Crunchy, Crispy, Snappy
I just looked up all of the synonyms for the word ‘crunchy’ and boy are they silly. You should try it sometime…they are pretty amazing. These simple words of crunchy, crispy, snappy describe the delish tacos I enjoyed over the weekend. I was so fortunate to eat a lot of good Mexican food this weekend…a trip to Tijuana Flats along with a Quinceanera equals one happy Nicki. Let’s begin with my trip to Tijuana Flats, shall we?
Tijuana Flats is in Naples, only about 10 minutes from my house yet, I have only eaten here a handful of times. I end up forgetting that it is there most of the time which is really too bad. TF offers 2 Tacos, Chips and a Drink for $4.99. Yes, you heard that right. Two tacos, chips and a drink for $4.99. And this isn’t just a lunch time or weekday special…this is the price all the time. You simply can’t beat that price. It is great. We were running some errands on Friday night and needed somewhere quick to stop and eat. Since it is now season in Naples, your choices are pretty limited. Last second decision, we stopped at TF. Mommy and I ended up both eating dinner for under $10. Schwing.
I ordered my tacos crispy with ground beef and black beans. For toppings, I received lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, sour cream and shredded cheese. Now these tacos are at least 2 bites bigger than your typical taco shell. While I wouldn’t consider TF authentic Mexican food, it is in the range of Chipotle and certainly above Taco Bell. Our tacos arrived quickly and my platter looked good. I had a few handfuls of chips along with my two very stuffed tacos and I was ready to eat. At first glance, it would be really nice if you received salsa along with your chips but for a full meal for under $5, I’m not really complaining.
I started with my first taco and was pleased with the first bite. I received ground beef, black beans and all of my toppings in each and every bite. TF does a really good job of providing equal amounts of toppings. The crispy taco shell was crunchy, crispy and snappy all in one. It tasted very fresh and I could taste the hints of corn baked (or probably fried) right in. The ground beef was seasoned well but a bit too greasy for me. In the future, I will certainly order chicken tacos instead. Even though it was greasy, it still had a great flavor and there was plenty of it. The black beans lacked flavor but worked so well with everything else, that they really didn’t need any additional flavor.
The toppings were fresh and added additional crunchy, crispy and snappy flavor to my tacos. I really enjoyed the addition of black olives on the taco. They provided extra taste and texture that meshed so well. The two tacos were filling for lunch but for dinner, you may need 3. Especially if you have an appetite like me – kapow! I didn’t leave feeling hungry or starved but, one more taco would have been perfect. The taco size is great and the fresh quality ingredients really make a difference. Every part of the taco not only was strong on its own but was strong with the overall end taco product.
The chips were okay but not fabulous. While the chips were not very salted, they still had a decent flavor. The chips were not warm which is probably their biggest downfall. They certainly were crispy and had enough of a different flavor than the taco shells. I didn’t feel as if I was eating the same thing as the taco shells. The chips were thinner and much more crunchy then the taco shell. If these chips were warm, they would have been way better. Add some fresh salsa to the chips, and I certainly would have liked them more. Overall Rating of the Meal: 7/10
I really need to remember that Tijuana Flats is so close by and so reasonably priced. You simply cannot beat 2 tacos, chips and a drink for $4.99. I will certainly get chicken tacos next time and I’m sure they will be even better than the ground beef tacos. I was very impressed with the high quality, plentiful ingredients I received in my tacos. Very full tacos, tasty – yummy. This meal was a very Crunchy, Crispy, Snappy experience that I look forward to repeating.