Tacos Tampico

Tacos Tampico replaces Tony's Street Tacos in the Buzzin Market at Spring Stuebner and Gosling. Not to be confused with Taqueria Tampico at Kuykendahl and 2920.  I stopped in the other day and got the brisket plate with a side of elote (Mexican street corn).

Brisket is very difficult to do correctly so it's a perilous choice. In this case I'm happy to say that they came through. The table cut was very lean but also quite tender. The barbecue sauce served with it was very good--on the astringent side, you can taste the vinegar, so you can tell it's homemade. I also sampled the salsas--the orange salsa has a serious kick, if you're looking for heat this is it.

The brisket plate comes with rice and beans, and both of these are a cut above the usual. The beans come with cheese and onions, and have great flavor. The rice was also very flavorful. Often these are throwaway items, not this time.

The elote was a good representation--lots of white cheese, parmesan, and a nice dash of pepper sauce.

I got a fountain drink to go with it, and the machine was working properly. There's plenty of food for at least two servings, to share or eat later. Can't find much wrong. Not sure it will displace Tony's Street Tacos as my favorite gas station fare, but this place is close, and worth a try.

My Yelp Review

Potbelly Sandwich Shop

This location recently moved from the corner of Gosling and Kuykendahl to the Grand Parkway Marketplace. I stopped in to see what's new. Had a skinny sweet heat pork BBQ sandwich, a cup of chicken pot pie soup, and the new butter brickle cookie. Washed it down with a Tractor Craft refresher, a juice blend drink. I got the Farmer's Friend, which has grape juice, and a couple other fruit juices.

The sandwich was very good, some heat but not too much. It held together nicely and the skinny size was very satisfying. I would definitely get that sandwich again. The chicken pot pie soup was rich and satisfying. The top is a crumble rather than a crust but has the same flavor. The butter brickle cookie was great--nice and fresh, with just a bit of crunchy caramelization from the butter brickle filling. The refresher was an excellent complement to the meal. I am a fan of agua frescas at Tex-Mex places and these refreshers definitely remind me of them. The one I got was kind of like jicama (hibiscus on some menus). Good choice to avoid fizz.

The interior is very inviting, nice wood chairs and booths. The booths have power outlets, inviting you to hang out awhile. The men's restroom was in the process of being cleaned while I was there so it would definitely have been fresh and ready. No notes, I really can't find anything critical to say.

My Yelp Review

I-45 Diner 2

This new location recently opened after teasing us for a long time. Currently it is only open for breakfast and lunch, but they hope to add dinner service. We stopped in at lunchtime and got a mix of items.

On the breakfast side we got the breakfast skillet. Potatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, cheese, two eggs, and we had bacon for the meat. The skillet is nicely presented and makes you want to eat it. It's a fine blend of flavors, everything done competently.

For a mix we got the chicken and waffles--chicken fingers and waffles with syrup. This dish for me is a triumph of hope over experience--I love the idea but it's almost never executed the way I would want. This one came closer than most--the waffles were crisp and light, as was the chicken. It's hard to get chicken fingers to be juicy, and these were just a little dry. The syrup helps that as a condiment, but for me the breading has to be really salty to hold up to the syrup and this wasn't quite there. Still a good try.

For a lunch entree we got the Southwest pork chops. Another dish that I love to order but is hard to get right. Again they came close. The southwest mix on top is very tasty. The chops were over by about 30 seconds (doesn't take long with thin chops on a hot grill). Pretty good and I enjoyed it.

The dessert was very limited--they did not have ice cream so the only one they had was peach cobbler. It was a decent representation, more of a breaded top than a crumble. Made with canned peaches, which is the Texas way.

The menu is huge so there's lots of room to go back and try things. They have burgers, Tex-Mex and lots of classic comfort food. I'm sure we'll be back because they have something for everyone. Service is casual, just sit down and they'll find you. The place was clean and bustling when we were there. Glad to have them open!

My Yelp Review

Antojitos Del Mar

This food truck recently moved from the now closed Spring Food Park to La Plaza de los Food Trucks on Gosling. We tried them the other night--got a grilled and fried fish combo and shrimp quesadillas.  Mexican Coke was the only drink they were serving, but I like that just fine.

The food was decent. I would say the grilled fish was just a bit overcooked for my taste. The fried fish was on target. The combo plate was festive with a lot going on--rice, fries, grilled onions and peppers, grilled fish, and fried fish. The fish was a standard whitefish, tilapia I think (not catfish). The fries were well cooked, very lightly seasoned. The rice is a richly seasoned Mexican rice, very good flavor and lifts everything else up. The shrimp on the quesadillas had the most impact from being a bit over, some parts were chewy but others were OK.

Wouldn't be a go-to seafood place for me but if you are at La Plaza de los Food Trucks and want seafood this would be a good choice.

My Yelp Review