Taco Taco Burrito Burrito

I'm always looking for the next great taco. There. I said it. I really like tex-mex taco/burrito concepts and Winnipeg just happens to have a slew of restaurants in the "Taco Del Mar" theme, but done much, much better.  I've already reviewed one (Burrito Del Rio) but now I have two more to add to the list.

Modern Taco Company

Situated on Academy road, really close to Kenaston, Modern Taco Company is in a pretty convenient location for me and there is lots of parking in the back.  Ever since I've been driving in Winnipeg, this seems to be a deal breaker for me. Looking at reviews on UrbanSpoon, I can't help but feel the need to defend this place because it actually is quite good and we didn't even have the Groupon.  It has been on my list of places to try for a while now, so we (the BF and I) went for a late lunch to this little spot.

First off, the place was quite crowded. It's a small restaurant, so on a busy night I could imagine it being crazy.  You order tacos "Unburger" style (ie. you pay ahead and then get served).  Since we were just trying it out, we got four different tacos:  Beef, Pork, Chicken, and Shrimp.  We also shared some chips and dip. Being a foodie couple, we probably looked absolutely ridiculous splitting these little tiny tacos (I'd have half, he'd have half) but we wanted to make sure that we both got a chance to try everything.  For $10, you get four little tacos which are four little bites of delectable goodness.  This is when I realized why Winnipeg doesn't like this place- it's not Burrito del Rio.  You're not going to be stuffed to your face for $10.  That being said, if I was hungry the four tacos would fill be up easily. $10 is not that expensive.

The stand out taco for me was the tequila shrimp taco.  The sauce was delicious and the marinade on the shrimp made it an interesting bite that I'm curious to try again.  Next up was the chipotle pork - delicious texmex style taco.  The only true disappointment for us was the beef taco (we got the beef and queso).  We found that it didn't have enough sauce (we actually considered for a moment that they forgot it) and that the beef was quite dry.  The chips and dip were phenomenal - the salsa was very fresh and the guacamole served with it actually had a really nice kick to it.  We also sampled some of the hot sauces on the shelves and they were all pretty interesting (except the green one - there was something a bit too weird about that one for me).

All in all, I'd come back to try more items on the menu.  If they do another Groupon blast, I'll be sure to pick one up.

7.5/10

Burrito Splendido

I ended up at Burrito Spelndido on the advice of multiple people who told me that if I like Burrito Del Rio, I really need to try Burrito Splendido.  "But it's in Unicity!," I'd complain.  However, now that I have a reason to actually head out that way, Burrito Splendido was on my list of taco restaurants to try.  You can tell it's brand new and very clean.  The first thing I noticed was that they were making the tortillas fresh! Wowza!

Similar in set up to Burrito Del Rio and Taco Del Mar, you pick your toppings as you go and they fold it up into a burrito the size of a small child.  The concept is quite familiar.  The end result, however, is not.  You really can taste the fresh tortilla. I had guacamole on mine which was some of the best guac I've had in the city.  I had the shredded pork and it was to die for.  I guess what I'm saying is that it was one of the best burritos I have ever had. Period.  In fact, I'm thinking about driving out to Unicity today to go back and get one.  Om nom nom nom nom.

Like Burrito del rio, they offer a wide variety of beverages including beers and Jarritos (and I love lime soda made with cane sugar, it's one of my faves).

Next time I'm there I'm going to make sure I get chips and dip. That guacamole... yum yum.

9/10

On a completely unrelated note, I need to go out and buy a filing cabinet today. Or a new vacuum. I haven't decided. I went on a mini shopping spree yesterday at the new Zumiez store and picked up a new Obey hoodie, some socks and a new Obey T.  Other than my Bench stuff, it is my love love love. Needless to say I'm going to be broke for the next while, so expect fewer reviews. Maybe.  I do love me some food...