Well, for those of you who are consistent readers, you already know: I seem to have a bit of a bad luck streak lately when it comes to picking our taco joints. Three questionable places in a row (plus one other place that Chris wouldn't even set foot in - Thanks a lot Mr. Taco!!) is enough to make me a little gun shy. But since Thing 1 and Thing 2 couldn't/wouldn't decide on a place I decided to throw a name out and they, surprisingly, jumped all over it: Casa Del Charro at 21st N and Arkansas.
CDC is located in the building where El Paisa (one of my old faves) used to be. The building and interior is still pretty similar - nicer décor, decent building. The owners definitely have a little pride in their location. When I got there, the Bobsy Twins had already gotten impatient and ordered tacos for all of us. I ended up with a 5 taco plate with ground beef, asada, chicken, carnitas, and Al Pastor. Since I didn't have to scan the menu, I went straight for the chips and salsa. Personally, I liked the salsa a lot, but if you like your salsa on the spicier end this may not appeal to you as it definitely was on the sweeter end of the salsa spectrum.
After just a few minutes, our tacos arrived and they looked pretty good. My first impression though was that they were a little on the small side. That's when I was informed by Thing 2 that there's a $1.00 taco special, that apparently runs every day. It's funny what a change in price will do for your perception, as they went from small to fine in two seconds. That said, once I got into the tacos, they were all filled with a decent chunk of meat. All of the tacos came with cilantro, grilled onions, and lime on the side. First up was the ground beef taco. I thought this was definitely one of the better ground beef tacos we'd had. Decent flavor in this one for sure. The asada taco was next and it too was a pretty good taco - nice hint of seasoning, but not too heavy, with a decent amount of tender, perfectly cooked steak. Chicken was next and I have to say, we were all very happy with this taco. You might have noticed that I don't order a lot of chicken tacos on this tour. Mainly because it seems like every time I do, all I get is dry, bland chicken. This one was the complete opposite and may be vying for best in it's category - probably the best chicken taco I've had so far on the tour. Next up was the carnitas - I like this taco, it seemed to be a different cut of pork from what we normally get. It almost had a more bacony taste to it than some others. That said, it's definitely ranking fifth out of the five tacos today. Not a bad taco, but the other four were definitely worthy of a reorder. Last was the Al Pastor - this was on the opposite end, and definitely #1 out of the five tacos today - tasty pork, in a spicy red sauce that reminded me a lot of typical chorizo spices. The opposite of the salsa, so if your taste buds are sensitive, it might be a little spicier for you, but not super hot and not overwhelming at all. Definitely a delicious taco and I really liked the combo of flavors I had when I put a little bit of the house salsa on that last bite - a little spicy, a little sweet. Perfect.
Overall, I'm happy to say I broke my bad luck streak and managed to suggest a place that didn't turn out to be a total dumpster fire. Tasty, cheap tacos, with excellent service. Just an FYI, if you get the $1 taco specials (unlimited tacos for a $1 each!!) expect a $1.25 charge for the unlimited chips and salsa. Still, not a bad deal at all, as I ended up with a ticket under $7.00, before the tip. But the waitress didn't mention it up front, I don't like surprises on my bill. But all together, how could I complain?!?! My overall ranking on the 5 Taco Scale are below.
Food Quality - 4.0 Tacos
Price - $
Value - 4.5 Tacos
Cleanliness - 4.0 Tacos
Service - 4.5 Tacos
Overall Experience - 4.5 Tacos
Likelihood to Return - 5.0 Tacos
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