There has been much talk in the local bloggy blog world of Great Falls about the wonders of Taco Treat. It seems as though there are some out there who do not appreciate the local marvel that Taco Treat is. I can’t deny a love affair I have been involved in for as long as I can remember…with the Taco Treat taco. If I had to reach back into the dust covered sections of my brain I think Taco Treat is my first memory of a restaurant. I remember pitching a fit in the car outside of the Jack Club because I did NOT want to go in (probably because I wanted a taco). My Mom left me locked in the car with a pouty bottom lip and my arms crossed while she enjoyed a plate of Ravs inside. (I believe that would be considered child abuse these days.) I also recall getting a coin for machines filled with toys from Country Kitchen. But, of all those tidbits from my past, nothing in my life has been a true constant like Taco Treat.

Don’t get me wrong, I realize that it is not “authentic” Mexican food. I don’t go there for bona fide south of the border flavor, I go there for Taco Treat flavor. That is the trick, there is nothing like it. There are people out there who really hate it, but there are those of us who want to be the Grand Marshall of the Taco Treat parade. I get tired of people, mostly those raised outside of Great Falls, whining about how it’s not convincing as Mexican food or it is “fast food.” Good, don’t go there. Leave it to the locals to cherish a beef taco, a cheese crisp with beef, or a plate of cheese fries. If we have a sweet craving we can top it off with Crustoz. Yummm, I want it now.

As a loyal customer, when I didn’t live in Great Falls, it was the first place I went when I got off the plane. I still drive friends straight from the airport to the Westside Taco Treat. If those fans out of state are really desperate I mail them a bottle of sauce, and if you mix it with your hamburger meat you can fake a Taco Treat taco. A friend of mine once had his Mom drive tacos to Seattle for him. If you need a fix, you will get it anywhere you can.

We used to joke about a secret added ingredient with addictive properties. My friends and I could never explain our taco habit, or why we could never get enough of a restaurant that nobody outside of the state has heard of. In a attempt to curb my appetite for tacos, my Mom forced me to work at Taco Treat during the State Fair. She thought after a week of lingering over a vat of grease and smelling like tacos I would never want to eat them again. She was oh so wrong. With that stint I discovered the art of perfecting the taco. If you get the correct balance of meat, cheese and lettuce, it is like a party in your mouth. Soon, we started inventing concoctions, wrapping them in tortillas and shoving them in the deep fat fryer.

For some reason I tried to calculate a number of times I have been to Taco Treat in my life, and my guesstimate is at least 1000 times. Now that is dedication.