Los Mariachis - Meeting Number Six

I had five meetings this morning. Production meeting. Project meeting. Leadership meeting. Boss meeting. TSA Precheck meeting. None particularly excited me. However, meeting six, which didn't make it onto my work calendar, did. It was the penultimate meeting in a long series of meetings. It came with tacos. It was Los Mariachis.

Presentation - Rather unassuming storefront. I wasn't sure what to expect going in. The interior was actually pretty decent. Typical beer signage but more carved seating and cool tables. And loud spanish music. And lights without lightbulbs. And a wandering toddler. Odd, yes, but it came together. Simple plating, decent service. 3/5

Aroma - Pretty standard and by the book. Smelled as such. Yup. 3/5

Value - So here's a conundrum. Their menu isn't online, so I called and asked if they had fish tacos. They do. However, not on the menu. The pic above is just to acknowledge they have a menu. With weird giant schooners of shrimp and stuff. So I had no idea what they cost ($9.50 for a pair) or what was on them (fish, pico, cabbage, white sauce). I kind of want to disqualify them here, off the menu kind of means they don't exist. But whatever, I guess I'll let it slide. But still average. 5/10

Fish - I had trouble telling if these were grilled or fried. I settled on fried, but I don't fully know how they did it. There was like no breading, but the fish was wonderfully crunchy and crisp, and still pretty moist. Solid seasoning, nothing standout, but something about the fried-ness was just solid. 8/10

Not Fish - Dead on by the book. Two corn tortillas, pico, cabbage, white sauce, and a slice of lime. Nothing about it was extraordinary but it following the formula worked just fine. 6/10

Overall Taste - The fish brought these up to a pretty solid place. The rest was just fine, but the fish made for a solid 7/10.

Bonus Points - The aforementioned toddler was pretty cute, but not quite worth a point. Try harder next time tiny one. Maybe bring me some guac. +0

Overall Overall - 32/50

Didn't quite make up for meetings one through five, but not a bad lunch stop either. And then there was one.

Fiesta Guadalajara - About As East As They Come

Final 3! In theory at least, I think I've already said that. I set a goal to finish in July and by George, I intend to, even if it means 3 stops in one day. It did, today, for what it's worth, the last of which was Fiesta Guadalajara. I honestly forgot how far away this place is, might as well be going to Mountain Home. There are actually two locations in Meridian and Eagle that are probably closer, but that's not Boise and that would be cheating. Rations and spare parts packed, we hit the road.

Presentation - I actually used to work right up the hill from this location and have been in a couple times. The interior is pretty nice, the chairs have "FG" carved into them and the decor is clean and not tacky. Service was fine, nothing to write home about but not bad. The plating was nice. And enormous. And lava hot again. What's up with that? All around above average. 4/5

Aroma - A bit on the fishy side, but not bad. Perhaps a bit mild too. 3/5

Value - 3 tacos and a side of rice and beans for $14.25, which was a dollar more than the website menu had them listed for. The plate was filling but as I'll get into, the ingredients weren't particularly great or unique, so it was a bit on the pricey side. 4/10

Fish - Kind of a big issue here. Comparing the menu to the picture, there's a pretty glaring issue. Deep fried? Not so much, definitely grilled. There are other menu issues, see the not fish section for those, but this was a big one. Not a lot of seasoning, prep was fine but it was on the boring side on top of not being as advertised. 3/10

Not Fish - The menu claims five things. Deep fried pollock? Nope. Flour tortillas? Nope. Cabbage? Yes. Avocados? Yes. Jalapenos? Nope. Two for five, that's a hard F at 40% correct. It's one thing to make a forgettable taco, but another to advertise it as something else entirely. And these really needed a sauce, they were pretty dry. The avocado helped, but just a bit. 3/10

Overall Taste - They were plenty edible, I've had worse tacos this month. Just not a lot too them really, boring and overpriced. I hit them for menu discrepancies above, so just below average here. 4/10

Bonus Points - If the tacos completely mismatched the menu I'd have given them one. Swap the avocados for asparagus and the cabbage for kale or something whackadoo like that. But alas, nah. +0

Overall Overall - 21/50

Start chanting. Final two! Final two! If I can swing two more taco stops tomorrow without a heart attack, we can put this thing to bed and I can make some fun arbitrary awards to hand out. I suppose you can send over any locations I've still managed to miss before then, but be warned, I may punch you.

Taco Veloz - Treasure Hunt

So after Carniceria Coalcoman I stopped by Taco Veloz, mostly to confirm the menu pic on the Facebook page was correct and they didn't have fish tacos. Menu pic was indeed correct, but I asked anyway. Yep, they have tacos. What do they cost? I'll guess at that shortly. Where are they? Here's how that hunt went. They're not at Fairview and Alumbaugh like the internet would have you think. They're not in the old Los Betos near Fairview and Orchard. They're hiding over on Overland, next to Whitney United Methodist Church just east of Owyhee. Hours? Who knows. I think I caught them opening at ~1PM. But I got tacos, and that's what matters.

Presentation - It's a taco truck. It's also hot as balls outside today, so tough start. It was bearable sitting in the shade, but I'm glad this is the last taco truck on the list. Did you know this is the 32nd day in a row over 90 degrees in Boise? Yeesh. Service was fine, they didn't have any diet soda so I opted for water. Plating was a styrofoam container, as is the taco truck way. 2/5

There was only one guy inside, I was tempted to bum rush and finally get the inside truck picture. But I didn't want spit tacos.

Aroma - The guy asked if I wanted everything, I went with yes. It appears that included onions, tomatoes, red cabbage, avocados, and a green salsa. They smelled pretty tasty. 4/5

Value - I have to guess here. Two tacos and a water was $7.42, so $7 plus tax. If water was a buck, tacos are three bucks each.  If two bucks, two fifty. I'm going to assume it's the former, so tacos are three bucks. Not small, good ingredients, solid value. 7/10

Fish - Grilled chunks hiding down under all those ingredients. Not too much, not too little, and cooked fine, but a bit basic. The not fish helped a lot here, by itself the fish was on the boring side. 5/10

Not Fish - These were full tacos with solid and fresh tasting ingredients. I liked the green salsa a lot, a bit of spice. Two corn tortillas each with a super juicy lime chunk for each. Tomatoes could have been chopped up a bit more, everything was overall on point though. 8/10

Overall Taste - Yep, just fine. For some reason this and Coalcoman have been a welcome respite from some kind of meh sit down tacos. These were fresh and all the veggies helped fulfill my delusion that somehow this isn't bad for me. Bugger off Cheesecake Factory menu, these are like 200 calories tops. 7/10

Bonus Points - Maybe if finding the place wasn't so damn hard, but nah. +0

Overall Overall - 33/50

This was stop number 60 in almost 16 months. Yeesh. 3 to go, potentially done this month. Provided I don't find any more places that is. Which feels inevitable...

Carniceria Coalcoman - Que?

This is another one that was completely off my radar. Carniceria Coalcoman is tucked back in a strip mall near Fairview and Orchard and I literally had no idea it was there. In another odd coincidence there is a closed Los Betos in the same parking lot that's being converted into a permanent home for Taco Veloz. Maybe, I think it's been a while since said conversion started, so who knows if it'll be done any time soon. Still, three tour stops in various states of openness within a stones throw of each other. Also, Los Mariachis is right down the street. Woo tacos!

Presentation - The majority of the signage inside was in spanish. Same with the menu. Tacos pescado for reference. I can stumble my way through spanish, but this is Boise, the staff spoke english. It felt pretty authentic overall. Quick and friendly service, simple plating, nothing fancy but all around fine. 3/5

Aroma - A unique recipe and a unique, but good smell. A bit spicy, maybe some citrus in there. Good. 4/5

No menu pic. Half forgot, half didn't feel appropriate.

Value - Two bucks a piece ala carte, $7.99 for a pair with rice and beans. I went with the latter. Rice and beans were good, next time I'd go 3 tacos and maybe a bag of chips. 6/10

Fish - Doesn't that look like crab? Or maybe shrimp? I confirmed, it's white fish. Pretty decent really, nice spice and cooked well. Maybe pan fried or something? I think it was cooked in whatever liquid was on the tacos. Good. 7/10

Not Fish - I'm not 100% sure what all was in there, the menu . No sauce, but not dry. Peppers, pico, it was really mostly fish, but the little addition that was there was good. Single corn tortilla per taco, no limes. I really enjoyed the rice and beans too, the beans were runny so I really just mixed it all together, did not disappoint. 7/10

Overall Taste - I have no idea if these are more authentic or not, but they aren't too close to the standard I've come to arbitrarily judge things to. Pretty good though, and honestly a pretty welcome change since I'm mashing in so many tacos in these last few days. 7/10

Bonus Points - Nothing I can come up with really. +0

Overall Overall - 34/50

Down to four. I thought it was three, and then I had a double lunch today. Read the next entry to learn more. Is this many tacos healthy? Who knows. Probably doctors. But I want to be done this month, and this month is just about gone. So here we go!

Chapala - Tacos Del Lago

Did you know Chapala is named after a lake in Mexico? Me neither, their website told me. Are the fish tacos made from fish caught in Lake Chapala? Almost certainly not, but a man can dream. They have 4 Boise locations, the one on Vista is the highest rated on Google so we paid them a visit tonight.

Presentation - A lot of these local places are starting to blend. The decor is pretty similar, some advertising for Mexican beers mixed in with sombreros, parrots, and a handful of other things. Not particularly different here, but it works well enough. Good service, rather quick as I'll get into later, and a decent enough plating. One note, that plate was lava hot. Like, touch it 5 minutes after it was delivered and it still burns you hot. Yeesh. 3/5

Aroma - Another that I don't have much to say about, not bad but not a lot there. 3/5

Value - Three tacos with a decent sized side of rice and beans for $12.25. A decent amount of food, but as I'll get into I didn't love them. Average. 5/10

Fish - Grilled white fish, smaller chunks. Not a lot of seasoning, pretty light on the flavor. Not too fishy, probably cod or pollock, maybe tilapia. Anyway, pretty boring. 3/10

Not Fish - What is with the lemons? I don't get it, nor do I want to. Lemon may go with fish and chips, but fish tacos deserve lime. Two corn tortillas per taco, which were actually a tad on the heavy side, probably could have done with one. The pico and guacamole were both on the side, which is fine. Guac was pretty good. Missing...something. Maybe cilantro. And definitely needs more of a sauce, they were a bit dry. 3/10

Overall Taste - Despite the shortcomings, they were better than the sum of their parts. Still many improvements that would help them out. 4/10

Bonus Points - I've never had food come out so fast at a sit down restaurant. It was amazing, seriously like fast food speed. 4-5 minutes tops. That's worth a point. +1

Overall Overall - 22/50

For what it's worth the girls all had fine food, so the restaurant on the whole isn't bad, but these aren't worth the stop.

Corona Village - A Chain Apparently

This morning started with a brick workout, which for those unfamiliar with triathlons is a bike ride straight into a run. Why it's called a brick is contested, but I like to think it's an acronym for bike, run, ick. They're kind of a pain and the long ones are exhausting. So tacos were definitely in order to recharge the motor a bit and Corona Village was conveniently on the way to Restore.

Corona Village is a chain it seems, with locations in the valley, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Few and far between, but a chain nonetheless. This location is on State street between Flying Pie and Club 44, and despite the proximity to the house I hadn't been until today. Not sure why. Also not sure why I missed it on the first search for tacos, but I caught it now. So yay!

Presentation - Pretty unassuming exterior and interior. I was called amigo many times, which was interesting. I've been called worse. The fish taco on the menu was a side, I asked if they did an entree version and the server obliged. Plating was fine. All around average amigo. 3/5

Aroma - The chipotle sauce was pretty aromatic in a good way. They smelled good. 4/5

Value - The entree they gave me was $10.95 for two tacos and a side of rice and beans. Tacos ala carte are $2.75 each. If I did it again I'd just get 2-3 of the tacos and the chips and salsa they give you up front, because rice and beans aren't really worth $5.45 in my humble opinion. Still not a bad deal. 6/10

Fish - One fried piece each. I'm coming to appreciate the diversity of the fried fish, and enjoyed the method here. Thin breading but I believe it was fried hot because it was pretty crispy. If I recall correctly they were cod, not too greasy with a balanced fishiness. Nothing bold about them, just done well and solid. 7/10

Not Fish - One flour tortilla each with cabbage, pico, and a chipotle sauce. Nothing exceptional, but the sauce did deliver on the smell. No limes, which they could have used. There was hot sauce on the table if you wanted to spice it up, I opted not to. I can see a few tweaks that would help, but not a bad example. 6/10

Overall Taste - A bit on the simple side without making a boring or bad tasting taco. Just fine for what they are and they hit the spot. 6/10

Bonus Points - Lo siento amigo, no hoy. +0

Overall Overall - 32/50

High middle is about right for these. A fine choice for a saturday lunch.

Cheesecake Factory - Mall Tacos...Again

As usual, administrative detail. Did you know we had a Moe's Southwest Grill here? They're a big chain elsewhere, but I had no idea there was one hiding in the Boise State University Student Union Building. Woo! Taco Called Wanda, here I come! Oh, wait, limited menu. No fish. Bwa bwa. On the plus side, they do have a "Stack" called "Wrong Duck", which is a less garbagey version of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme. So, ya know, didn't leave hungry, but out of the tour they go.

Onto the point of this post, Cheesecake Factory! AKA, calm it down with the menu you nutballs. Over 250 items on that thing, it's a GD binder. The location is in the mall, well more attached to than in, but glommed on to the main building. Surprisingly not too busy on a Friday night, which was nice, no wait.

Presentation - You have to deal with the mall parking lot to get there, but eh, not that bad. Nice open interior with decor that the girls loved for some reason, plenty of room in the booth for them to fidget without getting annoying. Taco plating was good, holder and a side on each side. They list the calories on the menu, which makes me a bit sad. Overall good, especially for a chain. 4/5

Aroma - The crazy green rice was more aromatic with the taco. Cilantro and lime I think. Tacos smelled fine too, just a bit mellow compared to craze-o rice. 3/5

Value - Second most expensive tacos thus far. Not small, I was full, but not cheap. On the flip side I got an appetizer of Nashville Hot Chicken Nuggets, which was $4.95 and pretty big and tasty. I'll give them a point back for that. 4/10

Fish - They were nice enough to give me half grilled, half fried with no guff at all. Either option was a single large piece per taco. The fried was pretty solid, a tad greasy but good flavor and breading. Oddly enough I slightly preferred the grilled, really good seasoning and flavor. A day after having them neither is crazy memorable, but both were good choices at the time. 7/10

Not Fish - Single corn tortilla per taco, no lime (bummer). The menu seems to list the ingredients in pico separately as tomato, marinated onions, and cilantro, which is odd. No cabbage, but the avocado and chipotle sauce were both solid. The tortillas, like the fried fish, were just a tad greasy. Much like the fish, nothing stuck in my brain today, but it was really solid at the time. 7/10

Overall Taste - Just all around solid. Balanced and fairly standard, but given the sheer volume of things the cooks have to make, I'm impressed that these aren't boring and meh. 7/10

Bonus Points - If I hadn't given them one for the nuggets already, they'd get one here. But such is the tour. +0

Overall Overall - 32/50

Two options at the mall, this and Cafe Ole. Straight taco comparison? Make your way across the lot to Cafe Ole. Want Cheesecake? Well here's your obvious answer.