SAN PANCHO, Roswell, GA

Well, what a day.  You know how it goes.  It is just long and full of unnecessary stress.  I was just done.  I mean the 15 hour day after a long day of travel was what it was.  I had one thing on my mind.  Taco Mac.  If you’ve never been to Atlanta or stopped by their location in Chattanooga, TN, you are missing out.  This place is a treat.  It is truly Buffalo Wild Wings gone WILD!  I just wanted some spicy wings and a cold IPA.  If you are unfamiliar, Taco Mac has that name because it was either remodel the kitchen of a closed Mexican restaurant in Atlanta or change the sign.  FYI, great call by those Buffalo transplants.  Wings are great; atmosphere is a bit loud for me, but fun.  Beer is always awesome.  So, I get there and there is a line out the door, I figure there is just me, I can sneak into a spot at the bar which is where I’m planning on sitting anyways.  Well, that just wasn’t going to happen.  Braves are playing and the Falcons were playing a preseason game.  Four deep at the bar after the past few days, no thanks, I’m out.  I head towards where I think my hotel is and make a right turn.  This finds me somewhere on Alpharetta Drive in beautiful Roswell, GA.  Needless to say, I am just looking for somewhere to stop.  I spot this place, San Pancho and figure, yeah, I guess I could eat some tacos.

So it begins.  I walk in and the place is a neat little taqueria.  Guy at the counter is not too personable, but I’m coming to expect this in Atlanta area taquerias.  I order and sit down.  Neat little salsa bar, I dig it.  I really like the onions.   They have dried chilies and carrots shredded in there.  Yeah, that is for sure in my future.  They have a verde, rojo and a spicy jalapeno salsa.  I size the salsa up, grab some onion mix and head to the table.  Lots of employees just hanging out in the back, needless to say, food is pretty quick, I’m pleased by this.

RATINGS:

PASTOR: 2, I really am convinced this is a three or a four if it was not so burned.  I mean burnt to a crisp.  It was so charred it crunched when I bit down.  I’m not looking for that in Pastor.  Give me the juicy goodness that was created in the 1960’s by Lebanese and Greek immigrants in Mexico, thanks.

ASADA:  2, Once again, turn the flame down dude!  Burnt to a charred crisp.  I honestly did not even get close to finishing.  Stuff was junk.

POLLO GUISADO: 3, What?  Am I on a Guisado kick lately?  Yeah, fair assessment.  Stuff was ok.  It was no Guisado’s in Boyle Heights for sure.  I don’t even think they were related, but this stuff will stand up to a lot of what I’ve found in San Antonio and other parts of Texas.  It was pretty good, cooked properly, not overdone (shocked) and had all the flavors that you would be looking for.

ADOBADA:  2, This was a low blow for me.  I’m a huge fan when Adobada is made correctly.  I mean it is a pastor-esque treat that I really enjoy.  I’ll be totally honest, I don’t know if they know what adobada is. 

VERDE: 2, just not very good.  Too sweet, way too sweet.  I couldn’t enjoy it at all.

ROJO:  3, It was good.  Bit of spice, they put some love into this.  For sure more then they did with many of the other things that they were willing to serve.

JALAPENO SALSA: 1, this runny snot was one of the worst things to hit this tongue.  I considered making a rating of zero just to point out how this stuff tasted.  I don’t think it belonged on the salsa bar.  I don’t think “salsa” should ever be in the same sentence. 

ONION MIX: 4, Why is this even on here right?  I just had to find a redeeming part of this journey and the onion mix was it.

Yeah, avoid.  Avoid this place at pretty much all costs.  They had some other things on the menu.  It is surrounded by a bunch of places to eat.  Go up about two miles on Alpharetta and you will run into Mi Mexico and you can get a great meal.  Oh, and the tacos are only $.25 more at Mi Mexico!  The onion mix was solid.   I will steal that recipe and make it better, I’m sure. 

Here is the thing.  The place was bad, but the journey to get there was great.  Nice trip to Atlanta, sorry it was short and I missed some of the great friends and people that I know in the area.  I’m sure that I’ll be back, whether or not I want to!  Well, off to Miami, my plane is about to board.  Thanks for reading everyone, Stay Excellent!