the best taco-sense is a good b-fense...Mexican style tacos in the house

During my 2 month hiatus of not blogging -- I was still busy in the kitchen with the thoughts of Mexican style tacos on my mind. My trip to Los Potosinos definitely impacted my taste palette and since then I can't get enough of corn tortillas, onions, cilantro and limes with any assortment of meats or legumes. The bear-fense aka b-fense wishes to present the following evidence of such obsession with all things Mexican style.


Exhibit 1: Mexican style tacos with ground turkey & homemade black bean salsa with the El Yucataco pasa doble bringing up the rear

This meal was delicious though unfortunately we were short of limes -- so I soaked the onions in vinegar to emulate the acidic clean taste of missing limes. Despite it's deliciousness I think I prefer non-ground meats in my tacos. There's more substance and diversity of texture. See Exhibit 2:


Exhibit 2: Mexican style tacos with grilled chicken with guacamole salad and Traders Joes Chimichurri rice with the El Yucataco pasa doble bringing up the rear again...

Holy bear-ito. These tacos were on-point. I grilled the chicken on the stove with this Buckeye Rub that I got from Hill's market -- and it gave the chicken a fantastical smokey sweet flavor that really enhanced the taco. Though not pictured we had fresh squeezed lime juice. This meal was replete -- the true gem was the improvisational guacamole salad that I free styled after noticing how Los Potosinos and most other taco reviews revealed that radishes were common with your taco truck experience. This was also my first time making guacamole since Betty makes one that will blow your paws off. The guacamole salad consisted of:

• 3 avocados
• juice from 1.5 limes
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 jalapenos diced with membrane removed
• defrosted frozen organic corn from WholeFoods
• a bunch of radishes sliced chunky
• some diced tomatoes
• diced onions
• splash of El Yucateco green sauce

For the guac -- I placed everything in a covered bowl and shaked it up like a polaroid picture to let the ingredients combine naturally at first -- then went through with a fork and did some slight smashing. The guac has become a mainstay at our cave these days and Betty finally realized the true unleashed flavor of Mexican style tacos.



Exhibit 3: Mexican style tacos with grilled mahi mahi + radishes and said Trader Joes Chimichurri sauce

You thought I was kiddin'...nope. I kept remixing these tacos I tell you. Exhibit 3 brought out the fish in all of us. I know humans stereotype bears to eat only salmon -- but this bear likes to get his fish on with mahi mahi. I grilled up some mahi mahi -- frozen from WholeFoods -- with seasoned salt, lemon and then splashed it with some vinegar. Then topped it with all the usual fixins but also added diced radishes. This was my first time EVER cooking with fish and it seemed too easy. Ultimately this meal was simply outstanding.

For our final exhibit -- Betty and I decided to hit up La Casita for only our second time as I was craving some authentic Mexican food. After having success at Cazuelas and Don Patron 3 I was amped to see how La Casita fared with their taco offerings. I ordered their taco platter that came with beans and rice.


Exhibit 4A: from La Casita: Mexican style taco trifecta featuring: carnitas, pastor and chorizo


Exibit 4B: refried beans and Mexican rice from La Casita

Well...go figure my taco bear-ble was busted at La Casita. I had a bite of the first taco which was a carnitas taco and it was very tasty though a bit fatty for my tastes. I then had the pastor taco which was greasy and showed no semblance of the sweet tasting pork I had learned to savor. The same greasiness also showed up again when I ate the chorizo sausage. No real smoky kick -just salty greasy strangeness. The highlight of this meal was the beans and rice and I suppose the first taco. This is the first time that I would say I did not like the food at a Mexican restaurant. I felt a little queazy in the post-meal discussion with Betty thinking about the fattiness and greasiness of the meats. Her meal was so so as well. She had a chicken dish with a tangy sour cream sauce. Perhaps this meal was a sign telling us that we are long overdue to hit up El Vaquero? Who knows.

What the b-fense has hoped to show and offer up today is that

1. I love Mexican style tacos which generally utilize corn tortillas sometimes 2 for the base then topped with some form of protein, diced onions, cilantro and a lime wedge.
2. They are pretty easy to make at home using a variety of different proteins.
3. Don't be afraid of radishes. They taste very good in guacamole and on top of fish tacos.
4. Similar to the Dew's Pizza post -- while restaurants & taco trucks can serve up tasty authentic tacos -- sometimes there's no taco like home-made...which is why I say the best taco-sense is a good b-fense...
5. Word is bear-log.
   

bear in the city day 2 continued: Mexican Haven From the Rain - La Herradura Inc.

so we got to see the Fleet Foxes, the National, Organized Konfusion and a bit of the Pharcyde before the rain got the best of us. Betty and I decided it'd be better to take our soaked furry selves back to my cousin's place to dry off and warm up. I'm glad we did because instead of eating festival food I had one of the best tasting Mexican meals of my bear existence. My cousin took us to La Herradura Inc. On the way there I was surprised that we passed at least 3 other Mexican restaurants. Betty and I were both hungry when we entered the restaurant and when I saw my green El Yucateco I couldn't help but feel we were going to be in for a treat. My cousin asked for their hot salsa -- and for the record -- this was the first time that I actually disliked a hot salsa. It had a good heat -- but had a strange creamy-spinachy texture that didn't sit well with my tastebuds...I did keep eating it though because it was unlike any hot salsa I'd ever tasted.


chips, salsa, strange hot sauce, El Yucateco de Magico

For my meal I ordered an a la carte pastor taco and the carnitas huarache. When the taco came out I knew I was going to be in for a treat.


very tasty pastor taco

This taco was large and in charge. Everything about this taco was twice as nice as anything I've had in Oh. The pork, pineapple, onions and cilantro were present in mass quantities and man oh man did it taste good. All this for only $2.50...what's messing with this? See what came out next:


incredible Mexican carnitas huarache

The huarache came out on a narrow fried masa bread that was very similar to pita bread. This was accompanied with a layer of refried beans, marinated pork, lettuce, cheese, avocados and sour cream. The flavors were so tasty together meat and bean with the freshness of the lettuce and avocados. I was ready to come back to this place for breakfast the next day. I even tried their horchata that was very tasty and my only my second time trying it ever.

I was slightly disappointed that we got rained out for All Points West but I think it was a blessing in disguise as Betty and I got to spend more time with my cousin and venture out and try this truly delicious restaurant located at 563 Main St in New Rochelle NY.

at last the taco trucks...Los Potosinos

Finally got a chance to try one of the taco trucks that foodies and bloggers have been giving critical acclaim to..it's name Los Potosinos. A local blog http://tacotruckscolumbus.com is pretty much all you need to get started with the Columbus Taco Truck taste wagon. After scouring the site Los Potosinos came up as one of http://tacotruckscolumbus.com's favorites because of their pollo al carbon. I went with some fellow colleagues from across the forest to check this place out. It was about a 25 minute trek out there but it was pretty easy to find. I ordered a spicy pork soft taco and the pollo al carbon. Technically i ordered 3 tacos but they goofed my order. No worries.

spicy pork taco with cilantro and radish, cucumber and lime to garnish


signature pollo al carbon with bottled hot sauce on the refried beans accompanied with a lettuce, tomato and avocado salad

The taco was tasty. Fresh and unlike any taco you'd find at a chain restaurant. The simplicity of the taco with the lime, cilantro, radish and cucumber was refreshing but you still got to appreciate the meatiness of the taco because it wasn't littered with lettuce allowing the seasoned pork to be featured.

The pollo al carbon was the real treat here. I've never had anything like it. The chicken was tender with a great grilled taste with a mix of spices that I could not distinguish. It reminded me of a Mexican spiced version of Tandoori chicken. Delicious.

A funny anecdote about trying to get hot sauce: I asked for hot sauce and the lady directed me to the bottle on the table. I asked for something stronger and she provided a bottled hot sauce. I asked if she had anything hotter to which she came up with the following:


hot sauce?

In this case sliced habanero peppers topped with fresh squeezed lime juice and a dash of salt. I was slightly apprehensive initially because though I love hot and spicy foods the habanero pepper is one i typically avoid raw. I made sure to have a full mouth of food as I snuck in a sliver of the pepper and the meal was perfect. This was my first time eating a habanero pepper in its entirety and since then I've already started incorporating them into my cooking.


pollo al carbon aka what's under the grill hood at Los Potosinos

The trek out to Los Potosinos was fun and exciting to do with a group of bears. I was a little turned off by the prices of the food not being readily listed on their menu and sure I missed my 2 tacos that I believe I was charged for -- but all in all the food was good, unique and a good time was had by all. The only question is where will our next taco truck adventure take us? Any suggestions?

Deepwood=weaksauce

A good friend was in town visiting for the week so we thought we'd take him out for a nice dinner for his birthday after grabbing some apps at Marcella's. Originally we had planned to go to Mitchells but on our walk through the Short North we encountered Deepwood which I had recently read good reviews about from our friends and columbus foodies so we thought we'd try it out. It didn't hurt that it's location was convenient and reduced our walking time had we elected to continue on to Mitchell's. We walked in and the mood of the place was nice and fresh. I noted the menu prices were steep but the food descriptions sounded tasty so our expectations were high for this place which in the end was probably our downfall -- or it's downfall depending. We asked to be seated at a booth and were excited to try a new place with our good friend. (Cue the Jaws music) The bread came out and looked interesting.


3 breads wanted for crimes against gustation...

There were 3 kinds of bread. One was a sweet bread that had nuts and raisins in it; another was a thin wafer pita almost; and the third was a plain bread. It's difficult to mess up bread -- i mean you really have to go out of your way to mess up bread -- but the bread was chilly to the touch -- almost like it had been refrigerated and beyond that was dry -- and on top of that -- I didn't like it. I've never really encountered this experience dining out before -- definitely a first...an unfortunate first that is. (Turn up the Jaws music) Then our meals came out and the plating looked spectacular. I had the filet and Betty had the pork tenderloin.


filet w/ natural jus + herb-roasted taters and bacon-tied haricots verts...

It sure looks good doesn't it? It was also cooked quasi-medium as I had requested but something was strange about it. I think it was the jus that was with it. It gave the meat a smoky taste that overrode the natural taste that one would appreciate in a good steak. I found that the natural jus was a big distractor from the taste and was bummed because I really wanted to enjoy it -- and the fact that it cost $32 didn't make the burn any better. Fortunately our good friend who ordered the same meal enjoyed his steak -- which was the most important aspect of the evening. As we were discussing the meal and my impressions of it -- he agreed with everything i noted above -- but in the end to him -- steak was steak and this steak was pretty good -- so take that into consideration for what it's worth.

Betty's meal on the other hand was pretty tasty.


pork tenderloin w/ white cheddar grits, wilted greens, and a plum sauce

Her meal had a great mesh of flavors. My only complaint was that it was too sweet for my tastes so I would have trouble eating it as a meal.

Overall I was pretty bummed about Deepwood. I even had to text my friends who recommended it to us with the following: "Deepwood=weaksauce". I am fortunate for now that I can afford to take friends and fam out to nice places but when you charge an arm and a leg -- you better deliver on the tastes, service and ambiance -- or at least some combination of the above. Though it's possible that I might attribute the above experience to a slight aberration in the force -- i have no wishes to go back there. I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant that got hit with a trifect whammy -- that is until we dined at Deepwood. Didn't like their cocktails which were too sweet...didn't like their bread which was unfresh and downright un-tasty...didn't like my meal with its confusing palette of tastes...and I'm sure not gonna like my credit card bill when it comes later on this month.

I think there's a lesson in all of this...don't take shortcuts. Mitchell's is worth the walk. And Deepwood=weaksauce.