Su Tienda Taqueria - Weatherford, TX

I love a good authentic Mexican food place. I mean Tex-Mex is great when I am craving a queso, chips and a swirl but when I want to get down on some authentic food I search for these types of places. This taqueria used to be a liqueur store at 1215 Mineral Wells Highway. On a Saturday morning after doing all our chores and riding early to beat the heat we decided to give this place a try because it was on my "list'. 

Scott Good Taste went for the Carne Asada Taco Plate. He liked it. There is a little fridge that houses all levels of spicy salsa and settled on the green version. The meat was very well seasoned and the rice and beans were very good. If you want to try this place this is a very good entry level plate.

Here comes Melissa Good Taste's order... POZOLE!

This is her all dressed up with all the toppings! I love pozole. It is comforting, filling and a texture explosion. I loved everything. The broth was good, meat was tender and flavorful - however they contained bones - I didn't love that, spitting out the bones is just not my jam. One other thing, I wish it was served with tostadas. I like the extra crunch! 

This restaurant was clean, affordable and service straight to the point - which I love. Would I return? Yes, of course. I hope the weather cools off so I can really enjoy a hot bowl of soup soon. What is also really cool about this spot is it is also a meat market, grocery store and they serve Mexican pastries which Scott and I picked up a variety of - my favorite was the Hostess Cupcake look-a-like. It was filled with cream and totally delicious. 

Go check it out!

 

Rubio's - Oxnard, CA

                                         

 Hey have you ever been to Rubio's? I had not ever been and while my Mom and I were running errands in Oxnard, we decided it was worth a try. It is that in between restaurant that is a step up from typical fast food and just under your common dine in restaurant. Think Baja Fresh type menu, order at the counter and take a number.

   
                                               

I knew right off the bat I wanted to try the Crispy Fish Tacos. The best version I have ever had are the Snapper Jack's version. These unfortunately did not surpass the quality of Snapper Jack's due to the quality of the fish. It was fried nicely but the actual white meat was not as big and flaky.                                         

                                        

Kathy ordered the Shrimp Taco and she said it was totally tasty. She also tried the chicken version and it failed to impress after consuming the shrimp. 

I liked that the restaurant was totally clean, had a salsa bar and prices were totally reasonable. For two people to get a lunch for under $20 these days is pretty amazing. I would return.

           After our errand running, we went back to my house to work on our Beef Jerky production. We went to the butcher inside our local grocery to slice a London Broil steak into 3/8 in slabs. It made less work for us as we sliced the meat into strips.

 After a quick soak in soy sauce we laid out the strips on oven racks. We then seasoned up the batches, experimenting half way to see which would come out the best. My version which included garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and a generic Barbeque seasoning seemed to really do the trick. What I learned from this experience is over season the meat, to the point you really thought you over did it.

 With your oven set a 170 degrees, place the jerky racks in and set your timer of 6 hours (all depending on the size and width of the jerky). I placed a spoon in the oven door, to keep the air flow going during the cooking process.

My brother taught me this recipe and I think he just may be the master. Although my version was good, it was not great like his. He should package, label and put his jerky in stores!

Fish Gaucho - Paso Robles, CA

Hello Baseball fans! While Scott, the horses and crew and I are at the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Futurity in Paso Robles we are also cheering on our favorites, the San Francisco Giants. My Mom and I wanted to go out and celebrate a good first round for our futurity horses but Scott wanted to stay in and watch the first round of the World Series. So we called a truce and the ladies went out and he stayed in to watch the game.

We decided to have dinner at a place we have never been before, Fish Gaucho. It is owned by a friend of our's son-in-law so we were anxious to give it a go after hearing many good reviews. To get our meal started night we decided to try their signature margaritas: Watermelon Mint and Blood Orange. They were both fabulous, totally worth giving a shot. the menu is described as California Mexican so I was muy muy excited to give it a try... 

 My mom went the surf and turf route and ordered the Filet, Shrimp and Scallop plate. The 6 oz filet was cooked to her desire of a perfect medium rare, two shrimp totally plump and scallop seared just like perfection. The proteins rested on a bed of jalapeno mashed potatoes and a warm ranchera salsa. She described it as "the best meal she has at a restaurant in a really long time..." 

When I saw Scallops on the menu you know I could not pass it up. The Crusted Diver Scallops complete with chorizo brussel sprouts, poblano crema and mashed potatoes made my day. I literally licked the plate until it was totally clean.

Our dinner was perfect. I rubbed it in to Scott so bad when I got home that he wanted to go for an early dinner today. This is how my second visit went...

I knew I immediately wanted to try the chips, salsa and Morro Bay guacamole when I came on this visit so we put in our order fairly quickly. The pineapple pico de gallo was Scott's favorite, while i favored the watermelon chipotle. The guacamole was totally fine too.

We were greeted with a gift from the chef (being a food blogger has its perks...) to kick off our meal. It was a pork belly taco, with crispy onion strings, spicy salsa and served with a slice of blood orange to squeeze over the corn tortilla blanket. I loved it. In fact, I was feeling quite full from all the chips and taco at this point. The taco will be featured on an upcoming menu and I felt pretty cool to get the inside bite.

Feeling already pretty full, I decided to solider on with the Oysters Oaxaca. Six Blue Point Oysters topped with what they have described on their menu as chorizo and cotija crumbles. It actually was topped with a thick layer of thick cheese that took over the delicate taste of a baked oyster. I literally took off the layer of cheese before eating so tasting an oyster could be detected. I think these need to be switched up a bit. 

Scott is a Lobster Enchilada fan so when he saw it on the menu I knew he was old on it. Let me start off my saying, the portion size is huge! You get a lot of food. He noted that the lobster meat was only claw meat and would have been excited to get a piece of tail meat. He could only finish two but did enjoy the zesty tomatillo sauce.  

As I explored the menu on my second visit it obviously was not quite as successful as the first but I do believe the third time will be a charm as we have to go again to let Cowboy Ron have a turn at bat!

El Rancho Futurity #1 - Rancho Murieta, CA

Have you met Elvis yet? This is my horse, Elvis and I am sure he is thrilled to meet you. Elvis has a back story too long to post but let me sum it up. He was bought in a sale in Texas with my horse show winnings in 2012 and I paid for a shipper to ship him to California. After 3 weeks of being stranded in Texas, he finally made it home. We soon discovered he had no tear ducts and had artificial ones (hence his registered name... "Metallic Tears") put in at UC Davis, twice! He then caught the herpes virus while at Davis and was in quarantine for 3 months! Shortly after we had him castrated at UC Davis and a whole mess of problems with infection hit him after that. So needless to say his start in life was not the best. But, through good faith and a lot of luck Elvis is here today cutting at the 2014 futurities!

I got to show him for the first time last week at the El Rancho Futurity. Just to walk him to the herd seemed surreal, it seemed like problem after problem with him medically sealed his fate of never cutting. But look at us go! I was not nervous to show him, as I sometimes get when I walk to the herd on my horses. I was just happy to be there!

Cutting on him was so much fun! He is a cool, calm competitor that doesn't get rattled during his run. He is small in size but a pretty steady dude. I cruised through the first round of competition with a score of 213, which is just above an average score in the National Cutting Horse Association's five judge system. With the first round over, I felt pretty excited to continue to show my horse well and advance through the rest of the rounds.

My Mom was the one who had to haul poor Elvis to his grueling veterinary appointments. She is the one who received the bad news when his procedures went not to plan. She is the one who kept me upbeat when I thought all was lost. My Mom never lost hope. She was thrilled to watch Elvis show his stuff, I think she was mostly nervous though.  

After we put Elvis in his stall and feed him some treats my mom and I decided to go treat ourselves to a Mexican food lunch that we enjoyed many times before - Coyote's in Lockeford. 

And this is me howling like a coyote portrayed on the menu...

Sometimes I am a little dramatic.

My mom had to actually take my photo doing this.

What a sport! 

Listed as a special on the menu board was "Real Crab Enchiladas" and I knew my mom would order it. It was served with a tangy green sauce. I sometimes regret ordering seafood type entrees at Mexican restaurants because I know they do their shredded beef right. So I leave the seafood section alone when dining la Mexicana! She did not seem to mind it but in my heart I know she wished she ordered her usual order of "Chile Relleno".

I ordered what I always do because on that day I felt like staying on course. One shredded beef enchilada and taco with rice and beans. It was perfect! I loved their enchilada sauce, it was smoky and not heavy on tomato taste. I know that sounds weird but I like a doctored up version. Make it sweet, make it spicy, smoke it up even if it is from the can it does wonders. The rice was fluffy although beans lack luster.

The chips and salsa are worth the drive alone. They sneak in flour chips with their tasty salsa and that is just my favorite! It was a perfect day. Horse show fun, socializing with my mom and eating Mexican food. My idea of perfection! 

Are you wondering how the rest of the horse show turned out? 

Stay tuned...

Tlaquepaque - Santa Paula, CA

So we have been home from Texas for a few weeks now and I have been enjoying the time home. So much so that I designed an outdoor living space. We have a wrap around porch with two large bays so I decided to create a cute, comfy spot of early morning coffee and late evening cocktails. It is a work in progress but I love it.

Melissa Weis, Porch Decorator Extraordinaire.  

Spray painting all that wicker made me quite hungry one afternoon so I decided I better treat myself to a nice lunch. When I am looking to fill my tummy I always choose Mexican food and so I turned to Tlaquepaque to do the job. It has higher Yelp reviews than Familia Diaz or La Cabana, my usual spots so I was curious to see what the hype was all about.

The chips and salsa was ok. I munched on them aimlessly rather than for flavor. I think based on this course Famila Diaz has them beat and a tie with La Cabana.

 It is going to be hard to compare my main course with the two other restaurants because I went off course and just ordered a shredded beef taco with rice and beans here. But I will say, it is the best darn taco I have had in a long time. I appreciated that they made a little foil taco holder, so the shell did not get soggy or contents fall out. How clever! The shredded beef was totally flavorful. A winner. 

I cannot wait to come back and see how my beloved enchilada stacks up but I am sure it will be good as the meat was just really on point. The restaurant was packed at noon so it must be doing something right, a local's favorite.

La Familia - Fort Worth, TX

I love coming to La Familia because it is as close to the Mexican food as I enjoy at home. I was craving it even more after our visit to Pulido's. I love the decoration inside the restaurant. From the outside it looks just like a strip mall but inside it is so beautiful!  

Chips and salsa are brought to the table and they are great. The chips are dusted with the right amount of salt and the salsa is flavorful without burning out the taste buds. 

You are given a choice of Al's Cactus Bean Soup or Tina's Chicken Soup with your entrees... Always order the CACTUS BEAN! It is extremely flavorful. I have never had a bean soup quite as good as this! I will order a whole bowl next time! It was packed with cactus, cilantro, pinto beans, tomato, chile, garlic and a savory chicken broth. It just worked!

Scott went for a Taco Salad with chicken fajita strips as his chosen protein. The flour taco shell was filled to the brim with shredded lettuce, tomato, jack cheese, chicken, queso sauce, guacamole and sour cream on top. It was a beast of a shell so you really had your work cut out to finish it up. He was very satisfied.

Flautas! I wanted a little crunch for lunch so I decided to go for their version of the crisp little devils. I asked for beef but got chicken but it really was not a big deal. They were good! The beans and rice was even better! I should have known after that cup of soup! I could have just ordered sides of the beans and rice and been content. 

What an excellent meal with a wonderful lunch crowd! The owner seats you and checks in on your meal. You can really feel the "Familia" vibe. I cannot want to tear into another bowl of that soup... 

Pulido's - Fort Worth, TX

 Pulido's is the type of place where local working lunch crowds come because you can get seated, order, eat and pay your bill in your allotted lunch hour. Scott and I were not in that kind of rush but we were hungry so Pulido's seemed like the best option to get our food pronto. The chips tasted like heaven because of my hunger but I knew they were not the best. The salsa is spicy so be prepared before dunking.

Underneath all that Iceburg lettuce is my Crispy Beef Tacos. They were more like a taquito because all that was inside them was beef. They were topped with lettuce, cheese, and tomato and served with a side of sour cream and guacamole. It was good, not great. I did leave feeling full and felt the price was very reasonable.

Scott ordered the "El Flaco" and it made me smile because it reminded me of my old horse. If you remember Flaco he was sold last March and we recently just found out he and his new owner qualified for the American Quarter horse Association's Select World Show! That made me so happy to hear! Anyway, back to the food... The plate was a carb free plate of all kinds of fun things. Fajita steak and chicken, avocado slices, lettuce, cheese and a stuffed chile. It looked like a lot of food but ate like a salad. An excellent option!

Pulido's is fast, cheap and filling. There are several locations throughout the Fort Worth area and all have the same type of menu. We like to go at least once a trip because we generally are craving Mexican food on our trips, since we eat it here a couple times a week. Tex-Mex just doesn't cut it for us! 

Always Craving... Mexican!

"What are you craving?" "Where do you want to go to lunch?" 

"Mexican, Mexican or Mexican", is almost always my answer. Each place has their speciality and I can eat the cuisine day after day without feeling a burnout. This has been my diet lately...

 If you are in Santa Paula and craving fine Mexican food, Familia Diaz is a good option. Chili Colorado is a tasty plate of food when combined with bites of beans and rice. The real kicker here is their Sunset Margaritas flavored with cranberry juice. The chips and salsa bar is awesome, my favorite being a salsa verde.

If you turn left out of our driveway and make your way to Downtown Ojai you come up on Casa de Lagos first. If you order the Shredded Beef Enchilada and Chile Relleno Combination you will be able to eat several meals with its leftovers and still leave completely satisfied. 

Or you can keep driving into town and stop in at La Fuente and order a trio of tacos made with Carnitas, Carne Asada or Chorizo. They are just the right amount of food if you are wanting a little snack or fast meal. Their tamales to go make an excellent dinner suggestion when short on time. 

Lastly, I wolfed these Chicken Enchiladas down last week and felt like a complete glutton afterwards. The portion size at Los Caporales. I should have ordered the "Nectar of the Gods" a soup made with pinot beans, tomatoes, cilantro, onion and queso fresco. I probably would have left with a lighter step!

My Mexican food cravings are borderline obsession. I take it seriously and am on the constant hunt for the next best place! Where do I need to try next?!

Pacific Sailing - Ventura, CA

Scott is the king of surprises. He likes a great date day, so I was pleased to find out he had arranged for our very first Sailing Lesson. We met our teacher from Pacific Sailing at the dock in the Ventura Harbor and looked forward to soaking it all in!

We learned all about our boat, her name was "Layla"and was a 34 foot Hunter. I thought she looked pretty seaworthy and looked forward to getting her out in the open water.

Scott was taught how to work the lines and open up the sails properly. 

I took charge of the boat first and steered her out to sea and off towards Oxnard... 

We switched at about the halfway point of our lesson and I was happy for a rest. Sailing a boat in the wind is a full body workout!

It was a beautiful experience and I know if we could handle the rough waters of yesterday we will be handle any day! Our instructor was quite proud of us!

In the Ventura Harbor there are tons of restaurants: Seafood, French, Sushi, Greek, Italian and Mexican places are all available for the enjoyment of visitors. We both were pretty chilly and needed something to warm up our bellies pronto. Margarita Villa was close by so we decided to see if we could catch the tail end of the NBA - Miami vs. San Antonio game.

We sat down at the bar to watch the last quarter of the game and tore into a basket of chips and salsa. I was ravenous, anything would taste good to me at that very moment. The salsa was not bad, chips maybe a tick stale but it was not anything I could not work with.

As our entrees came out Lebron James got hurt and it was looking bad for the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs took the lead and eventually won the game pretty handily. Scott ordered the Chicken Soft Tacos and he said that they really were not very good. I have to say they were poorly constructed because the tortilla kept ripping just as he would go to bite into it. The guacamole looked good though...

I did the Two Item Combo - Chile Relleno and Chicken Enchilada. The enchilada was fantastic! The chicken was really moist and the sauce very mild but totally pleasant. I did not care for the chile, as it was not cooked as soft as I prefer. The rice and beans were just fine.

I was so proud of Scott for planning this little adventure for the both of us. I know how much he loves the water so I was happy to be included in his passion. He looked like a little kid in a candy store. I look forward to many more days like this!