The Crazy Chicken

Week 16 and I founded myself near an El Pollo Loco. I have a craving for Mexican food, and I wanted it fast- So I decided to take a stroll on over! I’ve had a bite to eat at El Pollo Loco before, however it was nothing serious and was normally just for a taco or two. This time, I was with my family, so we found ourselves getting a larger meal. Since we were going to be getting the food to go, it’s safe to say that the interior design and decor wasn’t a huge thing, however I do think it is worthwhile to mention. Geographically, they have a pretty good store position. It’s right next to the Verizon store, so after people set up their phone plan, they can get a bite to eat. Not only that, but there are plenty of other stores in the nearby area, and i’m sure they get plenty of hungry shoppers who find their way in. Inside, the place is pretty spacious. There is quite a bit of seating space, which seems a bit unnecessary as I don’t really see them getting full anytime soon. (I’d have to check them out during lunch, perhaps they bring in more customers than I think!) The chairs aren’t much to brag about either, being relatively average and lacking much, if any, comfort. They had an open salsa bar, which was pretty awesome as I love my salsa, and I don’t like to be restricted in my salsa eating habits. They also had a soda machine which they allowed you to get refills with, which is a nice courtesy. Too often restaurants get greedy and don’t allow refills, which in the long run costs them next to nothing. In conclusion, the interior was average. Nothing too special, however it did have some nice things about it.

El Pollo Loco has a rather straightforward menu. Their key selling point is chicken, which makes sense considering that their name literally translates to “The Crazy Chicken”. You are allowed to select how much chicken you want, and then whatever appetizers you might find yourself wanting with your chicken. (Whether that’s items to put in your taco, or to eat on the side.) They have a few other main courses on the side, but frankly the main thing worth mentioning is indeed their chicken.

Wait time was quick, and I was able to sit at a table while waiting. (Beats standing awkwardly wondering where my food is!) It took just about 5 minutes, and we were presented with our bounty. A large amount of chicken, along with corn, mashed potatoes, broccoli, chips and flour tortillas. I wasn’t in charge of ordering, mind you, or I would of got us beans as well. (I mean, seriously. Who makes a taco without beans or even rice?)

Nonetheless, the food was well done. The chicken was interesting, and seemed to be more skin than meat. The mashed potatoes were fairly average, but for sure were nothing excellent. The corn, truthfully, was excellent. The corn was well done, possibly being my favorite part of the meal in it’s entirety.  I didn’t try the broccoli, as I’ve never been big on most vegetables. From what I heard, they were nothing special.

Now, for the overall review. The food looked alright, and frankly I expected little effort for presentation, considering I had it takeout. The actual storefront wasn’t honestly that great, however it’s location is fairly decent and does have room for many people, which makes up for what it lacks in beauty. The chicken tasted alright, however as  I said before, it seemed to be more skin than meat. The corn was delicious, and enhanced the taco which I loosely assembled. Pricing was alright, as we got a decent amount of food for a relatively low price. All and all, it was average. It wasn’t excellent, just alright.

---

Aesthetics: 7/10

Flavor: 5/10

Price: 7/10

Overall: 6.33/10

---

Would I recommend it? Maybe. Are you on a budget? If so, this is the place for you. Looking for a finer dining experience, with higher quality food? Then this place is not for you. All and all, my suggestion is that you decide. Take what I’ve said into consideration, then come to the conclusion of whether you will go there or not. I personally will probably go there again, but it is not at the top of my list. Tell me your thoughts on El Pollo Loco in the comments. Do you like it? Also, let me know what you want next week. Do you want a recipe, or a review? Let me know!

– Jack

A Little Trip to Little Alex’s

Week 15. It recently was final’s week, and I was still recovering. What better way to recover than to take a trip down to get some delicious tacos?! I was also getting a haircut at the time, and this place happened to be close – and it was well known for it’s high quality Mexican food! So, I went down to Little Alex’s. It’s a cozy restaurant, with adequate room for seating and it had a nice atmosphere to it.

After ordering food – with some minor confusion on our end – my mother and I sat down. We were getting it to go, to bring it back home to the rest of my hungry family. We went with with two orders of two Carne Asada tacos, the Ensalada and the Taco Salad. Additionally, we got some chips and salsa, to add some extra to the meal. There was minimal wait time, barely having to wait over 10 minutes. Once we got our food, we headed off in order to get to the delicious feast that awaited us.

We arrived home, and I was greeted with somewhat of a disappointment With the tacos, I was promised rice and beans… I did not receive that. Thankfully, the tacos were quite large in size so I still had a rather filling meal, and was able to snack on the chips and salsa to make up for it. Having spoken to my family members, it sounded as if the Ensalada and the Taco Salad were both quite good. The only one with complaints was my father, which was mainly because we didn’t order exactly what he wanted, so I don’t really think much blame can be placed on the restaurant; if anything, it should be placed on myself.

So, for the review. The flavor of the food was quite good. It didn’t feel as if they overdid any part of the taco, and serving sizes were adequate. Normally I’ve found tacos are not the most filling, however in this case, they were quite filling. The restaurant, along with the food, really wasn’t anything special to look at. Mind you, none of it was hideous, it just wasn’t worth any sort of special praise of mentions. The price was what really stood out, if anything. The whole meal was about 30 dollars, and considering that it was for a family of 4, including sides, i’d say it is a pretty fair price. Without a doubt, the price alone is enough to make me want to go back.

 

---

Aesthetics: 7/10

Flavor: 7/10

Price: 9/10

Overall: 7.66/10

---

A 7.66. My final verdict is that you should, without a doubt, give Little Alex’s a try. However, I urge you to make your own opinions on it instead of taking mine as fact, as having been there, I can defiantly see how this could be someone’s favorite after trying it. No real complaints either, so if you are in the area, do go give it a chance! Let me know what you think about Little Alex’s in the comments. Also, would you like to see a recipe or a review next week? Let me know!

– Jack

Taco Tuesday

Week 10- a milestone, i’d say. To commemorate, I decided to make tacos for my family. My sister had a friend over, and both my parents were busy, so I figured it was the least I could do to give back to them.  I took a look at what we had on hand, and it only made sense that I make tacos. So, here it goes.

To start this recipe, you’re going to need a few things. You will need taco seasoning, beef and/or fish (I used rockfish), tortillas, beans, salsa and cheese. Feel free to grab sour cream or chips, depending on how much you feel like eating at the time. In this case, I decided to spice it up and create guacamole for my family beforehand. Frankly, it is really straightforward to make- Just get your avocados, remove the pits, add your guacamole mix, and mash it up. Grab your chips and you’re good to go! Easy, simple, and takes less than 5 minutes if done correctly.

For the actual tacos, you are going to want to start by removing the beans from their cans. Place them in a pot and set them to a medium heat, so you can be warming them as you cook the rest of your meal.

---

I hope I am not the only one grossed out by this picture.

---

After you’ve taken care of the beans, pull out your meat. You are going to want to use either beef or fish, depending on the type of taco you want to construct. I will detail both, starting with the beef.

To prepare the meat, simply place it in a pan at a medium heat. Add a small amount of water, and some taco seasoning. Adding water will help the seasoning mix in with the meat, and prevent some burning as well. As you cook the beef, break it up with a spatula. If you want to add a bit of extra flavor, add any others seasonings you feel necessary- in my case, I simply added a lime and lemon to the pan to add that flavor.

Then, to prepare the fish: First, filet it, if it is not already filleted. After this is done, add lemon and cilantro. Then, similar to the taco recipe, place it in a pan and cook it thoroughly. Once cooked, place it into a bowl for easy serving later on.

Once all that is done, the recipe is basically complete. Prepare the table with all condiments, from salsa to sour cream. I personally lightly heated the flour tortillas in order to get them slightly toasted, as I find that to be quite tasty. My family thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and I had a fun time making it! Go ahead and try it and tell me what you think. Did it turn out as you expected? Also, what do you want to see next week- a recipe or a review? Leave a comment letting me know. See you all next week!

– Jack

A Trip To Chipotle!

Welcome to the first post of Jack’s Recipe and Review! I found it only fitting that I went to Chipotle for the first review, as people speak quite highly of it and I didn’t want to miss out! I went with my family, and we were greeted at the front of the store with a Subway-like bar. They would ask you exactly what you wanted, and you could construct your very own, custom burrito, taco, salad or bowl! I opted for a burrito, as it is the first thing that comes into my mind when I think Chipotle. In this glorious burrito I put in carnitas, cheese, mild salsa, corn, white rice and topped it off with some lettuce. This all came together to form a monstrous burrito that would strike fear into the hearts of a mortal. I placed it into the humorously pig Latin themed bag and hurried home, praying for my food not to go cold.

I got home and quickly unwrapped the loose tinfoil wrapping on my burrito. Yum. I had been smelling it the whole car ride home, and it sure did smell good. The smell of the chips sitting beside me, along with the smell of the carefully packed burrito was irresistible. I dug in, and was met with a world of flavors. Chipotle had done it. They have crafted one of the best burrito known to man. My family around me too joined in, each vocalizing how much they enjoyed it. My sister, even, mentioned how she enjoyed the salad she had crafted. This was a surprise, as she is typically not so fond of Mexican food, so rare is it that any form of compliment comes from her in regards to Mexican food. I washed my burrito down with a Dr. Pepper, courtesy of our family refrigerator. It hit the spot, and with a dessert of tortilla chips, the meal came together excellently.

So, now for the actual review portion! As far as ratings go, I will be putting it on a 10 point scale, however this 10 point scale will be broken into 3 subsections, then averaged out to keep everything consistent. It will be based on three categories: Aesthetics, Flavor and Price. Aesthetics will be in regards to the quality of the restaurant, packaging and look of the food. Flavor will be in regards to, well, flavor. Price will relate to how much it costs, and whether I believe the price is worth the amount and quality of the food you are getting. Here it goes!

---

Aesthetics: 8/10

Flavor: 8.5/10

Price: 7.4/10

Overall: 7.9/10

---

You can’t go wrong with Chipotle. Sure, it’s not the fine dining experience you might find at another place, but it without a doubt ranks among the top fast food places i’ve gone to. The store itself can be noisy and busy at times, so whether you eat there or not makes not much difference. So go, grab at bite at Chipotle. Write down in the comments about your experiences with the restaraunt, as i’d love to hear!

– Jack