HOW DARE THEY!!!

Casa Orozco is generally known for decent over-priced Mexican food in the Tri-Valley, but all that I can say about their fish taco is 'HOW DARE THEY!!!'



HOW DARE THEY use frozen fish fillet!
HOW DARE THEY put tar-tar sauce on a fish taco!
HOW DARE THEY charge $16.50 for it!

What a disappointment. The funny thing was that I heard a girl at a nearby table telling her party how good the fish tacos were. If she only knew. She clearly doesn't read Fish Taco Magazine.

These fish tacos belong on the kids menu.

Memorializing the Fish Taco

Squatters had a special on Memorial Day of salmon tacos, so of course i couldnt resist. Now, everyone must understand that Squatters Brewery makes an amazing fish taco on a normal day, so a salmon taco for funzies is a real treat. I'll write about the seared ahi tuna tacos with the creamy wasabi sauce another time (WHAT! AMAZING!!)

These salmon tacos were great. You can tell they take pride and time in plating a tasty taco of the sea. 2 sauces- 1 verde salsa, 1 spicy ranch. Crunchy chunky cabbage, a side of creamy black beans and rice and its complete. This isnt a mexican restaurant but worth the visit. Locations in Salt Lake City and Park City. A Memorial Day Miracle.

Red Snapper @ Lonestar

There is a reason why Lonestar Taqueria is one of the top five fish taco stands in the country. Per Beeper, there is a "fiesta of flavors" in every bite! I think I enjoyed it as much as the locals.
Maybe it was because they wanted a good review from Fish Taco Magazine when we walked in, but I have a feeling that every dish is created with sophisticated flavors and attention to detail. I'll have to go back under-cover to find out.

They surprised me with the use of red snapper in the taco. And the creamy cilantro sauce... oh so good.



I'll definitely be back. This is a top pick for Fish Taco Magazine and I am nominating it for our editors choice award.

Southern California & The Tasty Fish Taco

As expected... Southern California has many a great fish taco. This post will be about 2 of the standard "chain" fish tacos- no fresh fish on this post... If any of you have recommendations for local favorites... please let us know! We want to experience the real local flavor.

First up

This is a chain that is coined a fish taco restaurant. Bravo! They have a wide veriety, even sandwiches, fries... unexpected, but cool. It is very much a skate/surf ambiance, which i loved!

Its a simple taco, tasty wahoo fish (white). grilled, with no frills. just cabbage, fish, a small amount of cheese. True taste, not sauces. Make no mistake, this is a good fish taco. if you run into one- be sure to stop.

Ahhh Baja Fresh. This is a big chain... its everywhere out west. And Ive always loved it. They have a fantastic fish taco! I have enjoyed them for years, but i want to clarify.

They have 2 fish tacos on their menu. One grilled, one fried. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ON THE FRIED TACO.

Their grilled taco is Mahi-Mahi, which is always delicious, but they have a very tasty fish sauce. This is like a tangy, peppery, delicious sauce that i could drink. Order it, love it, cherish it.

Living the Dream

I have always dreamed of being a food critic, so working for Fish Taco Magazine is absolutely a dream come true. I was on assignment at Chevy's tonight. I guess corporate thought that it was time to go after one of the big chains to see what kind of fish taco they can produce.

I have to say, it was a decent meal. As all of my readers know, I am anti-chain restaurants and I try to avoid them whenever possible. So, as a self-proclaimed food critic, I have very low expectations when dining at a large chain like Chevy's. I figure it has to be pretty bad food to disappoint if you go in with low expectations. Perhaps that is why I was satisfied with their fish tacos tonight. They weren't special, but when you need to wraps your lips around a fish taco and you can only find a local Chevy's, fear not- your cravings will be satisfied. A few points of interest:
-flour tortillas. They didn't offend me, but the flavor of maze was definitely missing.
-grilled salmon. This was my first fish taco made with salmon. Not bad, but definitely less Mex and more Tex tasting.

My advice: squeeze that lime juice onto the fish and smother in salsa for a more Mexican experience.

Cinco de Mayo Fish Tacos

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo this year, we joined the throngs during happy hour at El Balazo in San Ramon, California. Since El Balazo is a legendary favorite for their super-burritos, I had high expectations for their fish tacos. The beauty of El Balazo is their simple yet unmistakably fresh and authentic mexican flavor- right off of the grill. So, imagine this:
-fluffy, flaky chunks of breaded halibut
-soft and warm corn tortillas
-tangy cabbage salad
-fresh, fragrant onions and cilantro
-served with hot mexican rice and black beans

No fancy sauces, no frills, just pure mexican flavors. A very satisfying fish taco.

Mexico and the Gourmet Fish Taco

This is what im talking about- fresh from the pacific ocean and a gourmet twist, ocean side dining WOW. Amazing. Check out the scenery!

This could possibly be the finest fish taco ive encountered. Found at the 7 Seas restaurant on Highway 1 south of Cabo San Lucas Mexico. It is beach front dining at the Cabo Surf Hotel. They serve this feast with your choice of Sea Bass or Ahi Tuna- traditional with cabbage, sauce, and lots of fresh fish. I personally prefer the tuna, but they were both amazing!

I have been to the motherland!

I'll admit my search for the perfect fish taco has taken me to many exotic locations, but nothing compares to my first trip to the birthplace of the fish taco to study its pedigree, its roots, its evolution! Well, im glad to report that my trip to Baja was a success. I believe that i barely scratched the surface in my research... but this first trip was amazing. I spent 5 days asking everyone- locals, gringos, surfers, street vendors, hotel staff, drunken entertainers, everyone... to find the best fish taco. Everyone had ideas, these are the two id like to review.

Note: We were near Cabo San Lucas- Mexico is a large country, it will take a lifetime of research to find the perfect one.

The good folks of Cabo Mama have a unique spin on the fish taco- this is a concept that i hope comes to the US and Soon!!

First: Order youre fish taco, out comes a filet on a tortilla- plain and simple.

Second: take it to a dressing bar- like a salsa bar with all the fixings, and dress your fish taco any way you like it. Brilliant! Toppings include- various salsas, guac, cabbage, lettuce, creamy sauses, cucumbers, peppers, you name it. This is the greatest!

Cabo Mama is a great experience it is located at the Mega Mall in San Jose Del Cabo. Its a great surprise and a local favorite. A refreshing twist on the standard fish taco. Do it yourself!

Red Robin - Fish Tacos with white rice?

It seems every menu has a fish taco on it these days. The question is, should you take the risk, well as it turns out Red Robin is worth the risk. I was pleasantly surprised  by these tacos. The fish was crisp and the toppings fresh, even the side of black beans were pretty good. The only thing in question is why is there white rice on the side?

Provo Legend - Tacos not Legendary

Magelby's Grill & Oyster Bar in Provo, Utah is one of the nicer restaurants around where I consistently have a great eating experience... My wife decided to give these tacos a shot I was excited for the opportunity to have a few bites for myself (I always have a hard time ordering a fish taco at a non-mexican establishment). These tacos where overly sweet and just not great.

Not Recommended.

Bad Tacos @ El Nido

As all of you know, fish tacos can make or break a Mexican Restaurant. Tonight I dined at El Nido in Danville, California and I was pleased to see that FISH TACOS's were the special with rice and beans, and only $11.00 for the plate (usually $13.50). Perfect- an opportunity to explore yet another fish taco! The excitement only lasted for a few moments when I opened the menu and found that these fish tacos were made of grilled sea bass. The amature fish taco eater may have found this choice of fish intriguing, but I'm not a fan of sea bass and any expert knows that it does NOT belong in a fish taco. Anyway, I ordered the entre and this is what I got:



The only plus to this plate was that it was hot and I like my food piping hot. Besides the clear lack of plating skills, there were several mistakes made... First of all, there were no crunchies. Give me cabbage or give me lettuce but you have to have something crunchy on fish tacos! Secondly, the sea bass was terrible as I suspected- I even told my waiter that there was something wrong with it. It had a pretty nasty over cooked and not fresh flavor to it. I guess I made a big enough fuss about it- when I was walking out of the restaurant, I noticed that the FISH TACO special had changed to STEAK TACO special. A big thumbs down for El Nido. Sorry, but I'm not going back.

New Kid On The Block- Taco Del Mar

I believe the direct translation would be Taco of the sea. -Dont let the name fool you...
BAD FISH TACO

SHOCKING NEWS! The Truth about the Drive Up Fish Taco

This may be the most important piece of journalism to be written this year. I am about to expose the truth about the drive up fish taco. There probably will not be a more important media release this year... until maybe the presidential election- (and that may not even compare to what i am about to expose to the world)

As a fish taco fan you know that a good fast food version may be hard to come by. We have limited options! And varying opinions on what is acceptaple for a fish taco. Sometimes when you need your daily fish taco, and you dont have enough time to go inside and wait, when you need a taco NOW! in like 5 minutes or less... without leaving the car. Here are the options I have come up with-

Del Taco
Taco Time
Green Burrito (Carls Junior)

I have sampled all of the above mentioned and what i am about to tell you will SHOCK you. I like you, would assume that Del Taco and Taco Time would be the top contenders- WRONG!

Taco time may have the worst fish taco on the market today. This fish taco is an embarrassment to all fish taco-ers! Heres what you get- Go to the grocery store, but Van DeCamps Fish Filet, microwave it, throw it on a tortilla with tarter sauce and lettuce. Thats a Taco time fish taco- highway robbery!

Del Taco wins it for me, not too shabby for a drive up taco, and the Green Burrito isnt too bad either (placing second). I will post pictures of theirs when i visit next.

A fun game i like to play when orderring drive up fish tacos is time how long it takes them to hand you your bag of food, and then allow yourself the same amount of time to eat it. Didnt you know the faster you eat the better it tastes? This is SO true with fish tacos ENJOY!

A Room with a View

My travels for Fish Taco Magazine have taken me to some exotic places to find some of the best that fish wrapped in a tortilla has to offer. But none quite so exotic as this one room restaurant with a view of a KFC/A&W combo fast food chain in beautiful downtown Provo.  This crispy tilapia based taco served at our very own Las Tarascas (lastarascasutah.com) on University Parkway. Given the best of Utah award for their fine Mexican food for 2 years. I enjoyed this taco and am going to go out on a limb and say it's the best I've found in Utah Valley thus far. But as any fish taco lover will tell you the search for the freshest fish and the most inviting tortillas will never end...

Lets Start with the Basics- shall we?

If you live in the west you are no doubt familiar with Rubios. They may well have put the fish taco on the map for inlanders like Utah, Arizona and Idaho. This is a safe taco! Ask for the flour tortillas rather than corn next time youre there... and dont forget about fish taco tuesdays- after 2:30pm just $.99 cents!

While i do like this taco, it is plain and simple and just may not justify 5k caolries each. j/k!