A Phoenix Taco Tour: Part 2

June 26, 2014 By Devon Leave a Comment

Tacos are like pancakes—hard to grow tired of because they’re just so versatile. Those soft, little corn tortillas can be filled with various meats and seafood then topped with colorful veggies, flavorful sauces and fresh garnishes, which makes for unique tacos over and over again. I’m sure you won’t be surprised, but I could eat tacos every day, tacos forever.

You’ve heard me talk about tacos almost constantly since I started this blog, so I will spare you the side talk and get right to the post I owe you: part two of the Phoenix Taco Tour.

Joyride Taco House

Los Taquitos

Taste: 2.5
Presentation: 2
Ambiance: 3
Price: $
Overall: 3

I had heard a lot of great things about this place, in fact, it was recommended to me on several occasions. So I don’t know if it just got talked up to much, but I was underwhelmed. The prices were great and it was in a better, more attractive location than many of the other places we visited, but the food didn’t compare. The meat was dry and lacked flavor. The salsa is served over by the drinks, but most people take the bottles to their tables and by the time we got there, there weren’t any bottles left. We asked for some from the kitchen, but it was brought to us hot and didn’t have that nice, fresh flavor. I do have to give it some credit for the seafood tacos. I had a fish taco that was delicious, moist and flavorful. This is a good spot for a quick, inexpensive taco and I would go back, as long as I stick to seafood this time.

Restaurant Atoyac Estilo Oaxaca

Taste: 3
Presentation: 2
Ambiance: 2
Price: $
Overall: 3

We all know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” That being said, stick with me on this one. The outside is slightly terrifying, and a little hard to spot if you’re not familiar with the area, but step inside and you will know you are in the right place. The crowd of people is what won me over before I even took a bite. There was such a sense of community in this little hole in the wall—it was obvious everyone a regular, which is an immediate good sign. When it came to the food, this was about the exact opposite of Los Taquitos. This carne asada was tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned. It was also topped with fresh onion and cilantro to really enhance the flavors. The sides of lime and salsa were a big plus for me too, having those nice touches made all the difference. However, I was not a fan of the seafood tacos here. I had a shrimp taco that was drowning in a mayo-based sauce and watery lettuce. It was just bad, I couldn’t finish it. The community and authenticity made up for it though and I will definitely be back for more of that carne asada.

Joyride Taco House

Taste: 4
Presentation: 4
Ambiance: 5
Price: $$
Overall: 4

This was our true “taco splurge” of the weekend. We tried to hit a lot of spots that were off the beaten path to try to really discover something, go beyond the obvious. While this place didn’t have the authenticity of the others that ranked high on “flavor,” these tacos were delicious in a completely different way. They were more of a gourmet taco, piled high with a variety of toppings, a lick-your-fingers-clean Mexican slaw and big, plump slices of avocado for a more complex flavor. Being a meat-eater, I was surprised to find that my favorite taco was the veggie. It was seasoned perfectly and I hope to bring a version of that to you guys here on the blog soon! In the meantime, I would recommend Joyride in a heartbeat. Beyond the tasty tacos, the interior design drew me in. The atmosphere is very inviting in a way that makes you want to stay and eat chips and salsa while sipping on plenty of spiked agua frescas all night long. If you go during the cooler months, nab a spot on the spacious patio that’s equipped with a large stone fireplace, you won’t regret it! And if you go in the dead heat of summer like we did, play human frogger across the street and stop into Churn—an ice cream shop by the same owner that tops ice cream with toasted marshmallow, enough said.

Have any of you used Melissa’s Taco Tour Score Cards to throw a taco tasting or go on a taco tour of your own? What have you found? Share your favorite taco combinations and restaurants in the comments so we can check them out!

CUCUMBER MELON AGUA FRESCA POPS

June 24, 2014 By Devon 1 Comment

Lately it seems like this blog could be more aptly named If You Give a Girl a Taco, because let’s face it, that’s all I’ve been talking about (and because that’s the majority of my diet—tacos forever). Before I wrap up this taco-filled month with part two of the Phoenix Taco Tour, I just couldn’t wait any longer to share this recipe inspired by a drink I had at one of the restaurants.

The very first taco Melissa and I ate on our tour was at Joyride Taco House (check back in on Thursday for the review, and don’t forget to get the free printable judging card to do a taco tour in your own city). With our tacos, we each got an agua fresca at the recommendation of our waiter, and boy was he right. Melissa went with strawberry while I went with cucumber-mint. Later that weekend while holed up in the kitchen avoiding the 108-degree Arizona heat we figured, what better way to cool off than with a boozy pop? With that, these cucumber melon agua fresca pops were created, and then quickly devoured.

Juicy watermelon, crisp cucumber and fresh mint blended up with an easy-to-make simple syrup, and of course, a splash of vodka, freeze into these Cucumber Melon Agua Fresca Pops. I popped these babies in my Zoku Pop Maker because I’m impatient, but you can do them in any pop mold or even paper cups with wooden sticks. If you are as impatient as I am, the layers, although pretty, are completely unnecessary. The cucumber and watermelon flavors taste just as, if not more, delicious when combined as they do when separate, however the color is slightly less appetizing. But when you need frozen alcohol, you need frozen alcohol, and no one is going to judge you for rushing that—at least not me.

Cucumber Melon Agua Fresca Pops

Author: If You Give a Girl a Degree

Ingredients

¼ cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup chopped watermelon, rind removed
1 cup chopped cucumber, skin removed
8–10 large fresh mint leaves
1 shot vodka

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, dissolve the sugar into the water, stirring until clear to create a simple syrup.
Blend watermelon, half the mint leaves, half the simple syrup and half the vodka in a blender on high until smooth and completely liquid.
Pour the mixture into pop molds filling them halfway and allow to freeze for 4–6 hours in a traditional pop mold, or 7 minutes in a Zoku Pop Maker.
Meanwhile, blend cucumber, remaining mint leaves, remaining simple syrup and remaining vodka in a blender on high until smooth and completely liquid.
Once the first layer is completely frozen, fill the pop molds the rest of the way up (leaving a small amount of space for expansion) and allow to freeze for 4–6 hours in a traditional pop mold, or 7 minutes in a Zoku Pop Maker.

I’m now completely sold on the idea of eating my drinks all summer long—nothing can cool me off and keep happy like a frozen cocktail. Has anyone tried the Zoku Slush Maker? It may be my next venture in cocktail cool-downs. Let me know your favorite drink turned pop in the comments below and I will give it a try soon!

Melissa over at Melissa Rose Design styled and shot the last two photographs in this post. Isn’t she amazing?! Well guess what? She offers styling and photography services, so go to her site to check out her other services. (I promise she isn’t paying me to write this. I just think she does a great job and wanted to give her a HUGE THANK YOU for helping me out during her visit.)

A PHOENIX TACO TOUR: PART 1

June 19, 2014 By Devon 1 Comment

A taco tour? You know it! But first, let’s talk about expectations. Throughout my life I have always created a vision in my head of how certain things will play out and nine times out of ten, my vision is completely wrong.

For example, I have yet to go shopping for summer clothes and not try on a romper. When flipping through magazines and scrolling through Pinterest I see so many cute and trendy outfits on tall, skinny, small-chested women and I think, “Wow, that looks great, I need an outfit like that!” So, as I’m sorting through the racks at TJ Maxx and Forever 21 (I’m a recent grad, money isn’t flowing freely, give me a break) I will pick up a trendy outfit and think about how amazing it’s going to look on my tall, skinny, flat-chested body. The only problem is, I am none of those things. I am fairly short, stumpy (or curvy or whatever word you prefer for not-skinny) and on the larger side of chest sizes. Shopping expectations go something like this: Into the dressing room with 10+ items, out of the store with 0–1 item.

This past week I had a lot of unmet expectations, starting with this photo. My way too cool for school friend (and designer of this here site) Melissa came to visit me in Arizona. We had been looking forward to this trip for weeks, plotting out our plans, one of which was to take a large number of balloons up a mountain, hand them out to strangers and take some fun pictures. Well it was 108 degrees, so there would be no walking up a mountain. That’s okay, we will drive to the top! Well the top of mountains happen to be quite windy, and by windy I mean I’m totally convinced that the house in UP! wouldn’t have needed that many balloons to take off. So there we are at the top of a people-less mountain struggling to keep hold of 24 helium balloons without blowing away in the hot, hot heat of Phoenix. Needless to say, the photos are not Pinterest-perfect, but it still made for a good time, many good laughs and a good story to tell.

The next unmet expectation happened right here on If You Give a Girl a Degree, and even though I know it didn’t really affect anyone except for maybe my three readers (hi, family!), I still feel bad. When I started this blog a couple months ago I set out to post every Tuesday and Thursday and this week that just didn’t happen. There was a lot going on, the tail end of a vacation, and then having to make that time up from the work I had missed. Regardless, it’s kind of like my shopping expectations. My life isn’t a tall, skinny, small-chested girl. One size does not fit all, and some weeks are going to be more hectic than others, which means sometimes a blog post is going to get skipped, and that’s okay. I guess what I’m saying is having expectations is silly. Wouldn’t life be more enjoyable if we just appreciate what’s happening now rather than comparing it to what we wanted to have happen? I think so.

Regardless of missed blog posts and major balloon struggles, Melissa and I had a great weekend and I’m so, so glad she came down! One expectation we did meet was our Phoenix Taco Tour. We had a ginormous, unrealistically long list of taco joints we wanted to try and then judge, but we did get to six different establishments, which for just a few days, is pretty impressive. If you were following either of us on Instagram, you know we were pretty much just eating the whole entire time. It was glorious. So, I present to you Part One of the If You Give a Girl a Degree/Design Eat Repeat Taco Tour. Melissa designed us judging cards that we took to each place to rate its taste, presentation, ambiance and overall score (you can get the free printable for that card over at Design Eat Repeat tomorrow, then do a taco tour in your city and share it with us—we would love to see what you find!), here are the results:

Tacos La Hacienda

Taste: 4.5
Presentation: 2
Ambiance: 1
Price: $
Overall: 4

This taco truck nestled into an industrial park south of downtown Phoenix doesn’t look like anything special from the outside. Considering there are no other businesses around, it’s not somewhere I would go at night. But where it’s lacking in ambiance, it makes up for in flavor. The tacos here are authentic street tacos. The meat was cooked well, juicy and not dried out, you can tell it’s made fresh. Each taco is also topped with fresh garnishes—the chicken with pico de gallo and the carne asada with shredded cabbage. A squeeze of lime and the truck’s green salsa make the perfect finishing touches, but beware of the red salsa. I doused a bit too much on my taco before taking a bite, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if my mouth would ever recover from that pain.

La Frontera

Taste: 3
Presentation: 1
Ambiance: 1.5
Price: $
Overall: 2.5

Another taco truck, La Frontera also doesn’t have the ambiance of your average restaurant. It’s just behind a Jack in the Box, with a seating area covered with a blue tarp. It’s not the classiest place, but I did feel safer there than at Tacos La Hacienda. However, when it comes to the food, it’s lacking just a bit. I’m not saying I wouldn’t eat it again, but the meat was overcooked, dry and a little hard, as were the tortillas. We were also promised pico de gallo on our chicken tacos, which didn’t happen. They were all served with shredded cabbage. It’s definitely not my first choice, but don’t write it off just yet.

La Santisima Gourmet Taco Shop

Taste: 4.5
Presentation: 3.5
Ambiance: 3.5
Price: $
Overall: 4.5

This vibrant little shop is stands out in a strip mall on 16th street. The inviting storefront leads you into a small shop covered in Mexican flair, there’s a lot of character here. The tacos have the authentic taste of a street stand or truck, with the ambiance of a casual sit-down restaurant—it’s the best of both worlds. It’s a bit pricier than what we found at the taco trucks, but you get a lot more for your money—$7–$8 on dinner is still a great deal! The meat was cooked perfectly, it was plenty juicy and perfectly seasoned, topped with simple garnishes for a nice finishing touch like onion, cilantro and shredded cabbage. What makes this joint stand out from the others is it’s long salsa bar. The meal starts off with a basket of fresh tortilla chips, which gives you the chance to try each salsa before choosing which ones to splash on your tacos. My favorite was the Salsa Mexicana, but their green salsa and guacamole is also excellent.

…And that’s just part one! Be sure to stop by next week for the next three taco joint reviews and don’t forget to hit up Design Eat Repeat for judging cards to take a Taco Tour in any city!