoy it, but not as much as crispy tripas. This tripas was somewhere between crispy and chewy. It was also a good deal lighter in color than I’m accustomed to. It was really good. It had the beef flavor I like, with just a hint of earthiness. Sometimes with chewy tripas the earthiness is a bit too much and overpowers the other flavors. In these tacos, though, it was noticeable but not overwhelming. It gave the tacos a taste that was a little more complex than I’m used to in tacos de tripas. I definitely liked them, and would definitely get them again. I’m just struggling to decide whether I like this preparation more, less, or the same as the crispy method. Through trial and error, I will someday get clarity.
I don’t know why don’t get carne asada more often. I guess I just love pork-based tacos so much that I don’t always think to go for the steak. At any rate, I’m glad I gave it a shot tonight. My favorite part of a steak is the bit on the outside that gets seared. The steak in this taco was nothing but that. Every bit of steak had that great smoky flavor from the grill. The flavor of this steak wasn’t as complex as that of the tripas or pastor; it was just a good, solid, straightforward flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by the first bite, and enjoyed each subsequent bite.
I have high hopes for Tres Compadres. They have a lot of solid competition in West Liberty, but if they can make it there, they can make it anywhere. I’m sufficiently intrigued by the tacos de tripas that I’m going to need to return to do more research. The ride was very nice. It’s harvest time in Iowa, which means the color palette is a million shades of brown. When you’re riding west and the sun is at just the right angle and you’ve just eaten a great meal those million browns turn into one warm shade of gold and it’s a fine time to be a motorcyclist.
Tacos and Two Wheels 
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