What Cathy Eats! – Page 80

Roasties-Breakfast in UTC

August 18, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Roasties has closed

You're here, mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk usually blogs, ed(from Yuma) sometimes blogs and today, Cathy is blogging.

The other morning, after our walk, The Mister and I drove West in hopes of finding less sun. We were thinking of breakfast at Wired Bistro and as we walked toward it, were looked at the closed and new (to us) places in the Renaissance Center (just Southeast of UTC mall).

Wired is to the left in this photo (the faded red umbrellas cover the tables in front) and by the green awnings to the right-

we saw this blue awning with breakfast advertised. We looked at the menu in the window then decided to try the food here.

There is plenty of outdoor seating (this location used to be a pretty busy crowded breakfast and lunch place called Le Peep). We decided to eat inside; it was a weekday morning and not crowded. The menu had some interesting choices and I went went the two eggs any style and chose seared ahi as the protein ($7.95) this comes with a choice of toast and potato choices or fruit. (I have chosen fish as a breakfast protein for another breakfast you know).

Of course, the style of eggs I chose were poached (done nicely) and rye/pumpernickle toast was also a natural choice. I was being good and ordered fruit (since The Mister ordered the Roasties potatoes). The ahi was moist and flavorful without needing any additions. I guess the bonus piece was a just because or to make up weight, but the large piece was substantial. The toast was good when warm, with a nice rye flavor, but when it cooled it got to a weird light crispiness. Not complaining, just noticing. If the same bread is used as a choice for sandwiches, I'd ask it not be toasted. Oh, every piece of fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes and melon) was wonderfully flavorful…all at their peak. {we asked for the Coffee Mate coffee lightener product instead of half and half for the morning coffee}

The Mister chose a make your own omelette/scramble ($6.95), opting for the omelette with chicken (the place is called Roasties, and there is rotisserie chicken on the menu), Feta and broccoli. It was the rotisserie'd chicken- there was some skin…great flavor. The Feta gave it all a nice saltiness and the broccoli was just steamed and a nice crunch. He also got the Roasties potatoes- roasted with herbs(there was Rosemary and definitely pepper in the mix) and squaw wheat toast, which suffered the same after-toasting cool down crispiness…however had a definite molasses flavor in the bread. It's a good bread which for some reason did not hold up to toasting…

A nice find. Roasties is open from 7-4, has rotissiere chicken, sandwiches, salads and smoothies and is advertised on its menu as a Locally Owned Family Restaurant. The owner is part of a California Restaurant Family and lives in La Jolla. There is online ordering and a cash register next to the serve yourself beverage area for pick ups.

Roasties 8915 University Center Drive 92122 (858) 412-0785 Website

Spiro’s Gyros- Coronado

August 16, 2011 Cathy Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. You're back reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Today, Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are not posting. Cathy is sharing another of her 'vacationing around town' adventures.

The Mister and I decided to take our 'daily walk' on the Island City of Coronado the other day. We drove over the Bridge and took a right, then another right. There's a park, with a large parking lot and a view.

Again, we pretended we were tourists and walked West along the Bay.

Soon, we were at the Ferry Landing. People can board the San Diego-Coronado Ferry around Broadway downtown and cross the Bay to get to Coronado Island. There are several restaurants and bicycle rentals at the Coronado Ferry Landing site.

Of course we were hungry, and looked at a kiosk listing the various shops and I was, once again, craving gyros, despite my belief that no place in San Diego makes their own gyros and instead gets it all from one supplier:
(I saw this truck when we were in Pacific Beach, on another walk.)

So, when we saw this place:
"Spiro's Gyros", cute name, descriptive of the menu…we thought it might be OK and not be at the price point we saw on the menus of the two restaurants we had just passed.

The menu, just behind the cash register, looked better than average in selection and price. Horiatiki salad, as well as appetizers of Feta, hummus, giant beans, olives and pita, Pastitsio as well as chicken, lamb and fish dishes. Then again, the fish taco, quesedilla and pulled pork offerings were a bit out of line with the running theme…

Then we noticed Moussaka.
The Mister and I have not had Moussaka for at least ten years. We've considered making it at home, but after the pages of recipe instructions, we have ended up merely roasted eggplant and eating it at room temperature with Ajvar, a red pepper based relish. Basically, Moussaka is an eggplant casserole using the eggplant between layers of seasoned meat and covering it all with a white/custard-y/Bechemel sauce. We have not seen moussaka on a menu anywhere…we had to.

This version had a layer of potato on the bottom, a layer of seasoned (we could taste cinnamon and cardamom and pepper) ground lamb, a thin eggplant layer, another layer of seasoned meat mixed with tomato and chopped eggplant and topped with another layer of sliced eggplant and topped with the white sauce, baked. This was served with a very flavorful well made rice pilaf, Greek salad and fresh pita. ($8.75). The meat had tomato, green pepper and complimentary spices. This was a *wonderful* version of Moussaka.

I ordered the Gyros salad ($8.20) and was not expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised. This was not the 'standard' gyros. See the spices? There was definitely cumin, allspice, nutmeg, coriander and fennel. SO flavorful and the pieces thick cut and a bit crispy from the spit. A very good portion size on top of the lightly dressed lettuces topped with Feta, onions and Greek olives. This was served with tzatziki and more fresh pita.

Spiro's was a very good find for us and great midpoint of our walk and another 'touristy' adventure, right here in our own County.

Spiro's Gyros Coronado Ferry Landing (1201 First Street), Coronado 92118 (619)435-1225

Sportsman’s Seafoods

August 11, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk is usually blogging, but today he was busy and un-adventurous. ed(from Yuma) sometimes blogs but today was also busy and non-adventurous. Cathy is posting about her adventurous day around town.

The other day, The Mister and I decided to drive West and pretend we were tourists and took a walk around Mission Bay. (There's Sea World to the right across the water). It's very overcast in the morning.

After that, we drove about the area until we got to Mission Beach, where we stopped and walked along the Boardwalk.

Where you can register to vote, in case you haven't gotten around to doing so in the usual manner. The sun was just starting to break through the clouds.

When we got back to the other side of the Belmont Park Giant Dipper Coaster, it was close to lunch time. We checked out the restaurants, but there was nothing particularly exciting that we wanted to eat, so we headed out on West Mission Bay Drive, to Quivira Road (the first signal light) and turned right.

Just to the left is Sportsman's Seafoods. It's a restaurant and fish market and has been here at least 30 years. The Mister and I had been here once, many years ago, when attending a conference in the area. As always, locals have to, and do, eat close to where they work. It is not fancy. Look in the background in several of the food photos. The tables are yellowing resin, filled with abalone shells…a very popular decor about 40 years ago.

You order at the small window.
There are specials listed to the left, the regular menu is above. \

Pick up your food at the large window to the left when your number is called.

The smoked fish salad (bottom right) ($5.10) was exactly what I had been craving. (Smoked fish inside the adjoining fish market is $16/lb.). There was quite a lot of fish in this salad. The Thousand Island dressing (and all the sauces) is made fresh here. Excellent flavor, creamy. The lettuce was very crispy, four black olives were in the mix and this was a very large salad- the container is quite deep.

The Cioppino (large, $4.70) was filled with smoked fish. This was a delightful surprise; more smoked fish! No other 'traditional' Cioppino ingredients (like shellfish or chunks of vegetables), so it wasn't the fish stew we had expected. The thick tomato based fish broth had an excellent spice mix. There was black and red pepper, but those were not dominant; just a good nice amount of heat to the mix. I could easily taste green bell pepper, some onion, garlic and oregano. The lightly toasted bread was very complimentary to the Cioppino. Different and hit the spot, since it was still chilly out.

The Fish and slaw plate( $8.25) had five very large pieces of (probably) fresh cod. You can see how flaky the fish is, yet so very moist and just right/lightly fried surrounded by that thin herbed batter. Perfectly fried, tasting just right with the crispy crust- the herbs were complimentary. The cole slaw, a very large portion, was a mix of finely shredded cabbages and carrots in just enough creamy sauce which was not overpowering.

The view of the marina from the restaurant, with the sailboats, houseboats, yachts and fuel station (which takes credit cards) was very relaxing. All of the outside tables were taken on this day, but we were here for the food and walked to see the view.

A nice day playing 'tourist' around town. Hope you are having a nice day too!

Sportsman's Seafoods 1617 Quivira Road San Diego 92109 (619) 224-3551

Point Loma Seafoods- Lunch at the temporary location

August 3, 2011 Cathy Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today. Cathy is blogging.

Hi. Point Loma Seafoods, a San Diego institution for more than 40 years, is getting a facelift. I have posted about PLSF two other times. I suppose it is part of our 'rotation'. The building you are used to is gone and being rebuilt. At the far end of the parking lot , what at first appears to be a small trailer exists. This link to the website shows an overlay of the 'new area' right next to the 'old' area.

Really, it's a very large building storing seafood and a kitchen and inside eating, porch eating and behind all of this, outdoor picnic tables. Walk up the ramp, and this sign greets you. We went the first week the temporary building was open.

It is *very* large inside, as far as seating goes; more than the other location. However the choice of fish in the case and the menu is slightly different.

The seafood counter is smaller, there are no lobster tanks to look into, there is no smoked fish available for sale (I always order a pound of smoked fish to eat as part of the meal and take home the extra)…and sushi has its own display case, without the person preparing the sushi visible. It is different, in some ways.

However, the considerably more seating outside, inside and along the 'porch' area makes up for it. Still with a bit of a viw of the Bay. Even if the parking lot is full, there is still seating available.
Our meal. (We ordered and paid first, also different.) A large iced coffee, pint of fish ceviche and a squid plate.(total price, including what is in the brown bag, $28.40)
2 pieces fish with cole slaw- you can just order one or two pieces of fish and then a side of slaw for $1.88, part of the 'new' menu I like. The pint of fish ceviche was ordered from the counter: I've never had it from here and think that this day it was not prepared correctly.
The Squid plate. As always, PLSF mostly sells fried plates. The squid and fish were perfectly, lightly fried, as were the fries that came on this plate. Thin and crispy. The cole slaw is the same as always- chopped, creamy and perfectly seasoned.

The good food memories are still available here, the new building should be nice, sometime this Fall.

Point Loma Seafoods 2805 Emerson Street San Diego 92106 (619) 223-1109 Website

Fava Fennel $5 Friday

July 29, 2011 Cathy Recipes, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome to today's edition of mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is still busy with work, ed(from Yuma) is still busy vacationing and Cathy is blogging to keep herself busy.

Hi. I haven't posted on my inexpensive meals for a while. This refreshing recipe can be a side dish as well as a main and will cost less than $5. I confess I took the photos for this post when fava beans were 'in season' and really inexpensive (three pounds for $1 at Vine Ripe Market) and fennel was also in season (three for $1 at Vine Ripe). Favas, also known as broadbeans, are ready to eat in mid-spring until early summer. Now, in the heat of summer, when I want to eat this, the herb fennel is 99¢ a head and I buy frozen (not canned) fava beans for this recipe. Sold in one pound boxes for about $3 at Vine Ripe, other Middle Eastern markets and at 99Ranch, the frozen broadbeans are not as 'mushy' as the canned. I've also made this recipe with frozen soy beans (edamame) one time when I was apparently reading-challenged while in the freezer.

These are the primary ingredients (also the juice of one lemon, not in this photo). The fresh fava beans have been boiled, whole, in salted water, then cooled. Fava beans need to be shelled twice; first from the outer pod- once that cools, you can squeeze the pod and the beans shoot out easily- then you can remove the membrane covering the actual beans.

You can see the beans are greener and shinier in this photo because the translucent membranes have been removed. I like fennel because every part of the bulb is edible.

Sliced onion, fennel, mint, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and black or white pepper is all that is needed.

Fava Fennel Salad:

Approximate measurements:

one small fennel bulb

one to two pounds fava beans

1/4 C sliced onion

2 oz Parmesan cheese (1/4 C)

ten sliced mint leaves

Enough olive oil, lemon juice (I try to have two parts oil to one part acid for any salad dressing, some people make it three parts oil to one part acid) to coat everything. Pepper to taste

Toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It's been a hot summer so far. We've been busy with the outdoor garden, growing tomatoes in Topsy Turvey planters around the house…

Inside the greenhouse,

various lettuces, beans and squashes were started, along with flowers and re-rooting of ground cover.

Some of the lettuces are housing little frogs…

A lot of the vegetables are thriving in pots.

We've already eaten five green bell peppers from this one plant.

The Mister also built a 4'x8' planter in the yard and we had to buy dirt and chicken manure to fill it. The transplants from the greenhouse are doing well.

The potted sunflowers are tracking the sun every day and will soon be spread around the yard.

To end this week and this post, I'd like to introduce you to two of my dogs: This is Tangent, rescued from the Shelter about a year ago.

This is Extra, another stray, living with us since 2003.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Tea Station- a quick lunch

July 27, 2011 Cathy Chains, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome! You have found mmm-yoso!!! a blog. A food blog. Kirk usually writes here, but he's busy with his job. ed(from Yuma) sometimes writes here, but he's busy with vacationing. Today, Cathy is writing here because she isn't that busy.

Hi. I blogged about Tea Station, in the middle of another post in 2007, when I had just become aware of Tea/boba type snack houses. Since then, The Mister and I try to take the time to stop for small meals and/or snacks when we are out and about. For the record, I still think of boba as being large snots and just don't order those large chewy masses of tapioca…

A few weeks ago, we went to Tea Station and noticed it had expanded into the next store front.
So we sat in the new area. It looked like it can seat about 50 people, plus the area out front can have more tables. The beverage bar is a few steps down, in its original location and the seating there is the same (about ten four person tables).

Tea Stations are franchised, all the locations seem have the same inventory and menu. The beverages to choose from include, hot and cold, tea- regular, fruit. flavored and milk, coffees, milk drinks, snow ices, jelly ices and healthy drinks. This time, we decided to try a small pot of the Rose tea ($4) . It came with two cups.

The tea both smelled and tasted of roses, yet had a deep strong undertone of black tea. Different and very good. It was perfectly brewed before being brought to the table.

The menu is divided into Snacks, Meals and Noodles. We decided to try a 'New!' item from the snack menu- fried squid balls ($5.25). These were quite substantial, meaty/chewy in a good way, had a light breading, were lightly fried, not greasy and enough spice to make them just right. I hope they remain on the menu.

We also decided to try the Tea flavored mushroom pork ($8.25). This came with rice and three side dishes (which vary daily). There are small mushroom pieces in the shredded pork and gravy, which has a mild tea flavor, but you can taste the meat flavor. The gravy was thick and tea/mushroom flavored. This day two of the side dishes had meat in it ground pork (or chicken) mixed with stir fried bok choy, the other with shredded pork and various vegetables and the third was room temperature pickled vegetables. Each side had its own flavor and in a larger serving, each could have been a meal with rice. Very refreshing and complimentary to the main dish.

Even though the plate seemed to be expensive, it came not only with those delightful side dish additions, but also a beverage choice of: hot or cold, black or green and with or without milk tea. This is a cold green tea milk and it tasted very nicely strong of green tea as well as milk.

All in all, a very nice relaxing light snack/lunch.

Tea Station 7315 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 (858) 268-8198 Open 7 days 11:30 a.m.-12:00 Sun-Th, until 1:00 a.m. on Fri and Sat Website

George Burgers- San Marcos

July 26, 2011 Cathy Burgers, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!!the blog about food. Kirk is busy with work today. ed(from Yuma) is busy with vacation today. Cathy is blogging today.

Hi. Since I seem to travel all over this vast (4200 square mile) county, it seems normal that at some point San Marcos would be a stop. I have met at George Burger with friends who attend(ed) Palomar College, friends who attend(ed) CSUSanMarcos and, the other day, drove with The Mister to see a Fabricator 'up North' and we stopped here.

The restaurant is easy to find, located just a block North of the 78 at the Las Posas exit. It has been in business since 1976, though this is a new building, as are most of the buildings in this industrial area of town.

We happened to get here when it unusually empty and most of the people eating were workers. As you can see, it is pretty large inside and there are quite a few outdoor tables also. There is a breakfast menu, which I have enjoyed. There are many sandwich combinations, including gyros, which I have always ordered when I have eaten here. Platters are also served.

Not long ago, I came to some sort of realization that I don't know of any place that 'makes' their own gyros…that there is no variation of how it tastes. Schawarma I see being prepared onto spits, and the flavor varies from place to place, but gyros is always the same; it's common. The only variation I see is in the thickness of slices, but not the spices or flavor really, unless the slice is grilled and carmelized…then I went to the Costco Business Center, and saw the 10 lb packages of gyros strips…
So, even though I like gyros, this visit, I decided to try the 1/2 lb burger at George Burger. Excellent choice.

As you can see, this is a Double Burger ($4.19). If you recall my mention on other posts, places which serve gyros make really good thick cut onion rings ($3.85). The burger was juicy, flavorful, hand formed and served on a toasted bun with lettuce tomato, onion and pickles. Mustard and mayonnaise were available on the side and not necessary.
The Mister chose the Pastrami sandwich ($5.85) and was very pleased.
As you can see, lots of smokey, not too thin sliced Pastrami filled the toasted bun, which had a thin layer of mustard and pickles. The pastrami fat was just the right amount, so the meat was not too dry. This was an excellent sandwich.

If you are in the neighborhood, this is a good place to stop for a meal.

George Burgers 217 N. Las Posas Road, San Marcos 92069 (760) 744-0164 Open until 9 p.m. daily. Opens at 6 a.m. M-F, 7 a.m. Sat, 8 a.m. Sun

Tijuana (100%) Seafood Bar Mariscos La Cacho (Ambiente Familiar)- Chula Vista

July 12, 2011 Cathy Seafood, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! It’s a Blog O’ Food. Kirk is resting today after our week or so of crazy heat. ed (from Yuma) is also relaxing with his local temperatures being ‘only’ in the 90°’s, in the evening. Cathy did manage to head South and eat, photograph, download and is now checking in with a short report.

Last week, The Mister and I happened to be in Chula Vista and we were hungry. I vaguely remembered Kirk’s visit to a Mariscos food truck that had it’s own parking space in a lot on Main Street so turned West from Third Avenue on to Main. Before the next corner, we saw this sign.

I passed by. Cars were parked in front and on the side street (Fresno). At the next corner, I turned and drove back around the block. I had to. This was the side view of the building from the crumbling parking lot:

Parking lot was full at 12:30 pm. It was a Thursday. I figured this must be good. The mariscos truck could wait.
We walked in and seated ourselves kitty corner from the front door. We had a view of both televisions (showing soccer games) and of the kitchen area across the bar. No air conditioning. We were handed two menus- one in Spanish and one in English. Great atmosphere.

A basket of crackers and tostadas, some limes and the container with spoon of hot sauce (which pretty much was Sriracha) was brought to the table.

We ordered and soon items were brought out as they were ready. The marlin taco ($4).
A fresh cooked (large) corn tortilla that had a layer of melted Mexican cheese filled with the warmed smoked fish which was sauteed with onion and mild chile. Perfect. Not too salty (as I have grown to dislike) and with a mild smokiness. We both really liked this.

The 99¢ fish taco was excellent. A large piece of fresh flaky white fish dipped in egg batter and fried to a light and perfectly crispy/not at all greasy crust. Topped with cabbage and chopped tomatoes and a bit of sauce. Our waitress seemed surprised we ordered only one. But we were trying a bit of everything.

Here’s everything else we ordered…
The fish ceviche tostadas were advertised on the walls and doors and almost every table as ‘buy one get one’, so for $2.50, we got the fresh made fish ceviche overflowing on two small tostadas. Really fresh and with just enough touch of heat in the sauce.

This was the medium shrimp coctele. ($9). Fresh made with cucumber and mild onion, topped with avocado. It was good, the shrimp were pretty large. I am spoiled by the $8 salad bowl of shrimp cocktail I can get from my local taco shop in Santee. Let’s just say there were not 23, 20 or 15 shrimp in the cup. (That Corona was $3.50)

This. $2. Looks like machaca– because it is. A manta ray machaca taco. That’s what was written on the menu. Since machaca is traditionally made with dried beef or pork, I assume this devilfish was dried then rehydrated. Or maybe it wasn’t. It was soft and had a nice ‘tooth’. Not fishy. It was stir fried up with some egg, onion and green pepper- or maybe a mild green chili. It had a really good flavor and almost pork belly texture for me.

The sign out front, the receipt below and the name listings online are all different. You’ll be able to find the place. When we left and headed West, we saw the La Prieta Mariscos truck on the left, about three blocks West. Next time…

Seafood Bar Tijuana 100% 3120 Main Street Chula Vista 91911 (619) 422-2287

Troy’s Greek Restaurant-breakfast

June 30, 2011 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a foodblog wherein Kirk writes most of the postings here, but he can't write today because he is busy. ed(from Yuma) also writes quite a bit, but he isn't writing today, because he is lazy. Cathy writes a good part of the posts here and apparently has some free time today.

Hi. A few months ago, when I was going to Kaiser Hospital, I saw a guy spinning an arrow sign on Mission Gorge Road at Zion at the far corner of the mall. It's the same mall as Carl's Jr., Ra Ka De Ka, San Diego Brewing Company, Saigon Star, the newest Gaglione Bros location, Starbucks, Rubios and Einstein Bagels. The sign was advertising breakfast at Troys Greek Restaurant (which is not to be confused with Troy's Family Restaurant, which is in the Clairmont Square).

While The Mister and I have enjoyed several lunches and dinners at Troy's, breakfast wasn't one of those meals.

The restaurant looks 'dressed up' for breakfast, with a fresh flower on each table.

The menus are under the glass covering the table cloths. One thing I noticed was the price point. None of the breakfast choices is over $6.95.

Greek gyros and eggs ($6.95). Eggs were poached perfectly. There was a good amount of gyros. The accompanying warm pita bread, tomatoes and Feta cheese made this a nice breakfast, or early lunch.

I do realize that Kirk will be posting about his vacation in Greece and that breakfasts there are nothing like this. In fact, after having a 'sneak peek' about the Greek part of His and His Missus' vacation, I may never bother with this common restaurant gyros again. However, I do want to stress that this meal at Troy's Greek was very good, very fresh food.
The Village Omelette ($6.45). I was curious as to the description of the omelette including sausage. It was sausage links that were chopped and added along with Feta cheese, tomatoes and onions into the nicely cooked eggs. This was accompanied by home fries and a side of warm pita bread. I never have considered adding chopped sausage links in with my omelettes at home, but now I will. The sausage with Feta, onions and tomatoes was a nice blend of flavors.

Coffee was $1.95 and fresh, kept constantly refilled.

If you have occasion to be in the neighborhood, breakfast is served Monday through Saturday and there is a buffet brunch here on Sunday. Being able to get a sit down breakfast here is a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Troy's Greek Restaurant 10450 Friars Road, Suite T San Diego 92120 Website

Taco Loco- a little taco shop with Mexican food- in Santee

June 29, 2011 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Taco Loco has closed. It's now a similar yet different taco shop.

Thanks for reading mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is blogging today. Kirk is very busy and ed (from Yuma) is busier.

In an obscure location on Fanita Drive just past the first signal light South of Mission Gorge Road (one block North from Goa Way, a private street) next to an unimaginatively named Liquor Store in Santee, this small building has always housed a taco shop. The latest incarnation, Taco Loco, is, by far, the best.

Yes, that's the building… behind the drive thru menu.

You can park and walk inside and will find five tables and 14 chairs. The tables are covered with happy colored table cloths and there are some interesting (a few Mexican) beverage selections in the cooler, although homemade aguas frescas are also available. Specials are written on a white board, there is a menu behind the cash register.
Also are some more specials on the wall to your left if you are standing at the cash register.

After seeing the sign, I had to try the cabeza and lengua tacos ($2.45 each)(cabeza is on the left, lengua is in the front in this photo). If you eat in, your items are brought out to your table on a tray with a real plate. The tacos are each served with two corn tortillas which are topped with meat, cilantro and onions. Nothing more was needed, even though a green and red hot sauce were offered and salt packets are on the table. The cabeza (meat from the head of the cow) was more game-y tasting, almost like goat. There was a nice, sticky fat on some of the diced pieces; carnitas-like fat is a good description. The meat was chewier/had more texture in comparison to the lengua (beef tongue) which was very smooth in texture and had milder hut distinct flavor. Both taco meats still were more flavorful than even carne asada/marinated meat. I suppose I should have tried a carne asada taco to compare further but these two tacos filled me up.

As mentioned in the title and signage, Taco Loco serves Authentic Mexican food. Above is Camarones Culichi ($7.99) Shrimp (plump and good tasting) served in a green sauce with cheese along with rice and refried beans (good and made with lard). Culichi is a traditional Sinaloan sauce made with poblano chilis and cheese and is a flavor I crave. The preparation here is great.

Well. This sign is on another wall. One day I had to.

This is the large Shrimp Cocktail ($7.99). It is served in a large salad bowl. Bowl.Of. Fresh. Shrimp. Cocktail. The photo is a bit perspective challenged. I counted 23 shrimp, but think I may have miscounted and probably 24 were in this large bowl which included lime juice, tomato, onion, cucumber, cilantro, avocado. Wonderfully perfect and so fresh. [The small cocktail is $6.99; I haven't bothered ordering one to see the size difference for only $1.]

Of course, Taco Loco is a taco shop and burritos are on the menu. Large burritos.

Cross section of the chile relleno burrito ($4.69). This was an excellent fried chile relleno. A fresh poblano chili filled with melty cheese, battered in an egg-flour mix and fried light and crispy. The burrito included beans, lettuce, sour cream and salsa.

The carne asada burrito ($4.69) is very good in its simplicity. The meat is tender, mildly flavored and wrapped in the giant tortilla with guacamole and pico de gallo salsa. Not as good as the other meats here, in my opinion, but not horrible.

The chile verde plate ($7.59) also is substantial and topped with a very, very good home made tomatillo sauce. The carnitas meat was tender and flavorful. This is served with tortillas, rice, beans, guacamole and some lettuce.

The shredded beef taco salad ($4.69) is a good meal. The shredded beef has an excellent stewed flavor which is complimented by the beans, cheeses, salsas, guacamole and crispy cold lettuce.

Here's a good size comparison photo of a plain cheese quesedilla ($3.19) and a chicken adobada taco ($2.59). The marinated chicken is moist, flavorful and, as you can see, a substantial serving size, simply served on two corn tortillas with guacamole.

Taco Loco is an exceptional hole in the wall that you may want to seek out if you are in the neighborhood. Try some of the items that aren't served at your regular taco shop.

Taco Loco 8667 Fanita Drive Santee 92071 (619) 562-6060 (Call ahead for faster service) Open 8 am-10 pm Mon-Thurs, 8 am-11 pm Fri-Sat and 9 am-9 pm Sunday

Website

The little note under the drive thru menu? "When ready to order, move forward please."