Los Betos - First Fast Food

Friday afternoon, Christine is busy with work and I have to pick up the kids from daycare. Definitely don't feel like cooking. Boom! Tour de Fish Tacos to the rescue! It's part of the project, right? Hard work and all that. To Los Beto's we go!

Los Beto's is a bit unique on the tour. It is a very regional chain. 7 locations from Boise to Caldwell, nothing outside the valley. If you grew up here, you know them. 24 hour Mexican food that's not Taco Bell. Quesadilla hankering at 3AM? They've got you covered.

Presentation - It's a fast food joint, rough place to start. Styrofoam plates, plastic silverware, nothing fancy. The service and seating are nothing to right home about. They make no claims otherwise, but it's barebones. 2/5

Aroma - Pretty spot on, they smelled as they should and were a good indication that Los Beto's is on the right track. 4/5

Value - Gripes here, minor but present. Fish tacos are $2.25 each, half plates of beans and rice are $1.99 each.  Combine 2 of the first with one each of the second to make the #15 combination plate at $8.49.  Do the math and you'll see it's actually a penny more than the sum of its parts. The only real benefit comes if you add a drink, which ends up saving just a bit. Personally I think this is a bit pricey for a fast food combo, but it's not a bad deal overall. 5/10

Fish - Solid, no beans about it. Tasty and medium-heavy breading, 2 good sized pieces of fish per taco. Though not extraordinary, this is what I would call the proper fish taco fish. 8/10

Not Fish - See above, just solid all around. Nice tangy white sauce, tasty pico de gallo, two corn tortillas, the only thing I see missing is cabbage (pretty sure it was topped with just lettuce). They also have a good extras bar, which includes the requisite lime wedges and a really tasty guacamole/salsa hybrid. Again, not exactly extraordinary, just pretty much spot on what I want and expect. 8/10

Overall Taste - Nothing to complain about here. Not a 10 worthy taco, but well above average. 8/10

Bonus Points - See presentation, just nothing to report. Kids meals were priced fine and adequate for my little ladies. No hovering tacos, no flaming chefs. +0

Overall Overall - 35/50

A clear frontrunner has emerged. I was getting a bit disheartened, but things are looking up. Good things to come.

Highlands Hollow - Define "Taco"

To say this tour has started as expected would be a bold faced lie. Both stops one and two had menu discrepancies. Stop two also had salmon that I actually didn't hate, which is saying something. Neither had my definition of a real fish taco. I was expecting stop three, Highlands Hollow, to be a bit more tame, but it ended up with me questioning the very definition of the word taco.

Notice anything on that menu? Taco. Not tacos, but singular taco. It's vague, but is never plural. I expected a minor typo. I was wrong.

This is what I received. That's one taco. Sort of...

Presentation - I like the location and layout of Highlands Hollow. Great ambiance and decoration. We biked over today and it was windy as hell. My bad. The service was decent, slowed a bit by the large table next to us, but the server did her job just fine. Traditional side of rice and beans, nothing fancy. It did include a salad, which was pretty good. Middle of the road. 3/5

Aroma - Pretty mellow. Not a lot going on. Questioning this category. 2/5

Value - 1 taco for $11.95. Oof. It did include a salad and the taco was really big, but still, not at all a deal. 3/10

Fish - The shining star of this visit, lightly breaded (emphasis on lightly) halibut in small chunks, not one big piece like usual. Well seasoned, a good amount included and well dispersed, tasty and solid. Best fish I've had thus far. 7/10

Not Fish - The train derails here. That's a burrito sized flour tortilla you see. Not pictured is the large pile of mushrooms that I removed. I tried to eat it as is but no go, they were big chunks and numerous and just have no place in a fish taco. Without the mushrooms it wasn't bad at all. With them (and per the menu, so as judged) it was not good. Not even the guac could save it. 3/10

Overall Taste - Per the above, I have to judge including the mushrooms, which are overbearing and blech. I'm not a fan, maybe if you like mushrooms this is fine, but for me it was a deal breaker. 3/10

Bonus Points - Another place that charges for kids drinks, which is irritating.  A half glass of apple juice should be included in the ~$5 kids meal. Good sized and ok priced kids entrees, but not enough to warrant a point. +0

Overall Overall - 21/50. I pondered this score on the way home and how non-traditional this taco was. If traditionality was a category (or a word) it would have totally bombed. And thus it dawned on me, this was not a taco at all. This was a sort of fajita/burrito hybrid that someone rolled wrong. Judged as such it wasn't far off point. Judged as a taco I think the chef is high as a kite. I won't disqualify it, but it doesn't really belong in this contest and obviously won't win. Weird stop number three.

Might try and squeeze in two more this week, both fast food drive through style. Stay tuned.

Edge Brewing - Rise of Salmon

Back to random.org this week for the next contender in Tour De Fish Tacos. Number 23, Edge Brewing. I've been to Edge many times for the food and beer, but never had the fish tacos, mainly because they're fried salmon. Or at least they were supposed to be.

The menu online said fried salmon, however the menu in the restaurant only offered grilled. So be it, menu it is, no cheatsies. Salmon and grilled, looks like two strikes from the get go. You'll notice no traditional sides either.

Presentation - Though it's tucked in an odd location, Edge is a nice place to be. Good atmosphere, friendly staff, not bad at all. Service was about average, the soda only made it to empty once and everything was relatively timely. However the plate was rather bland, not much presentation to be had.  3/5

Aroma - They smelled like salmon tacos. Fishy. Not terrible, but fishy. 3/5

Value - Though I'm sure it's due to salmon costing more, these were pricey. $11 for two and a side. Thing is, I don't really consider salmon better than other fish, on the contrary in fact. Not a great value. 4/10

Fish - This one caught me off guard. I didn't hate the fish. It was a tad fishy but well made and decent. I still prefer not-salmon, but this impressed me. 6/10

Not Fish - Flour tortilla? Come on, all wrong. It was a weird tortilla too, almost a thin pita. Good salsa though and the fiesta ranch and sriracha combo was pleasantly creamy and spicy. 6/10

Overall Taste - Again, a bit of a surprise. Things came together well and made for a reasonably tasty meal. 6/10

Bonus Points - They have peanut butter and banana sandwiches with nutella on the kids menu. Oh man they're tasty. However, kids drinks should be included, not $1 extra, so no bonus for you! +0

Overall Overall - 28/50. Better than Legends, pretty much dead center of the range.

Surprisingly tasty salmon. Excited to see how the other salmon offerings compare. Don't forget to send me any suggestions you don't see on the list!

Addendums

With the first tacos down I wanted to add a few clarifying points that I hadn't thought of before.

• Restaurant Service - This falls into Presentation. It's a small category as I don't want to overemphasize it but it needs to go somewhere. Bad service deserves a deduction, albeit a small one.
• Sides - I kind of expected that rice and beans were the standard and was immediately wrong. No obvious traditional side option with last nights tacos, so I elected to go with what I wanted. This will be the plan going forward, if I get an explicit choice of side (e.g. they state on the menu that there is a choice) I will go with what I want at the moment.
• Menu - Based on some Facebook feedback I think there may have been some additional off-the-menu street taco options available at Legends. If this is the case going forward I won't be partaking in them, fish tacos should be shared, not hidden.

Onwards!

The Beginning - Legends Pub & Grill

If I had my choice off of the list, I wouldn't have started here. The location is neither close to home nor ideal and my previous experiences here have been mediocre at best. But Christine had the idea to use a random number generator to choose where to go and it was a good one. So off we went to Legends Pub & Grill.

Presentation - The tacos were not bad, pleasantly laid out with the proper lime wedge (one per taco obvi).  The service wasn't great, a bit slow and not too attentive. Never been a fan of the venue either, it's a dying shopping center being kept on life support by a movie theater. I expect it'll be gone within 5 years. 2/5

Aroma - The side (chili lime garlic fries) was pretty smelly, so I couldn't get much out of the tacos. Nothing bad, just not much at all. 2/5

Value - $9.95 for two tacos and a side, pretty run of the mill. However side options were plentiful, portions were sizable, and avocados are a premium topping that don't often accompany fish tacos. Decent deal. 6/10

Fish - Grilled and quite bland. No obvious seasoning to speak of, cooked fine but just not much flavor. Fried would have been better. Or some kind of seasoning. 3/10

Not Fish - Pretty solid. I liked the avocado a lot and the chipotle sour cream was pretty tasty. Good spice, just enough to linger, not annoy. Two tortillas and one lime wedge per taco, proper numbers. 7/10

Overall Flavor - Run of the mill. Tasty enough but forgettable, the fish being the least memorable of the whole thing. Not bad, just nothing to go out of your way for. 5/10

Bonus Points - The kids meals, though average priced ($5) were huge! No drink included and they didn't have apple juice, which just about derailed this, but the leftovers from my 2 girls are enough for my lunch tomorrow.  Good deal. +1

Overall Overall - 26/50. Don't forget the range starts at 6, so 26 is actually a bit below the middle.

Middle of the pack.  Fitting start to the tour.  Two tacos down, many to go.  Ole! 

Introduction

Let me start by saying I am by no means a foodie.  I like food, I eat food, I can make edible food, but I am not a foodie.  However, a podcast piece last year about a man who sought to find the best pizza slice in NYC (link for those that are curious) struck a chord. It seemed like a fun way to make going out to eat a more purposeful affair, and being an engineer, the whittling away of many options to one defined winner is just plain logical. The hook was set.

Problem is, Idaho is famous for one food; potatoes.  Which happen to be in like everything, yet nothing.  The main "defined" potato dishes would probably be sides, french fries and potato chips, neither of which are often particularly different from restaurant to restaurant.  In fact, I'd hazard that only maybe 5% of local restaurants do anything different than buying fries in bulk, frying them, and throwing on a bit of salt.  If we want to answer the question of "best french fries in Boise" I can do so right now; Boise Fry Company.  Variety, presentation, etc., hands down winner.  The fact that one of their restaurants shares a dining room with Guru Donuts is just gravy.  Pun intended?

So where to from there?  Pizza has been done, potatoes aren't really doable, so I pondered.  And googled.  And pontificated.  And made a taco joke with my daughter.  And there it was.  Tacos. Specifically fish tacos.  Unique enough that they are usually their own menu item, general enough that many local restaurants will have them.  Tour de fish taco genesis.  A few Facebook posts and more googling later and I had my initial list (dis one). Rev 1 has 56 restaurants, though I still have to confirm that some of them actually make fish tacos.  

Probably the first thing we need is ground rules.  Let's start with the social media and boring logistical side before we get into the fun stuff.

• This (blogspot) will be the primary home for content.  I don't need a Facebook page, because, well, I don't.  And no twitter.  Twitter can go straight to a restaurant that doesn't serve fish tacos.  I'm ok with Instagram though, so you can find that here if you'd like.
• I don't fully understand the laws surrounding the creative commons and using other peoples pictures.  Therefore, I'm just going to use my own.  Sorry this post is pictureless.  I haven't taken any yet.
• This is a project, not a charity.  I don't really need donations.  I suppose I'll take an order of fish tacos from a friendly restaurateur if they so desire, otherwise a high five will suffice.

And on to the actual ground rules of tour de fish tacos:

• If the restaurant offers tacos ala carte I will have two.  Unless I'm hungry, then I may have more.  Sides depend on what they offer.
• If the restaurant only offers tacos as an entree I will defer to their offered quantity and side dish.
• If a restaurant offers multiple kinds of fish I will have at least one of each. Note; some local places offer salmon tacos.  I don't like salmon.  They probably won't do well.  Such is the nature of the tour de fish taco.
• If a restaurant offers multiple preparations (grilled and fried) I will have at least one of each.  Let it be known that I think fried is the right way to do fish tacos. Again, nature and all that.
• My standard accompanying beverage will be Diet Coke.  Diet Pepsi is considered an appropriate substitute.  Water only if the other two aren't available.
• Restaurants must be in Boise proper, including Garden City (which is really not a city at all).  No Meridian, no Kuna, no Eagle, no Nampa.  Caldwell?  Ha.
• If a restaurant has multiple locations I will visit just one of them.
• Tacos will be judged on a set of categories, see the next list for specifics.  50 points total.
• I reserve the right to throw around bonus points as I please for whatever reason.  Chef accidentally lights his arm on fire while cooking my tacos? Possible bonus points.
• Should a tiebreaker be needed, I'll come up with it later.
• I will do my due diligence to get all restaurants that offer fish tacos in Boise onto the list and into the contest.  This includes any restaurants that open prior to the close of the contest.  I welcome public input here.

And finally, details on the judged categories:

• Presentation - Tacos in generic wrapper in unmarked paper bags - meh.  Tacos pleasantly arranged with appropriate garnishes - okay.  Tacos hovering above a tiny lake of tiny koi - BONUS POINTS.  Restaurant atmosphere falls into this category too.
• Aroma - Pretty self explanatory, better smelling = better scoring.  Nobody likes a stinky taco.
• Value - Good deal = good points.  Side dishes live here, a hefty portion of chips and salsa is a good deal.
• Fish - Flavor, texture, seasoning, preparation, etc.  
• Not fish - Everything that's part of the taco, but not fish.  Tortilla, veggies, sauce, all that.  Same as above, flavor, texture and so on.
• Overall Taste - How everything comes together for the party in my mouth that should always accompany fish tacos.
• Overall Overall - The 6 category scores added up.  Minimum 6, maximum 50. There will be ties, hopefully not for first.

List created, ground rules laid out, pretty much ready to go.  So let's do this, eh?