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!

Amigos - Location, Location, Location

As the crow flies (and driving actually), Amigos is the closest tour stop to home. Just under a mile, honestly I would have walked if it wasn't bloody freezing out. Stupid winter...

For a close restaurant, the place isn't super accessible. It's next to a toy store in a tiny strip mall on the south side of State St. We had to make an odd little jog from 28th to get there and the parking lot is rather tiny. Bad zoning?

Presentation - Pretty bland interior. Fine wall decor, cafeteria tables. Not fancy. Decent plating though, something about it gave me really high hopes for the tacos. Averages out to a solid...average. 3/5

Aroma - The smell went with the look, promising. Nice citrus, spice, all that. Potential. 4/5

Value - The fish is tilapia, so nothing too fancy. $11.50 for a pair of well stuffed tacos and nice sized sides of rice and beans. An extra point for the traditional chips, salsa, and refried beans that came with the meal. I left full. 6/10

Fish - Grilled tilapia, and man it looked good. Not quite blackened, ample spices, on the right track. Unfortunately, a bit on the dry side. Bwa bwa. The spices were solid, good flavor without too much heat. Plenty in each taco. All around ok, not great. 5/10

Not Fish - To the recipe. Double corn tortillas, pico, white sauce, lime. The sauce was just a tad light and mild. Not a lot to fault. 7/10

Overall Taste - I think the dry fish and the light sauce ended up making them a bit dry overall. The flavor was good, just not quite enough to be memorable. Minimal complaints but no obvious reason to choose them over another option. 6/10

Bonus Points - I did an hour on the trainer later in the evening, which hurt. I can arbitrarily blame it on them, but obviously that was my own dumb choice. On the flip side, the kids meal had some good options that were plenty big and only $3.50 a pop. That's worth a point. +1

Overall Overall - 32/50

Again, no major complaints, if you're hungry and driving down State street, it's a fine place to have a meal. Just not a stand out. Middle of the pack.

Eureka! - Newcomers

Been a bit again. Travel and holidays. I actually had some phenomenal tacos on the Oregon and California coasts, The Good Harvest Cafe in Crescent City, CA and Shark Bites in Coos Bay, OR. Both would have ranked high on this list, but neither was cheap. Or remotely local. Anyway, upon return, a coworker told me to check out Eureka! They opened up in the last couple months and fish tacos are on the menu, so on Friday night we headed down to check them out.

Presentation - They're on 8th right across from Red Feather, pretty much under Fatty's. I had no idea what to expect, but it's a nice layout, a wrap around bar with a mix of high tops, booths, and picnic style tables. The beer selection was on point, multiple sours on tap which is no joke. Service was great, we had a very attentive server that was kind enough to bring the girls some snacks before our meal arrived to keep them happy. Basic plating but a nice taco holder and a decent serving of fries. Everything really came together here, and thus, they earn the new high water mark. 5/5

Aroma - I feel like this one was a bit easier than others, the spices they used were nice and aromatic, as was the mango salsa. Non-traditional but they smelled pretty good. 4/5

Value - Perhaps the low point of the review, though not unexpected. Downtown just isn't cheap, and our dinner wasn't either. The tacos were actually the more reasonable side of the menu, and I'll judge on that, because the kids menu was kind of ridiculous. These were $10.50 for a pair and a side of fries. You could upgrade that side for another buck or two, and they had good options but I stuck with the plate as delivered. It could be worse, but it wasn't particularly good, so middle of the road. 5/10

Fish - Grilled, but nicely seasoned. Between the blackening (they were actually blackened, not just in name like some others) and the spices, pretty tasty. Lots of it too, in small pieces so nicely distributed. Perfectly moist. Approaching as good as it gets for grilled. 7/10

Not Fish - As I said, not traditional. Single corn tortilla, though it was different for a reason I can't put my finger on. I don't recall a lot of avocado tomatillo flavor, but the mango salsa was pretty good, and I'm not usually a fruit salsa kind of guy. I could have done for just a bit more...something. 7/10

Overall Taste - An attempt at something different that went over well. I can respect taking the risk and would recommend these, nice and flavorful. 7/10

Bonus Points - On the plus side, great service and like I mentioned, bonus appetizer for the kids. However, kids meals are $7. Seven. Credit for unique options (lollipop corndogs, onion rings, avocado and watermelon) but that is knocked down by the price. So nope. +0

Overall Overall - 35/50

35 puts them up there with some big hitters. Solid performance for a newb. Stop by, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Andrades - Date Night

Apologies for the delay, ran into another administrative issue. Fork has a tricky and vague menu with no definitive protein listed for their tacos. I had a business dinner there on Halloween and was hoping to partake in some fishy deliciousness, but it turns out the protein rotates. Halloween was pork for what it's worth, and the tacos were tasty. I'm trying to get in touch with them to figure out if fish has a set day, stay tuned.

To the topic at hand, Andrades. No website, so no hyperlink. Here's their Yelp page for what it's worth. Seems like they've been around for a while, though this is the first time I've visited. We stopped by on Saturday for date night. The sign out front reads "My Competition is in Mexico," which is a good start. There's also a fountain full of roses inside. Take that as you will.

Presentation - Rose fountain aside, I dug it. Miniature upstairs windows, indoor roofs, all sorts of oddball stuff. Pic below for reference. Nice server that kept up with the Diet Coke and tortilla chip refills. Basic plating, tacos are ala carte so no side on the plate. Lots of filling. Not a bad thing. 4/5

Aroma - Still struggling with this one. Also, the potato taco I got was much smellier, so it kind of overshadowed everything. 3/5

Value - Fancy pants fish tacos are 50 cents more than the other 13 varieties. Big spendin at three bucks a pop. As I mentioned, I got a papas & cotija as well, so a total of $11.50 for 4 tacos. Chips, salsa, and beans are a free appetizer. I was pretty full when we left, probably could have gotten away with just the fish tacos. Nine bucks for 3 tacos and an appetizer is solid. 8/10

Fish - Grilled and pretty well spiced. Something about it was different, not sure what kind of fish it was but it wasn't quite the standard white fish I've grown used to. A bit more fish flavor. A good quantity too. Something about it wasn't perfect, but I can't put my finger on it. So mid-high score. 7/10

Not Fish - As the pic shows they use cabbage literally. Double corn tortillas for each taco, one decent sized lime slice for the whole plate. Not quite enough pico and they could use some white sauce, but still above average. Plus radishes... 6/10

Overall Taste - They came together well, but as mentioned there was something a bit off. Not bad, but not top 5. 6/10

Bonus Points - Nope. +0

Overall Overall - 34/50

Tacos aside, these guys had a great menu. Seems like some legit Mexican food, not the standard Tex Mex fare, and prices are decent. Worth a stop.

The Ram - Third Chances

I wasn't expecting to write this post. I believe the last we spoke of The Ram my decision was "eff em". The universe apparently had different plans. A professional group that I'm a part of had their officer elections last night, as you may have guessed by now, at The Ram. Dinner included. Essentially free tacos. What can I say? Aside from bah, I thought I was done with these jag bags. Truncated review inbound.

No Facade Pic. Bwa Bwa.

Presentation - Average across the board. Average service, average plating, average interior, average facade. My jaded eyes were not particularly impressed. 3/5

Aroma - Pretty decent nose on these. Chipotle and avocado. It worked. 4/5

Value - Nose dive. $14.50 for two tacos and a side of rice and beans. The lowest so far, Piper Pub, was three normal sized tacos and a small side for $13.29.  The side is bigger here, but not enough to make up for a taco. 2/10

Fish - High point here, I got the battered haddock (ain't got no time for blackened ahi) and it was honestly great. Great breading, perfectly juicy, not a lot of spices or anything, but it didn't need it. My only gripe is that it was one big ass piece, not a few smaller ones. And I suppose that this is my 3rd friggin time trying to get these bloody tacos. 8/10

Not Fish - Tortillas were a bit small for the fish. Otherwise pretty on point, really good slaw, decent salsa, and great avocado crema. One slice of lime per taco. A bit off book but really good. The sides weren't bad, but nothing to write home about. 7/10

Overall Taste - I hate how much I liked these. They were expensive, but delicious. 8/10

Bonus Points - Time to take your lumps, Ram. 2 failed visits, 2 points off. -2

Overall Overall - 30/50

I'm admittedly still cranky about these, and they are expensive. If you are ok with those two facts, try them. They're pretty good.