FloridaFoodHound

La Tienda Latina & Bento Cafe

This past Friday, thanks to a "best of" list I found on Gainesville.com, we decided to check out La Tienda Latina on SW 13th St.  La Tienda immediately reminded us of El Taconazo in Tampa and El Toro Negro in St. Pete - a great no-frills, restaurant and bodega serving up authentic Mexican food.

For around twenty bucks, we ate like kings and had food to take home.  You order up at the counter and the food is then brought out to your table.  We started with chips and salsa.  I ordered fajitas and Traci went with flautas.  We also split a big bowl of sopa de pollo, which the Gainesville.com article had raved about.  The soup was fantastic and big enough to be a meal in itself.  Everything was deliciously spicy with big portions - and cheap.  I'll take authentic Mexican over tex-Mex anytime.  We'll be back.

Side note:  La Tienda does look like a place where the kitchen can get backed up pretty quickly.  

As good as La Tienda was, Bento Cafe on Archer was as disappointing on our visit Saturday evening.  The Bento Cafe concept sounded interesting.  Noodle, rice and salad bowls, sushi and bento boxes at fast-casual restaurant prices.   Maybe we ordered the  wrong dishes (I went with a roasted duck special and Traci a rice bowl with szechuan chicken), but it's hard to say much positive about  our meal.  This may have been the mildest szechuan chicken I've ever tasted.  My duck was okay, but the sides (rice, green beans, small ginger salad) were all bland and tasted like they had been sitting out for a while.   

Maybe sushi is the way to go at Bento Cafe.  I can't complain too much because the meal for the two of us was only around twenty bucks.  The surroundings were certainly nice and I still think the concept is a compelling idea, just the execution wasn't there, at least on our visit.  I'd much rather spend around the same amount of money for much tastier food at La Tienda.  We also plan to try Las Margaritas, which appears to share the same owners as La Tienda.  I also found El Norteno discussed favorably.

Bottom-line: I think we're going to be hard pressed to find a better, more authentic Mexican restaurant in the area then La Tienda.  As for Bento Cafe, you win some, you lose some.  At least now we know.

Final Two Weeks in Tampa

This post is a bit overdue, due to limited Net access until two days ago, but I thought some of you would still be interested in how our last two weeks of dining in Tampa went before our move up to Gainesville.

The weekend before last, we decided to stop into Castellano & Pizzo Italian Gourmet Foods on Henderson one last time.  This time, instead of bringing my parents, we went with Traci's dad.  In addition to enjoying another pressed Cuban sandwich, we also ordered dessert this time from their  bakery, too.  Mazzaro's is the king of local Italian markets/delis, but I will still miss Castellano & Pizzo.

We hadn't been to Interbay Meat Market in several months, but were looking for a cheap and quick meal one night that was close by and thought of Interbay.  On our previous visits, we had stuck to deli sandwiches, but on this visit we went with some of their cafeteria-style Cuban food.  It's hard to beat a big serving of ropa vieja, black beans and yellow rice for five bucks (and no, I don't want to think about how long that food may have been sitting there).  No frills and good food always works for me.

Speaking of no frills, we also stopped into El Taconazo aka "the Taco Bus" on Hillsborough in Seminole Heights one day for lunch.  While I didn't love the place after my first visit maybe a year ago, the Taco Bus has grown on me with each subsequent visit.  The "specials" for lunch - two soft tacos with refried beans and rice- are a good deal.  The tacos are small but tasty (you do have to be a fan of cilantro to like 'em) and the thick green hot sauce on the table makes things taste even better.  The Bus will be missed.

On our last week in town, in a break from packing, we hit Mel's Hot Dogs on Busch one day for lunch.  I ordered a "Reuben" dog and Traci went with a "Chicago" dog.  Mel's is a cool little place full of history and I'm glad that multiple readers suggested we visit Mel's before we moved.  Mel himself unfortunately wasn't there when we stopped in, which, from what I understand, is part of the unique experience.

I also re-visited another reader favorite, the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, one day for drinks after work.  To me, the  Brewing Company's new location in Centro Ybor doesn't have nearly the charm of their previous location a few blocks away, but the beer selection is still great (I'm a light beer wimp and like their True Blonde Ale the best).  The outdoor bar and patio area at the new location is a good addition.

We also couldn't leave town without having going-away drinks one night at Kahuna's, a favorite neighborhood dive bar of ours on Gandy across from Derby Lane.  The food at Kahuna's can be dicey, but the drinks are  stiff and priced right.  People that think this place has a rough crowd probably spend too much time in SOHO.

Finally, we went ahead and splurged with a Sunday brunch at the Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach.  While the Vinoy and Oystercatcher's may have better brunches, we have a warm spot for the Don since Traci grew up in South Pasadena/St. Pete Beach and we used to spend a lot of time in the area.  For me, the fresh seafood selection was the highlight of the brunch.  Traci liked the made-to-order pasta station.  We were also able to get a table near the window with a direct view of the beach and the gulf.

There's lots of additional local restaurants we would have liked to hit before we moved, but we ran out of time.  While some of the criticism of the Tampa Bay food scene is justified, the area certainly isn't starved for good food and good local restaurants either - if you know where/how to look.  Granted it does take time, effort, experimentation (you can't find "hits" without being willing to eat at a fair share of "misses" as well), talking with your friends and neighbors, and just keeping your eyes and ears open.

And with that, it's time to start focusing on restaurants here in Gainesville...
 

El Taconazo: Taco Bus in Seminole Heights Good, Not Great

We were craving Mexican food this past Saturday so we decided to check out El Taconazo on Hillsborough Ave in Seminole Heights for lunch. El Taconazo, affectionally known as the "Taco Bus" to Seminole Heights residents, has won a variety of "best of" awards for its authentic Mexican food.

The tacqueria gained is nickname the "Taco Bus" thanks to the old school bus that sits out back the restaurant and has been converted into its kitchen.  The corporate feel of a Chipotle this is not.  Customers can walk up and order at the white bus or sit inside the small restaurant where there is table service.  We decided to grab a table inside since the outdoor seating around the bus was filled.

Traci and I both ordered the "special" - two tacos and refried beans and rice.  I decided to try a steak and a chicken taco, while Traci went with all chicken.  Service was quick.  The tacos weren't big, but were flavorful.  The homemade green chile sauce at the table went great on the tacos.  As for the refried beans and rice, I'm sure some people swear by them, but I wasn't impressed.

I'm glad we tried El Taconazo out, as the food is good and the prices are a real bargain, but for the best authentic Mexican in Tampa Bay my dollar is still on El Toro Negro in little Kenneth City.  If you think local "Tex-Mex" restaurants like Estela's and Miguel's are good Mexican, you owe it to yourself to try out El Taconazo or El Toro Negro to get a taste of the real thing.  Both ooze authenticity.

Finally, while it's not Mexican per se, I haven't found a better upscale Mexican/Southwest-style restaurant in Tampa Bay then Red Mesa on Fourth St. N. in St. Pete.  Have a favorite local Mexican or Southwestern restaurant that I've missed?  Post your favorite.  I'm always looking for new ideas!

Bottom-line: The legend of the Taco Bus may be bigger than the reality of the place, but it's still a good choice for authentic Mexican fare.  Be careful getting in and out of the tricky parking lot!

Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection:  May 2006 violations - Critical (3), Non-Critical (2).   

El Toro Negro: Hidden Gem in Kenneth City

This past Saturday for lunch we decided to check out El Toro Negro in Kenneth City. I had previously read an online message board debating the best "real" Mexican restaurants (no Tex-Mex) in Tampa Bay and El Toro Negro was a consistent favorite. For those of you scratching your heads about Kenneth City, it's a small town between St. Pete and Pinellas Park.

Let me say up front there is nothing fancy about El Toro Negro. It's a no-frills neighborhood Mexican restaurant and grocery. After grabbing a booth, our server greeted us, took our drink order and invited us to help ourselves to the complimentary chips and salsa bar in the back.

Traci and I are both fanatical about sauces so we were quickly in pig heaven at the bar trying the different salsas. While the salsa set-up at El Toro Negro is very humble, Tijuana Flats, Moe's and Chipotle could all take lessons from El Toro's great selection of flavors.

I ordered beef enchiladas in red sauce (each plate also comes with rice and refried beans) and Traci ordered three chicken gorditas (get the bastardized Taco Bell image of gorditas out of your head, read about the real deal here). We also shared chicken quesadillas as an appetizer. This ended up being more food than we could eat thanks to all the chips and salsa we scarfed up.

My enchiladas were very tasty and I had fun trying more of the different salsas on my rice and enchiladas (I told you I am a sauce junkie!). Traci's gorditas came out piping hot and were delicious. Each gordita was stuffed with chicken, beans, lettuce, sour cream and cheese. I think the gorditas taste best when they're still hot and before the corn tortilla has had a chance to cool.

Service was friendly and the owner checked on us after we were served to make sure that we were happy. Happy was an understatement. Great food and big portions for a small price in an authentic setting- what's not to like. We'll definitely be back. When I hear Kenneth City now I'll think of El Toro Negro (before all I thought of was Kenneth City's notoriously ticket-happy cops).

Let me know what other Mexican joints in Tampa Bay you think I should check out.

Bottom-line: If you're looking for authentic Mexican food made with lots of love in a no-frills setting that is light on the wallet and big on taste, check out El Toro Negro in Kenneth City.

Estela's: Tasty Mexican on Davis Islands

If you're looking for tasty Mexican at a good price, check out Estela's. I had lunch today with a friend at Estela's on Davis Islands (downtown Tampa) and came away overall pleased.

Estela's also has locations in south Tampa (S. Dale Mabry) and in Brandon and St. Pete. I've been to the south Tampa location more than a couple of times as well, but like the surroundings of the Davis Islands location the best. Outdoor seating (sat inside today- too hot!) and pet-friendly.

I don't think I've ever ordered anything here I wasn't happy with. We had chips and salsa with queso as a starter. Estela's queso uses a white cheese, which is fine, but could definitely be kicked up a few notches. I had the beef chimichanga today and my friend had a chicken chimichanga. Very exotic I know.

I usually order their taco salad when I'm in a healthier mood and have been happy in the past. Service is fine, prices are good, food comes out pretty quickly, tastes fresh and what's supposed to be crispy is crispy (nothing is worse than a soggy chimichanga or lukewarm rice or refried beans).

Bottom-line: Worth checking out when you're in the mood for quality Mexican fare. The Davis Islands location definitely adds to the experience.