I hate giving bad reviews. I hate even being lackluster, but that's part of this food review thing. I promised to try new things for you all, and when they don't work out, I should tell you.
So, on a recent trip through downtown Eugene, I noted a restaurant I had never really made much mind to before. It was La Bufa Taqueria, and they boasted of their "tacos al vapor." They were also closed, so I made note to go back and try them for lunch as soon as was convenient. As it happened, that was pretty much the very next day. What can I say? I really love Mexican food.
So G. opted for two of the pork tacos al vapor, and what came out appeared to be two pretty standard pork soft tacos. In fact, that's true. Neither of us could determine anything that might have made these tacos "steamed" in any way. They were passably good, if sort of dull and dry, tacos.
I was hungry for avocado, so I picked something--the Mini-Tosti--that would get me some of the yummy green stuff. The lady behind the counter was nice enough to steer me toward the "mini" or otherwise this thing would have been WAY too large. I could barely finish the half-sized "mini," so the full-sized one might have killed me. The dish was basically nachos: chips, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, chunks of avocado, dried oregano, and (here's where it went REALLY wrong for me) a liberal dusting of that Kraft "parmesan" cheese that comes in a can. WHY?! It ruined what was otherwise a really tasty and affordable ($3.00!) lunch. I don't think this junk should even land on homemade spaghetti, let alone Mexican food. So disappointing, especially on a menu that includes queso fresca.
I suspect perhaps we ordered wrong, so I am thinking we'll try again some day, but I do have one price quibble that has nothing to do with the quality of the food: $1.75 for a can of soda, in the absence of a soda fountain, is just EVIL.
I'll say one thing for the midwest: They've got the soda fountain thing down. Free refills. Big glasses. Yeah. Oregon just doesn't get the whole Coke thing (or Sprite, in my case, but you get the idea).
ReplyDelete$1.75 for a can of anything that won't get you drunk or an STD is pretty much highway robbery.
Yeah, this place was disappointing for me too. The only thing that was really good was the green chile sauce in the squeeze bottle. It was REALLY good. But everything else was a big "meh". Plus the menu was really tough to figure out.
ReplyDeleteYou really should try this place again -- the tacos are now seasoned with a very tasty adobo. Be sure to dress them with their salsa verde (very mild), and add a little salt or taco sauce, to your liking. They are called "steamed" tacos because the meat is steamed instead of fried, which makes it tender and moist, and also very healthy, giving the tacos a light, fresh taste. I respect your opinion, but I urge you to give it another try.
ReplyDeleteIf there have been menu changes, I might have to give them another chance. I still have a bad feeling about the cheese in a can. There's nowhere that should be served with a straight face, by anyone who likes food.
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