How About District Taco?

Neither my husband nor I ever got back in to the dining scene after the pandemic. We rarely go out to eat anymore. It’s kinda sad for many reasons. Our grandson and his mom stopped by last weekend on their way back home to central Virginia and we went out for brunch. We used to get pick up at El Tio Mexican restaurant, but lost our appetite for it. So it’s been a while since we had Mexican food. Last week we tried chipotle for the first time. They forgot the chips. It was “ok.” This week we tried another fast food type Mexican place called District Taco. It just opened last month and it’s just a couple of blocks away. The menu is limited but has just about everything you might want. So we got our usual chicken burrito and quesadilla, but this time we got the nachos borrachos chip bowl that is covered with all sorts of components like queso, black beans, sour cream, lettuce and picot de gallo. My husband was impressed with the new store and employees. I was impressed with the packaging. It all looked so clean and neat. But both of us actually liked the way the food looked - and tasted. So I think we will go back. Lately that’s not always been the case. So at least now when we are in the mood for this type of food we have a go to place. That’s nice to know. 

Chipotle in Our Future?

We used to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant - Tortilla Coast - on Capitol Hill at least once a month. It was just a block up the street and was quite good. But it closed during the pandemic in spite of its great location. Since we moved to northern Virginia we tried El Tio in our neighborhood and it’s okay. On Sunday we watched a show about how restaurants are doing since the pandemic with Bobbie Flay. Chipotle was mentioned - and apparently they are doing quite well. We have never been to chipotle so we thought we would give it a try - especially since the reviews were quite good and the app was supposed to be easy to maneuver. The menu is limited but had what we usually get - chicken burrito and chicken quesadilla. Of course we also ordered chips and planned the pick up for 5:50 PM. My husband said the items weren’t quite ready when he arrived but that’s not unusual - even though the app said the order was complete. The bag looked a little empty and it turned out that they forgot the chips. It wasn’t enough for us to drive all the way back but it was a disappointment. The food was actually not bad even though I am not used to having everything mashed up together in a vary large burrito. The guacamole and sour cream usually come as sides. The quesadilla looked more like a sandwich but my husband didn’t mind. The leftover burrito tasted better the second night. The food tastes a lot better than it looks! I suppose once in a while this might be a good option. We rarely go out for lunch or dinner anymore - except on rare occasions when we are meeting someone. It’s sort of sad that our own cooking seems to taste better. How things have changed. 

El Tio Delivery and Tortilla Coast Closed

When we lived on Capitol Hill we frequented Tortilla Coast. It was a great Mexican restaurant hardly a block away from our house and was always packed. Sadly, it closed this month after so many years. We drove by it last week and it was indeed empty. I passed by it going to and coming home from work for ten years. Since moving to northern Virginia last year we haven’t found anything quite the same. Once in a while we still like to have Mexican food. My husband makes great fajitas, but it’s not the same. We noticed El Tio in the neighborhood - my husband said he wouldn’t ever dine there but was willing to try delivery. So we finally tried it yesterday and we weren’t disappointed. We ordered vegetable soup (instead of chicken tortilla soup), fish tacos, shredded chicken burrito, and a shrimp appetizer. Of course it arrived with chips and salsa and sides of beans and rice. The delivery was right on time and left at the door. We usually order enough for at least two meals to make it worth the effort of unpacking everything. But before we got the dinner we made strawberry margaritas from our Cayman Jack supply, frozen strawberries and a few ice cubes in the blender. After four tries at this it was probably the best effort. All in all we were very happy with the dinner. Hopefully the restaurant will survive this mess.