Black Bear Diner - Geriatrics Only

Walking into Black Bear Diner is a bit of a trip. This particular example has a strange mix of Christmas and Valentines Day decorations, a skeleton crew, and a location that leaves much to be desired. West Boise isn't exactly the height of dining elegance, but of the few taco stops on that side of town, this one is perhaps my least favorite. We also brought the average age down by probably a decade when we walked in. I was surprised none of the other patrons died while we were eating. On second thought, one may have, he was a bit slumped as we walked past on the way out.

It's a bummer, the last time I was at a Black Bear Diner was almost 2 years ago in Bend, OR and it was a really good breakfast after a really fun evening. I can't say this one went as well. But hey, if you want a pile of gross sweets to end your life quickly, you could do worse. Probably. Dumpster diving or something.

Presentation - Started rough as we awkwardly waited for service at the front of an almost empty restaurant. It was a bit early (5:30ish), but come on, staff up. We were seated after a few minutes, but the general attentiveness didn't improve. No drink refills, no check ins, and a check delivered probably 10 minutes after it should have been. The plating of the tacos was fine, but there's no saving this category. They sucked. 1/5

Aroma - Not much, but what little I could detect wasn't bad. Or maybe that was Addie's strawberry waffle. 3/5

Value - Two tacos, refried beans, and cole slaw for $9.99.  The tacos were decent sized, so the price is alright. There is mention of salsa on that menu. Take a look below, none to be found. 5/10

Fish - Fried cod, usually a sure thing. I would expect a decent flavor and a nice crispy piece of fish. The batter wasn't bad and the pieces, which were decent sized, were not too oily. However there was like zero flavor. No spice or anything. Not sure what went wrong, but it was not particularly impressive. 4/10

Not Fish - Tortillas are right. No lime. Jack cheese works alright. But what the hell is going on with the slaw? It was not spicy, it was actually pretty sweet. Annoyingly so. The side of slaw had some spice, but the taco slaw tasted entirely different. And what is with the cilantro? A couple awkward leaves sadly strewn on top of limp tacos. Mince it you dumb dumbs! And sprinkle, not begrudgingly throw. 3/10

Overall Taste - Between the sweet slaw and bland fish, there's not much going on. I've eaten worse, but they were just sort of depressing piles of mundane nothingness. I'd much rather go get some $2 Del Taco tacos. 3/10

Bonus Points - Tempted to give them a negative for continuing mundane food and type 2 diabetes. But I suppose it's proper preparation for Trump's America. +0

Overall Overall - 19/50

It's honestly a bit refreshing to have a place fall so far from the middle. This was unquestionably the worst stop so far. But it's one more down, so on we go!

Red Lobster - SNOWPOCALYPSE

I wasn't planning on fish tacos tonight. Snowpocalypse had other plans. Snowpocalypse shows no mercy. Snowpocalypse said no Fresh of the Hook. Snowpocalypse said Red Lobster. So did dad, whose birthday it happens to be today.

No facade picture. It looks like a Red Lobster. With like a foot of snow on top.

Presentation - It was awkwardly dark and, given the weather, expectedly empty. I think there were 6 other tables and they actually stopped seating people shortly after we got there. That said, the service was pretty meh. Slow and kind of infrequent. The plating was fine, taco holder did its job and the fries were...fries. I'm being lenient because, you know, snowpocalypse. 3/5

Aroma - I dug the jalapeno ranch. On top of a pretty standard set of fish taco fillings, they were appetizing. 4/5

Value - $10.99 for 3x tacos and a side, plus a soup or salad and CHEDDAR BISCUITS! Filling meal for a pretty fair price. 6/10

Fish - Tilapia is a nice fish taco fish. A nice balanced flavor that's cheap enough to allow ample fish for a decent price. These were no exception, perhaps just a bit mild on the spices, but very solid, especially for grilled. 7/10

Not Fish - Flour tortillas and only one lime slice. But pico, cabbage, and jalapeno ranch. Good flavor with a small tweak on a standard formula. One small ding for a couple burned tortillas. 5/10

Overall Taste - Another that falls squarely in the middle of the road. I don't regret ordering them, but if I went again tomorrow, I probably wouldn't get them again. Good, not great, about what I'd expect from a chain. 6/10

Bonus Points - If they offered a choice of dessert for the birthday guy I'd give them one. They did not. +0

Overall Overall - 31/50

The lower 30's are filling in. There are still plenty on the list that have the potential to place high in this tour. Onwards.

Senor Fresh - Resolutions

December was an odd month. I presume due to the lack of tacos. New Years Resolution - MORE TACOS! WE START TODAY! WITH SENOR FRESH! Truthfully I had to check that this one was actually in Boise, it's waaaaayyy out on Chinden past HP. I think I could throw a rock to Meridian from the front door, but it's definitely in Boise. If nothing else, they win the furthest Northwest award.

Presentation - Strip mall location with counter service. Not fancy, but clean and welcoming, especially in the recent snowpocalypse. Friendly and quick service too. The plating was about what you'd expect, a paper lined plastic basket with chips on the side. They individually wrapped the tacos in foil, which is fairly rare in this city for some reason. 3/5

Aroma - Mild. No limes, so not a lot of citrus, but not bad. 3/5

Value - High marks here. Tacos are ala carte, $2.50 each with chips on the side. I went with 3 on the recommendation of the server, which was almost too much. They were large, so my $7.50 filled me up just fine. 8/10

Fish - I struggled with this one a bit. There was plenty of fish per taco, but honestly it seemed a tad undercooked. Not like for the earth, but for fish tacos. I could have gone for a bit more crispiness. All that said it was not bad fish. Mild spices and seasoning alongside a mild fish flavor, just a bit of room for improvement. 6/10

Not Fish - Pretty much by the book, 2 corn tortillas, cabbage, pico, white sauce. Missing a lime. Also, the sauce was a bit inconsistent, one taco was drowning, another was a bit dry. Like the fish, a bit of room for improvement. 6/10

Overall Taste - Middle of the road, the sum of the parts didn't come together quite as well as I would have hoped. 5/10

Bonus Points - Though the place is nice and budget friendly, nothing jumps out as deserving of a plus. +0

Overall Overall - 31/50

Another worthy of a stop if you're in the area, but not particularly worthy of a dedicated trip out to almost Meridian. 363 days to go, so many tacos to eat! Onwards!