Well damn, it has been a really long time. This is the first blog of 2016 and we are already in May!! Outraged as I'm sure you are, sorry, I've been busy. I have still been eating tacos, well, I've been eating a lot of them, but I have not bored you with the stories. Prepare to get bored, here we go again.
I pass this place pretty often. It is right next to the Smart and Final that is close to the bar. I was running some errands, going to be at the bar all night and knew I needed a bite. I got the burning urge to get some information for a blog. So, I decided to try this spot and damn am I glad that I did. They have all sorts of different options and meats, but keep it simple which if you read one of the old blogs which might as well be archives by now, you know I'm all about.
They have a larger menu, but I decided today was a hard focus on the tacos. It has been a long time. These guys do a nice job on their menu. It is fair pricing, good looking food, nice pictures in the restaurant and I will say that my food looked just like the picture. The kitchen is small and managable. The lady cooking knew her way around a kitchen and was pretty darn quick. She looked like she was having some fun, but who wouldn't working in a great little restaurant like this?
I didn't realize until I posted this pic on here how blurry it is. Why would I leave it up? Well, it is the only pic that I have of the whole working area. Plus it also shows you how inept I really am so you can laugh about me later, or now...I did not try the waters, but will on another visit.
Nice TV set-up with your favorite shows on Uni-Vision, that is always pretty cool. Decor is nice, appropriate and isn't too much in this place. Tables/booths are nice. They really fit and give it a good homey feel inside of this place.
RATINGS:
CABEZA: 3, this is not bad, not bad at all. Don't let a 3 fool you. This is a tasty treat. It is well made, quality meat and delicious, it just didn't go above and beyond.
PASTOR: 3, again, not a bad choice, it just didn't make me say "wow" need this one right away. It is good meat. They season it well, it is solid, just not a mind blowing experience.
POLLO: 4, OK, this is a special chicken. Not just well flavored, but really damn tender. They know how to cook, how to hold, how to serve chicken, this is a taco you want to try if you are in the Valley.
LENGUA: 4, nice stuff here. This is flavored well, served hot and nicely shredded. I recommend this to lengua lovers everywhere.
TRIPA: 4, this is one of those that I had to revisit. It was a 3, I went back and got it again, asked for it a little more crispy, wow! This might be a 5 if it was that way the first time I had it. They do a really nice job with the tripa and you want to go get this, ask for it crispy, you will NOT be disappointed.
ASADA: 4, yeah an above 3 asada. This is some good stuff. They didn't go cheap, they went good. I was surprised their wasn't an up-charge. If you are only into asada, you will like this joint.
CARNITAS: 4, this was on visit two. Didn't get it visit one, what a mistake! This is really good stuff, one of my favorite carnitas. I want to go back and try again, hope they have some consistency!
SALSA BAR: 5, not all of the salsas were amazing, but there was not a bad one. The variety was great and they have some amazing salsas! I did not like their jalapenos, but they had the pickled onions, oregano, fresh lime and some amazing variety in the salsa department to make sure that anyone who comes in is satisfied.
TORTILLAS: 5, why would I rate tortillas? They have regular ones which are good, they have handmade ones which are incredible. They are some of the better ones I've ever had. They are perfect in texture, flavor is good and they don't fall apart. These guys know what they are doing and she presses them to order, it is worth the wait, I will only be getting the handmade going forward!
Hell of a spread here. Yeah, I ate all of those in one sitting and I have no regrets, I was damn hungry! The salsa like I said is solid. The green with avocado is my favorite. It is some good stuff. I of course had my Crazy Harry's Gear with me. You can look and see the handmade vs the store bought tortillas. I can't say it enough, get the handmade!
This is that salsa bar that I've been bragging about. Pretty epic looking right? It does not disappoint at all. You will be happy with at least two or three items on here, so get ready to party at the salsa bar.
This adventure was solo, but I'm going to start dragging people with me again soon. These adventures are always more fun when there are more people with you. Though the food was good, a great experience has awesome people there with you. Hope you enjoyed an installment on a blog that's been quiet for a few months, thanks for sticking with me!
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of my youngest son Jason and I at Knott's Berry Farm. We went on Journey to the Iron Reef, 4 times that day. It was his favorite as he liked shooting the bad guys. I was impressed and proud that he beat adults on this one. He has a hell of a shot and really had some fun, obviously so did I. Sadly we had to turn the 3D glasses in before we left, I think it's a good look for us.
Stay Excellent!
I'm a restaurant guy who's worked around the world in every position in restaurants. I have a huge taco passion. Blogs are my opinion and am sharing experiences. Please send suggestions and tell your friends to read! RATING SCALE: 1: Don't touch this, it is nasty, 2: Below average, I'd avoid, 3: Solid job, it is good, didn't blow me away, 4: Above average, nicely done, 5: Get off your ass and try this delicious shit! Thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label #goodtimes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #goodtimes. Show all posts
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Manuelito's, Winnetka, CA
Labels:
#burritos,
#California,
#goodtimes,
#losangeles,
#OrderoftheTaco,
#pastor,
#sanfernando,
#sanfernandovalley,
#SFV,
#taco,
#tacodestiny,
#TacographicMemory,
#tacos,
#tacoteering,
#tattoo
Location:
Winnetka, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Friday, October 30, 2015
Lola's Baja Taco's, Granada Hills, CA
Melissa has been bugging me about going to this place for a bit now. I've had friends tag themselves there and have thought about it, I mean, I am a huge sucker for a fish taco. Lola's is in one of those semi-awkward parking lots. It is there, easy to find, but hard to find? Anyways, we got there, it is just West of Balboa on Chatsworth if you are familiar with The Valley, then again, it is still on that corner even if you are not.
I didn't realize how blurry this picture came out until I posted it on here, but you get the gist of the place. Small, quaint, neat little joint. Decor is simple, not over done so I really like it. People working there are nice and they really seemed to be helping each other out a lot.
Don't really know what to call this. Prep area? Cooking table? Finishing station? They are preparing some of the food right there, really finishing off the toppings. Presentation was lacking, but it didn't look too messy. Usually a station like that is reserved for the back, they do things just a little different here.
Here's a quick shot at the menu. It is a bit on the pricey side for San Fernando Valley tacos, but they do have some cool stuff that you aren't really going to find everywhere. Good diversity, but I'm not sure if they know which direction they really want to go. Small taco place that has great fish or great fish place that serves some tacos. Beer and wine was missing. I had a lot of water because everything came across as really salty to me, but a cold beer would have cut through nicely. We went non meat on this trip to maximize what they seem to be pushing. Looked around and didn't see anyone else eating meat. I like that, eat what they focus on.
We jumped right in ordering their chips, salsa and guacamole. Not too shabby. It was a great first impression, but like I said and will say again, a bit salty for my palate. Portion on these two were solid. They gave you a nice amount, the chips they seem to fry to order and they season them while they are hot.
RATINGS:
BAJA FISH TACO: 2, this was kind of tasty. Melissa loved it, I found it to have too much mayonnaise. The slaw mixture was a bit much and I thought that the piece of fish was a bit too small for the price, but it wasn't horrible. Rating is on my experience here, you might dig it!
SPICY TUNA: 5, this was my favorite here. It is something that I would go back for without a doubt. Spicy, flavorful, it was great spicy sushi meets a badass taco. This is so easy to screw up, glad that they didn't. Really nice all all accounts from taste, texture, smell, they did really well and you are making a mistake not going there to try this one.
POTATO: DON'T KNOW?, hard to rate this one. It is different. I don't want to rate it low because it was good, but I can't rate it too high because I wouldn't order it again. Quite confusing, you'll have to go and eat this one yourself!
SALSA: 4, this was a surprise. They know what they are doing here and I strongly recommend that you try this salsa. It is a great compliment to the guacamole. Light spice to it, smooth texture but not runny, great for dipping your chips.
GUACAMOLE: 4, I liked it. It was a bit chunky, I don't like it when it is whipped unless you are turning it into an aioli. Texture was solid, flavor was good. Got some salt, citrus, vegetables, pretty solid stuff here. In the end it wasn't that it was that amazing, but it was a great compliment to this restaurant, well done.
Food is overall good. Presentation is on point. Everything was a bit salty for my liking, but that doesn't mean that you won't love it. The hard shell taco was good, the tuna was pretty unreal, that is a well deserved 5. This is a good date spot if you are introducing your significant other to tacos. They are like transition tacos. They are not bad, but I'm not running back to them. It is hard, I love trucks and small taquerias but do understand that places like this can attract more taco eaters, which is a good thing.
Huge thanks for those of you who continue to follow and continue to read. Sorry I have not been writing as much lately, I've been working the bar everyday, loving it, but busy there and doing consulting. I have been eating tacos daily, obviously but haven't been writing about them as much. I can tell you that I miss it and there are more blogs to come from the Order of the Taco. The gang has been chatting, we are going to get a trip together soon, look forward to that. Get tacos if you are in the valley and come see me at the bar!
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of the hot sauces on the table. Strong showing, these guys are pretty good and know what they are doing. If I didn't make it clear, check them out, they are worth it. The goodbye photo is pretty hot...
Stay Excellent!
I didn't realize how blurry this picture came out until I posted it on here, but you get the gist of the place. Small, quaint, neat little joint. Decor is simple, not over done so I really like it. People working there are nice and they really seemed to be helping each other out a lot.
Don't really know what to call this. Prep area? Cooking table? Finishing station? They are preparing some of the food right there, really finishing off the toppings. Presentation was lacking, but it didn't look too messy. Usually a station like that is reserved for the back, they do things just a little different here.
Here's a quick shot at the menu. It is a bit on the pricey side for San Fernando Valley tacos, but they do have some cool stuff that you aren't really going to find everywhere. Good diversity, but I'm not sure if they know which direction they really want to go. Small taco place that has great fish or great fish place that serves some tacos. Beer and wine was missing. I had a lot of water because everything came across as really salty to me, but a cold beer would have cut through nicely. We went non meat on this trip to maximize what they seem to be pushing. Looked around and didn't see anyone else eating meat. I like that, eat what they focus on.
We jumped right in ordering their chips, salsa and guacamole. Not too shabby. It was a great first impression, but like I said and will say again, a bit salty for my palate. Portion on these two were solid. They gave you a nice amount, the chips they seem to fry to order and they season them while they are hot.
RATINGS:
BAJA FISH TACO: 2, this was kind of tasty. Melissa loved it, I found it to have too much mayonnaise. The slaw mixture was a bit much and I thought that the piece of fish was a bit too small for the price, but it wasn't horrible. Rating is on my experience here, you might dig it!
SPICY TUNA: 5, this was my favorite here. It is something that I would go back for without a doubt. Spicy, flavorful, it was great spicy sushi meets a badass taco. This is so easy to screw up, glad that they didn't. Really nice all all accounts from taste, texture, smell, they did really well and you are making a mistake not going there to try this one.
POTATO: DON'T KNOW?, hard to rate this one. It is different. I don't want to rate it low because it was good, but I can't rate it too high because I wouldn't order it again. Quite confusing, you'll have to go and eat this one yourself!
SALSA: 4, this was a surprise. They know what they are doing here and I strongly recommend that you try this salsa. It is a great compliment to the guacamole. Light spice to it, smooth texture but not runny, great for dipping your chips.
GUACAMOLE: 4, I liked it. It was a bit chunky, I don't like it when it is whipped unless you are turning it into an aioli. Texture was solid, flavor was good. Got some salt, citrus, vegetables, pretty solid stuff here. In the end it wasn't that it was that amazing, but it was a great compliment to this restaurant, well done.
Food is overall good. Presentation is on point. Everything was a bit salty for my liking, but that doesn't mean that you won't love it. The hard shell taco was good, the tuna was pretty unreal, that is a well deserved 5. This is a good date spot if you are introducing your significant other to tacos. They are like transition tacos. They are not bad, but I'm not running back to them. It is hard, I love trucks and small taquerias but do understand that places like this can attract more taco eaters, which is a good thing.
Huge thanks for those of you who continue to follow and continue to read. Sorry I have not been writing as much lately, I've been working the bar everyday, loving it, but busy there and doing consulting. I have been eating tacos daily, obviously but haven't been writing about them as much. I can tell you that I miss it and there are more blogs to come from the Order of the Taco. The gang has been chatting, we are going to get a trip together soon, look forward to that. Get tacos if you are in the valley and come see me at the bar!
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of the hot sauces on the table. Strong showing, these guys are pretty good and know what they are doing. If I didn't make it clear, check them out, they are worth it. The goodbye photo is pretty hot...
Stay Excellent!
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Casa de Tacos, Canoga Park, CA
Casa de Tacos. How did we end up here? Doctor Uncle Paul, Smoky Alex Z and a I were on our way to Outlaw's in Van Nuys. We got a call and had to run up to the bar. While we were there we realized that we didn't have enough time to get to Outlaw's. I had to be back to bar-tend and get delicious beer to thirsty people.
www.crazyharrysbar.com. You need to come and check the place out. It really is amazing. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It really is an awesome joint. Anyways, When we knew that we had lost some time, we decided to go somewhere closer, this led us to Casa de Tacos. A number of regulars at the bar had told me I had to try this joint. I'll save you the suspense, they were correct.
Tile was nice, place is small and quaint. They don't waste space. The joint really does look nice and delivers with the food. The guys working there were ok, but nothing special. If they had some real customer service, I think this joint would be close to unstoppable.
Menu is good. Plenty to choose from, but nothing overwhelming. They don't overdo it trying to cover every meat. That is nice to see! The meats they do, they did a nice job with.
RATINGS:
ASADA: 4,
CARNITAS: 5, this might be my favorite carnitas. Close to perfection. It is right on point. So moist and delicious. I strongly recommend that you go and try this stuff.
PASTOR: 3,
TRIPAS: 4,
BUCHE: 4,
LENGUA: 4, this was Alexander's favorite. The sad part is that we went to order another one, Alexander's request, they were out. Good stuff, texture on point, flavorful, worth having.
CABEZA: 4, tasted like lamb. This was a delicious treat that caught me a little bit off guard. Texture was right on point.
POLLO: 4, this had a red sauce that it was cooked in and it took the chicken from a 3 to a 4. This stuff was good. Moist, tender and packed with flavor and a light spice.
MILANESA: 3,
Flavors were on point. Their tortillas were good, not to tough, but could handle the meat just fine. Food came out timely. They got a bit busy and kept the pace, which is cool. Another neat thing is that they cook right behind the counter. They have a prep area in back, but you can see them preparing the food. I enjoy the show, thinks it gives a lone tacoteer something to do that doesn't involve Facebook while they wait for their tacos.
Thank you for continuing to follow the blog. I know I haven't been posting as much, been really busy getting the bar going and consulting. I have traveled minimally so no exciting destination tacos. The really nice part about that is there are so many awesome taco places in the Los Angeles area that I can hit!
I couldn't not make this the gratuitous/goodbye photo. Alexander and his amazing Uncle. They are such great buddies and it is so great to have a young man have the love and trust that he has with his uncle. They were so excited to have the same new trucker hats on and sport the bar out at lunch. It is even better that they both love Tacoteering. Here is the two of them hanging out enjoying some tacos!
Stay Excellent!
www.crazyharrysbar.com. You need to come and check the place out. It really is amazing. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It really is an awesome joint. Anyways, When we knew that we had lost some time, we decided to go somewhere closer, this led us to Casa de Tacos. A number of regulars at the bar had told me I had to try this joint. I'll save you the suspense, they were correct.
Tile was nice, place is small and quaint. They don't waste space. The joint really does look nice and delivers with the food. The guys working there were ok, but nothing special. If they had some real customer service, I think this joint would be close to unstoppable.
Menu is good. Plenty to choose from, but nothing overwhelming. They don't overdo it trying to cover every meat. That is nice to see! The meats they do, they did a nice job with.
RATINGS:
ASADA: 4,
CARNITAS: 5, this might be my favorite carnitas. Close to perfection. It is right on point. So moist and delicious. I strongly recommend that you go and try this stuff.
PASTOR: 3,
TRIPAS: 4,
BUCHE: 4,
LENGUA: 4, this was Alexander's favorite. The sad part is that we went to order another one, Alexander's request, they were out. Good stuff, texture on point, flavorful, worth having.
CABEZA: 4, tasted like lamb. This was a delicious treat that caught me a little bit off guard. Texture was right on point.
POLLO: 4, this had a red sauce that it was cooked in and it took the chicken from a 3 to a 4. This stuff was good. Moist, tender and packed with flavor and a light spice.
MILANESA: 3,
Flavors were on point. Their tortillas were good, not to tough, but could handle the meat just fine. Food came out timely. They got a bit busy and kept the pace, which is cool. Another neat thing is that they cook right behind the counter. They have a prep area in back, but you can see them preparing the food. I enjoy the show, thinks it gives a lone tacoteer something to do that doesn't involve Facebook while they wait for their tacos.
Thank you for continuing to follow the blog. I know I haven't been posting as much, been really busy getting the bar going and consulting. I have traveled minimally so no exciting destination tacos. The really nice part about that is there are so many awesome taco places in the Los Angeles area that I can hit!
I couldn't not make this the gratuitous/goodbye photo. Alexander and his amazing Uncle. They are such great buddies and it is so great to have a young man have the love and trust that he has with his uncle. They were so excited to have the same new trucker hats on and sport the bar out at lunch. It is even better that they both love Tacoteering. Here is the two of them hanging out enjoying some tacos!
Stay Excellent!
Friday, July 17, 2015
Revolutionario L.A. Foods, Los Angeles, CA
What is this food "revolution" all about? Is it the ranting of a crazy old chef? Is it someone trying to use strong words to entice you to come to his restaurant? What's going on? I had to go find out for myself. I know Chef Zadi, that is no secret. I've gone to street side tacos in Boyle Heights, East LA and enjoyed late night meals on the side of the street, but what is he doing on Jefferson not too far from USC inside an actual restaurant? I was at work, doing some store visits with Amy. She's been Tacoteering before, so you should know her. Anyways, we decided that we were going to grab lunch and I was determined to try this place. I've been talking about it since it opened. I was in Saudi Arabia when the doors opened and didn't get back until a couple of weeks later. I have been busy and not in that area as much. Being that we were in Downtown LA and headed to Culver City, the opportunity presented itself. As per the norm, we rocked out to some serious Elvis Radio the whole time we were driving!!
The building itself is unassuming, but don't think for a second that the tacos are. The plain style of the building is perfect. It is clean, nicely set-up and very welcoming. If you look closely, you can see Amy contemplating her taco choices for the day.
What do you eat in this joint? It says tacos, the chef, Chef Farid Zadi is of Algerian decent, born in the Rhone region France, it is in a neighborhood flooded with fried food options and quick eats. This guy has been teaching culinary students for years. His wife is Korean, really where are they going with this food? What's the inspiration? What flavors are they going for? Many great chef's I know, including the amazing and unparalleled Yellow Chocolate, have spent time learning from Chef Zadi. I'll show you the menu so that you can see what you think.
Menu is interesting. It looks like it is almost overwhelming, but it is not. The menu has some great options but is not too much. They stick to great stuff. If you don't know or don't understand, this guy can cook. He can cook really damn great. The menu has the options of breakfast type stuff and of course the tacos, quesadillas, burritos, kids meals, it has options. I love that they have great vegetarian options to go along with perfectly seasoned meats. The first question is, what did I think of the food? How did it rank?
RANKINGS:
SHAKSHOUKA: 5, this breakfast style taco combines some great flavors of slow cooked eggs, sweet peppers and tomatoes. It is sweet, and delicious. He knows how to cook eggs. So many people turn the head up and don't allow the protein to properly cook, well done Chef, well done.
CILANTRO YOGURT CHICKEN: 5, this is as good as it sounds. With the Greek Heritage I love to marinate chicken in yogurt, with my LA roots I love cilantro on everything!
CHARRED VEGGIES: 5, you just can't go wrong with this taco. It is good stuff. The veggies are charred just enough to extract and intensify the sugars in them, but they are not burnt at all. They have a nice sweet flavor to them and pair perfectly, probably the best of all the tacos with the tortillas which were second to none.
BLACK EYED PEA FALAFEL: 5, I think this is my number 2 of all of them. This was a delightful treat. Such a great idea and a nice treat. The falafel was so good. Packed with flavor, great texture as you could tell it was properly mixed but not over beaten. There is a light spice on the end that really was the treat as far as I'm concerned.
CHICK PEA TAGINE: 3, why was the rating lower than the rest? It's just my taste. This stuff was good, by far one of the more creative, for sure it was tasty, but in my humble opinion was not as knock your socks off good as the other tacos. The moisture in this taco also ate into the delicious tortilla a little bit. The chick peas were well cooked. A bit al dente which gave it some nice texture. I think that I would have liked it a little more if the peas were mashed into a hummus and spread on the tortilla.
BEEF BRISKET: 5, this is a nice twist on a more "traditional" taco for LA. You'll enjoy the smoky flavor and great texture on this meat. It is something nice. You should be expecting some greatness here, it sure did deliver when I was there.
SMOKED LAMB: 5, this was my favorite. Not just because I love lamb, but because there was so much flavor, so much depth and texture that is really unmatched. There was layers of smoky flavor with subtle salt and a buttery finish that was just unreal. I will dream about this taco.
Stuff looks great! His presentation is simply perfect. He doesn't try to distract you with silliness, he doesn't try to over do it as many chefs do, he keeps it simple, perfect and focuses on the flavors, not the useless flair. Don't misunderstand, there is attitude and style, just no unnecessary frills.
Salsa descriptions are great. They are accurate. I enjoyed all of the salsas that he had, the hot is HOT! I loved it. It went on everything that I ate. He has some chips set there for you to try. These are not chips like you are use to getting, these were like chips from the heavens. They were so delicious. They were just perfect in every way. Made in house, lightly salted, not over fried, but not chewy. Like I've said, this guy knows what he's talking about.
Great looking salsa table. It is inviting and enticing! We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to get there when they were slow, so we got to bring the salsa to the table, which was very helpful for my hot salsa needs. These salsas are a compliment, not a garnish. They are enhancing the flavor, not covering up food like salsas sometimes are. It is a nice change of pace to what some places do.
Yes, we had some dessert. When the owner insists you try something, you try it. Well I am so happy that I did! I am not a dessert fan. It is not something that I am looking for. I like the spice, I like the earlier courses, not desserts. Sweets just don't do it for me, this however was an exception. This was an exception that I'm so glad that I made. They were Algerian Samsas. He makes them with cashews and serves them with blood orange jam. I dare you to go and not try these bad boys. They combine sweet, with savory, oh goodness!
Have the questions been answered from earlier? I think they have. Chef Zadi and his family are starting a revolution. They are taking the stand that food can be great, good for you and different. I'm such a fan of the traditional taco, there is not hiding or denying that, I would never want to. I will say that this place does it so similarly but different. The business of my schedule has not given me an opportunity to sit down with Chef and discuss what he sees coming or how he views the revolution, but I can tell you that I see great things coming. I see this restaurant as a challenge to so many others. The Zadi family is showing us great ways to eat traditional LA foods in a slightly different way. The more people that go here, the more people will join. This is the kind of place that challenges your taste buds and forces you to try new things that you will want again and again.
Thank you to all for reading. Please go and check this joint out. It is a one of a kind type of place. There are a lot of great taco stands, carts, trucks, everything out there. This one is unique. It is not going to be what you think, I hope that I gave you enough of a glimpse to help you understand. Please re-tweet, re-post and let people know about what is going on right by the Adam's District in Los Angeles. This place is getting some pretty serious press, my blog is nothing impressive, but hopefully it helps reach a few more people! If you are bored, follow me on Twitter and Instagram, I post silly stuff and tacos, tacos are the serious part, the rest is pretty crazy. It is a great way to find out where I am and what I'm doing, cause I know all of you care...
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is one of those photos that I love to catch and the people in them hate. I'm sorry, I just can't help it. The picture is of Susan, Chef Zadi's beautiful wife. She is always so sweet and wonderful. She has a great smile and remembered me as soon as I walked in the door and gave me such a warm greeting.
Stay Excellent!
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Mama Noura, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Well this photo just sums up this joint! Delicious Schawarma, no, very delicious schawarma. Yes, you read this correctly, this blog is about the closest thing we could get to authentic tacos in Riyadh. Let me start off by saying, there are no complaints from us about this meal.
Don't these two look amazing with their shaved heads? I'm so proud they came to the shiny marble side. They look down right fantastic and they know it. We've been hounding our colleagues out here to take us to great shawarma, we told them we wanted the best. I didn't think I was going to tell y'all about it but feel compelled after eating there and the awesome experience.
When the car parked, this was taken from the window outside. How could anyone not be excited to see this? It is totally impossible to not want to eat at this place. It is very clean, very nice to look at, bright inside and incredibly inviting. The guys working there are all working hard, but don't look upset or miserable. I loved the vibe. Energy in a restaurant is so important and these guys nailed it.
Fresh fruits line the restaurant. It is awesome! Yes, they are making fresh juice with it for sale and I enjoyed the delicious blackberry. Josh had the pomegranate which was also beyond fantastic. I can't help it, I just love the fresh fruit options that are available in other countries. They are really tasty!
We went up and ordered at the juice counter to get our beverages, which were awesome! After that we made our way over to do this:
We took pictures and watched and salivated over these cones of chicken and beef. Here, let me show you, yes I show you:
Top is chicken, bottom is beef. Kind of cool, they have Crystal's Louisiana Hot Sauce on the tables, we totally went to town with that stuff. It really paired perfectly with the shawarma.
RATINGS:
BEEF: 3, this is good stuff. A really nice treat and something that I enjoyed. They do a good job of keeping it super hot and everything was cut fresh to order. There was not an over salty or rough taste in anyway.
CHICKEN: 4, ahh, this was good. Everything that I could have hoped for in a meal. It misses the 5 because of the shawarma in Kuala Lumpur at the street vendor. This was close, but that one has the option to be served spicy and was just a little bit tastier. Don't get me wrong, you will enjoy this and should not miss it if you are in Riyadh.
JUICES: 4, fresh squeezed juice is something that you can not go wrong with. I wanted to go 5, but that is not fair to El Placio de los Jugos in Miami or many of the fantastic places that we got to try in Malaysia. Fresh juice is under-appreciated in most of America!
I know, you were expecting to see the spread of food after the ratings. Well, we got there a bit before prayer so they handed us our food in bags like this, said thank you and kicked us out so they could shut the place down for prayer. I loved it. I appreciate the reverence to tradition. Kind of a cool experience being from the US. The bags are pretty nice, huh? I liked them, they were sturdy, but not too heavy or thick.
This time beef is on the top and chicken is on the bottom. I can't say enough about how delicious and tasty this was. They even look like tacos. For those of you who don't know, pastor originated iin Southern Mexico and Central American when the Lebanese workers were there and tried to recreate shawarma. They came up with something superior working with the locals. The result of pastor was local fare, spices and flavors. It is some good stuff, no some great stuff. Point is, this is some of the history of it that we are enjoying. We all of course know that shawarma came from Gyro's which is Greek.
So like I said, we were booted for prayer so ate on the car. It was pretty rad, hot, but rad. It was kind of like going to a taco truck in the states and eating on our cars. I really enjoyed it. Helped a great experience stay fun and different. Gave us some more depth to a pretty deep evening.
Thank you to everyone and all for reading. I waited to post my Riyadh trips until after we left. Pretty awesome and fun to write about another country that is so different and offered such a great cultural experience. Please keep re-posting, re-tweeting and telling your friends to check out the adventures! As I've stated before, if you hate the blog, tell your enemies to torture them. I appreciate that just as much.
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of JJ, Josh and I with the shawarma in the background. We really enjoyed getting to go to this place and these two guys are pretty amazing and resilient travel partners. Please enjoy them with their shaved heads in this photos, they really look like a couple of wee sexy bastards. I can't say thank you enough to both of these guys for their commitment and perseverance irrespective of the circumstances.
Don't these two look amazing with their shaved heads? I'm so proud they came to the shiny marble side. They look down right fantastic and they know it. We've been hounding our colleagues out here to take us to great shawarma, we told them we wanted the best. I didn't think I was going to tell y'all about it but feel compelled after eating there and the awesome experience.
When the car parked, this was taken from the window outside. How could anyone not be excited to see this? It is totally impossible to not want to eat at this place. It is very clean, very nice to look at, bright inside and incredibly inviting. The guys working there are all working hard, but don't look upset or miserable. I loved the vibe. Energy in a restaurant is so important and these guys nailed it.
Fresh fruits line the restaurant. It is awesome! Yes, they are making fresh juice with it for sale and I enjoyed the delicious blackberry. Josh had the pomegranate which was also beyond fantastic. I can't help it, I just love the fresh fruit options that are available in other countries. They are really tasty!
We went up and ordered at the juice counter to get our beverages, which were awesome! After that we made our way over to do this:
We took pictures and watched and salivated over these cones of chicken and beef. Here, let me show you, yes I show you:
Top is chicken, bottom is beef. Kind of cool, they have Crystal's Louisiana Hot Sauce on the tables, we totally went to town with that stuff. It really paired perfectly with the shawarma.
RATINGS:
BEEF: 3, this is good stuff. A really nice treat and something that I enjoyed. They do a good job of keeping it super hot and everything was cut fresh to order. There was not an over salty or rough taste in anyway.
CHICKEN: 4, ahh, this was good. Everything that I could have hoped for in a meal. It misses the 5 because of the shawarma in Kuala Lumpur at the street vendor. This was close, but that one has the option to be served spicy and was just a little bit tastier. Don't get me wrong, you will enjoy this and should not miss it if you are in Riyadh.
JUICES: 4, fresh squeezed juice is something that you can not go wrong with. I wanted to go 5, but that is not fair to El Placio de los Jugos in Miami or many of the fantastic places that we got to try in Malaysia. Fresh juice is under-appreciated in most of America!
I know, you were expecting to see the spread of food after the ratings. Well, we got there a bit before prayer so they handed us our food in bags like this, said thank you and kicked us out so they could shut the place down for prayer. I loved it. I appreciate the reverence to tradition. Kind of a cool experience being from the US. The bags are pretty nice, huh? I liked them, they were sturdy, but not too heavy or thick.
This time beef is on the top and chicken is on the bottom. I can't say enough about how delicious and tasty this was. They even look like tacos. For those of you who don't know, pastor originated iin Southern Mexico and Central American when the Lebanese workers were there and tried to recreate shawarma. They came up with something superior working with the locals. The result of pastor was local fare, spices and flavors. It is some good stuff, no some great stuff. Point is, this is some of the history of it that we are enjoying. We all of course know that shawarma came from Gyro's which is Greek.
So like I said, we were booted for prayer so ate on the car. It was pretty rad, hot, but rad. It was kind of like going to a taco truck in the states and eating on our cars. I really enjoyed it. Helped a great experience stay fun and different. Gave us some more depth to a pretty deep evening.
Thank you to everyone and all for reading. I waited to post my Riyadh trips until after we left. Pretty awesome and fun to write about another country that is so different and offered such a great cultural experience. Please keep re-posting, re-tweeting and telling your friends to check out the adventures! As I've stated before, if you hate the blog, tell your enemies to torture them. I appreciate that just as much.
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of JJ, Josh and I with the shawarma in the background. We really enjoyed getting to go to this place and these two guys are pretty amazing and resilient travel partners. Please enjoy them with their shaved heads in this photos, they really look like a couple of wee sexy bastards. I can't say thank you enough to both of these guys for their commitment and perseverance irrespective of the circumstances.
Stay Excellent!
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Fire Grill, Fresh Mexican Grill, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
No matter how hard I might have tried, I could not resist writing about Riyadh. We of course were asking our colleagues where to go, if we could even get tacos. They brought us here, to Fire Grill. Fire Grill strongly resembles Chipotle. Let me tell you that the line and the set-up is similar, the food, not so much.
Here is what you are walking into. A warm inviting place with nice wood and great, simple decor. This is single only, no family dining. This is a big deal if you are in the area. Some of their other locations have family dining, but the one we went to does not. Worked great for us, we were just a few guys grabbing a bite.
Here is the menu, look familiar? Pretty simple, pretty cool. They have some great looking food and it only takes them six people to run this line. In Saudi, unlike America, there are pictures up everywhere of the food. This is also common in Malaysia. I had to inspect for myself.
Yes, this looks good. I wanted to really look to make sure. I was torn. I wanted tacos, but had to go with the head to head experience of Chipotle. I am not a frequent guest of Chipotle, but my trainers are and I went recently when I was in Phoenix with them.
The ordering process was pretty easy on Josh, JJ and me. Doesn't JJ have a cute smile? He really does. What a great guy. Very lucky to have these two guys with me when traveling, especially to places like this. We come up with silly games and have a great time no matter what situation we are in. They really made this trip happen with me. Love these two great dudes.
Here is what it looks like at the table. Nicely wrapped, pretty huge burrito, but how's the flavor? I went with the Barbacoa. The chicken looked OK, the Shrimp looked really good. The beef was not grabbing me. The Barbacoa looked amazing, juicy, tasty, well, it was. Not doing a number rating here, as I only had the one item, but this blows away Chipotle. This was really tasty stuff, I was excited that I got it and recommend it to anyone. Do you want to see more?
Well, you asked for it. That is my burrito unwrapped. It looks the same as the last picture only the foil is open.
This is the tray and the paper on there. Pretty darn cool. I will say that this place is pretty great and if you find yourself in Riyadh, I'd say to try it out.
Thanks to all who are reading, re-posting, checking out the adventures. I hope that you enjoy them as much as we do. Trip to Saudi Arabia was educational and great. There was a ton of hard work, but that is a good thing.
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of Kingdom Centre. This is an impressive magnificent building to see, especially at night. Colors change every few seconds and it really is cool to look at. It does kind of remind me of the eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. It was one of my favorite things to see when in Riyadh.
Here is what you are walking into. A warm inviting place with nice wood and great, simple decor. This is single only, no family dining. This is a big deal if you are in the area. Some of their other locations have family dining, but the one we went to does not. Worked great for us, we were just a few guys grabbing a bite.
Here is the menu, look familiar? Pretty simple, pretty cool. They have some great looking food and it only takes them six people to run this line. In Saudi, unlike America, there are pictures up everywhere of the food. This is also common in Malaysia. I had to inspect for myself.
Yes, this looks good. I wanted to really look to make sure. I was torn. I wanted tacos, but had to go with the head to head experience of Chipotle. I am not a frequent guest of Chipotle, but my trainers are and I went recently when I was in Phoenix with them.
The ordering process was pretty easy on Josh, JJ and me. Doesn't JJ have a cute smile? He really does. What a great guy. Very lucky to have these two guys with me when traveling, especially to places like this. We come up with silly games and have a great time no matter what situation we are in. They really made this trip happen with me. Love these two great dudes.
Here is what it looks like at the table. Nicely wrapped, pretty huge burrito, but how's the flavor? I went with the Barbacoa. The chicken looked OK, the Shrimp looked really good. The beef was not grabbing me. The Barbacoa looked amazing, juicy, tasty, well, it was. Not doing a number rating here, as I only had the one item, but this blows away Chipotle. This was really tasty stuff, I was excited that I got it and recommend it to anyone. Do you want to see more?
Well, you asked for it. That is my burrito unwrapped. It looks the same as the last picture only the foil is open.
This is the tray and the paper on there. Pretty darn cool. I will say that this place is pretty great and if you find yourself in Riyadh, I'd say to try it out.
Thanks to all who are reading, re-posting, checking out the adventures. I hope that you enjoy them as much as we do. Trip to Saudi Arabia was educational and great. There was a ton of hard work, but that is a good thing.
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of Kingdom Centre. This is an impressive magnificent building to see, especially at night. Colors change every few seconds and it really is cool to look at. It does kind of remind me of the eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. It was one of my favorite things to see when in Riyadh.
Stay Excellent!
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