[1/4 done with 2017]

 

With March coming to an end, we are officially 1/4 of the way finished with 2017. Originally, finding the PERFECT TACO started as a New Year's resolution that I shared with my 8th grade students, but it has grown to be so much more than that. It has become:

• a reason to travel, which I love to do but always find an excuse not to
• a reason to meet friends and have a meal together even when things are "too busy"
• an outlet to express myself in writing
• an opportunity to try all kinds of new restaurants
• a chance to grow in marketing, which I've come to find I'm very interested in

Throughout this process [so far], I've:

• traveled to Texas with one of my very best friends. I was able to visit NASA, cry a lot, and have some of the best tacos of my life.
• revisited my alma mater/college town after too long away. This vastly renewed my pride in my University and love for Columbia, MO.

Over the next three months, I will be visiting:

       Branson, MO            Eureka Springs, AR            Tulsa, OK            Chicago, IL

Later this year, I plan/hope to make my way to:

       Denver, CO             Chicago, IL [again]           New York, NY

This has been a fun journey so far, and I hope that as I continue on my search I can bring you content in an even better way. I'm looking at going "live," creating a Snapchat, and am still looking for someone to help me build a ratings tracker website.

As always, thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to "taco 'bout it" again with you soon!

- Kimberly

Cafe Berlin (Columbia, MO)

As you may or may not already know, I received both of my college degrees from the greatest university on the planet - Mizzou! I spent many years of my life living in Columbia, affording me the opportunity to try different restaurants and cuisines. Since moving back to Kansas City, I have spent a lot of time missing the people and the food in CoMO.

Cafe Berlin is a great farm fresh restaurant that is well known around the city. Quoted from their info section on their menu, Cafe Berlin believes "food should speak for itself and we choose to make creative and comforting dishes using familiar ingredients. We believe in supporting our community and we source as many of our products as possible locally." They serve a little bit of everything in terms of brunch items, fresh squeezed juices, and great coffee that comes in mom and pop miss-matched mugs.

I've included a shot of their menu so you can browse their options,and it is also available on their website [linked above]. I love CB because they have yummy GF options, vegan options, and meat-eater options... so it really is a place for everyone.

Upon my visit to Columbia over Spring Break [I told you - I miss it and sometimes I need to make a day trip], of course we had to go to Cafe Berlin. I've never actually had tacos there before, so I thought it was a great opportunity to try something new at a place I love.

 

I ended up ordering the Anonymous Tacos, which are corn tortillas served with scrambled eggs, onion, tomato, green pepper, jalpeno, jack, sausage, & cilantro. Salsa and sour cream come on the side.

Here's a simple run down of my thoughts on the operation:

• The toasted corn shells were good because they weren't soggy, but they weren't a crunchy shell either. My complaint is that they weren't big enough. A large portion of my toppings fell out.
• The sausage was good, but it was muter by the other flavors in the taco.
• I love love LOVED that the veggies in the taco were fresh - they were super filling.
• Too much cilantro. They used it as a lettuce substitute, and it just wasn't my taste.

As far as service, it was great. Our waitress was attentive, but not in our faces. We had NO wait when we got there [though we went on a Thursday; this is almost never the case on the weekends]. I love the eccentric vibe of CB. None of the cups match, they have tons of random signs and posters as decor, and recently they installed a full bar and stage so they serve as a music venue at night. I love almost everything I've ever had to eat here, but today I judge the tacos. With that said...

Rating (out of 5):

Ixtapa Mexican Cuisine (Zona Rosa, KC)

Last week, my aunt came to town from New York City to finish and handle some family business with my mom. While she was here, we went to a number of Kansas City staples [namely Arthur Bryant's]. With the snow storm rolling through the NE, she ended up being here an extra day due to delayed flights, which gave us more time to hang out. Always a plus! Before taking her to the airport, we decided to have Mexican for lunch and, of course, I used this as an opportunity to expand my taco venture.

We googled around to find somewhere up north to try so we could go on our way to the airport/not waste time. Ixtapa Mexican Cuisine had been recommended to me before by people in my area, and when we saw it in our preferred location for the day, we landed on it.

I'll be honest, the average diner may be less than impressed with the restaurant based on first glance. Ixtapa is in a strip mall across from Zona Rosa, rather than inside the shopping center itself. It's kind of a "run down" looking area, and the parking is a nightmare.

As far as the food itself...

 

I ordered the Tacos Rancheros [$8.49] off the lunch menu. The meal consisted of two soft corn tortilla tacos filled with steak that was marinated in onion, jalapenos & tomato. Served with rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

I enjoyed the marinade of the meat itself - it had great flavor! It was obvious that care was taken when preparing the steak. I also liked that the veggies on the taco were cooked with the meat, and the tortilla itself was pretty good too. My complaint about the taco was that it it had too much juice/grease.

The sides left a bit to be imagined though. The beans were not smooth refried beans as I'm used to and the rice almost tasted like it had been made in a cooker and left to sit for a while before being served. It was seasoned well, but was a little soggy almost.

The service at the restaurant was pretty good! We got our waters and chips/salsa soon after sitting down. Our food came out quickly and our server checked on us a few different times during our meal.

As a whole, it was a pretty good meal. Definitely a Tex-Mex vibe, if you ask me. Kind of an upscale-ish feel as far as decor, meal options, and presentation.

Rating (out of 5):

Torchy's Tacos (Northside, Houston, TX)

I'm just going to put it out there, Torchy's had the best tacos of my "taco trip." By far my favorite tacos, neighborhood, and service of the weekend.

We planned from the start to hit Torchy's for brunch on Sunday because who doesn't love brunch on Sunday? Plus we knew that it would be our most low-key of days on the trip since we were driving back Monday [12 hours straight through - YUCK!]. When we got there, there was definitely a line so we just snagged a few seats at the bar and away we went.

Our bartender's name was Claire and I loved her. She was from Kansas so naturally, being MU alumni, Will and I gave her some crap about her KU background. [Some things will never die]. She poured a great drink, and overall was just really pleasant so the experience was enjoyable.

  

As far as tacos go, let me lay it on ya. Here's what I ordered:

- THE REPUBLICAN: Grilled jalapeño sausage, shredded cheese, pico de gallo. Served with pablano sauce, flour tortilla. [Back right].
- THE DEMOCRAT: Shredded beef barbacoa, topped with avocado, queso fresco, cilantro, onion, lime. Served with tomatillo salsa, fresh corn tortilla. [I chose to get mine on a flour tortilla]. [Left].
- THE INDEPENDENT: Hand-battered and fried portobello mushroom strips, refried black beans, roasted corn, escabeche carrots, queso fresco, cilantro, avocado. Drizzled with ancho aioli, flour tortilla. [Front right].

 

Now, I have to admit, I partly ordered these tacos for the blog story. The Republican, the Democrat, and the Independent in a taco shop? Golden content if I want to take it political. Though I do have my own thoughts on the political parties, I will be honest in my opinions of the TACOS and the tacos only:

- THE REPUBLICAN: I have to say, this one was tough to get through. When the menu said sausage, I wasn't expecting the sausage to be in it's full form, I thought it would be crumbled. This made the bite difficult. It wasn't overly spicy, and I liked the flavor combinations, but I did not finish it.

- THE DEMOCRAT: The Democrat was a beautiful taco. I loved the combination of fresh ingredients and fat from the avocado. The meat was seasoned well. The salsa was great!

- THE INDEPENDENT: This was my favorite taco of the meal. I'm not sure if it was the variety of ingredients [carrots, corn, etc] or the aioli that added just enough moisture. Honestly, I didn't think I would like this one because it didn't have a traditional protein. It turned out that the crunch of the fried mushroom added a cool level of complexity to the taco and I loved it.

Rating (out of 5):


EXTRA 411:
- This is my first 5 and that's really exciting to me!! I would like to say though, while I give Torchy's a 5, that doesn't mean my quest for the perfect taco is done. I haven't found it yet, I don't think!
- With this being the last segment of my Houston reviews, I would like to say that every taco experience I had in Houston was great. We had great food, service, and experiences. I sported something "KC" every day [or was loud about my hometown] and we met so many great people who were from Missouri or had visited, and honestly, making those connections with strangers was so fun. So to the man in the Royals hat at NASA, the guy in the Chiefs hat at Torchy's, Claire, and so many others -- thanks for being kind. Both times I've been to Houston, people have been nothing but hospitable, and that makes such a difference.
- This will be my last "non-Tuesday" post for a while. I wanted to push the HOU reviews out so they were timely. Until I have a little more free time [summer, maybe?] we'll be going back to Taco Tuesday posts!

I'm currently pondering as to where I should travel for tacos next. Suggestions welcome!

Taqueria la Creacion (Midtown/Museum District, Houston, TX)

To be honest, this taco review remained a bit of a mystery for a while. I spent weeks reaching out to different sources trying to find a name for this review! It wasn't until yesterday (March 13th) that I actually got all the info I wanted in line!

To start from the beginning, on Saturday night in Houston, we ventured to a local brewery owned by 3 guys who just love beer. Under The Radar Brewery is open Thursday-Sunday for varying hours with live music on Fridays. The brewery itself was a great experience. I ordered a flight to try a little bit of a handful of brews, they had a cool biergarden with picnic tables, games, etc. Really low key. "Under The Radar," if you will [kill me later]. BUT, this post is not about the brewery, it is about the magical taco truck we found in the adjoining yard.

 

It was nighttime when we were there, so these photos are borrowed from Yelp, but I wanted you to see the truck in all its glory. Now, in comparison to the tacos that we had the night prior, these were definitely more on the traditional taco side. With honesty at the forefront, I'm not a huge soft corn tortilla person, but when in Texas on a taco mission -- you try everything.

 

I ended up with two fajita (steak) tacos [pictured above]. They had double tortillas, and lacked a sauce or cheese of any kind. From what I know, this is characteristic of most traditional tacos.

Let me be honest with you guys, I didn't think I was going to like these... but I was very WRONG. Though not what I picture in my head when I think of the PERFECT taco, these were delicious and a far cry from all the fusion and Tex Mex tacos I've been trying since starting these reviews. The meat was seasoned beautifully, the ingredients were fresh, and price wise they were a steal! Definitely a great taco! And a wake up call to the fact that I need to make sure I'm not counting out the traditional side of things, because the perfect taco could most definitely fall on that side of the spectrum!

If ever I find myself in Houston again, I'd like to find this truck again and try their other options!

Rating (out of 5):

El Tiempo Cantina (Greenway/Upper Kirby, Houston, TX)

Our first night in Houston, we met up with my friend from college, Will, who lives in town and tried El Tiempo Cantina in the Greenway/Upper Kirby neighborhood. El Tiempo is definitely a popular spot and, unsurprisingly for a Friday night, we had a 45 minute wait for a table.

For me, El Tiempo is what I think of when I think of a Tex-Mex Cantina. Bright colors, carved wood features [decor, bar, tables], a huge outdoor patio, and great margaritas! Their website provides this photo and I think it captures everything perfectly [see below]. They've been serving the Houston community for 55 years which is pretty damn awesome, so they're obviously doing many things right!

Lucky for us, even though there were no tables when we arrived, it was happy hour so we used our time wisely. If you know me and margaritas... I was totally fine with waiting. Plus, it gave Shelby and me some time to catch up with Will since we hadn't seen him since our Chiefs playoff trip to HOU last January.

[Side note: I actually gave margaritas up for lent].

  

As far as food, I didn't grab photos of their meals, but I did get MY food and dessert.
- Ground beef nachos [order of 6]: served w/ diced tomato, pickled jalapeño, and sour cream
- Tres leches cake

 

In general, I'm not sure if I can accurately judge an entire restaurant menu off beef nachos, but they were pretty dang good nachos, so I'll proudly shout that from the rooftops. Shelby ordered a "Long Taco" [which was more like a burrito] and she seemed to enjoy it. I don't remember what Will ordered but when I talked to him about this review, it's clear he's a big fan [and gave it the same rating]. As far as the cake, I'm going to be honest, I didn't try it. I'm a big textural eater and it was not something that sounded good to me. It was gone before we left the table though.

I would like to touch on the fact that we got pretty great service at El Tiempo. They pride themselves at "making you feel like family" at their restaurants and I definitely felt like our server took care of us. Top notch.

Rating (out of 5):

Fuzzy's Taco Shop (McKinney, TX)

The second stop on our taco trip to Texas was Fuzzy's Tacos in McKinney, TX. I have family in the Allen/McKinney area so this stop was to stop and see them. I have never been to Fuzzy's before, but when I was doing more research for this post, I came to find they have a handful of locations in MO [including one in KC] as well! This is good news for those of you who like a quick taco, but not necessarily the Taco Bell sort.

Fuzzy's was cute and right off the highway, which was nice since it was about halfway through our drive to Houston from Tulsa. They had a pretty streamline look with tables and stools, counter ordering, and a food pick up window. I thought it was neat that the tables were covered with local business cards. As it is, I'm sure that most of the locations look this way.

  

I ordered two tacos to try [as well as my normal rice and beans]. --

Taco 1: Grilled Shrimp - Grilled shrimp served on a soft corn tortilla and topped with garlic sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, cilantro, and feta. I chose to order this on a crunchy shell.
Taco 2: Spicy Pork - Shredded spicy pork served on a soft corn tortilla and topped with garlic sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, cilantro, and feta. This one is on the flour tortilla.

Basic thoughts on the experience:

• The shells were essentially the same as what I can buy at the grocery store. Nothing fancy. Probably out of a box. While I am a firm believer there is a time and place for these types of shells [and I'm not SURPRISED they are what is used at a CHAIN], I was disappointed.
• I did really enjoy their garlic sauce on their tacos. The use of feta cheese on the tacos was also a nice change of pace for the creamy/fat element.
• The spicy pork was not spicy.
• The shrimp taco was good, but I think I would have liked it better on a flour tortilla.
• Beans and rice were average.

While Fuzzy's was okay, I think if I make it back to TX any time soon, a spot I'd really like to try [on recommendation from a friend] is Tacodeli. They have 1 location in Dallas, 5 in Austin, and 1 coming in HOU. The local feel is definitely where I'm at! With that said, Fuzzy's was a good, quick lunch spot!

Rating (out of 5):

Nieves Mexican Grill (Tulsa, OK)

This post marks an exciting milestone for this blog -- our first "outside of Kansas City" review. While the title of this little corner of the internet is "Let's Taco 'Bout It KC," the ultimate goal [as stated in our start up post] is to find the PERFECT TACO. While I love Kansas City with my whole heart, and there are undoubtedly some amazing tacos here, it only seems right to explore some different options.

For the past couple months, my friend and I have been planning a big girls "taco trip" for this exact reason. Shelby lives in Tulsa, OK right now, so I drove down there the first night to shorten the drive to Houston the next day.

It only seemed right upon arrival to Oklahoma that we have some tacos. Shelby took me to Neives Mexican Grill just down the street from her apartment, and to be honest, I was a little skeptical from the start just because Neives is located inside of the local kids sports complex. Like, how good can it be if it's inside a sports complex? Really?

From what I could tell, this was not a cheeky Mexican restaurant. There were not a bunch of decorations or music playing, but rather a pretty stream-lined look involving steel. It was definitely a family-friendly environment, in large part to its location, I'm sure. We got there right before 8:00p and they had a decent crowd, causing a bit of a wait once we were seated.

We were there on a Thursday and lucked out because tacos were on special for $2. PERFECT. This gave me the opportunity to try the tacos themselves, plus a side or two without breaking the bank. I ordered two tacos, rice, and refried beans.

 

So here it is -- the food was decent. Yikes, that sounds harsh, but it's true. Let's break this down:

• The shells were BY FAR my favorite part. They are lightly fried, leaving them nearly greaseless! I liked that crunchy texture as an aspect of my taco. [I'm coming to learn that a soggy taco is one of my least favorite things].
• For my personal taste, there was too much lettuce on the tacos.
• I feel like at this point I'm looking for something that is AMAZING. Like, MIND BLOWING. And while the tacos here were good tacos, they didn't quite get me there.
• I really like refried beans so sign me up for some more of these!

This is definitely a cute spot, and from what I read they have great margaritas and dessert/fruit tacos. I'm hoping to visit Shelby one last time before she moves back to KC this summer (!!!!) and I definitely want to go back and give this place another shot!

Rating (out of 5):