WE HAVE A TACO CHAMPION >>>

After more than two weeks of voting the Weekly Volcano readers have picked the most popular taco in the greater Tacoma area.

The Tournament of Tacos Championship match pitted two longtime Pierce County Mexican restaurants against each other: Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant in Tacoma and Tijuana Taco in Lakewood. Moctezuma's was a narrow hole-in-the-wall joint (next to where JC Penney once stood) on South Tacoma Way in the '70s that eventually made its way to its current grand spot at 56^th and Tyler. Tijuana Taco was born in the late '60s, and battled McDonald's, Shakey's Pizza, and Herfy's for customers on the edge of the Villa Plaza. It's still in the same spot at 10005 Bristol Ave. SW just off 100^th Street.

Yesterday's championship battle saw the most active daytime online voting of the tournament, which ended at 5 p.m. Moctezuma's had a commanding lead by time the voting switched to the 6 p.m. Tournament of Tacos Party at Station 56. At the party people filled out taco voting ballots and rang up $12 tabs for three margaritas and three tacos (thanks Station 56!). The taco voting couldn't help but take a second seat to the outstanding NCAA Men's Championship game in which Duke just squeaked by the underdog Butler. But, as promised, we tallied the on-location votes during halftime of the hoop game and announced the winner: Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant. The loose voting during the inexpensive margarita fest at Station 56 didn't affect the huge lead Moctezuma's had going into the party.

Congrats to both worthy competitors.

Moctezuma's will be receiving the Tournament of Tacos Championship trophy once the engraving is finished. Also, look for an upcoming feature on Arturo Garcia's Moctezuma's in the Weekly Volcano. Those who didn't vote for Moctezuma's, we suggest you stop by their Tacoma or Gig Harbor locations to try their outstanding Mexico City tacos.

Thanks to all who voted in the Tournament of Tacos. We hope you had as much fun as we did.

See you next March for ... the Tournament of Pizza!

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - VOTE NOW >>>

The titanic taco throwdown finale in on! Voting for the 2010 Weekly Volcano Tournament of Tacos Readers' Poll Championship game is live right now.

After more than two weeks of voting, you guys have picked the most popular tacos in the greater Tacoma area. What began as 64 taco-slinging joints has been narrowed down to two: Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant and Tijuana Taco.

Who do you think has the best tacos: Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant or Tijuana Taco?

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Voting will close at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m. we'll hand out taco voting ballots at our Tournament of Tacos Party inside Station 56 at 56^th and South Tacoma Way. Station 56 will be broadcasting the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game on all its screens while serving dollar tacos and $2 tequila shots. Throughout the first half of the game we'll be handing our taco voting ballots for a final push of voting. At half time of the hoop game, we'll announce the winner of the 2010 Tournament of Tacos. Then there will be much rejoicing.

Confused? Click here for an explanation of our Tournament of Tacos.

A SIGN >>>

All of Pierce County has taco fever. Remember to check back here Monday morning for the Tournament of Tacos final game between Moctezuma's and Tijuana Taco.

VOTE BELOW >>>

Tacoma loves tacos - at least according to the thousands that have voted in our Tournament of Tacos. Yesterday's taco voting action doubled the previous highest vote count for a single day. And local favorites fell. They fell hard. Every winner yesterday won by capturing 60 to 65 percent of the votes.

What four taco-slinging joints will move onto the Final Cuatro?

The drum roll please ...

Thanks to your votes, we've narrowed down the Tournament of Tacos Readers' Poll to the Final Cuatro: Taqueria El Rinconsito, Moctezuma's, Taqueria Burrito Loco and Tijuana Taco.

Let's remember that every taco that made it into the tourney is worth a nosh. Still, someone's gotta win. We started with 64 of the greater Tacoma area's best shells. Now, these four titanic tacos face off for the ultimate glory - shell to shell battles to determine the best taco in the greater Tacoma area. Which Mexican restaurant has the moxie to nail down the championship? Whose taco will win it all?

Today's Final Cuatro match-ups are these:

GAME 1: Taqueria El Rinconsito vs. Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant

GAME 2: Taqueria Burrito Loco vs. Tijuana Taco

How do you vote? It's easy! Just click here. You may vote once. The poll is open to 11:45 p.m.

We'll post updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the day. We'll announce the two winners tomorrow morning. The final championship games will take place Monday, April 5. We'll announce the winner at our Tournament of Tacos party that night inside Station 56 in Tacoma.

Who will reign supreme? As we have learned during this readers' poll — anything's possible. Prepare for the unexpected.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Address information for the Final Cuatro:

Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant, 4102 S. 56th St., Tacoma, 253.474.5593

Taqueria El Rinconsito, 72^nd and Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, 253.671.1876

Taqueria Burrito Loco, 5502 Orchard St., University Place, 253.474.1433

Tijuana Taco, 10005 Bristol Ave. SW, Lakewood, 253.588.4621.

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.

Join the Weekly Volcano online community here.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1 (NO JOKE) >>>

The Elote Eight is fully fleshed out: Vuelve a la Vida, Taqueria El Rinconsito, El Toro, Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant, Taqueria La Fondita, Taqueria Burrito Loco, Top of Tacoma Bar and Café, and Tijuana Taco. Eight establishments that - according to our readers' poll - serve the best tacos in the greater Tacoma area.

It's all come down to Elote Eight (elote is roasted corn on the cob served on the streets of Mexico City - seemed like a brilliant idea during the creation of this tournament). All the signs in the restaurants, the mass emailings to customers and friends, the taco phone trees have paid off for these eight taco slingers. It's now crunch (or crunchy shell) time for the taco royalty.

Let's break it down the games:

GAME 1: Vuelve a la Vida vs. Taqueria El Rinconsito

Only 14,482 Old El Paso Super Stuffer taco shells end-to-end separate Vuelve from El Rinconsito on Pacific Avenue. It's safe to say this battle is for taco bragging rights on Pacific Avenue - a street we all have discovered during this tournament houses hundreds of tacos. These are two of the best.

GAME 2: El Toro vs. Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant

Here we go. Both of these local chain restaurants serve big plates of food. Both have rallied their loyal fans to vote. Both have slaughtered their competitors every game. The both serve giant margaritas, which is nice.

GAME 3: Taqueria La Fondita vs. Taqueria Burrito Loco

Taco truck in a gravel parking lot that sports AstroTurf-ish carpeting takes on a strip mall joint hidden behind a gas station. But we know it's about the tacos, and both of these championships have the right stuffing.

GAME 4: Top of Tacoma Bar and Café vs. Tijuana Taco

OK, here we go. This bare-knuckled brawl will be similar to an open-topped car race, moving at speeds upwards of 120 mph on Interstate 5, ending on a giant-sized ramp that will hurl the vehicles over the Tacoma Dome, and splashing into Commencement Bay. The winner will be the one with the most life buoys tossed at it. Yes, just like that.

It's taco voting time folks. Click here and vote for your favorites.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.

HOW TACO VOTING WENT DOWN ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31 >>>

Over the past two weeks we've pitted 64 of the greater Tacoma area's best tacos against one another in the mother of all taco brackets. You've seen the carnage: No. 1 seeds fell, powerhouses butted heads, and surprise shells made a run at the prize.

The final round of the Spicy 16 was held yesterday - a day that saw the most votes cast to date. Here were the match-ups:

Taqueria El Rinconsito vs. Hidalgo Mexican Restaurant

Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant vs. Tacos Guaymas

La Huerta International Market #2 vs. Taqueria Burrito Loco

Tijuana Taco vs. Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery

Who advances to the Elote Eight? Which tacos took the popular vote?

Find out after the break:

Read more...

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31: SPICY 16 >>>

You must admit: in a town full of dining options, you lust after your taco as a teenage girl pines for Orlando Bloom. Tortillas, meat, onions, cilantro and sometimes cheese - the things of dreams. Burger King might try to tempt you with A.1.® Steakhouse XT^TM Burger and Funnel Cake Sticks but its delicious titling fails: Taco, it is your heart that it has taken.

Here are the last eight taco joints in the Spicy 16. Vote now.

Game 1: El Rinconsito (72^nd Street and Pacific Avenue, Tacoma) vs. Hidalgo Mexican Restaurant (806 72^nd St. E., Tacoma)

El Rinconsito's spicy meats are a real contender for the crown.  Bolstered by their new location and loyal following, they could prove a tough match-up for their 72^nd Street competition.  Hidalgo, however, has shown a lot of fight defeating the likes of Bonita Restaurant and El Tenampa. 

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 2: Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant (4102 S. 56^th St., Tacoma) vs. Tacos Guaymas (10105 S. Tacoma Way, Lakewood)

Tacos Guaymas has had an easy time dispatching the competition up to this point.  But this battle for a birth to the Elote Eight may prove more of a challenge. Moctezuma's has the history and easy defeats (Puerto Vallarta and Azteca) in the first two rounds.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 3: La Huerta International Market #2 (5605 Pacific Avenue South) vs. Taqueria Burrito Loco (5502 Orchard Street West, University Place)

La Huerta #2 is making a strong run at the Elote Eight as most predicted.  However, they must first get by University Place's hidden taco gem Burrito Loco.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 4: Tijuana Taco (10005 Bristol Ave. SW, Lakewood) vs. Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery (454 E. Main, Puyallup)

Rumor has it Tijuana Taco owner Rocky has the crew up early, drinking glasses of raw eggs and working hard (we're not letting this story line die) on their tacos for this match-up against the surprising contender Powerhouse Restaurant.  The Puyallup Brewery is riding high coming off a big win over Engine House No. 9.   

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.

HOW TACO VOTING WENT DOWN ON TUESDAY, MARCH 30 >>>

Yesterday's vote tally was double the previous highest total in the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Tacos. According to the stats, it's obvious one local Mexican restaurant chain had something to do with that fact.

Here were yesterday's match-ups:

Los Reyes Del Taco vs. Vuelve a la Vida

Masa vs. El Toro

Taqueria La Fondita vs. Los Tres Hermanos

Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe vs. Hell's Kitchen

No contest here, either in flavor or popularity: Vuelve A La Vida takes the voting handily with 60 percent of the votes over Los Reyes Del Taco and moves on to the Elote Eight.

Holy crap! Turnout for this contest was like the turnout at a dunk-the-banker booth at the Taste of Tacoma! Both Masa and El Toro did their darndest to mobilize their base, and though Masa ran out to an early lead, El Toro fans had an amazing, jaw-dropping late afternoon push that had the stamina to carry through the evening and snatch victory from the fancy Sixth Avenue joint with nearly 200 more votes. Unbelievable.

Huddled in the parking lots around paper plates in the rain, voters agreed that Taqueria La Fondita's fresh tortillas are exceptional. And the meat is pretty damn fine, too. Yes, while battle for "King of the Taco Trucks" seesawed all day, in final couple hours last night Taqueria La Fondita on 38^th Street pulled ahead of Los Tres Hermanos winning by eight votes.

From the very beginning, Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe has been the powerhouse of the gritty bar competitors. Although they don't make their tortillas in-house, their meat is tasty and the price is right, especially on 253 Taco Thursday when they're 75 cents a pop. They blitzed through the first couple rounds as if unopposed, then soundly defeated tough competitor Hell's Kitchen last night with 54.3 percent of the vote.

There you go. Half of the Elote Eight seeds have been set. Vuelve a la Vida, El Toro, Taqueria La Fondita and Top of Tacoma Bar & Café will sit back with a smile and watch the remaining eight tacos battle it out today for the final four slots.

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.

Today's games are on. Vote here.

THE SPICY 16 IS ON >>>

Day one of the Tournament of Tacos Spicy 16 competition has kicked off. As of right now, Vuelve a la Vida has a 70.6 percent lead over Los Reyes Del Taco, Masa leads El Toro with 79.3 percent of the vote, Taqueria La Fondita and Los Tres Hermanos are dead even, and Top of Tacoma Bar and Café is ahead of Hell's Kitchen with 58.3 percent of the vote.

Today's voting ends at 11:45 p.m. Vote here.

Also, our call for taco-related tattoos has been answered. Dylan sent us a photo of his tattoo.

Nice.

If you have a taco tat send us a photo of it here.

TUESDAY, MARCH 30: SPICY 16 >>>

More people than we anticipated voted in the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Tacos Readers' Poll so far and - although we might have disagreed with a couple of your picks - most of you have shown remarkable taste. Most of the competitions were no surprise - like Vuelve a la Vida, Tacos Guaymas, Los Tres Hermanos, Taqueria La Fondita and Masa moving on thanks to their hordes of loyal fans - but a few dark horse taco joints managed to buck the pundits and turn out the vote.

Really? Matador is out? Have you people tasted their tacos?

Anyway, the Spicy 16 begins today. Here are four tough battles:

GAME 1: Los Reyes Del Taco (6308 McKinley Ave., Tacoma) vs. Vuelve A La Vida (5312 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)

Vuelve A La Vida started up in 1995. Six months after its inception, the owner sold it to the mysteriously named Senor Douglas, who's owned it ever since. Most people know the joint for its authentic Mexican food, featuring prizes such as tongue and goat and featuring banners boasting "no chips & salsa." You get a real feeling that you're being taken care of by real artisans who know just what they're doing. Vuelve takes on another sit-down restaurant Los Reyes Del Taco that serves authentic, tasty tacos. This one should be close.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

GAME 2: Masa (2811 6th Ave., Tacoma vs. El Toro (various locations)

Both of these entities crushed the shells of all their competitors. El Toro has the numbers. Masa has the creativity. Let's get ready to rumble.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

GAME 3: Taqueria La Fondita (South 38th and South G streets, Tacoma) vs. Los Tres Hermanos (2728 S 12th St., Tacoma)

You're looking at two of the most popular taco trucks in Tacoma. Do you drive past one and cross Interstate 5 to grab the goods from the other? Is one that good? Vote for your favorite.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

GAME 4: Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe (3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma) vs. Hell's Kitchen (928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)

The first three taco battles will be fierce. Top of Tacoma Bar and Café vs. Hell's Kitchen could end relationships, cause car title exchanges, fill the tattoo shops with sad faces.    

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Tomorrow's Spicy 16 Taco Battles

Game 1: El Rinconsito vs. Hidalgo Mexican Restaurant

Game 2: Moctezuma's vs. Tacos Guaymas

Game 3: Los Tres Hermanos vs. Taqueria Burrito Loco

Game 4: Tijuana Taco vs. Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.