Why is that place always so busy? Sure, the location is great. The name is fun. But who would wait in such a long line for tacos? In Los Angeles, I get it, but New Orleans? Maybe the lack of great tacos has made this place royalty. We always wanted to try Barracuda Tacos but refused to wait in that line. Fortunately, they opened another location on our side of the river! So, naturally, we ate almost everything there.
Yelp! It is a platform that we’ve used for years, but have never really talked about on the blog. Why? It has always been a bit taboo, I suppose. Yelp doesn’t like their users doubling up their reviews. They see it as a conflict of interest. They have some control issues. As a result, we’ve always said no to their annual invites to be Yelp Elite. We play it safe by avoiding be too far in Yelp. Still, we love to use it for the following reason.
Tacos are one of the greatest foods of all time. Fight me. They can be done in any manner of ways, but if you get the essentials right, they are little pockets of joy. Price ranges for tacos can vary—especially in Los Angeles. You can go to your local taco truck and get three tacos for $4 or you can go to a fancy trendy restaurant and pay $6 for one taco.
Disclaimer: This was NOT on our original list, but it should’ve been! Why? When I first arrived in LA to visit Fit’s family, on the way home from the airport, I remember her mum pointing this place out and saying, “they have the best tortillas ever.” I’ve heard that dozens of times over the years and we finally had the chance to try them out! (Fit went here from time to time while growing up.)
Next up in our Must-Visit LA Restaurants of 2018 project is Casablanca! So, a little more background before we talk food at Casablanca… our friends were in town and were nice enough to let us know! When we asked where they wanted to eat, one said that her brother recommended this spot since they were staying in Venice. I was thrilled to finally have the chance to test out Casablanca’s tortillas and I was NOT disappointed.
Even though we strolled in right around the start of peak dinner hours, they were already nearly full, but we were seated immediately. It is a very interesting spot: imagine a Hollywood-inspired building from a past century that transported you to Morocco and served you Mexican food. While it probably belongs closer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it fits in Venice very well. It’s been around forever. Warmth builds in the tight dining room with what feels like a low ceiling, especially when you notice the tortillas being made a few feet away and realize that the piano is behind played behind your back. This place has a lot of character.
This is from Valentine’s Day to a lovely wedding in Mexico City!
Valentine’s Day included an amazing meal at The Ponte
Our friend and client in Colorado has been talking about this place, Comida, since I’ve met her. She said the first time she had a taco there, she cried because it was so good. She’s been trying to get us to go and finally on our last day in Colorado, we went with her for some lunch. Comida is located in Longmont, Colorado, but could easily be placed in New York or Los Angeles–it’s trendy!
Comida is basically gourmet Mexican. I don’t necessarily love gourmet, but I do love me some Mexican. The menu was fairly small, which I like. Most of the options had meat, so I opted for an egg and bean quesadilla. Chris and Crystal got three varieties of tacos and we all split a plate of nachos. Crystal got a watermelon jalapeno margarita and a pomegranate lemonade, I got a Jamaican margarita, and Chris got a Boylan’s soda. It was a wonderful array of food.
Presentation is beautiful, no doubts there. They definitely make it look appetizing so that you can’t wait to dig in. The plates are stylish as is the way they lay everything out. Prices are decent. It’s gourmet, so it’s a little more expensive than your typical Mexican joint–about $4 per taco. However, on most dishes, the flavor is worth the slightly expensive price. Hungry really enjoyed the tacos (especially Stella’s Pork Carnitas) and I couldn’t get enough of the Not ‘Yo Nachos. The quesadilla was slightly less in flavor, but luckily I had some salsa to dunk it in. My margarita was also delicious!
All in all, I would come back. We got to sit outside, which was very nice and peaceful. The flavors are great and are enough of a reason for us to return if we have the time when we visit Colorado again. All in all, Comida gets a thumbs up from Hungry and Fit!
This brunch favorite can be yours in ten minutes or less! Okay, sorry that sounded like a sales pitch, but I’m super passionate about this dish. My spin on it is delicious and healthy! It’s always my go-to when I don’t feel like doing a lot of cooking, but still want to stay on the nutritious side. It’s pretty simple and I’m always happy eating it. Let’s try it out.
Chop dem tomaters
Don’t forget your tortilla!
BONUS KITTY PIC
I think we may have found one of the best Mexican spots in Boulder. Yes, I’m excited too. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s a scenic drive through the Wild West (it seems like). You pass these old rusted buildings, lots of old mining spots, and such. Anyhow, we get there one night, and it’s packed. And it’s a Wednesday! Obviously, this place was popular. And it had good reason to be.
The spot is called Efrain’s II as in #2. Yes, weird name, but there are actually 3 of these wonderful restaurants, one in Layfayette and Longmont as well. They obviously saw the good fortune in expanding, and boy are we glad they did! We get there around 7:30-8pm and wait for a table for around 20-30 minutes. I had a margarita while we waited and we watched some baseball. I was surprised how busy it was because it was a Wednesday. Come on, people! But it was a good sign. Chris had gone there with his friend a few weeks earlier and had wanted to take me because he knows my fervent love of good Mexican food (helloooo, I grew up in SoCal).
Great margarita!
Mr. Muscles over here
Chris’ meal from a few weeks earlier
Once finally seated, they were quick to serve us with some chips and salsa. The bad thing about this is that there were endless refills. So yes, I obviously filled up on chips and could barely eat my meal. No surprises here, folks! As I sipped away on my margarita, Chris got a Mexican Coke (he loooooooves them). He ordered the Steak San Lorenzo (a sizable meal that even he couldn’t finish) and I ordered the fajitas. Vegetarian, of course.
Mexican coke
I couldn’t believe how big my portion was. For my fajita platter, I received three tortillas, a huge plate of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, beans, rice, guac, etc. and a huge pot of fajita-styled vegetables. I couldn’t believe it. Everything was cooked well with lots of flavor. Chris thoroughly enjoyed his steak and we left a happy couple. The atmosphere is kinda hectic, but once you get seated, you’re in your own happy bean-and-cheese world. I can’t wait to go there again and again. Good Mexican food with a good price? Don’t mind if I do. Load up on Mexican food to stay hungry and fit!
Chris’ steak smothered in veggies
My ENTIRE MEAL
Close-up because it’s so pretty
Hi
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BONUS KITTY PIC
Nymeria kneading away
This is going to a short review and although I should have just put it up on Yelp and not on this website, I can’t help myself because I want to talk about empanadas a bit extra because they are awesome. I will start by saying that I do not recommend this location, although I haven’t had empanadas anywhere else in Boulder. Despite the lack of competition, I cannot say that I enjoyed this meal but this is subjective and here is my issue.
Empanadas are flavorful. They are not typically overly healthy. A pastry filled with vegetables and meat. It’s got some dead carbs in it but the crust is one of my favorite parts. These crusts were not on point for me. I am selective and enjoy it being crispy on the outside and slightly softer on the inside due to the absorption of liquids from the inside where the fillings are hiding. There was nothing memorable about these crusts other than the fact that they were served piping hot to the point that I had to wait ten minutes before I could touch it. Hot food is great… you know its fresh but the highest quality food service locations will serve food the temperature it should be eaten at if they do their job right. But who cares about the outside, right? It’s the inside that matters.
Well, between a carnivore and a vegetarian, we nearly got every kind of empanada on the menu. Chicken, beef, spinach, cheese, open face, traditional, etc. There were no flavor profiles. The flavors were not developed at all. At first I thought that it was just too hot to taste but once they cooled down there were still no flavor profiles. It was a major miss. The service was good, the restaurant is cute, and it’s a little pricey for the portion sizes, but it’s very pricey for the taste of the food. We got Mexican orange soda, which was a treat, but the empanadas were lacking.
Now, I have a lot of experience with empanadas and I’ve even had my share of Argentine ones so I think that I am a fair judge of what is a flavorful empanada. This is Boulder, so they might be going for the this is healthy and natural type of thing, but that’s not what I think of for an empanada. It’s a pocketful of flavor, not nature and health. Whether it’s the Stable in Jersey, food trucks in Brooklyn, supermarket in Peru, or anywhere else I’ve had empanadas, they’ve been full of flavor. Now, I’m not trying to be mean and if you want to try this location, I won’t stop you. They’re nice people and they’re authentic people, but they’re not people who gave me tasty empanadas. We’ll keep you updated on our search for empanadas in Boulder and until then, stay hungry and fit!
(This is a good place to go if you want to watch good futbol matches with a cool Mexican coke or orange soda! Stop in just to check that out!)
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This is a review of a review. Every year the readers of Boulder Weekly vote on the Best of Boulder County and while it is all opinion, local businesses love to hang their awards throughout their shops and eateries. Although we haven’t even lived here for a year, we have tried to eat and venture to as many places that our busy lives allow. We are also very opinionated, especially when it comes to food. People can claim they love food as much as me but I would challenge you to put your money where your mouth is if you doubt our hunger. So I’m essentially going to flip from page to page and rant when I feel necessary so hang in there.
The cover features a picture of Naoto Kanda, the owner of Sushi Zanmai. His restaurant won Best Japanese Restaurant. Despite recommendations from my boss, Ryan, and our family/friend, Fred, we have yet to try this location because every time we walk by it is closed. Despite mediocre Yelp reviews, we’re going ASAP so look for an upcoming review.
Before I move on, since I have already gone through the whole magazine, I would like to say that this isn’t really a fair judge of the Best of Boulder County. I would venture to estimate that 90% of the votes received are from people living in Boulder like ourselves. Other towns in Boulder County, with lower populations and population density, most likely are not fairly represented but it is a poll for readers and everyone acknowledges that truth.
Best American Bistro… who cares. I don’t eat bistro sized or priced portions typically so I can’t say much about the top five here. Best Appetizers went to The Med and the one time we went we did enjoy the multitude of appetizers that our large group got so fair enough. Who cares about best brunch? Not me. I want more meals so I break them down… not combine them.
Megan’s Graduation at The Med…and Chris has Bell’s Palsy here so no judging!
Here is the first crime. Best Asian Fusion Restaurant. Chez Thuy won with Japango coming in fourth place. Chez Thuy was one of our worst dining experiences yet. We ordered a lot of variety and nearly everything we had was bad. Not decent, but bad. The pad thai was awful. Second worst I’ve ever had to Pong Sri in New York City. Japango was also a bad meal and the menu did not represent many Asian cultures. You want good Asian Fusion… go to Kho’s Asian Bistro in Longmont. It’s New York or L.A. quality.
Kho’s
I’d have to give Best Bakery to Spruce Confections. Their pies and croissants made our family from across the country and world very happy on Thanksgiving. Breadworks serves “fresh” bread at the Farmer’s Market and by fresh I mean stale. Dot’s Diner rightfully wins best breakfast for the bucks. Don’t sleep on The Buff or Turley’s for best breakfast even though they place third and not on the top five. And please try the Panaderia on 28th Street. It has a museum’s worth of delicious Mexican and Latin American baked choices. That should definitely be on the top five for best bakery now that we think about it.
Our latest trip to Spruce
Dot’s Diner breakfast
Us at the Buff! (that’s Alana’s brother on the left)
Racks of delicious baked goods at Panaderia
Larkburger winning best burger is a sham. It was the worst burger I’ve had in town yet. Expensive, slow, small, and worthless. Mountain Sun takes the cake for me, and Mustard’s Last Stand is the best burger for the buck. Moe’s bagels and service has been awful every time that I have gone and we have Einstein’s in Pennsylvania so it wins by default for having locations near New Jersey and New York.
Tempeh burger at Mustard’s (basically what Alana gets)
Las Palmeras in Longmont has the best burritos along with some Taqueria on Lashley Street. Seriously, if Boulder locations win best burrito with the population of Mexican Americans that exist in Longmont, it’s obvious where people have eaten. Not in the right place. China Gourmet and Tsing Tao are the best Chinese restaurants. China Gourmet is one of the best Chinese food places I have ever eaten in my life. If you want a good restaurant dessert, you need to go back to Kho’s Asian Bistro or Pasta Vino in Boulder. They have a tower of puff pastry and fresh fruit greatness that tops anything I had at The Med.
Pasta Vino awesome dessert
I have no quarrels with Best Fine Dining because we’ve only been to John’s Restaurant and The Cork. Ripple and Glacier win as they should for frozen yogurt and ice cream. Tibet Kitchen should win best Indian/Nepali Restaurant or whatever category it fits best into. We haven’t been happy with any Italian yet so that’s that.
Tibet Kitchen…heaven
Snarf’s sandwiches are the best. Sun Deli has some good sandwiches as well, definitely better than Deli Zone. Best overall restaurants are Kho’s Asian Bistro and Korea House. Tibet Kitchen and Mediterranean Market are best non restaurant style eateries. Abo’s is the best slice and pizzeria… the makers of this poll don’t know what a pizzeria is. The best gyro is Med Market and not Falafel King. Kho’s and Korea house have the highest quality fish for sushi we’ve had so far. Much higher than Tora and Japango. Tibet Kitchen is the most vegetarian friendly so says Alana the veggie. It also gets the best chai drink. You can tell where we like to eat right? Well that’s enough of my ranting. I’ll stop there before we get into gyms and grocery stores and useless things. We’ll try more restaurants and have a better input for next year. Stay hungry and fit!
Snarf’s
Mediterranean Market platter
