I’ve been quite excited about the opening of Taqueria el Pueblito. The information on Mercado San Agustin’s website has made it sound as if the place would sell some truly unique food, which it might at some point.

The menu I was handed during my visit this morning was no different than what one finds at any Mexican fast-food joint. The breakfast burrito and coffee I had ($3.99, drink included) were decent, but there was no indication anywhere that anything unique was going on. Such is the problem with high expectations. If I hadn’t read the claims on the website, I wouldn’t have expected anything out of the ordinary.

But, hey, they do sell nacho supremes and Pueblito super fries. And tacos, tostadas, taco salads and ... do I need to go on?

Taqueria el Pueblito is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Call 339-9336 for more information.

In other Mercado San Agustin news, the barbecue grill is in place at Casa Marita Restaurante Argentino, which is expected to open early this year. The restaurant will specialize in Argentine-style barbecue, and from a peek inside the windows, is going to be a pretty swank affair.

Suddenly, the bag of gummi bears I bought at Walgreens seems so dated and sad.

[HT: Reddit]

Tavolino Ristorante Italiano will donate the proceeds from two happy hours during the coming week to help those affected by the tragedy last month. The restaurant was located in the Safeway shopping center where the shooting took place before moving to its current location at 2890 E. Skyline Drive.

“The Safeway shopping center is where we got our start. We felt a sense of community with the other businesses and patrons of the center,” said Tavolino owner Massimo Tenino, via a press release issued last week. “We wanted to do something to pay our respects to the victims and their families.”

All proceeds made during the happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 7, will be donated to a fund for victims of the shooting. All proceeds from the happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8, will be donated to the Christina Taylor Green fund.

Call 531-1913, or visit Tavolino's website for more information.

A new pizza joint called Vito’s Pizza Kitchen is serving up New York-style pizza, sandwiches and desserts at 2921 E. Fort Lowell Road.

Chef Roy Santana says visiting New Yorkers have assured him that his pizza is as good as any in the Big Apple. He says the recipe for the crust and sauce are the same ones his parents used at their Chicago pizzeria, where they sold New York-style pizza back in the 1960s.

“We’ve had 100 percent positive feedback,” Santana said today. “I seriously take my pie very seriously. It’s really thin, it’s really crispy and it’s full of flavor.”

Vito’s Pizza Kitchen—owned by one of the owners of Vito and Shlomo’s New York Delicatessan—also sells stuffed pastas, “Vito Torpedo” sandwiches and desserts ranging from chocolate-tower cake to black-and-white cookies. Delivery is available within a two-mile radius.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; and 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday.

Call 867-8008 for more information.

Long before the Rachel Ray crew discovered the food truck, Nene’s was a favorite with Tucson Weekly readers, who voted it into third place for Best Sonoran Hot Dog in 2010. Prior to that, the place was well-known for great and affordable tacos, an expansive condiment bar and gigantic mesquite-grilled baked potatoes known as “papanchas.”

I have disassembled a Nene taco to see what makes it taste so good, but like most truly great food, the whole is much more than the sum of its parts. Newcomers order just a few, only to end up back in line for seconds. The experienced order five at a time. The thoughtful bring a dozen home for friends and family.

Halfway through writing this, I found myself rocketing down the road with tacos on my mind and Nene’s in my sights. I got there at 10:15 a.m. and there was already a line. Regulars were fist-bumping the workers, filling plastic cups with salsa and condiments and ordering up armloads of tacos, tortas and hot dogs. “This place is great,” I said to a guy at the salsa bar filling a half-dozen cups with guacamole sauce. “Hell yeah man. I eat here every day,” he said.

Aqui Con El Nene is located on the corner of Flowing Wells and Ruthrauff roads. It opens at 10 a.m. and closes around 11 p.m., and is closed Sundays.

• Where the magic happens.

• Big-ass salsa bars are fun and exciting.

I say to myself that I'm going to stop posting Epic Meal Time videos, but then they take things to the next level with a over ten thousand calorie burger.

If it's too much trouble for you to make a giant bacon cheeseburger in your home, consider one of the local establishments listed on our Big Game guide. Specials, giant TVs and lowered likelihood of your stomach exploding.

[Epic Meal Time]

• All the marketing Los Tacos Del George needs.

A good jumping-off point is Los Tacos Del George, where the tacos have been known to stop traffic, literally.

The tiny food trailer staked out a spot at 1140 W. Prince Road about three months ago and has been slowly gaining in popularity ever since. It’s tucked in among a few trees in the parking lot next to the Naughton’s heating and cooling store. Look for the tiny wood sign with the red and yellow balloons taped to it.

Los Tacos Del George opens in late morning and closes around 6 p.m. The locals are crazy about the Sonoran hot dogs — quite an honor, considering the abundance of hot dog vendors in the area — but we suggest the birria tacos. For $5, you get five of them and a can of soda. The meat is cooked down to a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness before George tucks it between two tortillas and serves it with a huge grin. You get your own can of soda from the cooler.

Quesadillas, cabeza tacos, pumpkin empanadas and a few other items are also available. Everything’s less than $5, and the small condiment bar has all the required accoutrements. If you don’t feel like dining under the small tent set back a bit from Prince Road, you can call your order in and pick it up.

Call 272-6413 for more information.

• Traffic-stopping tacos.

To their credit, Taco Bell's full page ad today in major newspapers is probably the best way to respond to the "Is the meat real?" controversy:

Not everyone gets to eat a deep-fried pastrami and bacon sandwich constructed by the Montreal kings of pork products. These Barely Political guys should be more respectful.

Also, I'm in to the whole drinking booze from a jar idea. Totally working that into my daily life.

The new place will be called Lindy’s at Redline Sports Grill. It's going in at the former Pearl nightclub spot on the corner of Wetmore and Oracle roads. Construction is already underway on the 10,000-square-foot space, which will also contain a new nightclub called RPM Nightclub.

We’ll let you know when we learn more.

(UPDATE: The menu will focus on hamburgers and hotdogs, all done Lindy's-style. An outdoor patio will have a grill that is apparently going to be in the engine compartment of a car, and the place will be open until 3 a.m. on the weekends. It's expected to open sometime in February.)