Photo by Brandy Cichon
Photo by JJ Velasquez
Photo by JJ Velasquez
Photo by Brandy Cichon
Photo by JJ VelasquezWhat sprang from eating leftovers with his daughter one day became one of San Marcos taco shop owner Rene Palomarez's most lucrative creations.
Palomarez, who opened Deli-Cioso in February 2012, said his Mac Dad taco resulted from he and his daughter taking green chile macaroni and cheese and standing it on its head.
The longtime veteran of the food service industry doesn't claim to be the first to deep-fry mac and cheese, but his smothering of the taco with queso, coating in salsa verde and completion with avocado and bacon is what makes it one of his "cash cows," he said.
"A lot of them are like that," Palomarez said. "My kids and I are really into food, and that's kind of what we do when we are not [at the restaurant]."
The restaurateur adapted an Indian curry into a popular specialty taco, which he put back on the menu in late March. Still in the works is a lettuce wrap taco Palomarez has dubbed Taco Chino, or Chinese taco.
Rounding out the top selling tacos are the fish taco, fried avocado taco and barbacoa taco, he said.
The barbacoa, carnitas, adobada and guisada tacos are among the fare customers should choose if they really want to test the restaurant's authenticity mettle, Palomarez said.
Altogether, the restaurant's formal menu features about 30 different tacos, including ones served for breakfast. Deli-Cioso also offers soups, tortas, quesadillas, salads and breakfast burritos.
The restaurant makes everything from scratch except its tortillas and bread.
The taco shop offers a variety of aguas frescas made in-store daily. Past flavors have included horchata and strawberry lemonade.
Palomarez had been part of restaurant launches before, having worked in the food industry since he was a teenager. But Deli-Cioso is the first he has owned.
When Palomarez was deciding on a real estate property, he had several different concepts. One of the benefits of dropping out of college was that he was able to carve out business plans when he went back to school later in his life, he said.
Having had training in all types of culinary disciplines, Palomarez said he could have opened a restaurant specializing in burgers, barbecue or Cajun food.
"You name it. Whatever it is with food, I can do," he said.
Located on the perimeter of the Texas State University campus, the restaurant serves a clientele of mostly college students, Palomarez said. Because of that, many of his customers are in the door and out in minutes, especially during the school year.
Palomarez is thinking about installing a walk-up window for take-out orders.
But while college students may not have time to dine in, many of them are open to fresh ideas, he said.
"Another good thing about college kids is that most of them are pretty open-minded, creative, experimental," he said. "A lot of them are willing to try crazy stuff."
700 N. LBJ Drive, Ste. 102-C, San Marcos
512-392-4423
www.deli-cioso.net
Twitter: @deliciososm
Hours: Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
