The Screaming Goat is about half a block off of Lamar on 10th Street. Catchy name but I have never actually seen this little spot on my many treks down Lamar. It’s in an old house with wood floors and a few different rooms. A limited outdoor dining space, okay it is really a single picnic table over-looking Shoal Creek. It does seem like they have a few more tables in storage in the back. Maybe they bring them out during the spring and summer months.
They have a fairly limited menu; basically burgers and tacos. Heard good things about both but we went with the tacos. These are simple tacos served up in corn or wheat tortillas. Opted for the corn and they were soft, flavorful and did not crumble (frustrating) when trying to handle and stuff all the fillings in. Topped with cilantro, diced onions, lettuce and tomatoes. There are 7 choices of meats to choose from, including Tilapia. The theme here is FRESH! We tried the ground beef, chicken, and the adobado chicken tacos. I had ordered a pastor (pork) but got a plain chicken one instead. I’ll let them slide on this one because the chicken was great as were the rest of them.
Outside The Screaming Goat Facing West Towards Lamar
What is turning me into a rabid fan is the chips and salsa. I’m a chips and salsa nut. I could probably subsist on this alone. The chips are fried-up white corn tortilla triangles that you can tell were made just before coming out. If my memory serves me, there were about 6 different salsa choices, each with a unique description and on a heat scale. Looks like it went from very mild to probably atomic. We ordered up the Salsa Mexicana to go with the chips. It is incredible with some definite heat. I think a whole truck load of garlic cloves must’ve gone into a single batch of this stuff. Yum! If the rest of their salsa’s are as good as this one I will be a very frequent visitor. You can buy 20oz mason jars of the salsa for $5.99. Next time.
As we were sitting there we noticed random numbers painted on the walls, near the ceiling and above each entry way. “What are those?” we said. “Are they longitude / latitude coordinates?” “Hmm… nope, that can’t be it.” Suffice it to say curiosity got the better of me and I had to go ask the staff. They did not know specifically what each one was but they gave me the overall theme. Let’s just say the owner has an interesting sense of humor. A random sampling of some of the numbers:
- 298.8
- 302.7
- 296.8
- 302.73
- 5150
So, will your curiosity be piqued? If you love tacos, salsa and a little bit of character, I’d suggest checking them out. I’m already planning the next visit : )
~Lee
We recently tried out The Screaming Goat as well (tho I’ve not yet blogged about it). The tacos al pastor were really delicious, and yeah, they serve up corn tortillas the right way. We’ll have to try the chips and salsa next time.
Hope to head back soon and will be sure to try the Al Pastor. Thanks for the confirmation that they are worthy. Definitely try the chips and salsa next time around. The Mexicana is unique and really good.