Mr. Mustacheo – West St. Paul, MN

West St. Paul got a new restaurant that opened this week and based on the menu alone, I knew I had to eat there. When the wife suggested it, it didn’t take much arm-twisting to get me in the car. I scoped out the menu ahead of time to help narrow down some decisions. They’ve got a big push for their mexi-wings and tacos, but there are other things on the menu, as well. They have some boneless wings, quesadillas, a sushi burrito, some sandwiches, a type of burrito bowl, some good sides, and even a few unique salad options. Check out their menu before you go so you can make some good decisions.  

We ordered some Pipian wings, and my wife was feeling invincible, so we got pineapple habanero wings (the hottest wings on the menu), taco al pastor, fish taco, and an order of waffle fries. We also got Limoncito to drink. There’s a salsa bar with mild, medium, and hot salsa, so you can grab whatever your flavor is while you wait for your food – they’re very quick, so it won’t be long. All the salsas are homemade, and have deliciously unique flavors – very happy with the three options.

 

The wings were fantastic. I’m not afraid of heat, but I’m also not the guy that walks into a wings place and orders the hottest wings on the menu. The pineapple habanero wings were really awesome though – don’t get me wrong, they’re hot, but not pointless hot – they actually have flavor. A lot of my daredevil friends would say they aren’t hot enough, but I was really happy with them. More of a thick sauce, than a drizzle sauce, but bright flavors and not angry ones you sometimes get when people are just trying to hurt their friends. 

 

The Pipian wings were a flavor I haven’t had before – the website describes it as a “creamy ancestral blend of pumpkin seeds, herbs, and chili”, which I’m now a huge fan of. Lots of meat on all of these wings, and I’ll be looking forward to working my way through all of the flavors on this list. These wings actually DO have Mexican flavors in the sauces, which is why they’re called mexi-wings – the chef really makes those flavors shine.

The Taco Al Pastor was filled with so much delicious pork and pineapple chunks - look at the photo to see how full these tacos are. I tried bites with all three salsas and decided the mild green salsa was the best combo for me. But they didn’t skimp on the fillings, so I was really happy with this order. 

 

The Fish Taco had a great breading on it and lots of fillings, as well. All of the salsas were good on this one, so don’t be afraid to order this one. There’s a bit of an upcharge for the fried fish (and for the shrimp), but it’s totally worth it. Live a little!

 

The waffle fries I thought would be boring, but they were very heavily seasoned and fried perfectly. We ended up dragging the waffle fries through the sauces from our wings and were really happy we did – in fact, the best dip was the pineapple habanero sauce with the fries.

 

And I would also suggest getting the Limoncito – it’s a drink made with limes, sugar, and muddled mint – like the lime version of a lemon shake-up with a mojito flavor. Soooo good. 

And, they have an axolotl on the sign for the restrooms, so you know they appreciate the fun things in life.

 

The owner (yes, he does have an awesome mustache) came out and chatted with us to make sure we were happy and we assured him everything was delicious and we needed to try more things on the menu. We will definitely be back to Mr. Mustacheo. Tell your friends and neighbors to go check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

https://mrmustacheo.com/

Abarrotes Carrillo - Davenport, IA

 

I went here with some friends a while back and we had a really outstanding meal, so I knew I needed to take D here to try it for herself. Unfortunately, they had a large fire and had to rebuild for many months, so we had to wait. But now that they’re open, it’s even better than it was. 

 

The place is always hopping, so you may end up waiting for a table, especially evenings and weekends. We got seated right away and scoured the menu. Lots of traditional dishes that you’d recognize and then some specialties that not ever knows. We ended up ordering Costillas de Puerco (short pork ribs) with chili rojo. D got a chorizo taco and a huarache with adobada or marinated steak. 

 

I tried to get her to order a Pambazo, which is a sandwich similar to a traditional torta, but the bread is dipped and fried in enchilada sauce. I’ve only seen it a few restaurants, so I know it’s something special. But every one that I’ve tried has been amazing. Next time. 

 

They bring out chips and salsa to the table, and it’s plenty hot. Which reminded us that we hadn’t ordered anything to drink. At this restaurant you just go the cases along the wall and grab yourself something and tell the server what you got. It works out well for everyone. 

 

The chorizo taco was really flavorful. I’ve had some dud chorizo tacos in my day and this wasn’t one of them. Lots of flavor and it didn’t just taste like rendered fat/grease. Really good. 

The Costillas de Puerco were actually amazing. I never know the right way to eat it but I always de-bone first, and then can just scoop all my ingredients into the tortillas provided without fear of losing a tooth. The meat was ridiculously tender and deeply rich and the chili sauce had a ton of flavor. Homemade corn tortillas really brought the flavor to this dish, as well. Super happy with this dish.

 

D’s huarache was the highlight of the show. We weren’t expecting a quilt-sized tortilla stuff with ingredients, yet here we were. The steak flavor was really amazing (it helps that this restaurant is also a butcher shop and small market), and there was plenty of it in the dish. Again, that homemade tortilla wasn’t just massive, it was also thick and fluffy – borderline pancake. Go get this thing right away. 

 

This restaurant is now one of our go-to places in the Quad Cities. There are so many good Mexican restaurants in the Quad Cities that it takes a lot to stand out above the rest – but this one does. I’d recommend it very highly. 

 

Top five things about Abarrotes Carrillo

1.     Huarache

2.     Costillas de Puerco

3.     Chorizo taco

4.     Homemade tortillas

5.     I haven’t had the Pambazo here, but seeing it on the menu can only be a good thing!

 

https://m.facebook.com/abarrotescarrillo/

Nally’s Kitchen – Davenport, IA

D.Rough and I were in the Quad Cities visiting some friends and we both stumbled across recommendations for this place independently – which meant we probably should go there. 

It’s a small little shop, but it does have plenty of room in the dining room for 15 tables or so. 

We checked out the menu behind the register and finally decided what we wanted – it wasn’t easy, since everything sounded delicious and there are photos of some of the dishes that kept making us change our minds.

We went with an order of empanadas – one of each of the dinner ones (meaning, not the dessert ones, which they are known for, as well), and the beef enchilada plate to split. We didn’t want to over-do it, so we kept the order small…. Or so we thought…

They brought out chips and salsa to the table, which was exactly what we needed (we were starving). Great homemade chips and the salsa had a little amount of heat to it, but great flavor. The server noticed we plowed through the first basket of chips and brought us another – super service!

The enchiladas came out and looked so tasty. A good amount of cheese on top, without being completely covered. The rice and beans were fine and I ended up eating all of those, since D.Rough didn’t want to waste her time on them – hahaha. The beef enchiladas were really awesome. Tons of meat in them, which great flavor and the enchilada sauce clearly was NOT from a can. Fantastic enchiladas!

The empanadas were where it’s at, though. Light and flaky crust and lots of filling inside each one. Also, molten lava. These were the best things we ate the whole trip! I think how we ordered them (one of each) is the best way to eat these, but some people like to really commit to one, so here is the order that I would place them in based on my own internal and random rating system:

1. Chicken
2. Cheese Steak
3. Spicy Ham
4. Cheesy Potato Bacon
5. Beef
6. Potato with Chorizo

Note: Nally's does have some dessert empanadas and stuffed churros, as well, but we were too stuffed to eat anything else - NEXT TIME!!!

The folks here at Nally’s Kitchen were really nice and helpful. They were rockin’ some awesome music from the kitchen (I’m a big fan of Jose Jose and I was singing along with it in the dining room). The food selection is pretty impressive and the quality and taste can back it all up. Just get here, if you’re passing through the area or if you live there. Really top-notch Mexican food.

www.nallyskitchen.com

Lola Empanada – San Tan Valley, AZ

D.Rough and I were driving back to Phoenix from a visit to family in Tucson. D.Rough had been looking at food destinations off the beaten path between Tucson and Phoenix and kept seeing Lola Empanada come up. We left a little early to make sure we had time to stop by Lola and check it all out. I’m so glad we did.

The place wasn’t busy when we arrived and the woman working was having her really awesome and friendly young kids help us out. They were adorable. It took us a minute to decide on lunch, but we figured it out with some compromising, so we could try more things.

We got:

• Chicken bacon jalapeño popper
• Green chili chicken
• Spicy beef
• Spicy beef bean and cheese
• Yucca fries with garlic aioli

D.Rough also got a fresh margarita. We weren’t sure it was going to be good when it arrived, since it was  a little “clear”. But it honestly was fantastic. Really wonderful fresh lime taste and not overpoweringly boozy. Really awesome and refreshing.

The yucca fries were very generous (size-wize) and went really well with the garlic aioli. The dip was pretty magical. The outside was very crunchy and the inside was nice and fluffy like mashed potatoes. A wonderful choice and one I’d recommend (as long as you have someone to share the giant portion with).

Each of the empanadas were wonderful. I’m really impressed with how fat they were with fillings and also how well they were fried. They were flaky and crusty, but didn’t fall apart (and weren’t greasy tasting). D.Rough’s favorite was the green chili chicken one and my favorite one was the spicy beef with beans and cheese. We were extremely full after eating all of these, but it was worth it.

This place is a hidden gem that deserves more attention. Great work, Lola!!!

And then, just before we got back to the rental car place, a giant hawk slammed into the side of my car while I was on the highway and rocked my door. This is why I always get the insurance on rental cars. WEIRD STUFF ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME!!!

Lola Empanada

5452 E. Skyline Drive

San Tan Valley, AZ 85140

El Patron – Winona, MN

The guys and I headed to Southeastern Minnesota for a little disc golf road trip. We popped into El Patron for a lunch break and got a little liquored up. Well, *I* did, since I got a giant margarita.

I opted for the Twin Chimis lunch special. It was a chicken and a beef chimichanga cut into four pieces and covered with cheese and enchilada sauce. It showed up pretty quickly, but what did I care? I had a giant margarita.

The chimichangas were surprisingly good. I don’t know why I was surprised, but I am usually surprised when I get good Mexican food in Minnesota. I tried to figure out which one of these chimis I liked better, but I liked them both the same. It wasn’t swimming in cheese nor enchilada sauce, which was nice. The tortilla shell was fried perfectly and not greasy. Really, there’s not much more to ask for with this. The server was nice and the margarita was delicious.

I’d go back if I was in this part of the state again. Without question.

www.elpatronmx.com

Andale – Richfield, MN

First off, this place is pronounced like “on duh lay”, NOT Anne-Dail. Come on, people.

I met a couple of coworkers here for lunch, after hearing a lot of people raving about this place. It gets pretty lively around the lunch hour, so you need to be prepared to park across the street at the Menard’s or hope you are lucky enough to find a spot in the small parking lot.

Andale has to entrances – one for the small Mexican market they have and another entrance for the restaurant. There was a line coming out the door when I got there, so I got in line and held a spot for my tardy friends. Thankfully, it gave me a while to check out the VAST menu of food items they have.

I finally decided on the Alambres with carnitas. It’s a whole bunch of corn tortillas covered in peppers and onions, carnitas, and cheese. It’s one of my favorite Mexican dishes ever. We all forgot to get drinks, so one of our guys ran into the market and grabbed a couple of random sodas. Whew – good thinking.

The food here is great – REALLY fantastic. It’s very authentic and there are a lot of Latino people eating here, just to prove it. The serving sizes are generous without being insane, and the prices aren’t bad at all. The food didn’t take a long time to prepare, but you can tell they’re making almost everything to order and things aren’t being microwaved. The food is really fresh and flavorful. I can’t wait to go back here again. It isn’t very close to my work, so I’m checking now to see when my boss is on vacation next...

Great showing Andale!

Mia’s Tex-Mex – Dallas, TX

When in Texas, I feel like you should eat Tex-Mex at least once. I did zero culinary research on this, prior to arriving in Texas, so I simply looked up Tex-Mex restaurants in Dallas and went to one that had “Tex-Mex” in the name. Just being transparent with my decision-making.

The inside of the place looks like a typical Mexican restaurant, so know that going in. It does have a pretty solid Mexican menu, however – this I was impressed with. I know I was supposed to get brisket tacos, which is about a Tex-Mex as you can actually get, but all I wanted was good Mexican food. (Let’s be honest – all I REALLY wanted was a big margarita, which I got.)

I wanted to try a couple of things, so I went with one of the combo platters – the Guadalajara Dinner. It’s got a beef taco, a bean chalupa (like a tostada), a chili cheese enchilada and a cheese enchilada. The taco and chalupa were good, but how good can those really be? You can find this kind of thing at most places. I was happy with these, and not disappointed at all.

That being said, the two enchiladas were pretty darn amazing. The cheese enchilada was a great mixture of cheese to form a sauce on top of the enchilada. The chili cheese enchilada was superb – great smoky flavor on the chili sauce and the cheddar cheese added a fun punch of flavor. This made me NOT regret skipping the brisket tacos that I was probably supposed to get. I really liked these two items a lot!

What I think I’ve discovered is that you can turn Mexican food into Tex-Mex by adding orange cheese instead of white cheese. Correct me if I’m wrong.

www.miastexmex.com

Naked Chicken Taco – Taco Bell

As usual, Taco Bell has knocked it out of the park on their new menu item. I wasn’t sure what I was going to be walking into with this thing, but I do love fried chicken. So, when Taco Bell told me they were making a taco shell out of fried chicken, I knew right away I was in. I thought I might be bummed that there wasn’t any ground beef in the taco, but the meat-flavor of the chicken was surprisingly good, and the crispiness of the fried part also added to the whole situation.

I’m a fan. Thanks for rockin’ it once again, Taco Bell test kitchens. You keep doing what you’re doing.

Hamburguesas El Gordo – St. Paul, MN

A rare lunchtime-date with D.Rough led us to a restaurant we had heard about. It’s in a small complex of shops on Payne Avenue, housing a brewery, a fruit smoothie shop, a barber shop, a jewelry shop, and a Mexican restaurant. The Hamburguesas El Gordo is almost a glorified food stand in this little complex, but it’s definitely worth stopping at. They’re known for ridiculously massive burgers and hot dogs… also burritos and tacos, oddly enough.

D.Rough and I both decided we needed the signature burger – it’s one beef patty, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, ham, mayonnaise, lettuce tomato, onions, jalapenos, bacon, avocado, ketchup, and mustard. D.Rough added pineapple to hers, and I added a fried egg and salchichas (hot dogs) to mine. Apparently, the standard version didn’t have enough toppings. We also ordered the supreme french fries, you know, in case there was room for some filler.

The food came out in just over five minutes, and thankfully we got there right before a long line formed. The food was pretty impressive, to say the least.

The burger meat itself tasted great – we don’t think it was a frozen patty, which is always nice. The toppings were pretty impressive. I was surprised at how well the whole thing stayed together, probably because I had to smash it down pretty far to even get it in my mouth. I will tell you the total stand-out ingredients of this burger were the avocado, the fried egg (which was fried hard, not runny), and the pickled jalapeno slices. I really enjoyed this burger more than I even expected to. Well done on both the accuracy of the name and also the quality of my lunch.

The fries were good. Actual cut potatoes and loaded with toppings (mainly sauces – crema, hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, and jalapeno slices). We didn’t even eat half of these since were plenty full from the burgers. We decided that the next time, we’d get the asada (steak)-covered fries.

We also laughed that they have double burgers – which would probably kill someone. They also have mini burgers, and a double mini burger (which would likely end up being just a regular sized burger – hahaha).

This place is great and I’m glad we checked it out. I’m assuming the other items on the menu are going to be just as good, based on the showing we had at lunch! Cheers!

Hamburguesas El Gordo

990 Payne Ave.

St. Paul, MN 55106

Maya Cuisine – Minneapolis, MN

My friend Margs and I hadn’t hung out properly in a while, so she decided to go grab some Mexican food. We had originally planned to go to Bar Luchador, but she had been hearing good things about Maya in Northeast. The deciding factor would have been drinks, but since Maya has a liquor license, there wasn’t any reason to put up a fuss.

The inside of Maya is split into two sections: in the front is a less-expensive cafeteria-style line (with a salsa bar) with plenty of seating, and in the back is a more polished full-service restaurant and bar. I wasn’t sure what Margs has in mind when she chose this place, but I headed to the bar area and got a table. And promptly ordered two margaritas. …which were LARGE.

The menu has some standard fare items on it and some delicious sounding appetizers, but I kept going back to this really fancy sounding dish called Mixiotes de Res. Margs had her heart set on a bunch of various meat tostadas.

We managed to go through two baskets of chips while waiting – not because we had to wait long, but because we were starving and the salsa was delicious. But when the food arrived, I realized I should have scaled back my chips-and-salsa wolfing. It arrived on two large plates. One plate had rice, a nice cucumber and radish salad, and a crock of black beans, and the other plate had a generous portion of guacamole and a large paper pouch of meat.

The server told me not to eat the leaves that were in the meat – apparently just for flavor, so I picked out 3 or 4 bay-leaf-type greens and began to build my tacos on one of the six shells they provided. The meat was fantastic. It fell apart with a fork and had a deep smoky flavor. The guac was fresh and the other ingredients complemented the meat very nicely. Also, they brought out some green salsa which was too spicy for Margs, but I thought was fantastic. I didn’t think I could put back six of these, but I totally did. I’d highly recommend getting this entrée when you go here. It’s one of the more pricy items, but you’re going to get a ton of food. It’s probably not frowned upon to share with someone, either.

Margs really liked all three of her tostadas. She regretted saving the carnitas tostada for last, since she liked that one the most, but she was really pleased with both the flavor and the amount of toppings on her tostada. They looked delicious and I even used serious will power by not finishing whatever she left on the plate. You’re welcome.

I look forward to going back to this restaurant. I used to say that Minnesota doesn’t have good Mexican food, but a few places like this are changing my mind. You just have to find the right places. This is one of those places.

www.mayacuisineusa.com

Spicy Cheesy Core Burrito from Taco Bell

I like to try out all the new stuff that Taco Bell launches. I'm a huge fan of their test kitchen and think they are actually pretty innovative in the fast food world. Their new Cheesy Core Burrito had me intrigued, so I checked it out.

It's a standard burrito, but it's folded/rolled in such a way that there's a little tube on the inside that you can fill with cheese (and in this case, jalapenos). It's not fancy, and it isn't going to look perfect every time, but it IS a way to get more pump cheese into my facehole. I like where they were going with this.

It's on the list of "just ok" and "perfectly edible", which isn't a bad thing. It just isn't going to change my regular order to include one of these. Sure, every once in a while, I'll get one, but I'm not planning to stand at the drive through and convince people this is the holy grail. I liked it just fine and surprisingly, it wasn't terribly messy, like I suspected it would be. Maybe because I ate it so fast. I do like the flavor and ratios of this thing, so I was still pretty pleased with the burrito I got.

You did, as always, really well, Taco Bell. Thank you.