| Taco Adobe 1319 N Main St Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 543-2411 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site |  |
UPDATE: This location has closed down. The Orange location is still open.
After several very enjoyable visits to the Orange location of Taco Adobe, I decided to give the original Santa Ana location a try. With an out-of-town guest visiting this was the perfect opportunity. It's located in an old IHOP building on Main St. near the courthouse and downtown offices. But even on a Saturday they were doing a good business. It was a wonderful warm November day so we took advantage of the very pleasant patio seating.
Just like the Orange location, they have a specials board to supplement their regular menu. To start we nibbled on the usual chips and salsa. I like the roasted pepper and tomato style salsa they serve. It's only a little bit spicy but it is very flavorful. I'm a big fan of spicy food but if a salsa is flavorful enough in other ways that's good too.
There are a lot of really good choices on the regular menu, most of which I never get around to since the specials are so appealing. That was the case today as I went with the taco plate with shrimp and calamari. The tacos start with grilled shrimp and very lightly battered calamari. Then they top it with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, cotija cheese and both a mild chipotle sauce and a white cream sauce. The flavors were light, lively and sophisticated. White rice and black beans are served on the side with the requisite bottle of Tapatio only a reach away. The beans and rice mixed together are the perfect foil for some hot sauce and a chance to get my heat fix.
Our friend ordered the enchiladas de camarones. She was kind enough to offer me a bite. It was filled with perfectly grilled shrimp and covered with a richly flavored red sauce and melted cheese. She also ordered a calamari taco on the side, but after the enchiladas she was too full to eat it. I rose to the occasion and enjoyed it myself. It was a shrimp-free version of the tacos I had and just as good.
My wife went with the Burrito Sonora. It was filled with steak, pinto beans, avocado, cheese, onions and cilantro. They served it wet with their aforementioned red sauce, sour cream and melted cheese. She described it as having complex flavors that melded together very well. As you can see it was generously sized. In fact all the dishes were more than satisfying. So we (unfortunately) had no room to try any of their desserts. But for those who leave room, they have flan, cheesecake and tiramisu, of all things!
Once again we continue to be impressed with the great flavors presented with a deft hand. This is really top-notch Mexican food with a gourmet touch!
4 and 3/4 Speedys:
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