Today I went to a new place I've never tried before -- Aldaco's Tacos.
Aldaco's Tacos
3623 West 6th Avenue
Amarillo, TX (806) 374-4945
Aldaco's is a small hole-in-the-wall place on 6th street (Route 66). It's got just a few booths and a handful of tables. It's got some pretty funky decorations, from road signs to paper money taped to the fluorescent lights (which were off at lunchtime). They have a soundboard in the corner, and their menu advertises live music on the weekend.
I got water and the waitress (on her first day on the job) brought out my drink and some chips. These chips were those ones that are really thick (as far as chips go). They were alright, but I much prefer thin chips. Just a personal preference, I guess, but I like the crunch of a thin chip, and Aldaco's didn't do that for me. The hot sauce was good, it was home-made for sure. With large chucks of onion floating aroundin the thin sauce, it was tasty. It was not hot at all, but did have good flavor.
I decided to go with the Aldaco's Plate, which comes with a cheese enchilada, a beef taco, and a beef relleno. If you know me well enough, you know that if I go to a Mexican restaurant, I'll try the relleno to try to find the "Worlds Best". I'm still on the hunt, so I keep trying. So far, the best relleno I've had (the two best as a matter of fact), are down in Tulia. Tied for the best relleno is El Camino, the older, more famous Tulia mexican place, and the newer kid in town, El Burrito.
The kitchen is small, but my food was served quickly and smoking hot. The beans were so hot they nearly scalded my mouth. The plate looked skimpy -- a large plate with the relleno crunched to one side, the taco along side that, and the enchilada all alone on the other side of the plate. The beans took up most of the plate, nearly half! Rice & lettuce filled the holes between the enchilada and the taco. As usual, I started with the beans. They were fine, nothing bad, but nothing notable, either. Rice was normal, nothing special.
Moving on the the enchilada brought a bit more character, though. It was quite good, tasting more like a "homemade" enchilada than most restaurants provide. I'm not sure if the sauce is homemade, but it has a nice zip to it, and to be honest, I think it's from CANNED enchilada sauce. I guess I just like it that way, though. It had a reasonable amount of cheese in it.
Next, I tackled the taco. It's their namesake, so I hoped it was good. The beed was not seasoned much, if at all. The taco did have a lot of meat, and was topped with plenty of lettuce, tomatoes and cheese, but the blandness of the beef consumed any other flavor that might have been there. Their taco shells were the same variety as the chips, being quite thick. It worked well in the taco, because all of the "juice" from the taco didn't loosen up the shell as much as you'd expect.
Finally, it was relleno time. I took a bit of the little end, and got a taste of the batter by itself. It tastes like overcooked egg in too much grease. Not a good taste by any means. As I moved up the pepper, I got to taste the chili itself, and it was ok, but the batter still overpowered the slight pepper flavor you expect to taste. Towards the top of the relleno, I ran into the meat stuffing, which was just the same unseasoned meat that was used in the taco. I did get some seeds mixed in, but it wasn't enough seasoning for my taste to make a recovery.
Overall, I thought the enchilada was the best part of the dish, with it being just about average, maybe a bit above. The rest of the meal was disappointingly bad, not what you expect to find in a small local place. If I ever go back, I'll try their fajitas or something very different than what I got today.
Overall Rating: 25 (scale of 100)
Price $8.95 ($12 with tax & tip)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Pepito's - Shrimp Enchiladas
For today's review, I'm checking out a new place. Pepitos started out in Canyon, on 23rd Street. I've eaten at that location only a handful of times, and it's been probably at least 10 years since I've eaten there. They opened this new place in Amarillo within the last few years.
Pepitos Mexican Restaurant
2909 W Interstate 40
Amarillo, Texas
(806) 356-8244
As I normally do, I walked in after the big noon rush, arriving about 1:30. The large dining room was almost empty. I was seated at a booth, and the waiter took my drink order and brought a big bowl of chips and salsa. As I looked over the menu, I tried their salsa, which was pretty good. Most places give you "tomato sauce"...which only resembles real hot sauce in color. I like some spice in it, don't you? They also had shakers of seasoning salt on the table, something I've grown to like a lot.
The menu is rather large, it took me a few minutes to decide on what I wanted to eat. They have daily lunch specials that are different each day. Today, they had three tacos for $4.99, or taco salad for $5.99. I'd thought about getting the taco salad, but I'd had big salads the last few nights and was ready for something else. I found Shrimp Enchiladas. Never heard of that before. The description indicated it was their grilled shrimp, stuffed inside and enchilada, and covered with their sour-cream sauce. You get three of them, plus beans & rice, for $9.99.
My booth was near the front door, where they have a large waterfall. There was a big concrete barrier between me and the water, but it was still pretty loud. The floor is brick, so there is lots of "hard" space to bounce sound around. I can imagine it being hard to hear your company when the place is really busy. I was talking on the phone to Janda, and it was difficult for her to hear me over the water & the "elevator music". They've also got a little bar, surrounded by a few flat-screen TV's for watching the game. The booth had a wall-sconce for lighting, giving off a nice glow around the eating area, but leaving it fairly dim everywhere else.
The food was served very fast, taking just seven minutes from the time I ordered. The enchiladas were presented to the left of the plate, topped by slices of avacado. To the right was beans and rice, and both were portioned generously. I tried the rice first, it was your regular restaurant spanish rice. To me, it's pretty bland and doesn't have any real flavors. The beans first bite of beans was surprising, it had a smoky character that was really nice. After the initial taste, however, the unique flavor I got was gone, and I was left with normal old beans.
Next, I tackled the enchiladas. I cut into the first one, and the shrimp popped out and onto my plate. What an opportunity to sample the shrimp all by its lonesome. It wasn't overcooked and rubbery, but didn't taste like it was grilled at all. In fact, it tasted like it was simply boiled in water, without spices. Don't get me wrong, I like shrimp, even plain, but I was expecting the smoky grilled flavor to really pop out in the shrimp, and it didn't come through. Periodically through the meal, I would pull a piece out and examine it for those tell-tale grill marks, but never did find any.
Still, this was a really good dish. The avacado was a nice compliment for the cheese and shrimp. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the shrimp instead of plain ole chicken or beef. I think this had a lot of potential, but wasn't truly captured today. The non-lunch menu is a bit on the high side for an everyday visit place, I like to go places where I can eat for under $10 a meal. If you stick with the lunch special, it would be easy to do, but your options are severly limited. The portions are large enough to warrant the price tag, so you're not going to feel cheated by the amount of food you get for your money.
Overall Rating: 81 (scale of 100)
Price $10 ($13 with tax & tip)
Pepitos Mexican Restaurant
2909 W Interstate 40
Amarillo, Texas
(806) 356-8244
As I normally do, I walked in after the big noon rush, arriving about 1:30. The large dining room was almost empty. I was seated at a booth, and the waiter took my drink order and brought a big bowl of chips and salsa. As I looked over the menu, I tried their salsa, which was pretty good. Most places give you "tomato sauce"...which only resembles real hot sauce in color. I like some spice in it, don't you? They also had shakers of seasoning salt on the table, something I've grown to like a lot.
The menu is rather large, it took me a few minutes to decide on what I wanted to eat. They have daily lunch specials that are different each day. Today, they had three tacos for $4.99, or taco salad for $5.99. I'd thought about getting the taco salad, but I'd had big salads the last few nights and was ready for something else. I found Shrimp Enchiladas. Never heard of that before. The description indicated it was their grilled shrimp, stuffed inside and enchilada, and covered with their sour-cream sauce. You get three of them, plus beans & rice, for $9.99.
My booth was near the front door, where they have a large waterfall. There was a big concrete barrier between me and the water, but it was still pretty loud. The floor is brick, so there is lots of "hard" space to bounce sound around. I can imagine it being hard to hear your company when the place is really busy. I was talking on the phone to Janda, and it was difficult for her to hear me over the water & the "elevator music". They've also got a little bar, surrounded by a few flat-screen TV's for watching the game. The booth had a wall-sconce for lighting, giving off a nice glow around the eating area, but leaving it fairly dim everywhere else.
The food was served very fast, taking just seven minutes from the time I ordered. The enchiladas were presented to the left of the plate, topped by slices of avacado. To the right was beans and rice, and both were portioned generously. I tried the rice first, it was your regular restaurant spanish rice. To me, it's pretty bland and doesn't have any real flavors. The beans first bite of beans was surprising, it had a smoky character that was really nice. After the initial taste, however, the unique flavor I got was gone, and I was left with normal old beans.
Next, I tackled the enchiladas. I cut into the first one, and the shrimp popped out and onto my plate. What an opportunity to sample the shrimp all by its lonesome. It wasn't overcooked and rubbery, but didn't taste like it was grilled at all. In fact, it tasted like it was simply boiled in water, without spices. Don't get me wrong, I like shrimp, even plain, but I was expecting the smoky grilled flavor to really pop out in the shrimp, and it didn't come through. Periodically through the meal, I would pull a piece out and examine it for those tell-tale grill marks, but never did find any.
Still, this was a really good dish. The avacado was a nice compliment for the cheese and shrimp. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the shrimp instead of plain ole chicken or beef. I think this had a lot of potential, but wasn't truly captured today. The non-lunch menu is a bit on the high side for an everyday visit place, I like to go places where I can eat for under $10 a meal. If you stick with the lunch special, it would be easy to do, but your options are severly limited. The portions are large enough to warrant the price tag, so you're not going to feel cheated by the amount of food you get for your money.
Overall Rating: 81 (scale of 100)
Price $10 ($13 with tax & tip)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Fajita Salad
Another one of our new diet dishes if beef fajita salad. We usually use up the rest of our skirt steak on this recipe. It's easy to fix as well. Starting with lettuce, we top it with tomatoes, onions, refried beans, meat, cheese, and bell peppers. Finish with hot sauce, sour cream, and guacamole. The nice thing about this dish is that everyone gets to make it just like they want it. Kids don't like onions? No problem....leave them off of their plates. Like lots of sour cream? Pile it on!We usually marinate our beef to Red Creek all-purpose marinade. It's quick and good. Just throw it in a ziplock bag, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. This time, we tried Claudes Fajita seasoning. The taste of this marinade was similar to Red Creek, but there was a noticeable difference. We did marinate the meat today overnight, so I'm not sure if that made a big difference, but I liked the change of pace the Claudes offered. We'll try Claudes again next time, then go back with Red Creek, but use a longer marinating time to see the effect.
Overall Rating: 83 (scale of 100)
Price $1.50 per serving
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Beef Salad
Continuing the Thai theme today, we're having Beef Salad. In restaurants, this is usually called "Yam Nua". We've enjoyed beef salad at a few restaurants, and have found a recipe that we like very much. It seems to be our favorite, even over the restaurant versions made by the pros.
Beef salad is a regular green salad -- usually iceberg lettuce -- with tomatoes, onions, meat (beef skirt steak in this case), served over rice with a spicy, tangy dressing. The best way to describe the way that this dish tastes is that you have four "feelings" happening in your mouth at the same time. You've got the saltiness from the fish sauce, the tangy tart zip from the lime juice, a sweet taste from ginger, and spicy hotness from the chili paste. The combination of these flavors is crucial to the dish, as it is in most Thai dishes. If you overload on any one sensation, your tastebuds will suffer.
Here's our recipe:
Beef Salad
Salad
Beef, we use skirt steak, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds.
Broil the steak, seasoning with salt & pepper.
Start rice cooking.
Cut up your lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Keep in separate bowls so each diner can choose how much of each item they want.
Mix the sauce together. I usually put the ginger in first, then all of the wet ingredients, then the garlic & onions. Whisk together to combine.
Slice the beef into small strips.
Assembling the dish
Start each serving by placing some lettuce in the bowl. Add tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers around the edge. A neat trick is to alternate the tomatoes & cucumbers, this makes a really nice presentation. Next, add pieces of beef, and follow by sprinkling rice over the lettuce, and finish by adding a helping of dressing.
This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator, keeping the ingredients separate. This keeps the lettuce from wilting, and if you prefer the meat warm, you can re-heat it before serving.
Overall Rating: 70 (scale of 100)
Price $1.75 per serving
Beef salad is a regular green salad -- usually iceberg lettuce -- with tomatoes, onions, meat (beef skirt steak in this case), served over rice with a spicy, tangy dressing. The best way to describe the way that this dish tastes is that you have four "feelings" happening in your mouth at the same time. You've got the saltiness from the fish sauce, the tangy tart zip from the lime juice, a sweet taste from ginger, and spicy hotness from the chili paste. The combination of these flavors is crucial to the dish, as it is in most Thai dishes. If you overload on any one sensation, your tastebuds will suffer.
Here's our recipe:
Beef Salad
Salad
- Green Leaf Lettuce
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- Sliced Tomatoes (1/2 per person)
- 1 Onion, sliced (Red or white)
- 3 T fish sauce
- 3 T lime juice (lemon is fine, too)
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 T water
- 3 T minced garlic
- 1 t ginger
- 1/4 c green onions
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T chili paste
Beef, we use skirt steak, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds.
Broil the steak, seasoning with salt & pepper.
Start rice cooking.
Cut up your lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Keep in separate bowls so each diner can choose how much of each item they want.
Mix the sauce together. I usually put the ginger in first, then all of the wet ingredients, then the garlic & onions. Whisk together to combine.
Slice the beef into small strips.
Assembling the dish
Start each serving by placing some lettuce in the bowl. Add tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers around the edge. A neat trick is to alternate the tomatoes & cucumbers, this makes a really nice presentation. Next, add pieces of beef, and follow by sprinkling rice over the lettuce, and finish by adding a helping of dressing.
This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator, keeping the ingredients separate. This keeps the lettuce from wilting, and if you prefer the meat warm, you can re-heat it before serving.
Overall Rating: 70 (scale of 100)
Price $1.75 per serving
Bangkok-Tokyo: Spicy Peanut Chicken
To start off this blog, I thought I'd try a new dish at an old favorite restaurant.
Bangkok-Tokyo
2413 S Western St
Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 353-4777
I came into Bangkok today for lunch. It was about 12:45, and the dining room was nearly empty. This place seats 36 when full, but I was one of about 6 folks eating at the time. My waitress was courteous and quick, getting my drink order within a minute of taking my seat. Of course I got water. As I looked over the menu, I was trying to find something that suited my mood today and was also something new. I've had the beef and seafood salad here, as well as pad thai and a few other things. So far, my favorite by far has been the seafood salad.
I settled on the "Spicy Peanut Chicken". The menu says this is a spicy dish (which I always like), with chicken, onions, bell peppers in a spicy peanut sauce. From the description, I'm thinking creamy peanut sauce, like you might find with some appetizers. I place my order, with steamed rice.
Bangkok is a pretty small little restaurant. The tables are fairly small, with most of the seating reserved to 2-person tables. They do have two big tables, each seating 8. My table was clean, the walls look a bit dingy, but not dirty enough to alarm me. The chairs here are comfortable, though I usually don't have to sit in them for extended periods of time. After a short wait of about ten minutes, my food arrives.
Upon first glance, I thought, "Wow, this is gonna be GOOD!". Presentation was wonderful. The green bell peppers contrasted well with the fire-red peppers. Onions and chicken filled the plate. I noticed the "peanut sauce" didn't look very peanuty. I did pick out some peanuts, but it didn't appear that the sauce was made with them.
I dumped my bowl of rice onto the spicy chicken, and mixed it around to get thoroughly coated. As I began to eat, the first thing that hit my palette was salt. This was a very salty dish, I think the sauce has way too much soy sauce. I'm not a fan of soy sauce, either. I think it's a fine ingredient, but think it should help build a sauce, not provide the backbone for it.
Besides the high sodium feel I'm getting, it's decent. I would figure it would be a bit more "spicy"....it's part of the name, after all. The only time I feel the slightest bit of heat is when I start chewing on one of the whole red-peppers. Most of the peppers themselves weren't hot, but one I got near the end gave a little bit of tongue-tickle.
While this wasn't a bad meal, I probably wouldn't order it again, opting to choose something else from the menu. The soy sauce was way too overpowering for me, taking away lots of flavor from the dish. I couldn't taste any of the peanuts, it just tasted like stir-fried chicken and was pretty bland.
Overall Rating: 42 (scale of 100)
Price $7.50 ($11 with tax & tip)
Bangkok-Tokyo
2413 S Western St
Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 353-4777
I came into Bangkok today for lunch. It was about 12:45, and the dining room was nearly empty. This place seats 36 when full, but I was one of about 6 folks eating at the time. My waitress was courteous and quick, getting my drink order within a minute of taking my seat. Of course I got water. As I looked over the menu, I was trying to find something that suited my mood today and was also something new. I've had the beef and seafood salad here, as well as pad thai and a few other things. So far, my favorite by far has been the seafood salad.
I settled on the "Spicy Peanut Chicken". The menu says this is a spicy dish (which I always like), with chicken, onions, bell peppers in a spicy peanut sauce. From the description, I'm thinking creamy peanut sauce, like you might find with some appetizers. I place my order, with steamed rice.
Bangkok is a pretty small little restaurant. The tables are fairly small, with most of the seating reserved to 2-person tables. They do have two big tables, each seating 8. My table was clean, the walls look a bit dingy, but not dirty enough to alarm me. The chairs here are comfortable, though I usually don't have to sit in them for extended periods of time. After a short wait of about ten minutes, my food arrives.
Upon first glance, I thought, "Wow, this is gonna be GOOD!". Presentation was wonderful. The green bell peppers contrasted well with the fire-red peppers. Onions and chicken filled the plate. I noticed the "peanut sauce" didn't look very peanuty. I did pick out some peanuts, but it didn't appear that the sauce was made with them.
I dumped my bowl of rice onto the spicy chicken, and mixed it around to get thoroughly coated. As I began to eat, the first thing that hit my palette was salt. This was a very salty dish, I think the sauce has way too much soy sauce. I'm not a fan of soy sauce, either. I think it's a fine ingredient, but think it should help build a sauce, not provide the backbone for it.
Besides the high sodium feel I'm getting, it's decent. I would figure it would be a bit more "spicy"....it's part of the name, after all. The only time I feel the slightest bit of heat is when I start chewing on one of the whole red-peppers. Most of the peppers themselves weren't hot, but one I got near the end gave a little bit of tongue-tickle.
While this wasn't a bad meal, I probably wouldn't order it again, opting to choose something else from the menu. The soy sauce was way too overpowering for me, taking away lots of flavor from the dish. I couldn't taste any of the peanuts, it just tasted like stir-fried chicken and was pretty bland.
Overall Rating: 42 (scale of 100)
Price $7.50 ($11 with tax & tip)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)