Taco Rosa February 2008 Specials & Blog Contest

(Contest winners are announced at the end of this entry.)

Soup

Caldo de Salmón

"Fresh salmon soup with salmon chunks, chayote squash, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic and onion."

Entrees

Paella Mexicana

"Jumbo shrimp, mussels & clams with spicy sausages and sautéed duck breast in a saffron-clam juice rice with red and green peppers and onions."

Costillitas de Puerco al Chipotle

"Juicy pork ribs in a chipotle barbecue sauce, served with cole slaw, borracho beans & baby carrots."

Dessert

Crema Flameada de Mango

"Tableside burnt cream with mango slices," basically this is a mango creme bruleé and they burn the sugar on top for you with a blowtorch at your table (still from a safe distance though).

See the whole photo album at

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Contest

I've got three gift certificates to send out to three lucky winners. The gift certificates are buy one lunch/get one lunch free deals good at either Taco Rosa location. To enter e-mail your answers to the three following questions and your name and snail mail address to reviews@ocmexfood.com by 11:59pm Tuesday, February 5. Three winners will be drawn at random from all correct entries and announced on February 6. A gradated system will be used. For instance: if only one entrant gets all three questions right then that entrant automatically wins one of the three certificates. The remaining two certificates would then go to entries drawn from those who got only two questions correct (extrapolate from there).

• What is the name of Taco Rosa's sister Mexican restaurant chain?
• Name one dessert from their catering menu that is not on their restaurant menu
• What kind of aguas fresca did I (Christian "the blogger") search for for months and eventually encountered only one time?

Answers can be found at this blog or at Taco Rosa's Official Site. This contest is being run by this blog and not by Taco Rosa.

UPDATE:

Well, we actually have four winners of the two-for-one lunch certificate. They are:

• Alyssa T. - Tustin
• Jay P. - Foothill Ranch
• David N. - Santa Ana
• Bing B. - Irvine

Congratulations to all four winners!

Taco Mesa New Dessert

Went to Taco Mesa in Ladera Ranch last Saturday for lunch . . . just to eat, not to do a review . . . but discovered the fact they now have a new dessert that not even their official site mentions. The official description is: "Caramelized fresh fruit chimis topped with cajeta and served with vanilla ice cream," but it also has coconut inside and out. The fruit in mine was mango and strawberry.

Taco Bell Fiesta Platters

(IMPORTANT NOTE: the entry you are reading now is over a year old so it is now OUTDATED. CLICK HERE for info updated on February 2, 2009. If you want to be like everyone else who only wants to see old information that has been outdated then don't click the link.)

Taco Bell has just introduced its Fiesta Platters, full meals with an entree, rice, beans, chips and salsa for a cost of $4.99. Entree selections include either two Ranchero Chicken Soft Tacos, a Grilled Stuft Burrito, or two Grilled Steak Soft Tacos. Commercials for it aired during the Super Bowl. The Fiesta Platters are available for a limited time only. Unfortunately I don't know how long that limited time is. More info at Fast Food Maven.

UPDATE: Went on my lunch break to the nearest Taco Bell (the Lake Forest location on Rockfield) and this particular location didn't have the Fiesta Platters (yet - UPDATE: This location actually does have the Fiesta Platters now) so I couldn't review them but they did have a new item called the Salsa Munchito (just like your abuela used to make), sort of a miniature Crunchwrap Supreme with a hamburger patty inside. This item is so obscure that it is not mentioned at tacobell.com and does not turn up in any Internet searches (yet).

>NEW UPDATE: The Force must be with me as OC's premiere Mexican food blogger because apparently the Salsa Munchito is sort of a secret item. And it's only 99 cents.

FINAL UPDATE? (March 12, 2008): The Fiesta Platters may not be available anymore. Check your local Taco Bell to find out if they still have it.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: the entry you are reading now is over a year old so it is now OUTDATED. CLICK HERE for info updated on February 2, 2009. If you want to be like everyone else who only wants to see old information that has been outdated then don't click the link.)

Erazo's - Review #1

Erazo's Mexican Grill 676 S State College Blvd Anaheim, CA 92806 (714) 991-3688 Listing on Google Maps No known official website.

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Here's my friend James checking in with his first review in a while, this time about Erazo's in Anaheim. The only information about this place on the web up to this point was an oblique reference at Google Maps.

My wife and I and one of her friends went to lunch at Erazo's in late June of 2007. We were glad to find that it was not crowded and was air conditioned. They had various varieties of drinks in cans in addition to the usual ones, so I was able to get a can of caffeine-free Pepsi. They have a salsa bar with various salsas like salsa verde, pico de gallo, a smooth hot red salsa, etc. My wife liked that they put beans on the tortilla chips they serve. The refried beans had plenty of whole, or mostly whole, beans in them. I got chicken enchiladas. They were very good and were made with tortillas that were soaked in sauce rather than having the sauce poured over them. If you're in the area of State College and the eastern portion of South St. in Anaheim, check it out!

See the whole photo album at

UPDATE (March 24, 2008): I have been told by James that Erazo's has changed ownership and is now called either Fiesta Grill or Fiesta Mexican Grill. I hope to find out soon if it is related to the Fiesta Grill chain based in Huntington Beach.

Tortilla Jo's Restaurant Week 2008

IMPORTANT NOTE! Google keeps sending people to this page when they search for information on this restaurant, but CLICK HERE for an even better, more informative link.

From February 3 - 8 Tortilla Jo's at Downtown Disney will be participating in a Restaurant Week featuring items not on their regular menu:

Lunch

First course

Baby mixed greens with tomato, crispy tortilla strips and cilantro ranch dressing

Entrée

Tender braised shredded pork, pumpkin seed avocado mayo with crisp iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato and red onion on a traditional Mexican talera roll, served with sweet potato chips and chayote-apple salad

Dessert

Mexican brownie served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce

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Dinner

First course

Mexican chopped salad with honey-lime dressing
Romaine lettuce with avocado, black beans, corn, tomato and queso fresco

Entrée

Grilled Margarita Chicken
Grilled tender chicken breast, marinated with lime, oregano, and 100% Blue Agave Tequila, served with sautéed spinach, black beans, and Salsa Ranchera

Dessert

Coconut flan with Mexican vanilla bean caramel sauce and grated coconut

$22 Lunch; $34 Dinner

Reservations (714) 535-5000

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Here's some pictures from my last visit to Tortilla Jo's a couple days ago when I tried the sampler platter and the churros for the first time:


Click the "tortilla jo's" label to read our extensive Tortilla Jo's coverage:

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.

Yucatan Grill - Review #1

Date of Visit: January 5, 2008

Yucatan Grill 550 Pacific Coast Hwy Seal Beach, CA 90740 (562) 430-4422 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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Appetizer: Chips and Salsa and Yucatan Pepita Dip
Appetizer #2: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings
Entree: Yucatan Shrimp Skewers
Dessert: Deep-fried Ice Cream

I've mentioned a couple times before that there was a handful of Mexican restaurants I'd visited in 2005 that inspired me to start this blog. Yucatan Grill was one of them but ironically it has taken me over two years since starting the blog to get back there for review purposes (here's the Register article that tipped me off to the place).

Yucatan Grill's address indicates that it is on PCH but really it is in the back part of a big one-building shopping center that itself is behind a McDonalds that faces PCH, so when you see the view shown in the photo above you still have to go to the back of this building to get to Yucatan Grill.

Now the Yucatan Grill has mostly what we think of as "traditional Mexican" food with a few items on their menu that have a Carribean influence, such as the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings. These are advertised on the menu as being very hot. When my friend and I ordered them we found out they weren't that spicy hot . . . until we dipped them in the accompanying sauce and then we were both breathing fire. These wings have even been featured in the Register before.

Like the chicken wings another appetizer that was on special during the happy hour was the Yucatecan Pepita Dip:

This dip, which is based around roasted pumpkin seeds, struck me as Mexican version of hummus. It was good and good for dipping chips in but, being a little on the pasty side, it helped to also dip the chips into a little salsa (which itself was a great combination of refreshing and robust and chunky). It was also very rich and even though it looks they only gave us a small amount it was still hard to eat the whole thing up. In fact, we didn't finish it but not because we didn't like it.

My entree was the Yucatan Shrimp Skewers served with beans, Mexican rice (cooked with peas and carrots and I believe some mustard powder), and a little salad:

With a tasty, subtly flavored glaze and firm textured shrimp roasted to perfection I could see these winning over even non-shrimp fans.

Chris P., the carnitas fiend, stayed true to his roots by ordering the carnitas burrito and loved it, but, once again, all burritos look pretty much the same from the outside:

Chris went for the tres leches:

While I went for the deep-fried ice cream, which might now be up in my top three of deep-fried ice creams (gets points for no nuts in the crust and using chocolate chip ice cream):

As usual, we couldn't sample all the food, not even the Yucatecan staple of cochinita pibil (offered only on Saturday nights). That's what makes this blog so fun. It's a never-ending culinary adventure with new horizons to explore ever presenting themselves.

Yucatan Grill earns a 4.25 Speedy Gonzales rating:



See the whole photo album at

Roundup #15

Here's another entry where I cover some stuff that doesn't fit neatly into a standard Mexican restaurant review. If this is your first time here just keep scrolling down for our restaurant reviews.

Ordered some Taco Standups and finally tried them out recently when I made some quick shrimp tacos:

These things work great! View the whole photo album of my shrimp taco mini-dinner at flickr.

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Got quoted on the front page of the Register today, presumably only the print edition. Had been contacted by their Fast Food Maven for a quote about the whole tax rebate thing and what I would do with mine so I fired off a quick quote but had no idea it'd end up on the front page. A snippet of my quote was used. The whole quote I had submitted said, "This may not be a cure for world hunger or the end to America's economic woes but, generally speaking, the more people can keep their own money and not have to pay it out towards taxes the better (yes, we do need some taxation to keep society running). I suppose the government primarily wants the rebates to be injected into retail and maybe some put towards savings so here's my breakdown: $310 to fix the broken passenger window on my car, $200 student loan payment, $50 to savings, $20 towards a good book, and $20 towards a good meal at Taco Rosa."

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Mexican places I've eaten at for non-review purposes since the last roundup entry include: Del Taco, Rubio's, Taco Bell, El Pollo Loco (hitting all the fast food places first), Acapulco (an L.A. County location), Baja Fresh (tried their new Big Beef and Potato Burrito), La Rana (added pictures to the first review), Taco Rosa, Rancho del Zocalo, Mario's, Azteca's, Chipotle, Taco Adobe (where I had an excellent pozole verde), Tortilla Jo's, Taleo, Javier's, Wahoo's, and El Farolito.

Non-Mexican places I've eaten at since the last roundup entry include: the deli at Gelson's, Johnny Rockets, Daphne's Greek Cafe, the commissary at the DreamWorks Animation campus, The Counter, Fuddrucker's, Sagami Tei, The Corner Bakery, NYC Cafe, Pat & Oscar's, Maui Wowi (sort of Starbucks and Jamba Juice get married and honeymoon to Hawaii), Nalu's Island Grill, In-n-Out, Chick-Fil-A, Panda Express, Souplantation, Market Broiler, J&J's House of Subs, Bubba Gump, Mustard Cafe, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen (had an excellent black and white chocolate bread pudding), Lee's Sandwiches, Shimura, and King's Fish House.

El Conejo, RIP

Unfortunately we have another closure to announce. The Register's Irvine Retail Blog has reported that El Conejo in Irvine has closed down. The entry states that it was because of slowing business. It always seemed busy when I went so I wonder how much business it takes for a restaurant to survive. No word on if the smaller El Conejito has closed down too but I'll presume it's still open until I hear otherwise. UPDATE: It has been confirmed that all other locations are still open for business.

Taco Rosa January 2008 Specials

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Click HERE to read ALL our extensive coverage of Taco Rosa. This is the link to follow to see tons of pictures of Taco Rosa's food. Also includes links to their official site, addresses for both their locations and more.

Here's the specials for the month of January at both Taco Rosa locations:

Soup

Caldo Tlalpeño

"Homemade chicken soup with garbanzo beans and red and green peppers. Served with Mexican rice, avocado slices, and a touch of chipotle."

Entrees

Filete Relleno

"Beef tenderloin pounded and rolled with ham, potatoes, cheese, and peppers. Wrapped in bacon and smothered in our chipotle-caldino suace. Served with arroz del dia, black beans, and guacamole."

Pez Espada

"Charbroiled swordfish presented fajitas-style, with green and red peppers, and onions, topped with a tampiqueña garlic sauce. Served with arroz del dia, black beans, and guacamole."

Dessert

Crepas de Cajeta

"Cajeta caramel in four folded homemade crepes, accompanied with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate."

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Be sure to check the specials board and ask your server about variations in the specials offered each day. The items mentioned here will generally be available throughout the remainder of January 2008 but there may be slight variations from day to day. Here's one item that is sort of a secret special for the month of January:

Medaliones de Filete

"Two beef tenderloin medallions charbroiled and smothered in a green tomatillo sauce with potatos and black beans."

Click on the 'taco rosa' label below for tons of information on both locations including dozens of photos, address and contact information, and links to their official site.

Albatros - Review #1

Albatros Mexican Food 23591 Rockfield Blvd. #G Lake Forest, CA 92630 (949) 859-9600 Across from the Captain Creams Shopping Center, facing the north side of The Hat. No known official website.

Enter starting address: Address City, State and/or Zip

I recently found out about a new food blog on the block called Griffin Eats OC and its most recent review is about a new Mexican restaurant in Lake Forest. I wish I could go to every Mexican restaurant in the county every day. Well, not really, but there's still only so much one person can do so I asked Griffin if I could reprint his review of Albatros and he kindly gave his permission. So without further ado:

I recently visited the brand new Albatros Mexican Food in Lake Forest. Although they have a bird on their sign, I got the impression that they were trying to make people think that they were an "Albertos." This place is tucked away in a tiny strip mall. The location has had so may different tenants recently that I didn't think that anyplace could survive here. Until now.

I went to Albatros with high hopes and wasn't disappointed. I have only tried one item so far, the carne asada burrito ($3.50), but I was really impressed at both the quality of the burrito and the cost. I watched as the cook took a large portion of fresh beef and threw it on the grill. The small pieces of beef quickly cooked with a few tosses of his spatula. The cook then threw a giant flour tortilla on the grill, removed it and put some oniony guacamole on it and then filled the tortilla with the beef and rolled it. No rice, no beans, just meat and guacamole. An all meat burrito for $3.50? Unheard of! It was also actually so large that I couldn't even finish the whole thing! The meat was tender, but a little under seasoned for my tastes. I would have liked a little more of a citrusy flavor. It wasn't bad at all though.

Their salsa was very watery and not very spicy. Another guy from my office got their carnitas burrito. It too was all meat and guacamole, and he enjoyed it very much as well. I look forward to returning to Albatros soon to try their other menu items like Tortas ($2.75 ham, beef, chicken, chorizo-$3.00 carne asada, carnitas) Tacos ($1.90-$2.25) Enchiladas ($3.40) and more. I hope they don't raise their prices soon though. I can't believe how cheap some of their stuff is!

Read the complete entry at Griffin's blog: Griffin Eats OC

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UPDATE (April 9, 2013): Here's some pictures I (Christian) took at Albatros when I finally made it there myself a few days ago:

Click any one of them to be taken to the complete flickr photo album.