Month: April 2015

I just learned that Wicked Taco is going to open up a place in Raleigh off Western Blvd. sometime this spring.  Their menu looks delicious with some really thoughtful combinations.  Coming to Raleigh from San Diego, I am always searching for good Mexican food.  I have yet to find what I am looking for in an enchilada and chile relleno anywhere near here.  I know I was spoiled and it is silly for me to think that someday the kind of Mexican food I got to enjoy in San Diego will arrive in Raleigh, but you can’t blame a girl for hoping!  Just like I still continue to hope that In-N-Out will change their minds and open a place in Raleigh.  I even wrote them when I first moved here and said I would work there (I do have a ton of restaurant experience), and they did write me back, but it was not good news.  They do not intend to move any further west than they are right now.  Sorry for the rant, and back to this new taco joint opening up, you can check out the menu and site out here:  http://www.wickedtaco.com/food/

I am excited to try all of them, but I definitely want the Lemon Trees on Mercy taco, the Roasted Hatch Queso Fundido Dip and it looks like they will be serving craft beers to wash it all down with!!

I really hope that this post of Guasaca is not the first time you are hearing about this place as that would be quite sad.  Last night, I just could not freaking stomach The Oak’s food another time, so opted to get Guasaca (it is in the same center off Lake Boone Trail in Raleigh) for dinner, sit outside and grab a beer next door from Bottle Revolution, so I will tell you about both places and experiences.  I had been to Bottle Revolution before, but it was the first time for the hubby.  I popped in, tasted the beer recommendation based upon what I told them I liked and then ordered one up.  Went to give him my card and he said….are you only having one?  I said…..no…because that would obviously be silly.  So, I said I would just start a tab and get this…..he says…we operate on an honor system!!!  Just saying…..that would NEVER happen in San Diego!!!  I felt like an instant part of the family…like CHEERS where everyone knows your name.  Very cool vibe there both inside and out and the staff is not only very knowledgeable but they also are not snobby or pretentious whatsoever!

So, I get my beer and join my son outside to enjoy the amazing weather and it is buzzing out there with lots of different folks eating food from either Guasaca or Which Which or just drinking beer (families, professionals, runners, etc.).  Dylan has never had Guasaca, so I was explaining the options to him (you either get a bowl, salad or have it on the arepa, which is essentially a corn based flatbread of sorts).  You can create your own ingredients or they have some signature items  you can order directly.

We both opted for the bowl (I have had the arepa before and it is fantastic, so wanted to try something different) and decided to make our own as he is a high maintenance foodie like his mom.  🙂  Dylan got the brown rice, grilled chicken, avocado salsa, caramelized onions, pico de gallo and cheese with the honey mustard sauce on the side.  He absolutely loved it and I tried his honey mustard sauce they make there and it was quite good.  None of us (hubby tried both bowls) were big fans of the onions, but that is really just a preference thing as they were a bit too sweet for our liking (we wanted them to be savory).

Oh, I will say that I was surprised that the grilled chicken is pulled (as shown above) as I guess I expected it to be chopped up grilled chicken, but no complaints here as it was delicious!  I opted for the same chicken, brown rice, black beans, guacamole salsa, cheese and both their cilantro sauce and signature spicy sauce.

We all agreed mine was AMAZING!!!!!  I got really full (thanks to all of the wonderful beers I was drinking), so Dylan had to step in and finish my bowl.  Speaking of beer, let me get back to that for a second.  Hubby came (I guess I should call him by his name, which is Matt) and I explained he should just go in and get whatever beer and told him about this whole honor system thing and he was also surprised and curious.  He came out with a canned beer, which had not even occurred to me to get something other than the draft.  Well, none of their draft beers were exactly what I wanted, so I opted for a bottled beer next (Bad Penny by Big Boss) and it was delightful.  I stood outside in their cool little area covered area outside (oh, we got rained on big time, so had to dart for safety) there were even places to hang my giant purse!  Next beer for me was a can of Fat Tire (one of my favorites).

We accomplished all of that in just about an hour – aren’t we productive!!  🙂  I foresee many future Thursdays repeating this particular evening over again!!

#Guasaca #Bottle Revolution #happytummy

First and foremost, the only reason I continue to frequent this place is because it is next door to Ella’s (my 8 1/2 year old) dance studio where she has a 45 minute tap class, which is just enough time for 1-2 drinks or glasses of wine and some snacks.  So, it would be really helpful if this place had great food!  I will say that their bar area is has a nice vibe and the bartenders are extremely nice and remember you over time.  It is a bourbon bar too, so clearly they have a great variety of bourbons (flights are offered as well).  Hubby enjoys this, but I don’t drink bourbon.

The owners of The Oak also own Taste, which is conveniently located to my house, so I really wish these two restaurants rocked.  My gripe with both of them are that the food (especially for the price) is eh…..not great and portions are small.  I don’t mind paying a decent amount for small portions if the food is amazing, but this is sadly not the case.  Therefore, I have resorted to ordering wine or a my standard Tito’s and soda water and a side of fries.  Their fries are quite good and the aioli dipping sauce it comes with makes me tingle inside.  🙂

The first time I went I ordered a salad that was missing at least 3-4 of the ingredients listed on the menu and when I mentioned it to the server, his response was that they must be out of some of them.  WTF!  Therefore, the salad ended up being very plain and the salmon I ordered on it was quite expensive for the very small portion that was provided and was just okay.  The service in general can be somewhat spotty if you are not at the bar (perhaps the stations for each server have too many tables), or they just are not well trained before being put out on the floor.

My son Dylan often comes with us on these mini-dates and all three of us love mussels.  The Oak serves bacon bourbon mussels, which again, are okay, but not great.  Fairly small portion, not enough sauce or flavor, but does come with some grilled bread that is a nice touch.  If you want good mussels, go to Vivace or Coquette (both in North Hills and both owned by Urban Food Group).  I am getting hungry thinking about them!  You will see below the portion and presentation.

They also have these three cheese nachos on the menu – holy shit do I love some good nachos.  Here is the description: slow cooked black-eyed peas, red peppers, cilantro and red cabbage. Served with chipotle sour cream and tomatillo salsa.  Again these are not bad, but not amazing and a very small portion for what it is.  They are literally the chips I buy from Costco or other supermarkets covered in black eyed peas (the texture of refried beans) and I guess they were out of tomatillo salsa because these did not come with it.  I will eat them if they are there as they are decent, but not holy crap amazing and nor would I ever crave them.  This is literally the full portion below for $8.

We went this last week and they had a new menu item of lamb sliders (slow roasted lamb, fennel slaw with a cabernet aioli) for $9.  You will see below this included two small sliders.  I was pretty excited as I am a big fan of lamb and was hopeful there would be an item I really liked here besides fries.  I refuse to order the entrée items because none of them sound that appealing and I know that I will disappointed in the quality and portion size with the price.  Look, I was raised Jewish and I am a CPA by training, but I assure you I am not cheap (I feel like this is sort of reading that way).  Those that know me know that I am willing to spend some big bucks for good food if it is worth it and there are plenty of places in Raleigh and nearby to do that….this is not one of them.  Back to the sliders – the lamb was dry and unless you ate a piece completely separately from the bun and other ingredients, you would not even know it was lamb.  When you eat it separately the flavor is lacking and like I said, it is quite dry (served pulled pork style).

I think this picture makes the sliders look large, but they are indeed small sliders like you would expect.  I guess I should take pictures of other things that people would like to appear larger with this camera.  🙂  Yes, I have a very dirty mind.

So, I continue to go to this place on Thursdays and hope to be able to eat before going and just stop in for drinks as it is a nice place to do that both inside and outside (great outside seating).  I wish the owner would get this place and Taste to a new level….perhaps it is time for a change in talent in the kitchen?  Do go and get some drinks, some bourbon flights or wine, but do eat beforehand if you do not want to end up disappointed.  Guasaca (an arepa and salsa grill is in the same center and is delicious, so grab a quick bite there beforehand.