Rene Valenzuela is a smart restaurant owner. His Taco Bus is still the toast of Tampa taco fans, drawing crowds to the restaurant's funky, formerly portable atmosphere and well-executed takes on tortilla and fillings. He expanded his empire into Plant City a few years back with the first Taqueria Monterrey, and followed up with another near USF last year. On the surface, the newer spot is built on the same formula as Taco Bus — tacos, and plenty of them — which might seem like a questionable business tactic since the Bus pulls in business from all over Tampa. Valenzuela, however, knows that creating a unique identity for Monterrey is all in the details.
Like the salsa bar parked smack dab in the center of the dining room. There are about a dozen different sauces and salsas that range from creamy tomatillo to classic tomato, each different enough to appeal to a different palate, each made in-house from fresh ingredients. There are also jalapenos and onions marinated in pineapple vinegar, which is also made in house thanks to the fruit left over from the restaurant's fresh pineapple drinks.
This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2010.