Velvet Taco

Cyberspace: velvettaco.com

Grade: A
Where to Find It: 3012 N. Henderson Ave, Dallas, Texas 75206
Food Group: Tacos
How Much to Fork Over: $
Faves: Rotisserie Corn ‘Elote Style’, Mushroom Taco, Low Prices, Fast Service, Backdoor Chicken?
Peeves: Toss the lettuce wrap on the Mushroom Taco

The Jibba Jab:

Tantalizing and Tempt You Tacos….which may explain the Velvet part of the restaurant’s name or it could be because they serve Red Velvet Cake as it’s only dessert. Either way, I am a big fan of their tacos.  The giant menu posted on the wall upon entering the place just goes to show how creative chef Mark Brezinski who is from places like Pei Wei, Bengal Coast and Bistro Babusan, is with the unexpected combinations that constructs his 20 tacos. I’ve only tried 3 of, but can’t wait to try the rest.  I love that the menu offers 5 different proteins (Chicken, Pork, Beef, Fish, and Eggs) plus a Veg option for the base of your taco choosing.  I especially like that Velvet Taco isn’t afraid to add crazy things like Fried Paneer, Ahi Poke, and their tikka and raita crema to these tacos.  There are some surprising ingredients just in the 3 that I tried….onion chutney (1 of 2 chutneys they make), goat cheese, purple potatoes, and sunflower sprouts were in the #4 Wild Mushroom Taco, which was also wrapped in lettuce…..errrr….lettuce?  I understand the no-carb diet thing, but wasn’t that so 9 years ago?   This brings me to my only complaint…..I would have preferred a corn tortilla instead. It would have made it an actual taco and not a folded salad.  The #2 Rotisserie Chicken containing white queso, roast corn pico, cilantro and smoked poblano salsa more Taco normal, but then the #18 Applewood Bacon Egg consisting of cheddar potatoes, smoked chili butter and mustard greens was less suspecting.  All 3 were quite amazing, but my absolute favorite dish that we tried was the Rotisserie Corn ‘Elote Style’!  Now Elote is a staple Mexican street food that is basically grilled or boiled Corn on the Cob sprinkled with lime juice, slathered in Mayo and/or Crema (similar to sour cream) and then topped with grated Cotija Cheese or some sort other white Mexican cheese and chili powder.  At Velvet Taco they serve it a bit differently by first cutting the kernels off of the cob, and then they mix it with Queso Fresco, Asadero (another type of white cheese), Valentina hot sauce, crema and lime juice.  All of it is served in a cup with a spoon (or fork, which was on the other end).  In Mexico they would call this Esquites, but whatever it is its absolutamente frickin’ delicioso.  I couldn’t stop eating this stuff…..it was like corn ice cream.  Whatever you do, don’t miss out on the Rotisserie Corn!!!  Oh, and have a rita or cerveza with your meal too….that will put the experience over the top!

P.S. I want to try the Backdoor Chicken thing sometime.  What is it?  Well via Velvet Taco’s website:

‘Step 1, go to your favorite restaurant (Velvet Taco). Step 2, strut past the front door to the back. Step 3, knock on the backdoor and hand us $20 cash money money (no worries we're coming back). Step 4, wait a few minutes, the door will open and we will hand you a magical bag of delicious goodness including: A Whole Rotisserie Chicken, 2 Sides of Elote Style Rotisserie Corn, 6 Corn Tortillas, Roasted Corn Pico De Gallo and Korean BBQ Sauce.’

I also heard that on Mondays it’s only $10!

Rotisserie Corn 'Elote Style' and Margarita

Wild Mushroom Taco, Rotisserie Chicken Taco
and Applewood  Bacon Egg Taco

Florida Day 2 - Casablanca Cafe, Rocco's Tacos, Macabi's Cigar Bar - Ft. Lauderdale

Casablanca Cafe

Cyberspace: www.casablancacafeonline.com

Where to Find It: 3049 Alhambra St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Food Group: Mediterranean

How Much to Fork Over: $$$

The Grade: A

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Across the Street from the beach, Wine, Truffled Burrata Salad

Peeves: The name makes you think it’s a Moroccan restaurant

The Jibba Jab:

After meeting up with another of my Aunt’s friends, who I will call Hooty because she is a hoot to be around, we made our way over to Casablanca Café for some pre-dinner drinks and an appetizer.  Supposedly, this is a place that my Aunt and Hooty used to frequent back in the day, so I was excited to encounter their old stomping grounds.  I loved the place before even walking in because it was across from the beach, had a great patio that was packed with people and it just seemed to be calling my name; inviting me in to have some fun.  Of course, we couldn’t get a seat on the patio, so we sauntered over to the bar and luckily found 3 seats.  We took a peak at the menu, ordered a bottle of wine, and no hummus this time around, we chose to share the Truffled Burrata Salad (you know me and truffles).  Tip:  We turned it into an appetizer by asking for some pita bread, so we could use the burrata as a spread.  I could smell the truffles immediately after the server placed the dish in front of us.  It was a big ball of fresh burrata, which is basically an outer shell of fresh mozzarella stuffed with a mixture of cream and mozzarella, but with an addition of black truffles.  Outstanding!  It was so creamy, silky with a hint of the earthy pungent taste of truffles.  I wanted more, but decided to save room for our next food venture…..Rocco’s Tacos.

Truffled Burrata Salad

Truffled Burrata Salad - Inside

Rocco’s Tacos

Cyberspace: www.roccostacos.com

Where to Find It: 1313 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Food Group: Mexican

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: B

Faves: Tableside Guacamole, Pulled Pork Taco Special

Peeves: Very Loud

The Jibba Jab:

We met a close friend of mine here, who just moved from Houston to Miami a few months ago, so I’ll call her H&M, for some Mexican grub.  Hooty recommended the place because she thought it would be a great place to write about on my blog.  The place was very vibrant and mobbed with people.  Loud music was bumpin’ in the background making it a little difficult to catch up with H&M even while sitting right next to her.  After desperately trying to here our server describe the specials, we were able to make out Pulled Pork Tacos, so we started with that, an order of tableside guacamole, and of course, margaritas.  Now, the tacos came out before the guacamole, and when the guacamole came out, it was already made.  Where’s the tableside?  We were quite upset!  Also, we noticed the table next to use first, get the tableside guacamole experience, and they got salsa on top of that.  Where is our salsa?  Apparently, you have to order it.  What?  A Mexican restaurant that won’t give you complimentary chips and salsa?  Toto, I guess we are not in Texas anymore!  What kind of state is this?  Well, I got over it after having some guacamole and then one of those Pulled Pork Tacos….Man, those were good!  We finished up our food and ritas, and headed to our next destination, Macabi’s Cigar Bar.

Margaritas

Pulled Pork Tacos

Non-Tableside Guacamole

Ummm....Not sure what my Aunt is doing
to that Indian

Macabi’s Cigar Bar

Cyberspace: http://cigarbarfortlauderdale.com/las-olas/

Where to Find It: 1221 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Food Group: Bar (no food)

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: B

Faves: Cigars, Wine

Peeves:  The owners are a bit odd

The Jibba Jab:

This is one of Hooty’s favorite spots, but she thinks that the wife’s owner is far from nice.  I have to say they both were a little off their rocker.  First, the place is very small and narrow, and the bathroom is at the very back, so you can see who goes in and out of it.  The owners got a little freaked out about a woman who was supposedly in the bathroom too long.  They thought she was doing drugs back there, but it was quite obvious that they were far too paranoid because the woman seemed fine and she hadn’t been in the bathroom that long.  Next, they seemed to rush us out the door shortly after arriving.  They clearly wanted to go home and didn’t really care about their customers.  Oh well, I really didn’t notice all too much because I was in awe of the 2 Naval Officers in their whites sitting at the other end of the bar.  This is purely a fascination of Top Gun and nothing else because I am very happily married to a wonderful and dashingly handsome man.  I was quite obsessed with Top Gun when I was younger and even wanted to be a pilot because of it, so seeing these guys in their uniform made me a little giddy.  I had already had a few drinks, so it made it that much easier for me to go talk to them, and I am so glad that I did.  I told them my love of the movie and how thankful I am that they are fighting for our country.  They were extremely nice in return, and even ended up showing me pictures of their families.  Also, I found out that they are going to be in NYC at the same time I will be there for NY Fleet Week.  I was amazed, and they invited me to go see them fly.  I am so there!  They just made my day, and then some!

Hooty and H&M had to check out early because they had to get up for work the next morning, but my Aunt and I decided to keep hitting up the town.  We wanted to find a few other bars further down the street, so we tried to hail a cab, but found a woman riding a pedicab instead.  She was an interesting character, but very nice, and she took us to a spot where a few swanky bars/clubs were located.  We tipped her quite well.  Having no idea what bar to go into, we just picked the one that looked less bumpin', if that's possible.  Well, we didn't stay around there very long because the place was filled with "douche bag dumdums".  Now, we thought it was a good idea to head downtown......and we ended up dancing with Haitians at a Reggae bar.  Yep, that's the truth.  What a crazy night in Fort Liquordale!!

Myself with the 2 Naval Officers

Freebirds World Burrito

The Woodlands, TX location

Cyberspace: www.freebirds.com

Where to Find It: Any of their locations throughout Texas - or Oklahoma and California

Food Group: Burritos, Mexican

How Much to Fork Over: $

The Grade: A

Faves: The 3 B’s.  Any of the Burritos, their BBQ sauce and Beer!

Peeves: Where are the Margaritas??

The Jibba Jab:

Hippie Yippie.  A fast casual “design your own burrito” restaurant with touches of foil-made statues situated throughout, which is a “far out” compliment to the funky psychedelic décor and the upbeat friendly attitude that bounces off all of the employees. 

Being a former Aggie, (Class of ’02, Whoop!) it’s not shocking that I’m a big fan of Freebirds because it was, and still is, a staple in College Station; and I’m so proud to see that they have been expanding ever since I left A&M.  It’s a piece of my alma mater that’s within reach for me.  Pure nostalgia.  I find this place irresistible anytime I see one, especially because I know that no matter what kind of “food mood” you are in, Freebirds can feed it.  They have such a variety of ingredients to choose from that it can satisfy anyone. 

First, choose the size of the burrito, smallest to largest starting with the hybrid, Freebird, Monster, and finally the Super Monster.  Now, I can barely finish a hybrid, but to get a picture of how big the Super Monster is check out this link http://youtu.be/eQCUn2vTsAM.  This sucker is massive and should have its own zip code; ranging at 13 inches long and 4 inches wide!  At A&M, if you didn’t want to dunk your Aggie ring in a pitcher of beer, which is a tradition there, and one that I am absolutely proud of doing, you could order this burrito, hide your ring at the bottom of it and eat your way through it.  Gross huh?  Those who did not drink actually would do this, but I do not know how anyone could eat this gi-normous food creation. 

Second, decide on what tortilla flavor will satisfy your needs, flour, wheat, spinach or cayenne?  Next, what would you like to fill your burrito with such as carnitas, steak, chicken, veggies, and then you can add rice, 3 types of beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, 6 types of sauces, sour cream, queso (if you need more cheese), and this list goes on……  Not feeling like a burrito or want to stay away from the carbs; they also have the quesadillas, nachos, Burrito Bowl, Freedom Salad, soup and tacos; even something for the lil’ kid-lins….and some beer for the adults to tolerate them (depending on the location).  So, I don’t know about you, but Chipotle has nothing on this joint!

Menu

Outdoor Seating

Hybrid Size Burrito, Beer, BBQ sauce and hot sauce

Hybrid Carnitas Burrito with Cayenne Tortilla

Hybrid Veggie Burrito with Wheat Tortilla

Cantina Laredo (Frisco)

Cyberspace: www.cantinalaredo.com

The Grade: A-

Where to Find It? 1125 Legacy Dr, Frisco, TX 75034

Food Group: Mexican, Sexy-Mex

How Much to Fork Over? $$ (entrees range from $9-$27)

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Casa Rita, Chips and Salsa, Top Shelf Guacamole, Enchiladas de Mole

Peeves: Tortilla Soup

The Jibba Jab:

Seductively Spicy. It’s always summertime and living is easy at Cantina Laredo, especially when you dine outside on their amazing patio sipping on a Casa Rita and nibbling on Chips and Salsa, which are one of the staples that I rate Mexican restaurants on, and this place does not disappoint. They give you two different salsas, one that’s roasted and served temperature hot, and the other is fresh and served chilled. Both are delicious and perfect with the super thin and crisp chips that accompany them. I also recommend ordering the Top Shelf Guacamole, which is made tableside to make a wonderful presentation and you know it's super fresh.  The avocados were so creamy and flavorful that we devoured the bowl in no time and almost ordered another, but our entrees were not far behind. MT and I shared the Enchiladas de Mole. Mole sauce is so intriguing to me firstly because of the dark chocolate color that will make any dish distinguished and also because of the taste, which is so rich and complex. Mole is definitely not a sauce for the weak and Cantina Laredo has a great one! The other two patrons at the table ordered Cheese Enchiladas, which were the best they had ever tasted, and Tortilla Soup, which was a letdown because the broth was way too thick and their just wasn't much flavor to it. Overall though, it was a great stop for a quick lunch before we headed to the 19th Annual New Vintage Wine Trail and Gallery in Grapevine!

Casa Rita

Chips and the Two Salsas

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Top Shelf Guacamole made Tableside

Top Shelf Guacamole

Enchiladas de Mole

Cheese Enchiladas

Tortilla Soup

Blue Goose - Best Fajitas and Super Fast Service

Blue Goose Cantina

http://www.bluegoosecantina.com/

Rating: A

Location: 2905 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX

Category: Tex-Mex

Pricing: $$

Favorites:  Patio, Margaritas, Beef and Chicken Fajitas

Comments:

If you're like me, not one Mexican restaurant is great all around, but Blue Goose is one of my favorites!  They have the best fajitas out of any other place that I've tried, their ritas are top notch, and the chips and salsa are nothing to complain about.  Make sure that you are ready for your meal right after you place your order because your food will be on your table in no time.  Their tortillas are always freshly made and the fajitas come out sizzling hot ready to please your tastebuds with big juicy flavor.  Also, their is no skimping on the amount of meat they give you, so come to this place hungry or share it with someone. Every time I eat there, that is all I ever order.....besides the Margaritas, of course!

Day 5 – A Day for Mom: El Tiempo Cantina and Mi Luna

Our Mom’s birthday also fell during this week, and it’s a rare event to have all 3 of her daughters together at one time, so NYC thought it would be a great idea to find her a new clothes because she never does that for herself, and then give her a little make-over for dinner that night. To fuel us up for the long shopping spree, we took her out to lunch for some good Mexican food and margaritas at El Tiempo Cantina on Richmond. Then, after we were able to locate and put together a great looking outfit at Chico’s for my mom, we brought her back to H-Town’s house, and dolled her up for the evening. She looked amazing! I’ve never been fond of shopping because it’s extremely tiring, and consequently, always makes me ravenous, so I was ready to eat (and drink heavely). NYC had the perfect suggestion for dinner, which was Mi Luna in Rice Village for tapas!

El Tiempo Cantina
Rating: A
Location: 3130 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX
Category: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Pricing: $$
Favorites: Margaritas, Fajitas, Outdoor seating
Comments:
If you need a place to satisfy that hankering for Mexican food then El Tiempo is your spot. I can never find a Mexican restaurant that completely fulfills my every desire with all of the dishes, but this one is not too far behind. To start, the chips are fresh, thin and crispy, the salsa has the right amount of kick to it, and the big highlight is they have green sauce!! Not too many places have it and theirs is fantastic with the perfect green tint, creaminess and a slight tang. The margaritas are great and quite strong in my opinion, but they could never beat El Patio’s, which I’ll have to review another time. Our family is huge avocado lovers, so we had to have some guacamole, which was ok in my opinion. I like the fact that they separate the ingredients and then you get to mix them together, which makes a fun task for the table, but I didn’t think the avocados were that fresh. I am convinced they buy the vacuum packed bags of mashed up avocados instead of fresh whole ones. I love fajitas and they are such an ideal dish to share, so we usually order about a pound of them as our entree. Mixed beef and chicken, of course. I was really impressed with the presentation of them! They came out in a heaping pile on this really tall and raised chaffing dish looking thing, with a parade of sides including the grilled onions underneath, charro beans, rice, pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheddar, and tortillas. The meat was perfectly grilled, including the onions, and very juicy with a good amount of spice, the charro beans were excellent and nicely seasoned, and shockingly, the rice was really tasty. I’m not quite sure what was in it, but it had flecks of green, which I think was cilantro, and then it may have been cooked in chicken broth and finished off with some Mexican white cheese. Whatever was in it….it was good! We had a wonderful meal and left completely stuffed, and my mom was a little toasty after 2 margaritas!

Guacamole

Chicken and Beef Fajitas

Mi Luna
Rating: B
Location: 2441 University Blvd., Houston, TX
Category: Spanish Tapas
Pricing: $$$
Favorites: Pincho de Carne (Beef Skewers), Garlic Marinated Mushrooms, Plato de Queso
Comments:
Tapas are always a fun and an interactive experience because you get to order a ton of dishes and share them all with the table. I am the type of person that enjoys trying a little bit of everything, instead of hording in on one dish, so this restaurant was perfect for me, and for our big group, which was added by H-Town’s boyfriend and our stepfather. As we arrived, my mom, H-Town and I began with mimosas to refresh our senses, and get us off to a good start before the meal, and NYC ordered a bottle of wine, which we had no problem helping her finish after our starter drink. Next, I have to say that our make-over on my mom made quite an effect because her husband was taken aback when he met up with us and saw her. He made a little sound that started off in a low tone, then went up a notch and then down again. It was a sound of impression, and we were rather proud of ourselves and very happy for her. After that reaction, we proceeded to order about 10 dishes ranging from Plato de Queso, Marinated Mushrooms, Scallops, Beef Skewers, Empanadas, Patatas Bravas, and Salmon to get us started. The server brought us some bread and dipping oil, which was fantastic, while our dishes came out one by one. We polished off those first 10 plates pretty quickly, and ended up requesting the Spanish Potato Omelet and Meatballs to finish us off. Most everything was especially appetizing, but my favorites were those Marinated Mushrooms and believe it or not that bread dipping oil! Both of which had great garlic flavor leaving me with bad breath for the night, but that was okay because my husband was at home in Dallas.

Plato de Queso, Patatas Bravas, Mushrooms

Beef Skewers

Salmon