Tacos Mexico (Norwalk, CT)

Special Cinco de Mayo prelude by Ryan “el Chupacabra” Prescott:

As we all know, Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces in the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Okay, none of us knew that. Even our beloved Mexican readers didn’t know that. But what we DO know is that in 2011, Cinco de Mayo is a day to eat tacos, drink tequila, and dust off your limited Spanish speaking skills from the 10th grade. One of the best places WE’VE found to do exactly that is at Norwalk’s Tacos Mexico.

Take it away, Kyle!

I first found Tacos Mexico when I was in search of place to watch the 2010 World Cup during my work lunch break. Just like Paul the Psychic Octopus, I have the power to predict the future, and I just KNEW that there would be soccer on a TV in there. OK, maybe I knew because of the name...it’s not a stereotype if it turns out to be true. (Speaking of the name, it's not even correct grammar. How about Tacos Mexicano? Mexican Tacos? Tacos of Mexico? Generic Mexican Restaurant? But I digress.)

Once I got to the place, I was afraid that they might not even have a TV. It's in a very small shopping center alongside four other stores that you'd probably never visit. Nevertheless, I took a seat inside and was happy to find that not only was there a TV broadcasting the World Cup (I'll give points to the Octopus for that) but that TV was situated above a full bar immersed in smells of delicious Mexican cooking. This place was so good that I had to bring Food Plus Beer back to it.

We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. Generally I take this a sign that the establishment is doing a few things right. Needless to say, we took up stations at the bar. The beer menu was exactly what you'd expect - non-existent. Various Mexican beers were offered in bottles, so we declined and ordered up a few Margaritas ($3.50 during happy hour!). They were great! Tangy with the taste of fresh squeezed lime, followed through with Tequila. We liked that the glass was crusted with both salt and crushed red pepper. Can't go wrong with that!

As for the menu, I dare you to try to find something that costs more than 14 bucks. You can't! The prices are awesome and the portions are generous. Fresh, clean, authentic tasting Mexican cuisine. Ryan and I both ordered Enchiladas and were completely satisfied. The other plates around our table looked equally delicious (a massive burrito and overflowing fajita plate). Everything had that homemade, authentic feel that proves that the chef takes pride in his offerings.

All in all, Tacos Mexico is definitely worth a try. Awesome food, good Margaritas (especially during that killer happy hour), and plus, the soap dispensers in the bathroom are empty Patron bottles. So there.

-Kyle



A few local Mexican offerings for tonight (5/5/11):
Maryann’s (Stamford): drink specials, mariachi band and giveaways
Lola’s (Stamford): 5 – 8pm drink specials; 10 – 12am drink specials, dj and band [LAME!]
Red Lu Lu (Norwalk): 4pm – 1am free apps, cash bar, drink specials
Tacos Mexico (Norwalk): drink specials
Maya Rivera (Stamford):  no specials
Viva Zapata (Westport): no specials

Full Sail IPA

Full Sail IPA

6% ABV, 60 IBUs

http://www.fullsailbrewing.com/

Forty-Seven self proclaimed “Fermenters of Godlike Nectar” own the Full Sail Brewing Company out of Hood River, Oregon.  These guys have a four day work week and judging by the description on the box, I’m picturing a bunch of hippie and surfer dudes, half of them with long hair, and the other half with longer beards.  

Full Sail IPA is an English style IPA with light citrus and herbal hops with a solid malt backbone.  The initially bright hops fade fairly quickly and this turns into a well balanced easy drinking IPA.  I’d say it’s average and disappointing after reading the phrase “Godlike Nectar”.  This would serve as a great every day IPA or all-night session beer if the price was right but I wouldn’t recommend seeking this one out with the plethora of other delicious and comparably priced IPAs available on shelves in the highly competitive IPA market.

-Kyle

New England Brewing Company

Woodbridge, CT
www.newenglandbrewing.com

It’s a rainy Saturday, what do you do?  No, it’s not a trick question or a riddle – go drink some beer!  In fact, step up your game a little bit - go drink one from the source.  This simple thought process brought Food Plus Beer to our closest commercial brewery, New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge, CT (just outside New Haven).

New England Brewing Company

Now, we knew that New England Brewing is a Microbrewery, but we didn’t fully understand how micro it is until we pulled up.  It’s a small, unbecoming box of a brick building that produces a mere 2,000 barrels of beer annually.  That’s just over 660 thousand beers – Ryan and I can down that in a night! (If you don’t believe us, buy us the beers and we’ll show you).  Popularity of NEBCO’s brews along with limited supply has forced them distribute only to local areas; they even had to stop distributing in New York.  Rarity is reason #2 to jump on any opportunity to try their beers.

This is the entire brewery.

The first reason is because the beer is incredible!  While at the brewery we were fortunate enough to sample “Gandhi Bot” and “668: Neighbor of the Beast”.  "Gandhi Bot" Double India Pale Ale is amazing.  It’s 8.8% and LOADED with hops.  It’s piney and citrusy with a resinous feel that sticks to your mouth and begs another sip.  All the while you can let your imagination run wild as to why there’s a robotic Gandhi on the can.

“668 Neighbor of the Beast”, a Belgian Strong Pale ale with a light body and both a spicy and fruity character, ranks in at over 9% and is almost equally delicious (I'm a hophead so in my eyes you can't beat the robotic rebel!).  The can features a regular ol’ guy in a wife-beater fetching the mail while a red glow emanates from his neighbor’s house.  We love the can and the beer inside it.

At least we know the Neighbor approves...

And just to clarify things, yes they do can their beer (with the exception of Imperial Stout Trooper).  In fact, they actually still can everything by hand. New England Brewing Company is another fine example that great beer doesn’t have to come in glass bottles.  Go to there for the growler fills, stay a while for the free samples.

These cans will all be filled by hand, one by one.

-Kyle

Prime 16

New Haven, CT
Menu | Taps [rotating]
www.prime16.com

As Kyle, myself, and our dear companions stood inside the New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge, debating aloud our options for lunch, we heard a voice:
“Go to Prime 16.”

No, it was not God, whose Holiness was surely busy answering a slew of Easter Weekend prayers. It was just some dude.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Why would you listen to just some dude?” Well, it’s because he showed up at the brewery to fill three empty growlers with Imperial IPA. And you know that age-old adage: Always take lunch recommendations from the random guy at the brewery filling 3 growlers with Imperial IPA.

So, with that, we headed to downtown New Haven for the beer & burger frenzy that is Prime 16. With 20 rare and continuously rotating beers on tap and 16 burgers on the menu (the reason it’s called Prime 16, perhaps?), the combinations of awesomeness are endless (well, not endless, but this isn’t a blog about math, so I ain’t doin’ it.)

Not only that, but we had just stumbled into the Saturday 2-4 Happy Hour, which featured 50% off draft beer and wings. Hominahominahomina.

If you don't like what's on tap, wait a couple minutes for a keg to kick. Better yet, kill yourself.

Faster than you can say “why the hell isn’t this place in Stamford,” I ordered a Heavy Seas Dubbel Cannon Belgian IPA, and a warmup round of crispy, tangy wings (half buffalo, half Jack Daniels’ Bourbon). The wings were great, but the burger was a monster.

The only thing cooler than triangular plates are tasty wings. Also, beer.

After grabbing another brew, Brooklyn’s Main Engine Start, it was time for the Cowboy Burger – at least a half-pound of juicy beef, topped with smoked Canadian bacon, a fried egg, cheddar cheese, lettuce and salsa. In a word - awesome. The beef was delicious and perfectly cooked, the bacon was salty and crunchy, that delicious egg goo dripping all over the place…I had a burgasm. Let’s just leave it at that.

You just had a burgasm, too.

As if that wasn’t enough, I upgraded my regular fries to fries with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese, because, why the hell not. I’m telling you, these are hall-of-fame level fries. Garlicky, cheesy, salty…you must go for the upgrade. Just do it.

All in all, this place helped to turn a terrible rainy Saturday in mid-April into an epic journey. Great food, great beer. It sounds simple, but it’s so rare to find both in the same place. Prime 16 has it.

And if the growler guy from New England Brewing Company is reading this, we salute you. You’re in the nonexistent Food Plus Beer Hall of Fame, right next to the fries I just anointed.

Buurrrp,

-Ryan

Dogfish Head Red and White

10% ABV
Malt Liquor

Dogfish Head Red and White can't technically be called a beer since it doesn't have any hops. Dogfish calls it a "Malt Beverage", similar to Colt 45, Steel Reserve, King Cobra, and the countless other types of "High Gravity", cheap and efficient "lets get hammered" juice.

What makes Dogfish Head Red and White different is that that actually try to make it taste good. Red and White is a big Belgian-style Wit that instantly reminded me of a super Blue Moon. It's brewed with coriander and orange peel, just like Blue Moon, and those flavors are the first that hit your tongue. Dogfish also mixes in Pinot Noir juice (yes, from grapes just like wine) and ages a portion of the "beer" in oak Pinot Noir barrels. This addition adds complexity and a noticeably dry, wine-like finish.

With that said, you might still be wondering, "did I enjoy it?" I can't say that I loved it. With no hop bitterness to balance it I thought it was a little sweet. The alcohol taste was present with each sip, and I struggled to put it down as it warmed. That's not to say that I didn't like it, but its not exactly my cup of tea mug of ale.  It was definitely worth trying and it shows that you can actually make a high quality malt liquor if you put in the effort.  Try it for the experience.

-Kyle