Salsa Tacos

The Location: Salsa Tacos, 910 W Capitol Ave, West Sacramento

The Taco: Two item chicken taco plate

The Price: $7.26

The Verdict: Tonight was a return trip to Salsa Tacos which has previously served us up some tasty bites (in the pre-blog era). This was my first time through their tiny drive through, and the service was quick and efficient. Once I got home I found the crunchy tacos a little soggy but I'll blame that on the unfortunate circumstance of a 20-minute drive home and won't subtract any stars. The tacos were otherwise very tasty, with juicy meat and a substantial amount of filling stuffed into the shell. Quick tip if you like it spicy: order the hot salsa and pour it on liberally. It has a good flavor as well as a good amount of heat that manages to be hot enough without burning the taste buds into oblivion. As for the side dishes, both the rice and the refried beans were delicious. I'm not sure if the beans are prepared from scratch, but they tasted like it.

This small restaurant is tucked away on W Capitol Ave directly adjacent to a Jim Boy's Tacos. If you have the choice, I recommend you go for Salsa Tacos over the chain store every time.


The Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)

Taqueria Maria

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Originally uploaded by ptelford

The Location: Taqueria Maria, Roseville

The Taco: Crispy Taco

The Price: $2.25/each

The Verdict: This little restaurant is hidden away behind a gas station, and if you're not paying attention you might easily miss it. That would be a shame, because the food is delicious. The menu is extensive with at least a half-dozen types of meats to choose, several taco choices and all the usual burrito, enchilada, etc. options too. My taco came with a generous helping of pastor (spicy pork), guacamole, sour cream, lettuce & pico. Everything about it tasted fresh and the meat was tender & flavorful. At the risk of ruining my appetite for dinner, I would have happily consumed several of these well-stuffed tacos.

The Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)

Fish Tacos

(Image credit: Sacramento Bee)

There's an article in today's Sacramento Bee about fish tacos and other cuisines of Baja California. Several recipes, including one for fish tacos, included.

Fish tacos are just part of Mexican food tale

http://sacbee.com/1174/v-print/story/1856580.html

Lyla's Mexican Grill

The Location: Lyla's Mexican Grill, Elk Grove, CA

The Taco: Crunchy Carnitas

The Price: About $8

The Verdict: Today I ordered the 2 Carnita's combo plate. Typically this taco is served on soft corn tortillas with sides of rice and beans. I ordered my carnitas with crunchy shells, no cheese, no beans and Lyla's was happy to accommodate! The meat was very well shredded, easy to bite as big or as little as I desired with little to no mess. The pork had great flavor, however most of the seasoning seemed to come from the green salsa and cliantro they put on top of the meat. The salsa they use has a lime flavor to it and it's fabulous. My order was prompt, hot and perfectly crunchy! They served us chips while we waited for our entrees and there was a fresh salsa bar with great salsa's to choose from.

Being the bargain hunter I am, the last time we were there we used the buy one get one free coupon from the 2009 Entertainment book. I went online for an additional printable Entertainment book coupon of 20% off the total order for today's visit. Even though I'm out of coupons, I will be back to Lyla's!

The Rating: ★★★ ½ (out of 5)

Rubio's Fish Tacos

The Location: Rubio's on Truxel Rd

The Taco: Carnitas Rajas Taco plate

The Price: About $7

The Verdict: Normally I wouldn't review a chain store here, other than to add the occasional rant, but my co-blogger argued that a taco is a taco, and that they all deserve a fair shot at fame. So, just in case you can't quite decide whether or not to patronize your local mall taco stand, here goes.

This taco was overflowing with ingredients with a good portion of carnitas, grilled peppers, onions, lettuce as well as some cheese and taco sauce thrown in to the mix. While I'd usually expect to find the peppers & grilled onions on a fajita or a burrito rather than a taco, they were still a welcome ingredient. The onions were sweet and not overpowering, but the peppers were a little soggy. The carnitas were moist and flavorful and exceeded my expectations. The tacos were a little overwhelmed with lettuce which adds nothing to the flavor and is probably there just for looks. Also, I must add that the cotija cheese is not one of my favorites, but that is more personal preference than anything else.

Overall, this taco scores points for flavor but I subtracted a half-star for over-abundance of filler (lettuce). If I found myself stranded in a mall I would be willing to order this again.

The Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)