Skip to main content

Casa Taco ~ Albuquerque, New Mexico


Academy near San Mateo. They also have a location in Elephant Butte.

First visit: Feb 2021

Didn't get a chance to finish our impromptu trip back from Arizona. So after stuffing our faces at RelicRoad, we took the long - and somewhat boring - drive east towards Albuquerque on I-40. We arrived in the late afternoon, did a little bit of thrifting, and then it was dinner time. We didn't want anything too heavy, something along the lines of tacos y margaritas. We wanted to try a place called Craft Republic, but like our La Choza experience, we figured it was a long shot. And sure enough, with the very small capacities allowed by the Chancellor, we were looking at an hour wait. OK, we'll go next time. How about something less ambitious? Casa Taco came up on Google Maps, and we decided to try for it.

Casa Taco is a counter service place, that seems to cater to a more gringo oriented crowd. And their offerings go beyond typical taqueria fare. This is exactly what we were looking for. And the restaurant had some patrons, but there was still room for more. Perfect. They do have beer, but it's all bottled Mexican brews. We ordered water instead (same thing lol).

We ordered chips and salsa, and 4 tacos (ground beef, grilled chicken, and 2 carne asada's) and we each got rice and beans. A few minutes later, our food was delivered, and she asked if we wanted the hot or mild salsa. Of course we took the hot. The chips were excellent, light and crispy. The salsa did have some kick, and was very flavorful. The ground beef was nicely seasoned, and the pollo asado was excellent, grilled to perfection. The carne asada was not as expected. They call it marinated, but so much so, it seemed like beef stew. Not so much to our taste. Or we received the wrong item? We're just not sure. The rice was heavily seasoned, perfectly cooked, with an excellent flavor. Highlight of the meal. The beans were heavier than we prefer, and we didn't finish them. They also brought out a tomatillo taco sauce, which is of the avocado variety, which neither of us care for (though Mrs. RJG loves avocado's, but not like this). 

Would we go back? Definitely (want to try some other items on the menu), but it will have to be on a longer visit, as there's just too many other great places in front. Thumbs up from us all the same.

3/3/21 (new entry)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Guys Burgers and Fries ~ national chain : Colorado Springs, Colorado

Latest visit: Oct 2023 (Colorado Springs - Interquest) First visit: Jan 2007 (Reston, VA) Locations: 49 states + DC. Only Alaska is missing. There are 30 in Colorado (4 in the Springs). That's +3 from last year. Texas has 68 (our former locale of Southlake is closed, so Hurst would have been the closest). There are 123 in California which is their largest state presence. The original Reston location that I first went to is still going.  In what appears to be a recurring theme, I state each year this will be my last visit to Five Guys. Only to return anyway. This year's excuse is I wanted to try their new location, which very recently opened up close to our house. This is definitely the closest we've ever lived to a Five Guys - even the Reston location was further from my office at the time. And I thought maybe it would make a good choice for a weekday lunch while working from home, thus putting Five Guys back into the rotation. I put that idea to the test here this Saturda...
2 comments
Read more

Denver's Old School Italian Restaurants

I know, I know... I haven't posted anything in 6 months. You were checking back every week, then every month and now I've fallen completely off your radar. Sorry about that. My only lame excuse is that I've been "saving up" for a good one. I've been wanting to write about Denver's Italian restaurants since we returned part-time last year. And you all know how the RJG feels about this style of restaurant . As someone who grew up in Dallas, perhaps I've been more drawn to cities that embrace their history rather than completely demolish it. Only recently has Dallas become more acutely aware of their past. Previously, any buildings not in use have been razed as fast as possible, to make way for the next brand new shopping center - all in the latest architecture naturally. Contrarily you have cities like St. Louis that are 19th and 20th century industrial ghost towns - places frozen in time because for most everyone who could, they just up and left to ...
8 comments
Read more

Pietro's Italian ~ Dallas, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Feb 2016 First visit: Sometime in 1984 When Mr. Music told me this earlier in the year, my heart sunk. It was reason enough to stop talking and writing about restaurants. All I can say is this: We did give you advance notice. The below was published on  March 28, 2010 , so Pietro gave you a good 7 years to check it out. If you missed it, then I'm sorry to say there is no replacement. No other place like it. A part of me went with it too... January 2014 update: Pietro's is as magnificent as ever. Mrs RJG and I just had another exquisite meal here. It remains my all-time favorite restaurant even after 30 years of going here. I beg and urge you all to try it at least once if you have a hankering for Old School Italian food. I'm sure it will not be here forever. Pietro must be close to 80 now, and it's hard to imagine the restaurant without him. We try to go 3 to 4 times a year, almost always on a Saturday or Sunday because of the traffic to get to inner Dalla...
12 comments
Read more