Rubio's - Colorado/Exposition, Denver, Colorado

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Decided to kick off the long Memorial Day Weekend, with lunch at Rubio's, 703 S. Colorado Boulevard, Denver (Belcaro Neighborhood).  Rubio's is a small taco chain, with locations in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona.  You can find a location near you by clicking on their website:  http://www.rubios.com/ 

The thing that keeps me coming back to Rubio's is:  the salsa bar!!  I really like having a choice of 4-6 salsas to dump on my tacos.  Secondly is the vibe.  Have you been to a surfer shack restaurant in Hermosa or Huntington Beach?  That's what this place feels like, and NOT like a sterile cafe, in a strip mall, in Central Denver.

Today's meal was Rubio's street tacos.  Can you say 90-100 calories per taco?  Had two carnitas and a diet drink, which means, 200 calories for lunch (and will be able to have frozen yogurt without the guilt later!! YAY!!).  The street tacos are served with guacamole, cilantro, and onions. Substitutions are perfectly fine, and with no additional charge.  I went with cheese instead of the guac and then headed to the salsa bar (my favorite thing about Rubio's!!)

With two tacos, of course I need to go with two different salsas.  Today it was the smokey chipotle and the other was a tomatillo.  Had to say the smokey chipotle was the clear winner as it was full of flavor and really complimented the carnitas. Tomatillo seemed a bit watered down and not a huge amount of flavor. These street tacos never fail.  Filled me up, and all for only $6.23 including my drink.  It's getting more and more difficult to find lunch for under $10.00 and when I can be full and not blow my calorie budget, I'm just one happy person! 

This is definitely a restaurant to put in your Chipotle, Q'doba "taco rotation".  Totally a different experience and flavor, but with similarities too.  Also a side note:  Rubio's catering menu is off the dial!  With pool parties and summer get-togethers who the heck wants to deal with cooking for friends?  I don't!  For $42 bucks, you can get Rubio's Tacos A-Go-Go which will feed up to seven people (tacos, 2 side dishes, salsas, tortilla chips, plates, napkins,cutlery).  All you need for a party is a case of Pacifico Beer and dinner is done! 

Rating for this week's lunch:

Food - 4.5 stars

Atmosphere - 5 stars

Staff - always pleasant at this location!! 5 stars

Parking - a ton, it's in a strip mall next to King Soopers grocer - 5 stars

El Centro DF, Washington, DC



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Here's our latest review from our blogger "DC Taco":

If there is one thing this city does well it is brunch.  Sunday brunch to be precise. Washington DC has made this special occasion meal into an art form. An art form weaved into the social fabric of the city.

I was nosing about my own business last weekend when a friend of mine mentioned he was going to brunch at a place called El Centro DF. A new place to him and a semi regular haunt for me. After a bit of prodding about how much I love tacos he relented and invited me plus two joiners.

The place is teaming with tacos. They have the usual suspects tacos de barbacoa and carne asada. Where they get it right is not limiting their menu to the usual. The brunch menu includes egg and machaca, egg and gualjillo chile and egg and rajas tacos. Did I mention the brunch is an “All You Can Eat” option for 35USD? So many tacos so little time.

The table of seven shared all of the tacos presented. Nopal, Barbacoa, Lengua and Carnitas were the favorites of the table of seven. The tacos come two to an order so we loaded up double and triple ordering when we got our nose to the grind stone.

There are three settings the main floor dining room/lounge, a roof top deck and a basement. As alluring as a basement sounds it turned out to be the perfect setting for our group. The rooftop deck way too hot, the main floor too loud the basement was cool and allowed the group to cut loose and have fun as it should be. We stayed for a couple of hours and were never made to feel rushed.

The All You Can Eat Brunch also included and adult beverages…yes adult beverages. The brunch includes all you can drink from a selection of cocktails just don’t go crazy. The drinks include a Bloody Maria, Michiladas and seasonal Aqua Frescas. The Bloody Maria is the Mexican take on the Bloody Mary. We were not able to partake in the Bloody Maria as they forgot to have the mixer on hand. At first we were told new mix was being made and should only be a few minutes. After several requests we were told there will be no bloodys. We would have been okay with this answer to begin with it seems trite to hear it after several requests.

The management did apologize and offered other drink options to us not normally on the brunch menu.  Kudos to the management. Next time let us know up front.

Overall Centro DF gets three and half tortillas out of five. Taco Nose Best cannot wait to check out their Sangria Sundays, Margarita Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and Latin Thursdays especially Taco Tuesdays. ¡buen provecho!

Herdez Salsa on sale BOGO this week @ Safeway

Have you ever tried Herdez Salsa?  The first time I ever tried it was in Riviera Maya, Mexico. I purchased this at a small groceria in Cancun and was a bit skeptical as it was, well, jarred salsa!! Back at the condo we had rented, we dished it up for chips and as a topping for our homemade tacos.  First thought was holy Toledo this stuff is great. Back in the states I continued to purchase this product all the time.  I learned that Herdez is the #1 Brand of imported salsa consumed in the U.S.A. 

Today, while shopping at Safeway, I saw the big yellow and black BOGO (buy one get one) tags on Herdez.  We're going to need a bigger shopping cart! I love making homemade salsa and pico de gallo, but sometimes those unexpected guests arrive and Herdez is great to always have in the pantry.

The deal at my local Safeway, in Denver, for the BOGO was only $2.59 for two or in my case, $7.77 for 6.  Side note: 7's are my lucky number!  Did I mention this blog's name came about from the Kentucky Derby?  Darn you Daddy Nose Best!  Anyway, I stocked up on 3 red (Herdez calls it "Casera Hot") and 3 green (verde). This will hold me over for a while.  This weekend, I may even break open a jar for our Memorial Day BBQ.

Get out those Safeway cards people and get in on this BOGO deal.  Happy eating. Happy tacos.

Texate, Santa Monica, CA

I've never been to Oaxaca, but I sure do like their tacos!  I'm not even sure what makes them distinctly Oaxacan.  Because of this I can't tell you if Texate is authentic, but I can tell you it makes a terrific Taco Tuesday Treat!

On the way home from work I had a last minute idea to visit Texate.  It's a hole in the wall place next to the bowling  alley on the south side of the Pier.  They have a great patio and bar that is set up to party.  

My happy hour treat consisted of two azada tacos and a margarita.  From what I can tell, "azada" is pretty much like "asada" but a bit more smokey and saucy. 
The fresh guac and chips were awesome too! 

There are lots of taco venues to hit in LA,  I'll definitely be back to Texate for another HH treat.
Texate
316 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica

Service - 4 stars
Food - 5 stars (can't wait to go deeper into the menu)
Atmosphere - outdoor patio 4 stars, inside 4 stars
Plate/Presentation - 3 stars
Parking - 5 stars

Freebirds World Burrito, Marina Del Rey, CA

On Saturday I was driving home from an event and I had a taco attack... you know when one minute you are cruising with the top down thinking about the weekend and the next you are getting light headed from the suddenly noticed absence of tacos in your stomach!?

The quick cure was to be a place that I had driven by several times but had yet to check out, Freebirds World Burrito.  The sign seemed cool enough and usually a burrito joint can be a speakeasy for WCT... World Class Tacos.

I became a bit skeptical when I walked into a chipotle style assembly under the guise of a don't give a bean attitude.   While there is nothing wrong with this custom creation while you wait service, they missed one key ingredient... an adequate portion of meat.  They seriously used an industrial measured teaspoon to dispense the amount of meat that would a nacho bite if that.

You probably can't see from the pic, but I did try the carnitas, asada, and chicken tacos.  Sadly they had potential, but I just wished they had finished making the order.

Stick to the burritos...

Service - 3 stars
Food - 2 stars (would have been much higher if they put a full portion of meat in the taco!)
Atmosphere - outdoor patio 4 stars, inside 3 stars
Plate/Presentation - 3 stars
Parking - 5 stars

Del Taco, Englewood, Colorado

Del Taco, Englewood, Colorado

Rocky Mountain Taco here (that's my handle here at Taco Nose Best) blogging for duty!  It's Sunday, which meant running 2.5 miles on the treadmill then off to run errands for the rest of the afternoon.  Had 10 minutes to grab a bite and decided on Del Taco.  Not a first timer for me at Del Taco.  More like my 348th time.   Where the heck did I find that number?  Anyway, Del Taco fit the bill as the only bill I had in my wallet on a Sunday afternoon was a 5 with some change in the cup holder of my car. Pulled up to the Englewood location - Broadway and Belleview. 

Here's the rundown of what we ordered.  Taco al Carbon with chicken, 2 regular tacos, a Churro (we're only human here), diet coke and a water.  Total damage to my wallet $5.76.  Taco al Carbon treated me right, I love that they double the tortillas at Del Taco, where they could just as easily give you one that would fall apart.  The double tort gives the taco stability.  I like it.  They tend to go a bit crazy with the cilantro, but other than that, the Taco al Carbon was tasty and did the trick.  Shared the churro with my "lunch date" (180 calorie churro in 1/2 means only 90 which isn't too bad on the waist line).  He had the two other tacos and didn't offer me a bite, so I can't comment on those. What always gets me pumped about Del Taco is their drink sizes.  Has anyone noticed how the drink cups keep shrinking? I ordered a small at Taco Bell and they gave me what looked like a kid's cup.  The "smalls" at Del Taco are what other fast food restaurants would call a medium.  And guess what? A small is only $1.59.  Yay inexpensive drinks too!

This location was fine for a quick lunch.  Clean, friendly staff, and the food was quick and perfectly presented.  Yes, we at Taco Nose Best go to chains too.  Got a problem with that?  Kudos Del Taco.  You got us in and out of your restaurant quickly and for a great price. 

Stars:
Food/Presentation - it's fast food, so can I really give it a 5????? - 3.5
Service - 4
Parking - a bazillion spaces to choose from - 5
Atmosphere - again chain, so it's a - 3.5

Patzcuaro's Denver, Colorado

Patzcuaro's

5 stars or 5 tortillas?  I guess Taco Nose Best needs to come up with a rating system for all the restaurants we'll be visiting in the coming weeks.  For now let's stick with stars.

A gorgeous day in Denver and it's a Friday so that means one thing, TACOS.  Well in my brain, every day is taco day.  Today's visit was to the Highland neighborhood in the Mile High City (that's Denver folks!).  Pulled up on 32nd Avenue to Taqueria Patzcuaro.  Immediately, I knew I'd be having a great lunch hour, as I saw a beautiful patio with Tecate umbrellas.  Eating outdoors is always a plus for me.

Waiter (Host) was very friendly and set me up at a great table and immediately brought over a basket of chips-n-salsa.  A place that just brings chips over without asking, receives a plus in my book.  Glancing at the menu, I immediately noticed that the taco plates are 4 to an order.  Who eats that much at lunch?  Not this calorie counter.  Yes, I count calories and eat a ton of tacos throughout the week!  Waiter suggested I go al la cart and that's exactly what I did.  A basket of chips, salsa, one carnitas taco and a diet Pepsi. Perfecto!

Service was speedy which makes me happy.  Then the "eh" happened.  What's the saying?  Presentation is everything?  Maybe if I had ordered the full plate of 4 tacos it would have looked better?  My small dessert plate of taco with "taco juice" and a glop of guac, just didn't please my eye.  No cilantro, no diced onions, just very plain.  Looks aren't everything though.  I wish that was the case, but the carnitas taco wasn't special.  Not bad, but not great either.  A bit dry, but what saved it was the homemade corn tortilla.  That was great. 

Will I be back?  You'd probably think my answer would be no.  But that's not the case.  This patio is something I need to check out at the 5 o'clock somewhere hour.  As this was lunch, I didn't partake in any Margarita action.  But seriously who doesn't love a good patio even if the food is so-so?  My next report will be all about that AND I will give it one more shot on the tacos.  Maybe chicken next time.

Service - 4 stars
Food - 3 stars
Atmosphere - outdoor patio 5 stars, inside 3 stars
Plate/Presentation - 2 stars
Parking - 5 stars ( Hello, parking is something I always think about when going out for a meal!!!)

          
Taqueria Patzcuaro - 2616 W. 32nd Ave, Denver, Colorado 80211

Taco Nose Best - we're just getting started!

Taco Nose Best - Our first post on Blogger!

Tacos. That's it. Five letters (or four if you're just having a single taco). It's what we eat. It's what we are about. A group of friends realized that our status updates on Facebook usually had to do with tacos. One of us Foursquaring at a Food Truck in Santa Monica - - having some chicken tacos for lunch, another in D.C. wondering if he should go out for tacos or make them at home because afterall it was "Taco Tuesday," and myself, in Denver, who saw a job posting for a newspaper food critic and thought, well I can't apply for that position, as I only eat tacos!  I wouldn't be able to comment on any happenings say, in the French food category. It's also just a week or so after the Kentucky Derby and we're coming up on the Preakness, so all 3 of us have horses on the brain (we won on Mine That Bird in 2009... we have mad skills). Did anyone bet on Daddy Nose Best? Thus, Taco Nose Best. Not sure if it even makes any sense, but we like it for now. Our noses tend to sniff out the best tacos in our cities or when we travel. It's what we do. It's what we want to talk about.

Let's start the taco conversation. What we are cooking up on the grill, the best the worst, the bucket list of taco stands you must try in the USA and Mexico. We also want to hear from you. What you're obsessed with, your taco foodie pics.  We're not going to talk burritos, but we may talk salsas and tequila. We'll probably talk some Social Media too as we love it, live it, and work at it. We are oversharers. Our friends probably are glad to see us start a Taco Blog, but sorry friends, we're still going to update our insane tacos we're eating downtown before we head into a MLB game. It's just who we are. We are Taco Nose Best.