Westside Pour House resurrects classic Carson City taco
Submitted by Brett Fisher on Tue, 03/07/2017 - 3:42pm
When the Penguin Drive-In closed 20 years ago, all of the recipes for its beloved fare seemingly went the way of the Do-Do, too.
But the Petersen family, which owned and operated the popular local food hang-out for decades until its closure in 1997, agreed to share the recipe for their famous tacos with friends from the Westside Pour House in downtown Carson City.
On Tuesday, Westside owners Rowan Colgan and Lucas Vine resurrected the Penguin taco two decades after the last one was sold from the counter located at 1003 North Carson Street.
Dozens of people showed up at 110 West Telegraph Street during Tuesday's lunch hour to satisfy either their curiosity for a local legend, or to remind themselves what they'd been missing for the past 20 years.
So many people turned out for the 11:30 a.m. kick-off, in fact, that the Pour House was swimming in orders right off the bat, said Colgan, who grew up as good friends with Chris Petersen.
"It was a little embarrassing, because I have a food truck also," Colgan said. "I was on that and Chris was here trying to run the floor. We ran into some hassles at first but we're working out the kinks."
Despite a rough start, Colgan said the Pour House has been jelling this afternoon, cranking out tacos by the dozens and giving back a little nostalgia to Carson City.
"People want this, and we're giving it back to them," he said. "We're going to start soft and then hit it hard."
Colgan said this is not a one-time promotion, but rather the start of a new tradition by introducing Penguin fare into his restaurant's menu.
"We're going to continue on with this," he said. "We will eventually introduce the Penguin burger, the burritos and anything else that Minnie (Ann) Peterson will let us have."
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Petersen Family said they felt it was time to bring back their beloved classics and that the taco was only the beginning.
"This is the first step in bringing back the quality and the taste that we all remember," the family said.
The famous Penguin tacos are available until they sell out at the Westside Pour House, open until 10 p.m. Tuesday.
