"Outpost for modern Mexican fare, imaginative salsas and local craft beers with a dog-friendly patio in the heart of Tucson ... As featured on the Food Network, New York Times, and Travel Channel; Tucson City of Gastronomy Certified; James Beard Award Semifinalist."
That makes you want to dine at BOCA by Chef Maria Mazon, too, right? I first heard of the chef on TV - both Chopped and Top Chef. And her philosophy on Mexican food includes descriptors as "Elegant, Colorful, Original, Fresh" - that's the kind of Mexican food they're dishing out.
The authentic Sonoran, Mexican cuisine features tacos made with corn or flour with cabbage, guacamole, limes, pickled onions, and so many options for salsas. Everything was flavorful and had a variety of textures and fresh components.
We had fried tortilla strips with fresh salsas, which was grand. And I tried a Boca Ball, which was chipotle mashed potatoes rolled in Panko bread crumbs and fried, served with Boca dipping sauce. Phenomenal. Of course those tacos, though, stole the show. THE DAN GIBSON - Barbacoa style beef cooked in tomato chile sauce - was definitely one I'll order again.
Grade: A
Rost Coffee Roastery & Cafe is a cool spot my boyfriend and I stumbled upon while in Chillicothe, Ohio.
It's located in a shared space with some other stores, which could be a fun way to spend an afternoon.
The coffee shop has a limited food menu, but a solid variety of drinks: espresso, tea, smoothies, hot chocolate.
I settled with a berry basic smoothie and a white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie. Both were pleasant.
Grade: B
Sometimes, it's the gas stations in far off little corners of the state that serve the best food. I've had the New River Exxon in Hico on my to-try list for quite a while. So when I went to a new taproom in the area, I also swung by this gas station.
And, they do have an actual little kitchen that cooks made-to-order food. There is even some seating if you would like to dine in.
they offer breakfast foods, especially biscuits, and sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, salads, and more.
I ultimately decided on a fried the bologna sandwich with just cheese, because I knew I would be having more food and drinks later on, and I wanted to make sure I had room for everything. But I did add a side of pasta salad, which I could never pass up. And, I met up with some friends who actually purchased some pepperoni roll flavored chips from the gas station.
So, the sandwich was hot, comforting and straightforward. Simple flavors, but familiar ones that harken back to my childhood. It gave me a base for the days activities. The pasta salad was tasty; my favorite is when the rotini noodles are tightly wound. So you get a nice bite of pasta along with crunchy veggies in that tangy dressing.
And then, rounding out my experience with the gas station was the pepperoni roll flavored chips from Mister Bees. I was really excited to see these, because, of course, pepperoni rolls. But also, I love new and different flavors. These reminded me of the greasy a cube pepperonis that you get on some French bread or other frozen pizzas. I can definitely get the pepperoni flavor here. There is a 304 flavor that I am dying to try so if you find it, let me know where.
Grade: B
Mizu Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi in Buckhannon offers a variety of Japanese offerings: shumai and sushi to bento boxes and hibachi.
I love all of those items, so I ordered a variety. Let's start with shumai. It's a little dumpling often found in Chinese cuisine with minced pork and onion. The Japanese version is more often a paste, but these are actually shrimp shumai that are just little flavor bombs that I love. It reminds me of a fish cake or krab.
Then, a taste of the crab rangoons. I can't NOT order thesee. This version was OK, not great. Not a ton of flavor, a little cold, and I wasn't excited by tee dipping sauce. But it's kinda like when you had a REALLY good one at one point and all others are an effort to replicate that amazing one. Of course everything else is going to fall a little short. These were OK.
For the main entree, I ordered a Rock N Roll (roll) - shrimp, mango, cheese inside topped w. crunchy spicy crab w. chefs special sauce. This was tasty, but I almost wish all the flavors were punched up x10. I want it to be spicier, creamier, sweeter. I think it's fine, but nothing I haven't had before.
Grade: B
All work property of Candace Nelson. Powered by Blogger.
