[My ongoing series for 2016 continues ... with the THIRTY-SEVENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!]
Establishment: Zona Fresca
Location: Ft Lauderdale
Meal: Dinner
Drink: Dr. Pepper
Appetizers: Nachos with Steak (no Beans)
fresh corn chips, melted jack and cheddar cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and steak
Main: Three Street Taco Platter
one each of Chicken Breast with grilled nopales cactus, avocado, cilantro, onions, and lemony dressing, Roasted Pork with pickled onions and cilantro and Baja Fish authentic Baja-style! fresh beer battered fish with shredded cabbage, pico, and our own tangy dressing
Side(s): Chips and Guac
Dessert: n/a
Server: Francisco
Website: http://zonafresca.com/locations/fort_lauderdale
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zonafresca
When it comes to quick tacos ... there are places like Taco Bell (the common denominator for the common folk) and sit down restaurants of Mexican or Mex-fusion persuasion ... and then there are the Tijuana Taxis of the world that seem like a frat boy's version of his favorite late night taco joint. Into the mix comes Zona Fresca, a southern Florida mini-chain (with eyes at expansion ... a common thread in this series for many of these soFlo chains) and it has taken its place at the top of the pyramid because if provides an authentic taste via counter service. It may not be as experimental as the taco food trucks in the scene, but it solidly scores (see below, remembering that a place without bacon automatically starts at a disadvantage on my scoring scale):
AMBIANCE: 9/10 (bright and fresh and clean, with a separate salsa bar and outdoor seating -- what's not to love! ... plus parking [not a lot ... but enough] and what sounded like authentic mexi-music playing ... just a single point lost because the line of those waiting to order backs up into the eating area)
FOOD: 7/10 (I was pleasantly surprised to see the tacos all came double wrapped ... and I really enjoyed the buttery texture of the not-chunky guac ... as for the individual types of tacos sampled, the fish was the tastiest, followed by the juicy juicy flavorful pork and last was the chicken -- a point comes off for that chicken one being overwhelmed by the cilantro, a second point gets deducted because the homemade chips weren't warm [which would have elevated the nacho appetizer], and a final point is lost because they contract with that *other* soda provider instead of with Coca-Cola)
SERVICE: 9/10 (it's another counter service location, but the gentleman behind the register was friendly and efficient ... and had a way of calling everyone "boss" with it sounding sincere and not cloying ... just a point lost because he touched the tip jar before taking the order ... I'm not even certain that it was deliberate, but more of a subconscious stroke of the container ... I would have tipped either way, but it was the only mildly off-putting part of the exchange)
BACON: 5/10 (this is the fourth Mexican restaurant in this series, and I'll say here what I said for two of the other three: "it's a tricky category, as traditional authentic Mexican food is more about the fresh ingredients ... and although the menu includes many references to pork and carnitas and such, the reality is that I didn't see a single reference to bacon on the menu ... out of sensitivity to the culture and because of the high scores in all the other categories, I'll put a few points on the board")
BONUS: 10/10 (+3 for having the audacity to make fun of the gringos not once, but *twice* on the menus [implying weaker taco and weaker beer choices], +3 for being popular enough to have lines yet efficient enough to move through them quickly [just during our meal, which was #395, they processed another 30 orders], +3 for the option of outdoor seating set back far enough from the main highway that it would feel like patio eating and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return)
TroyScore: 40 out of 50 -- aka 80, barely a B
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