The Jimboy's Problem

Jimboy's Tacos, Auburn, CA
Originally uploaded by gpshead

If you've lived in or around Sacramento for any length of time you've probably seen Jimboy's around, they have dozens of area locations. If not, you have at least heard their "sometimes you gotta have a real taco" ads. Here's the thing though: they can't seem to get a to-go order right. The last few times we've been there for a take out taco order they have managed to give us either, the wrong tacos, the wrong combination of cheese/no-cheese, too many tacos or not enough tacos. Whatever conceivable combination of mixups could happen, have happened.

As for dine-in they seem to get it right most of the time, but take out seems to be beyond their grasp. Tacramento's free advice to you: double check that order before you leave the restaurant!

Nakos Tacos

The Location: UC Davis Quad (Picnic Day only). Nakos Tacos Booth

The Taco: Only one option, labeled simply "Taco".

The Price: 3 for $5

The Verdict: Every year, UCD's Picnic Day offers a variety of student groups selling food and concessions. Every year, Nakos Tacos are there representing the Davis Nu Alpha Kappa fraternity chapter. Every year, I get the same lunch. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit. So, on to the tacos: There's nothing special about them. Plain and simple, they're just meat and red salsa on a corn tortilla. In the taco world it doesn't get much more basic than that. For this review I'm factoring in location to the overall rating. Anywhere else, this taco wouldn't be much to write home about. But at an outdoor venue, where the meat is grilled up fresh right before it is served, and there is a general party atmosphere going on, everything just seems to taste better. The tacos were fresh, in fact the line was long because we were waiting for a fresh batch to come off the grill. The salsa had a nice spicy kick to it which always earns a thumbs up from me. The tortillas seemed to be straight from the package and could have improved by being thrown on the grill or at least a microwave to heat them up a bit. Overall, an edible taco in a good location earns this one a solid middle of the road rating. Nakos, I'll see you next year!

The Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)

SN&R on Taco Trucks

This week's Sacramento News & Review has a good article on local Taco trucks and their impending demise as the Sacramento city council cracks down on this "nuisance". Sounds like we have some new locations to hit before they vanish for good.

Ernesto's Mexican Food

The Location: Ernesto's Sacramento, CA

The Taco: 3 Original Crunchy Taco Combo

The Price: $12.49

The Verdict: 3 crunchy carnitas, sans cheese and beans was the order and boy were they tasty! The tacos were crispy and not greasy. The meat was plentiful full of flavor. The only downside was the mess factor. The tacos were very wide so there was no possible way to take a taco bite without completely crushing the taco first. Also, the meat could have been shredded a bit more. I ended up with large chunks of meat which made it difficult to take dainty bites, as a girl should when she's out in public. Overall, a fantastic super size meal worth the drive!

The Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)

Ernesto's

The Location: Ernesto's Mexican Food, Sacramento

The Taco: Mexico City Taco Combo (Longaniza)

The Price: $8.49

The Verdict: Ernesto's is arguably the best known Mexican restaurant in the midtown area, and for good reason. While some of the prices tend towards the higher-end of the casual dining scale the food is almost always delicious, fresh and very quickly prepared. Not to mention their impressive selection of Tequilas, which could probably encompass a blog of their own. We have eaten at Ernesto's a number of times, so this evening I decided to step out of my normal routine and try something different. I had never tried longaniza before, and frankly I can't even name another restaurant that offers it as an option. I settled on the Mexico City Taco plate (also available with chicken, beef, carnitas, shrimp or fish) and just a few minutes later they were whisked to the table. The meat had an interesting, slightly smoky flavor and the onion/cilantro topping was fresh and well proportioned. The tacos were on the small side, but they are described on the menu as "mini" so I can't fault for that. I could have easily eaten another one, but if you're saving room for dessert then three is probably about right. The sides were standard mexican rice and pinto beans — nothing remarkable, but nothing to complain about either. Conclusions: tasty taco plate, and one of the more reasonably priced items on the menu. Would be perfect as a lunch portion, or as a light dinner.

The Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)

Gordito Burrito

The Location: Gordito Burrito, Elk Grove, CA

The Taco: Carnitas (modified) Hard Shell 3-Taco Combo

The Price: About $8, but I really don't know because Paul picked them up for me.

The Verdict: I really really really wanted to write a glowing review for these tacos. I love the Gordito Fajita Burrito but this is the first time I have branched out from my standard order at this small mexican restaurant. This is a taco blog after all, so I must order tacos!

I really enjoy carnitas. I love the pork meat and all it's wonderful flavor. Traditionally carnitas seem to be served on soft corn tortillas, which are one of my least favorite wraps of tacos! So I always have to special order a carnitas plate with a crunchy shell... and no cheese, did I forget to mention I hate cheese? My toppings of choice are simple, lettuce and pico de gallo.

The shells were great, although a tad soggy on the bottom where the meat was lying. That is to be expected as we got take out and whenever you transport a crunchy taco for 20 minutes before eating it, it's bound to get soggy. The main reason for the deduction in stars on this plate is the meat. The chunks of pork were large and somewhat dry and rough around the edges. So once you get a bite of the pork you have to stuff the whole bit into your mouth because the meat is not soft enough for your bite to cut through it. The pork definitely needed to be shredded more, or cut into smaller pieces. It wouldn't hurt to have it more moist either.

The Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)

Gordito Burrito

The Location: Gordito Burrito, Elk Grove

The Taco: Shredded Beef Hard Shell 3-Taco Combo

The Price: $7.95

The Verdict: I went in with a hunger for a couple of soft-shell tacos. Unfortunately Gordito doesn't offer a combo plate that includes soft tacos, only crunchy. So I opted for the 3-taco shredded beef plate. The meat was flavorful but was cut into pretty big hunks that weren't really shredded; other than the meat the flavor was pretty mild — a quick splash of hot sauce was definitely called for. As for the shells, the "crunchy" tacos ended up being pretty soggy making the crunchy vs. soft debate somewhat moot by the time I got to number three. That said, the portion in each taco was generous and the sides of rice and beans were well proportioned and enjoyable. All in all, these were perfectly adequate tacos that could probably do with being just a bit less drippy.

My Rating: ★★★ ½ (out of 5)

Welcome message

She loves tacos, I love writing about stupid stuff on the Internet. Thus was born a blog. Join us as we look for the Sacramento area's best taco. No burritos, no chimichangas, no fajitas and definitely no "wraps". Not that there's anything wrong with those (except the wrap, which is a slight against all that is holy) but we're staying on topic here. We'll do our best to review as many taco joints as we can reasonably patronize.

Got a favorite taqueria in town? Family owned? Hole in the wall? Perfect! Email us and we'll try to check it out.