[My ongoing series for 2016 continues ... with the TWENTY-NINTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!]
Establishment: Taquería Doña Raquél
Location: Pompano Beach
Meal: Dinner
Drink: (a few) Tecate
pale lager beer
Appetizer: Choriqueso
melted cheese dip with Mexican chorizo
Main: (Tres) Gorditas
cornmeal pocket, with sour cream and cheese and meat -- one chicken, one grilled steak and one pork rinds
Side(s): Chips and Salsas (one hot, one hotter)
Dessert: n/a
Server: Milca
Website: not applicable
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Taqueria-Do%C3%B1a-Raquel-121075597933818/
Here's the hard truth. I'm not a fan of Mexican food. I said it before that it's mostly all in my head ... and something about textures and food running together and too many dishes with beans. That being said, I know that life is such that I'm going to be eating this type of cuisine every now and then, and I can't always order fajitas (my go to) or tacos (my second go to) or just eat a whole meal of guac and chips (I haven't done it yet ... but I have thought about it). I think it's important to keep that in mind when reading how tonight's score came about:AMBIANCE: 8/10 (the whole plaza seems connected [with a restaurant, a convenience store, a meat store, etc.] and it's fun to feel like you are in Mexico when you step on the parking lot, especially with the authentic music playing ... there's a lot to be said for an open kitchen format where you see everything being made just beyond your table [although the boy making it looked to be about 12] ... a point lost for for being a bit too bright and another one docked for TV screens that were pimped out as ads that barely moved [the same real estate guy on the screen stared at me the whole meal])FOOD: 7/10 (the details I shared in the intro notwithstanding, I particular enjoyed that the salsas were clearly homemade and very spicy with homemade chips, that the appetizer lived up to its warning that it was extra sticky and I have no doubt that my main meal was authentic with crispy gordita shells ... but a point lost for not being able to tell which one was which by sight, another lost for being packed full of the extras moreso than the meat and a final point taken off because although it was a nice touch to serve the strawberry candies with the bill, the candies tasted as if they were as old as Mexico itself)SERVICE: 8/10 (this is difficult ... because our waitress *wanted* to take our order and we put her off for more beers and chips and conversation and then when we were finally ready, a party table had slipped in and was taking up all of her time ... but I still have to dock a point for there not being any solution for that issue other than us raising our hands over and over again until we could get her attention, and a second point for feeling a little rushed as they were doing closing prep and we were still chowing down)BACON: 6/10 (chorizo is like bacon [kind of?] and so are pork rinds [ish?])BONUS: 9/10 (+3 for the best huevo rancheros and beans that someone at our table who really really enjoys Mexicans said he had had recently, +3 for the authenticity of it all that left me with tingly lips on the ride home and +3 for the bathtub Jesus in the parking lot [see photo below])
TroyScore: 38 out of 50 -- aka 76, a solid C
[My ongoing series for 2016 continues ... with the FOURTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!]
Establishment: Calypso Restaurant & Raw Bar
Location: Pompano Beach
Meal: Dinner
Drink: TALL Guinness
Appetizer: Conch Chowder
Sweet conch with fresh vegetables and tomatoes in a spicy broth
Appetizer 2: Stuffed Mushrooms
Fresh mushrooms baked with our own seafood stuffing
Appetizer 3: Smoked Fish Dip
House smoked dolphin dip, served with fresh jalapenos and flat bread crackers
Appetizer 4: House Salad with House Jamaican Ginger dressing
A small salad with fresh greens, tomato, cucumber and shredded carrots.
Main: Stuffed Shrimp
6 Large shrimp stuffed with our seafood vegetable stuffing, topped with bacon then baked
Side(s): Baked Potato (with butter and bacon) and fresh Corn on the Cob
Dessert: (homemade) Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Server: Julio
Website: http://www.calypsorestaurant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caypso
Since vacationing here a few years ago before the big move to become a local, we always thought that the southern Florida culinary experience was barbecue ... somehow totally missing the fact that it's a about finding a place that buys fish just pulled out of the ocean every morning to put on your plate for lunch or dinner. And this is one of those places. This is also one of only two places since starting this series that has earned the highest score issued so far. Here's how:AMBIANCE: 9/10 (in a strip mall [which is a thing down here in Florida], it had plenty of parking [although the parking lot seemed a bit potentially dangerous with lots of traffic, some of it speeding through] ...and the inside was cozy, with two dining sections and a tiki bar along the wall ... the island decorations were a hoot [see photo below for what joined us at our table] ... just one point lost for a sunset that blinded one side of the table in our party every time the door opened)FOOD: 9/10 (with as much food as was on the table at once, the overall consensus was that everything was delicious ... from the just-the-right-amount-of-spicy conch chowder, to the kick of the house salad dressing, to the firm and flavorful smoky fish/dolphin dip [emphasis on the smoke], to the freshest of fresh seafood ... just one point lost for a feeling at the end of the meal that everything was fresh and tasty, but that it seemed like each dish was missing that extra something something to kick things up a notch)SERVICE: 10/10 (the server made a point to go through all of the specials, and gave us time to completely review a packed menu ... and each round of food came right on time, served hot ... plus the gentleman I assume to be the owner made the rounds and checked in just often enough to make us all feel very welcome)BACON: 10/10 (okay, I'll admit it ... I chose this seafood meal specifically for the bacon it featured, and I was not disappointed ... plus the server and the kitchen made it possible for me to get bacon added to my baked potato despite that not being a published option on the menu)BONUS: 10/10 (+3 for having so much bacon that I was picking it out of my teeth on the way home, +3 for getting there at 7pm, which apparently was just a few minutes before the line out the door started, +3 for a menu that had so many items that ... this is a place to which we definitely have to return [+1])
TroyScore: 48 out of 50 -- aka 96, a high A (only the second time this high score has been issued so far)
