NOVEMBER 2, 2022 www.wintertexantimes.com 14 WINTER TEXAN TIMES From the Cheap Seats NOWAVAILABLE ONLINE www.WinterTexanTimes.com 2022 Park Directory Winter Texan TIMES Serving Winter Texans FromMission To South Padre Island Since 1987 Published By: Park Directory RIO GRANDE VALLEY N MOBILE HOME & RV 2022-2023 EDITION Winter Texan TIMES Serving Winter Texans FromMission To South Padre Island Since 1987 Published By: 2022-2023 Edition 2022 Rio Grande Valley Visitors Guide Taco Tuesday – A Sleepy Valley Tradition Kent Taylor is a quiet man. His charro beans, however, speak volumes. Not the way, though, you might be thinking. Made from a recipe simply titled “Janet Lee’s Charro Beans,” their smell wafts through the air every Tuesday at Sleep Valley RV Park for Taco Tuesday, a tradition at the park since close to a decade ago. “Kent’s charro beans make it happen,” said his wife, Debbie Taylor. “Our friend from Canyon Lake, Texas – her dad – made these charro beans. We’ve eaten a lot of charro beans from all over, but we feel like these are the best.” The friendly and always smiling people running the kitchen admittedly are not chefs (“we are all good home cooks though”) – but they all like to cook and have created a near restaurant inside the main hall. The hard-shelled tacos come out of a warm oven and are ready to become either tacos or a taco salad, whichever the guests would like. Once guests are gifted with their bowl of charro beans – mixed with cilantro and tomatoes (and bacon), onion and beef broth (and bacon), garlic and black pepper (and… well, you know by now – bacon) and some spices, they can go over to the “Taco Bar,” where the seasoned and crumbled ground beef tacos will be married with a variety of toppings such as onions, cheese, lettuce, jalapeno’s, sour cream (yes!) and other options. But – and here comes the real kicker – for $8, it’s all you can eat! You’re reading that right – all.. you.. can.. eat. Quality and quantity – it can’t be beat. “Winter Texans love all you can eat,” said Debbie, a Missouri native. “Taco Tuesday has been around, so we decided to give it a try. The first one we had, the staff ended up eating the shells with cheese and lettuce. We ran out of meat,” Taco Tuesday begins serving at 11 a.m., but people “just happen” to be milling about outside coincidentally 10-15 minutes earlier. Some, the bolder ones, enter the makeshift cafeteria and start a conversation with others (the boldest) already waiting. And the aroma just keeps emanating from the beans. The only thing sleepy about this place is probably the people, after filling their bellies. “People come in from all over. They come from other parks and from the community. Sometimes they’ll come in and just shake their heads when they see the sour cream,” Debbie joked. “But we were the same way when we first came down and went into the Taco Salad. Photo by Henry Miller Hard-shelled tacos out of the oven. Photo by Henry Miller
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