Random Taste for Thursday 1/26/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the THIRD of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  The Whole Enchilada
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Freestyle Sproke (half Sprite/half Coke)
Appetizer:  Guac and Chips
Main:  The Whole Enchilada Platter
corn tortillas stuffed with jack and cheddar cheese and meat [I chose steak], topped with melted cheese, "red" sauce and sour cream
Side(s):  Pinto Beans and Mexican Rice
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   name not provided (see below) for this counter service location
Website:  http://twefreshmex.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TWEfreshmex

Maybe it was the wrong location (they have three listed on their website).  Maybe it was the wrong employee.  Maybe it was the wrong night.  But whatever the case, finally choosing this taco joint that we've driven past many a time just didn't quite live up to the hype on the website about being "feisty", "fun and friendly" with a "'cutting edge' charisma".  The details as to how it scored on the Troy-scale follow:

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (as you might be able to tell from the accompanying photo, this location is a converted gas station, which gives it a bit of a charm -- including a conversion of where the gas pumps were into an outdoor eating area with picnic tables and an ability to roll up the garage doors to give it all a very open vibe ... which is necessary because inside it's a little small and a little crowded, and a point is lost because that meant that our table by the freestyle soda machine was practically on top of the line of people waiting to self serve their drinks ... and a second point is lost for having sticky tables upon our arrival -- which, in retrospect, may be because of its proximity to said machine)

FOOD:           8/10 (with the disclaimer that Mexican is not necessarily my favorite of categories, everything was good for what it was and I was pleased that all the items weren't just mixed together on a plate, that the steak pieces in the enchiladas were large and meaty and that the guac was smooth and creamy ... my main disappointments were that the chips seemed old or stale [might they have been made fresh earlier that day?] and the freestyle Coke machine was out of cherry flavoring)

SERVICE:      8/10 (let me just say that it's a good thing the "food runner" was friendly, or else this score might have been lower than what it ended up as ... mind you, we've been to many a counter service location, so the bar is a little lowered knowing that the interactions are somewhat limited -- but this "order taker" didn't even seem to be present during the exchange [point lost], as evidenced by getting the order wrong of a tablemate [see second serving of nachos pictured, seeing as how the first ones did not arrive as ordered ... which explains the second point lost])

BACON:         5/10 (as often happens with Mexican restaurants and/or taco joints, I couldn't find a single reference to bacon on the menu ,,, so I'll say what I said before:  "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 [13 according to the browser counter], the reality is that bacon was not to be found ... out of sensitivity to the culture, I'll put a few points on the board")

BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for having something called the "ex-wife challenge" [details provided from its website below], +3 for the retro pop playing [retro as in y2k music, which counts as "classic" nowadays] and +3 for the creative use of the renovated gas station space]) 

“Because it seemed like a good idea at the time…”
Those willing to take on the ex-wife challenge will have 45 minutes during one sitting to complete the entire burrito and all of its accompaniments. If successful ~ it ‘s free and you will receive a TWE shirt and a forever gift of remembrance at The Whole Enchilada Fresh Mexican Grill.
THE EX-WIFE

a combined 6 pounds of mexican rice, black or pinto beans, jack and cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, lettuce and sour cream with your choice of charbroiled chicken, ground beef, pork or tofu along with a healthy side of chips.

TroyScore:  38 out of 50 -- aka 76, a C

Random Taste for Thursday 1/12/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the FIRST of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

ADMIN NOTE:  This location is now closed, but other ones in the area are open.
Establishment:  Rubio's Coastal Grill
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Fountain Sproke (half Sprite/half Coke)
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Rubio's Coastal Trio
The Original Fish Taco® - Our signature recipe that started it all in 1983.
Salsa Verde Shrimp Taco - Shrimp, pan-seared and topped with salsa verde.
Wild Mahi Mahi Taco - Grilled Wild Mahi Mahi topped with fire-roasted corn, creamy chipotle sauce, cilantro/onion mix, and cabbage.
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  Churro
Server:   Shad (although it was counter service)
Website:  https://www.rubios.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RubiosFortLauderdale302/

It's a NEW year ... and a NEW set of tastes ... so why not start it all for 2017 with a brand NEW eating establishment?  Well, actually, if you're reading this and you're from the coast of California, then you already have heard of this company that just NEWly expanded into Florida by taking over the locations of the local Lime Mexican Grill that recently closed.  With a concept committed to fresh quality ingredients, they succeed in making healthier food taste great.  As for how they fared on the Troy-scale, see below:

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (it was indeed bright and clean and shiny ... which is to be expected for a location like this that is brand spanking new ... just a point lost because the table at which we sat was sticky and a second one lost because there was a homeless man wandering around talking to himself while the manager was out cleaning tables [sadly, he was too late for ours] and nothing was done [he said afterwards he thought he was with someone])

FOOD:            8/10 (they might still be working out the mahi mahi, what with it being a special add for the Florida menus, and a point is is being docked because it was the least successful of the tacos in my trio [and in my tablemate's option of a mahi-mahi bowl, also pictured below] and that may have been because it was the tiniest piece ... the signature fish taco had a much "meat"ier chunk of fish ... but the shrimp taco was clearly the star as it was packed with flavor and had toppings that heightened the taste of every bite ... the churro was hot and fresh and dusted liberally with good stuff ... just one additional point lost because it's a taco place that somehow doesn't serve guac on the side)

SERVICE:      8/10 (as a counter service location, it's all about that ordering interaction, and the employee taking our order was knowledgeable and right on top of the greeting as soon as we stepped up to the register ... corporate would also be happy to know that he was on top of the upselling opportunities and even found a way to bring it up multiple times without being too annoying, although his constant repetition of the customer's name was slightly off-putting, so a point lost ... and a second point is docked because it did seem to take a bit long to get the food after ordering [perhaps the price to pay for freshly cooked quality meals])

BACON:         8/10 (somehow the special featured plate I ordered didn't include bacon as any taco topping [how did I miss that?] ... but it was listed five times on the special Florida menu, so a point for each of those references and then another three bonus points because their website calls out [all natural] bacon in their mission statement)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for having an outdoor patio [even if it was too cool to sit outside that night], +3 for NOT having any tip pressure at a counter location [which is rare for Florida even thought the service interaction is limited at that type of establishment], +3 for a membership club that has already sent some free entree coupons our way and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return, especially to get some of that [all natural] bacon)

TroyScore:  42 out of 50 -- aka 84, a solid B

Random Taste for Thursday 9/22/16

[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