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Thursday, August 20, 2009 , Updated

Former Green Room chef opens gourmet taqueria inside the Green Spot in East Dallas

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Colleen O'Hare, former chef at the Green Room, Toulouse, Kitchen 1924 and others, has resurfaced in a novel new venture: Good 2 Go Taco, an upscale taqueria located inside the Green Spot, the alternative convenience store off White Rock Lake in East Dallas.

O'Hare opened the spot with her partner and fellow chef Jeana Johnson who dubs the concept "farm to taco."

"[Green Spot owner] Bruce [Bagelman] wanted a taqueria inside his place, and asked if we'd be interested," Johnson says. "Coming from all the restaurants where we'd worked, our genealogy didn't immediately lead to us saying, 'Yeah.' We had to come up with a reason, an approach, in order to make it something we believed in."

And what that ended up being was a farmer-driven approach to a taqueria.

"We started going out to farms and talking to people, and everything's spurred from there," Johnson says. "When we started talking to these folks at Windy Meadows and Sloans Creek Farm, we learned that their big problem was that every other restaurant wants white-meat chicken breast. That leaves Mike Hale with three-fourths of an animal he can't sell. Nathan and Ellen Melson, everyone wants pork chops. They have belly and bacon because, if it's not a tenderloin strip or rib eye, then nobody wants beef. They were left with all of this product. So our whole purpose is not to only be farm friendly but farmer friendly. We can make tacos out of everything: Pork butt, you braise it, you turn out a product that is unbelievable. And by helping farms, we also get a good price. So it's a huge circle that totally works."

For "research," they went to Austin and where they did what Johnson jokingly calls a "maternity pants" eating spree.

"We ate more tacos in that three-day period," she says. "We were so sick of eating tacos by the end of it. But tacos have gone wildfire in Austin. If you have good food, people will pay for it."

Their menu has 8 to 12 options for breakfast and lunch, and they're making their own chorizo for a taco with chorizo, potato, and egg.

"Nathan and Ellen are smoking ham hock for us so we have a fantastic ham hock taco," Johnson says. "And vegetarian, too."

These won't be the $1.25 tacos you see at other gas stations, but they hope to keep the price at about $10 for a filling lunch with tacos and a drink.

Leaving no stone unturned, they're even giving careful thought to choice of tortillas: "We're leaning towards sprouted grain tortillas, and hemp," Johnson says.

For now they'll be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., but once they get it rolling, they want to extend the hours.

"There's not a single thing to eat out here after 10 p.m.," she says. "Buckner Boulevard is a crazy busy street. People are already begging us for a walk-up window."



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Billusa99, says:

Awesome - now give me dinner hours, too!

Anonymous

3 months, 1 week ago
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William Addington, says:

I used to work with both of them over at The Green Room. I made the Desserts and loved working with both of them, it was a most wonderful first job for a college student. I will have to stop by and see them and of course try the food.

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3 months, 1 week ago
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Nancy Nichols, says:

Delicious story, TG.

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3 months, 1 week ago
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Kaz Ferns, says:

I have known Colleen and Jeana for years, and if there are two things they know, it's food and humor. I am not a morning person, so when I stopped by this morning they looked at me and made me special hangover tacos with eggs and perfectly cooked steak. I think I would like an I.V. drip of their freshly made salsa. As a native of New Mexico, I cherish the hot green chili, but I've never understood the Texan fascination with the mouth numbing jalapeno. Their salsa is spicy and perfect, but still just a little thick for the I.V.

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3 months ago
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NashobaOkchako, says:

Good to Go Taco is a perfect (and much needed) fit for those of us that live near the lake. I don't want to always have to schlepp to Preston Forest, downtown, etc to get a great meal. These gals bring it every day and, as a vegetarian I cannot express my gratitude at the many varied, inventive, and delicious choices! But my husband is a huge carnivore and he loves it, too. Long live Good to Go Taco! Bring on a pretty patio and some Tecate!

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2 months, 4 weeks ago
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Teresa Gubbins, says:

today's breakfast tacos sure did sound good ... egg, honey-bacon, spinach, & goat cheese; egg, ham, corn, cream peas, tomatoes, & cojita cheese; and egg, cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, and tomato-guajillo salsa. too bad i don't eat before noon

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2 months, 4 weeks ago
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John Meyer, says:

I had the "Field Hand" this a.m. - think that was the second ingredient list above, but mostly I just thought it sounded like a hearty meal. (And -- it was really good eatin'!)

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2 months, 4 weeks ago
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