New Items at Rubio's

Rubio's^® Dishes Up New Salads and Bowls Just in Time for Summer

 Coastal Grill Introduces California Bowl and Expands Salad Offerings

SAN DIEGO – June 25, 2014 – As a part of its continuing culinary evolution, Rubios^® Restaurant, the brand known for its delicious coastal cuisine and popularizing the fish taco, is adding craveable new options to its menu, just in time for summer. The new additions include the California Bowl and custom salad offerings that allow guests to choose their protein – seafood or grilled chicken – on any salad or bowl. The menu expansions are representative of Rubio's continued commitment to providing guests with lighter, fresher menu options.

Rubio's bowl and salad dishes now come with the option of sustainable pan-seared shrimp, grilled or blackened sustainable tilapia, Mahi Mahi or grilled chicken. The new California Bowl is a flavorful combination of citrus rice, black beans, fresh romaine lettuce,  handmade guacamole, salsa fresca, chipotle white sauce and is topped with red tomatillo salsa or salsa verde.  The customizable salads include the Chipotle Orange Salad, the Balsamic and Roasted Veggie Salad, the Chopped Salad, and the Chipotle Ranch Salad.

“At Rubio's, we're passionate about creating delicious dishes that our guests love and feel good about eating,” said Ralph Rubio, founder of Rubio's. “The flavorful new menu items allow our guests to customize their favorite salad or bowl. These fresh selections, paired with our brewed iced tea or sangria, are perfect for the summer season.”

Rubio's passion for creating delicious coastal cuisine began when the first Rubio's opened in 1983. To date, Rubio's has sold more than 190 million Original Fish Tacos^® and uses sustainable seafood in nearly all of its seafood menu items. The brand continues to expand its menu with innovative recipes, ranging from sustainable shrimp to Atlantic salmon. In addition to serving certified sustainable seafood, Rubio's also offers grilled marinated chicken and steak, no-fried pinto beans, salads, handmade guacamole, and a variety of proprietary salsas – all prepared in Rubio's kitchens.

Guests are invited to visit Rubio's today to try the new California Bowl and salad options. Stay up-to-date on events and celebrations by visiting Rubio's website: http://rubios.com. Guests can also join the conversation on Facebook at http://facebook.com/rubios and Twitter at http://twitter.com/rubiostweets.

About Rubio's Restaurants:

The first restaurant was opened in 1983 in San Diego by Ralph Rubio and his father, Ray, who started the fish taco phenomenon that spread across the nation. Today, Rubio's menu has grown from The Original Fish Taco^® to include additional chef-crafted seafood recipes that feature sustainable shrimp, Atlantic salmon, Regal Springs® tilapia and mahi mahi. In addition to certified sustainable seafood, Rubio's offers grilled marinated chicken and steak, salads, handmade guacamole, “no-fried” pinto beans^(SM), and a variety of salsas that are prepared daily. Rubio's is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., and operates 193 restaurants in California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. For more information, visit http://rubios.com.

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New Shrimp Tacos at Rubio's

Good ol' Rubio's, originally known as Rubio's Fish Tacos then Rubio's Baja Grill and now as Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, has recently introduced two new shrimp tacos: the Salsa Verde Pan-seared Shrimp Taco and the Smoky Red Chile Hand-battered Shrimp Taco. One grilled, one fried; one in a flour tortilla, one in a corn tortilla; one with salsa verde, one with a full-bodied red chile sauce reminiscent of Soho Taco's chile de aceite sauce; both with cabbage and lime. I'll have one of each, please. Rubio's seems to have done intensive item testing recently and these two passed the test and are now available at all locations. If you like shrimp and you like tacos and you are near a Rubio's then these are worth trying out.

After starting out as a small homespun chain where you could get a discount if you wore a Pesky t-shirt Rubio's got more corporate and cookie-cutter over time but is now reversing that trend by hand-battering all its fish tacos (except the grilled ones of course), putting a focus on sustainable seafood, and introducing daring new flavors, even more of which are yet to come...

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UPDATE: Here is a video of chain founder Ralph Rubio demonstrating how a test item of theirs, the Mango Habanaero Ono Taco, is put together:

And here is a combo plate with that taco, which was pretty good, along with another test item, the Spicy Serrano Fish Taco, which was even better:

Click here or on any image above to be taken to our Rubio's complete flickr photo album.

Rubio's Gourmet Tacos

The Rubio's Fresh Mex chain has recently come out with four gourmet tacos:

• Sirloin Steak
• Garlic Herb Shrimp
• Chicken
• Portobello & Poblano

Each is "served on warm corn tortillas with toasted cheese, slices of fresh avocado, habañero citrus salsa and chipotle picante sauce."

I just went and got the Gourmet Taco Plate with the shrimp taco and the mushroom taco. And they gave me a coupon for a free drink the next time I go back and get a gourmet taco from there again.

Official Site

Rubio's Crispy Shrimp

Rubio's has brought back its crispy shrimp available in tacos and burritos with or without mango salsa. I just tried a crispy shrimp mango taco at lunch, comboed it for $2.00 (adds beans, chips, and a soda - yes, they still have Vanilla Coke), and used a coupon from the Register to add a free fish taco to my meal. Total came to $4.62. Not bad!

For the last week or so the Register has included a different Rubio's coupon in the paper every day (attached to a poster with a hockey star on it). I believe this will continue for about four more days.

Rubio's Wrapsaladas

Baja Caesar Wrapsalada with Chicken

In my old entry entitled "What Makes Mexican Food Authentic?" I half-jokingly stated that any restaurant that has an item called a "Crunchwrap Supreme" could not be authentic. I think we can now add "Wrapsaladas" to the list of items that render a Mexican restaurant potentially inauthentic. That doesn't mean that Rubio's new featured item is not good. This new "salad wrapped in a tortilla" comes in two main varieties, Baja Caesar or Chipotle Ranch, and can be filled with chicken, steak, mahi mahi, carnitas, or shrimp, and is available for a limited time only.

Chipotle Ranch Wrapsalada with Shrimp

Rubio's for Lunch

Went to Rubio's yesterday for lunch and tried their new Chipotle-Lime Grilled Salmon Taco. You can also get the salmon in a burrito or in a salad but it's only for a limited time (probably a month). When I ordered mine I was told it would take six to nine minutes to prepare so it's not exactly the fastest fast food but at least you know it's not sitting under a heat lamp and if you like salmon and you like Mexican food you might want to give it a try.

And, yes, they still have Vanilla Coca-Cola, the flavor not available in stores anymore, so, once again, I made my own peculiar Vanilla Lime Coke concoction.

Rubio's

Just a quick mention that Rubio's new featured item is their blackened Mahi Mahi tacos. Had one as part of a fish taco combo the other day for lunch:

Salad Wars

This entry focuses on Mexican-oriented salads from various fast food joints and will be updated from time to time:

Baja Fresh

Chipotle Glazed Charbroiled Chicken Salad

Price: $6.45

Official description: "Warm chicken tenders, romaine lettuce, chipotle glaze, roasted corn, poblano and red peppers, grilled pineapple, sliced avocado, anejo cheese and cilantro. Served with a savory flauta filled with cheese, roasted corn and chiles and a side of Chipotle Vinaigrette dressing. Try it with charbroiled steak or savory pork carnitas."

My take: I like that this came with a flauta on the side (actually one flauta cut in two), because usually a salad, even a big one, on its own doesn't make a full meal for me. There were a lot of different flavors in this salad that each stood out while blending well with all the other ingredients. On my review of Baja Fresh I gave them the lowest rating I've given any restaurant so far (a neutral two and a half Speedy Gonzales rating) but this salad earns its own four Speedy Gonzales rating:



Official Site

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La Salsa

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

Price: $6.95

Official description: "Grilled marinated shrimp, Romaine, Jack and cheddar cheese, black beans, corn, salsa Mexicana, half of a fresh avocado, topped with a chipotle vinaigrette dressing and corn tortilla strips."

My take: I took one bite of this and my eyes started watering because of the super spicy chipotle dressing. After that first bite the spiciness toned down to a tolerable degree but if you like spicy shrimp, a lot of avocado, and a lot of lettuce this is for you. La Salsa's Chipotle Shrimp Salad earns a three Speedy Gonzales rating:



Official Site

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El Pollo Loco

Tropical Pollo Salad

Price: $4.99 (with coupon)

Official description: "El Pollo Loco's new Tropical Pollo Salad is prepared fresh to order with crisp, hand-tossed Romaine lettuce topped with a warm, juicy citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken breast. Crowned with fresh mango and papaya salsa, tortilla strips and cilantro, and drizzled with pineapple mango dressing, it's a refreshing taste sensation unlike anything else found in fast food restaurants."

My take: The papaya/mango salsa is a plus, but for some reason the chicken in this seemed much more mass-produced than is usual for El Pollo Loco and there was too big of a lettuce to toppings ratio. Overall spiciness was less than the La Salsa salad but more than the Baja Fresh salad. El Pollo Loco's Tropical Pollo Salad earns a three and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:



(The Tropical Pollo Salad appears to have been discontinued.)

BBQ Ranch Chicken Tostada Salad

Price: $4.99

Official description: "The new BBQ Ranch Chicken Tostada Salad combines plenty of El Pollo Loco’s juicy flame-grilled chicken breast with crisp Romaine lettuce, BBQ Black Beans, corn poblano, crunchy tortilla strips, freshly chopped cilantro, Cotija cheese, Ranch dressing and El Pollo Loco’s new barbecue sauce-- all in a crisp tortilla shell."

Official Site

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Rubio's

Chipotle Ranch Salad

Price: $5.69

Official description: "Grilled chicken, salsa fresca, fresh guacamole, cotija cheese and crunchy tortilla chips atop crisp lettuce with smoky Chipotle Ranch Dressing."

My take: Not as obviously intriguing as the other salads but it filled me up well and they mixed some pepitas into it even though they aren't an official ingredient for this salad so that was a nice touch. Rubio's Chipotle Ranch Salad earns a not very enthusiastic yet still solid three and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:

Baja Caesar Salad

Price: $5.69

Official description: "Grilled chicken, chile lime pepitas, salsa fresca and cotija cheese atop crisp lettuce tossed in creamy Cilantro Caesar Dressing."

My take: The salad with the ethnic identity crisis makes its debut at the big fish taco chain. The "Caesar Salad" was invented by a man named Juan Cesar from Tijuana, Mexico, but it seemed so complementary to Italian food that Italian eateries started serving it and it was easy to think that "Caesar" was referring to Julius Caesar. Now, even though it was created by a Mexican living in Mexico, Caesar salads are being served by Mexican food establishments that put even more of a Mexican spin on them to make them seem a little less Italian. While El Pollo Loco adds tortilla strips to theirs Rubio's adds chile lime pepitas and both add salsa. Like its sibling salad from the same chain, Rubio's Baja Caesar Salad earns a not very enthusiastic yet still solid three and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:



Official Site

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Sharky's

Tostada Salad

Price: $5.99

Official description: "Grilled vegetables, romaine lettuce, organic rice and beans, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. Add mesquite broiled chicken or steak for $1.99."

My take: Actually my co-worker, David R., got this one when we were on a lunch break together. He said that on my rating scale Sharky's Tostada Salad earns a four Speedy Gonzales rating, and that on his own "Yip!" rating scale it gets a four out of seven Yips!:

NuMex Caesar Salad

Price: $5.99

Official description: "Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, roasted peppers, tortilla strips, roasted pepitas, cotija cheese, red chile croutons, tossed with a poblano-caesar dressing."

My take: Not particularly inspiring. I should've ordered this as a smaller side item and not the full-meal size I got. As a side it is only $2.99. A slight step above completely plain, it still earns a three Speedy Gonzales rating:

Naked Chicken Tostada Salad

Price: $7.99

Official Site

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Arby's

Market Fresh Santa Fe Salad

Price: $4.99

Official description: "A fresh bed of mixed greens topped with crispy chicken tenders - made with 100% all-natural chicken, shredded Pepper Jack and Cheddar cheeses, roasted corn and black bean salsa, red onion and grape tomatoes, served with tortilla strips and Santa Fe ranch dressing on the side."

My take: This is part of Arby's relatively new Market Fresh line of salads and sandwiches. It's got a nice blend of flavors that interact and complement each other effectively and earns a four Speedy Gonzales rating:



Official Site

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Jack In The Box

Acapulco Chicken Salad

Price: $4.89

Official description: Jack In The Box's official website does not even mention this salad but you can still get it. It has lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, shredded Jack Pepper cheese, blue corn tortilla strips, cilantro-lime dressing, and two lime wedges.

My take: This is one of my favorite Mexican-based fast food salads. Every one reviewed in this entry is good in its own way but Jack In The Box's Acapulco Chicken Salad is the best overall and earns a four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:



Official Site

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Carl's Jr.

Chipotle Chicken Salad

Price: $4.59

Official description: "Charbroiled Chicken, parmesan cheese, fresh salsa, and chipotle dressing."

My take: Very spicy and the taco shell it's in almost tastes like a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Carl's Jr. Chipotle Chicken Salad earns a three and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:



Official Site

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Del Taco

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

Price: $4.99

Official description: "Lettuce, lime, corn, tomatoes, chipotle sauce, shrimp."

My take: Here's an enigmatic item. Recently I've seen some, but not all, Del Tacos advertising two new salads: a Caesar Salad, and a Chipotle Shrimp Salad. A couple weeks ago I decided to try one so I went to what I think is the Del Taco nearest my Irvine domicile only to find they had neither. So I decided to go to the next nearest one and figured if they didn't have either salad I would just get a bean burrito and leave. Well, the second location had both so I ordered the Chipotle Shrimp Salad. Fast forward a couple weeks and now it seems like Del Taco is widely advertising their new Caesar Salad but not advertising the Chipotle Shrimp Salad. So it could be that this item failed in the test market and is no longer available. I still liked it. It capitalizes on two current crazes: chipotle sauce and shrimp. And I think this is the only fast food salad out there with breaded shrimp.



Official Site

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Charo Chicken

Chipotle Shrimp Salad

Price: $4.99 as a bowl or $6.49 as an entree

Official description: "Juicy fire grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomatoes, tortilla strips, cheese and your choice of House Oil & Vinegar, Cilantro Caesar, or Ranch dressing."

My take: Decent salad from a place that isn't really about salads. The Cilantro Caesar dressing was a plus.



Official Site