Browsing Tag

mexican

Charleston, SC Restaurant Reviews

Taco Mamacita [CLOSED]

July 25, 2014

*Note: I received a free gift certificate from Taco Mamacita to come by and try their food. That does not impact my review of them at all*

I was invited not long ago to try Taco Mamacita by one of their marketing managers after they started serving brunch. She sent me a gift certificate for 2 for brunch, and so I gladly made the trek out to Sully’s for a tex-mexican brunch with a friend.

Not quite what I was expecting...

Olè!

Since I was starving ( and had a gift certificate), I of course wanted to order one of everything on the menu. I started with a mimosa (what is brunch without one, after all), which tasted like a mimosa. Nothing necessarily special (but then again, that’s not why I order mimosas. There’s only so many ways to mix OJ and champagne). It was only when we left that I noticed that they do a strawberry coconut mojito, which is like MY JAM. Next time.

I have a mimosa addiction.

I have a mimosa addiction.

We started with an order of the dip trio (queso, mango salsa, and guacamole). I loved the mango salsa and I think would’ve preferred just getting a full order of that. I loved that the guac tasted like fresh avocado and didn’t have a whole lot going on; it was simple. I think the queso was my least favorite of the trio, not to say that it wasn’t good, it just wasn’t anything special.

What would Mexican brunch be without chips and dip??

What would Mexican brunch be without chips and dip??

The person I was with ordered the Peruvian chicken, which I’d never tried before, and was super excited about it. He thought it was flavorful and spicy, and that it was good, but it didn’t live up to the expectations of the Peruvian chicken that he had in Peru and in Peruvian restaurants. I thought it was good and tasted not unlike a rotisserie chicken, which you can’t go wrong with. He got 2 sides with it, chipotle turnip greens, and Mexican street corn. The Mexican street corn was on point, I’d venture to say even better than Taco Boy. He hated the turnip greens, expecting them to be more like collard greens, which they were not. I really liked them, although they were spicier than I was expecting.

Apparently "Peruvian Chicken" means "Half of a chicken"

Apparently “Peruvian Chicken” means “Half of a chicken.”

We also tried the breakfast torta with chorizo and a side of the homefries. The chorizo torta was good, a little greasy (but hey, it’s chorizo), but taste-wise it was yummy. We ended up taking it home because we were so stuffed, but my friend ate it for lunch the next day and said it was just as good.

A sandwich that's still good on day 2 is impressive.

A sandwich that’s still good on day 2 is impressive.

The homefries were really disappointing. They were dry and overcooked and I was really disappointed. The waitress recommended them highly, so I think maybe we just got the leftovers from an earlier cooked batch, but still, I was hoping for more.

Maybe I'm just weird?

Maybe I’m just weird?

I also ordered the fish taco, because I love fish tacos, and was underwhelmed. I thought it was flavorless and disappointing. I was really hoping for more, especially since it was more expensive than places downtown like Taco Boy or Taco Spot.

If you've got "Taco" in the name, you should make sure that your tacos are the best thing on the menu.

If you’ve got “Taco” in the name, you should make sure that your tacos are the best thing on the menu.

All in all, I’d say this was a perfectly acceptable place to go to brunch, lunch, or dinner. Although I probably wouldn’t make a special trip specifically out to Sullivan’s to eat here like I would with Poe’s or Obstinate Daughter, I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to grabbing some lunch if we were already in the area, especially since they have a really nice patio.

Just look at how pretty it is!

Just look at how pretty it is! via Facebook

Taco Mamacita on Urbanspoon

Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week 9/10/12

September 10, 2012

Wooo! College Football Season is finally here! GO COCKS! (That’s the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, for those of you who were wondering why my blog got very X-Rated all of a sudden).

This weekend Ben and I went to Columbia to tailgate with Cullen, Taylor, Lauren, and my parents at the USC vs ECU game (USC won, 48-10). We ate delicious burgers and pimento cheese fries at Rockaway Athletic Club on Friday night, and showered my brother with birthday gifts. I can’t believe he’s 20 already… WHY IS EVERYONE GETTING SO FREAKING OLD?!

Saturday we ate delicious Tina food, while sweating buckets in the fierce Columbia heat. Biscuits and gravy, sausage, fruit, couscous salad, grilled chicken, pan-fried chicken, chips and queso, goat cheese-stuffed tomatoes, caprese bites, goat cheese-wrapped asparagus, hot dogs, cupcakes… the list goes on and on. It was almost too hot to be drinking beer, so I stuck to drinking daquiris, mainly for the fact that they’re 90% ice.

Saturday night, we went to Huller’s Black Forest, a German restaurant off Harbison that is delicious. They have a buffet with traditional German fare and a station where they make schnitzel to order. We definitely over ate, but it was awesome. The owner is a really awesome guy who always has a smile on his face. He makes a bunch of different sausages in house, and was happy to let us try some at no extra charge. It was quite delicious and very gluttonous.

Sunday, before heading back down to Charleston, we stopped at Real Mexico Restaurant y Tienda for some delicious and fresh mexican food. I loved that all the food was made fresh to order, and everything seemed homemade. I usually avoid refried beans because they taste like they’ve been scooped out of a can, but here, I could tell that they were made fresh and with some pretty quality ingredients. I also got some killer tamales and empanadas that were quite delicious. I highly recommend stopping here!

This week’s quote comes from Mr. Homer Simspon, and pretty much sums up my feelings about College Football Season and why I love it so much. Have a great week!

“We’re not here for the game. The game is nothing. The game is crap. The game makes me sick. The real reason we Americans put up with sports is for this: Behold, the tailgate party. The pinnacle of human achievement. Since the dawn of parking lots, man has sought to fill his gut with food and alcohol in anticipation of watching others exercise.”
–Homer Simpson

If it wasn’t for tailgating, I wouldn’t even know football was a sport.