Los Beto's...Meridian, Idaho

Yes, I was in Idaho.  Well, actually I am in Idaho.  What else am I going to do?  Yes, I went Tacoteering.  As every adventure, it was just that, an adventure.  I am with a great franchisee for the company I work for.  We were doing interviews, setting things up, Tacoteering.  All the normal stuff that you do, right?  It was interesting.  If I was stuck with only this taco place, I'd go back, but lets be clear, I'm in no rush.  Lets call a spade a spade, this place was light years better then Houston's places.  The food was decent, ambiance was good.  The folks there were really nice.  The menu was not surprising to me.  I've heard they have a few locations, the menu is what you are thinking and expecting from Boise, ID.

I know, a lot right?  So I just went and reread what I've written.  This place was not just light years better then Houston, it really put Houston to shame.  I want to formally apologize to all of Idaho for even putting the letters that spell Houston in the same Blog, you are way better then that.  Like I said the people working there were so cool.  Really nice folks.  They were efficient, friendly.  I will say, I was the only person not working there in the busy building that knew what lengua was.  They looked at me cross-eyed for a second when I ordered Buche and Lengua tacos.  Salsa bar was pretty cool.  Taqueria Style, I dig that.  Really neat little set up.  Taped up a sign that said hot to mild.  I thought that was awesome.  I did not try their "mild."  They looked good.

Portions were HUGE.  I was shocked.  Could not finish four tacos and I did not eat dinner, I was still full.  They were huge portions.  They were not messing around.  $2.25 a taco, you pay for it, but they were huge.  Wait, did I mention they were huge?  I hate it when people do that.  Yeah, lets burn on that for a second before the ratings...

WTF?  Why do people repeat themselves.  Let me tell you something, let me be crystal clear, I don't need you to repeat yourself to me over and over.  I am not responding because:
a:  I know you're an idiot
b:  I know what you're saying makes you more of an idiot
c:  I could give a damn what you are saying
d:  I'm ignoring you on purpose
e:  My response will make you cry which will only increase my distaste for being around you
f:  You suck
g:  I don't like you
h:  I don't want to encourage you to speak more

There are a few more reasons, but stop.  I'm not saying please, I'm saying.  It is ridiculous.  I'm not deaf.  I am ignoring you.  Then, you say the same words and stuff over and over.  Alright, over, for now.

RATINGS:
ASADA: 3, good stuff.  I mean it wasn't anything to call your friends about and invite them over, but you are not going to want to attack the chef.
PASTOR: 2, attack of the sauce.  Way too much.  The meat was drowning.  It was unnecessary.  The sauce was in abundance and not very good.  Aciote, too much, pepper, not enough, ancho chilies, hello!  Yeah too many anchos.
BUCHE: 3, good stuff.  This is no Tacos el Gordo in Chula Vista, but not bad.  I'd order this again.  When I'm back, I might come back for some Buche.
LENGUA: 3, solid.  Good stuff.  I like it.  It was tender, good.  Not as flavorful as it could have been, but good.
SALSA: 3
JALAPENO: 2, they were not good.  They were bad canned peppers.  Just not good.
ROJO: 2, yucky.  They don't know how to properly dehydrate peppers.
VERDE: 4, yum, yum give me some.  It was great.  Tomatillos were good.  Salsa was smoky, coriander, cilantro.
GUACAMOLE: 3, not amazing, but good stuff.  I liked it.

Large and in charge!  The guacamole was a surprise.  I didn't expect it on the tacos.  Pretty good stuff.  Nice presentation.  Here's the thing, this place is good.  Not amazing, but great for Boise.  Idaho, nice job.  I look forward to my next trip and more extensive Tacoteering.

Quick teaser, end of the month, the clan is back out, The Order of the Taco has a trip planned for San Diego.  Five taco places, one brewery and the group.  Excursion, here we come.  We are inviting a few others, you have been voted in.

Thanks to everyone for reading, appreciate your time.  Please tell your friends and Stay Excellent!

Midtown Taqueria, Houston, TX, CRISIS ALERT

 Here's the deal, if you see this place, leave the area.  Seriously, wow.  We needed a good breakfast this morning, and a pick me up after last nights disappointing Tacoteering.  Well, this place looks promising.  As we all find out the hard way, looks can be deceiving.

Houston, I repeat, you have a problem.  Not a minor problem, a major problem.  You are the fourth largest city in the US.  You have a vibrant Hispanic population.  How do you not know how to make tacos?  Do you need lessons on how to make salsa?  Do you know that when Pastor was invented not all that long ago that it was first made on a cone?  Seriously.  Get rid of your cheap steam tables, lose the judgmental, rude people that are serving your food.  Change the attitude.  When she saw me, she immediately made a taco with beef fajitas?  Really?  What a racist witch.  I never thought I'd miss San Antonio or even Dallas so much.  At least the know how to make some great tacos.  They've got some great guisado prow-less there in San Antonio.

If you haven't caught the drift, not a Houston fan.  I do have to say thanks to Houston for taking Dwight Howard, I'm a huge Laker fan, so thank you.  We didn't need him messing up our locker room anymore.  So lets talk about this place.  They were so nice to Ramon.  I get it, he is a pretty, nice, sweet, horse loving person, but don't be so nice to the person I'm with and so rude to me.  FYI, I speak Spanish lady!  Super rude and judgmental and this is not the first time here in Houston.  So we order, pay and go back to get our food from this cafeteria style lunch table.  They make their own flour tortillas, they just don't do it well.  The corn tortillas are out of a pack and not a good one.  The variety is okay, the menu is below.

So, they have tortas, I'm afraid to taste how they'd ruin those for me.  Prices were way to high.  Serious, at $1.69 a taco, I feel as if I was robbed by a tank in the middle of downtown Chicago.  Horrid feeling of loss after eating.  Did we finish our food, no, no we didn't.  Do we feel miserable still a little later in the day, yes.  The food was so greasy, the Carnitas might be the worst I've had.  It was worse then ketchup on a hot dog.  Here is the sad picture of our defeat.

RATINGS:
PAPAS: 2, no seasoning and cooked in the fat from I'm guessing the Carnitas, I love taco de papas, I am sick from how they made me feel about potatoes
PASTOR: 1, this is not okay.  This is pastor crisis bad.  I think they need to change the name of what they call this.  It was one level left of slop.  An aciote mess.  Flavors were off, meat was dry.  Please, don't call this pastor.  Pastor has a well deserved great reputation, you are ruining it.
CARNITAS: 1, again, please call it something different.  Try inedible pork, nasty greasy mess, how about ruined pig?  I don't know, but you need a name that suits and describes it better.
SALSA ROJO: 1, balance?  Not here.  This stuff sucked.
SALSA VERDE: 2, I know, the highlight of the trip was a runny, subpar salsa.

Thank goodness for Ramon.  When facing a tragedy like this, it is always helpful to have someone share in the misery and sorrow.  I'm thankful that this is not his first true Tacoteering excursion.  I apologize for my last post.  It wasn't very good.  I was tired.  Tired of bad taco experiences.  Sad from the horrible food I had last night.  Sadly, today was much worse.  Posts should be a better read, even when the food is not.

Houston, you have a problem, admit it, go to a program, learn how to cook and serve, make edible food and I'll give you another shot in the next few months.  I'm sad to report, probably won't eat tacos again before I leave today.  Thanks to anyone who is reading, stay away from Houston taquerias and Stay Excellent.

Laredo Taqueria, Houston, TX

Houston, you have a problem.  Your tacos, well, they were just ok.  Not bad, not great.  Just an FYI for you Houston, you should probably check out what we are doing in California, specifically Los Angeles and San Diego.  Here's a quick heads up, really greasy tacos are not great.  Seriously, don't just let everything sit in its own juices for too long.

Ramon and I are in Houston working and we drove by and checked out a ton of places.  No one grabbed us.  We finally settled on Laredo Taqueria.  It is on Washington and is just ok.  It has promise by the look.  The menu leads you to believe that the place is fantastic.

They make their own flour tortillas which were pretty righteous.  The corn tortillas from the store might have been the absolute cheapest and worst tacos that I've had in quite some time.  They were really nasty.  The food was just okay.  It really was just alright.  Some good, some not so much.  What I loved about this place, was the sass.  It was pretty awesome.

These guys make it clear that they don't really care what you think.  I appreciate that.  I love people who are just going to do what they do.

Meat is all in a steam table in front of you.  I would not touch the chicharron.  It did not look like it was crispy or any good.  Ramon tried it, he was not a fan.  So they serve all their burritos with beans, if you'd like.  The beans were straight out of a can and not too great.  Really just alright stuff.  I like the variety on the menu.  I love the fried jalapenos.  As many as you'd like, that is a great call, I went through more then a few.

RATINGS:
GREEN SALSA: 3, it only gets a 3 because it is spicy, really just ok.
RED SALSA: 3, read the above comments for the green salsa.
NOPALES: 4, this comes with just nopales.  Wow, this is good stuff.  I could have had just this and would have been very pleased.  Very nice job here, tasted good, fresh and was nicely done.
BEEF: 2, this was "fajita" style.  Really not too good.  I mean it wasn't horrible, but it sure wasn't thrilling.
BARBACOA: 3, nothing amazing, but solid.  It was good, nicely shredded and not overcooked.  Light clove flavor was good.
SPICY SAUSAGE: 3, this is not chorizo.  It is like breakfast sausage, but with peppers and spiced up.  Really good stuff.  They did well here to try something bold and different.
ASADO de PUERCO: 3, so, this was good.  This is close to 4 material.  I think the amount of grease is what held me back on it.  Nice flavor, nice spice, well balanced.

The best part of this trip was Ramon.  He is a fun loving sweet guy who knows and loves his tacos.  Watch his skill as he is eating:

Thanks so much to everyone for taking the time to read.  Please do continue to read, check in and tell your friends.  I'll be back in LA soon, San Diego after that, then to Reston, VA.  Lots of tacos to find, eat and let you know about.  Hope everyone is well.  Stay Excellent!