Taco Fest in San Jose

Like your shell hard, your tortilla soft, your meat spicy? Eat on, happy eater.

THE HOLDABILITY FACTOR: What makes great street food? It's a question that chefs and cookbooks and foodie festivals regularly address. Flavor and appearance and spice all count, but a major component is in the cuisine's very name: You're most likely eating it on a street, or adjacent to a street, meaning that the whole plate-silverware-cloth napkin thing may or may not be happening. In short, street food tends to take off when it has a very strong holdability factor. Think anything in a cone or in a wrap or in a bun or, better yet, think of the taco. Is the taco in all of its nearly countless varieties the ultimate dish to sup on while standing? All you're required to do is tilt your head, if you don't want the ingredients to spill, and enjoy the goodness, but that's about it. Otherwise you're actually holding the packaging you'll soon eat. It's brilliant, in short, and it is a perfect food you'll see enjoyed again and again on Saturday, May 25 at History Park in San Jose.

WHO IS SET TO SHOW: A bevy of taco professionals'll be cooking their savory specialties at the San Jose Taco Festival, which is coming together under the organization of SJMade Street Mart. The Louisiana Territory, Taqueria Angelica's, and Madd Max Cantina will be doing the serving-up-of-the-good-stuff thing. Don't want to do tacos? Well, that's your choice, so we're not giving you the hard look. But know your choices outside the shell or tortilla will be pretty plentiful.

BEST GET THOSE TICKETS: A general is ten bucks, but be sure to stow some extra cash for the food-buyin'. Some 25,000 tacos were sold at the first year of Taco Fest -- this is year two, by the by -- so bet there will be many returning taco aficionados. 

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