Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Surfside & Real 'Maui' Tacos

Well, I've been on the road basically since February 15, so I've been going through a bit of a spell of truck-withdrawl.  The handful of days I was home, I made it to Borinquen Lunch Box for another go at that awesome churrasco sandwich plus a quick stop to grab an Ethiopian BB Gun from the Fojols on my way to the airport last week.  Borinquen had a new pizza empanada offering which I found way more enjoyable than the chicken I had on my first visit.

Meanwhile, during my trip to Maui, I stumbled upon a late night taco truck in Lahaina called Sonora Tacos which served the most amazing pineapple salsa on a simple Al Pastor taco, served with a thin guac-crema.  Talk about fresh...!

For my first day back today, I strolled over to Surfside for a second try.  While the regular chicken tacos were not available, a steak taco special was, along with both fish tacos and shrimp tacos.  As before, all are served two tacos to a plate with a side of red beans & rice.  From my prior review, you'll know I quite liked my tacos but took issue with the undercooked beans & rice, so first things first: while not undercooked, a little fresh cilantro (or other fresh herb) would go a really long way to brighten the flavor of the otherwise fine, but humdrum, side.

Also during my last visit I noted the size of the tacos were a challenge and suggested the same amount of ingredients could (and should) be easily spread among three shells instead of two.  After today's visit, that sentiment bears repeating.  On the other hand, the tacos were delicious, albeit explodingly messy.  The steak had nice grill-char on the outside while maintaining a perfect medium rare inside.  Very chunky guacamole generously topped the steak along with shredded lettuce and lime crema.  In addition, I saw a black bean and corn salsa was being served on the fish tacos, so I asked for a little of that too -- for me, you can't go wrong with grilled corn anything, and I wasn't disappointed.
One thing Surfside customers might really enjoy is a variety or two of hot sauce available on the counter for kicking up the heat, to taste. ...Just a suggestion...

While I still don't totally love the rice & beans, the issue I originally called out has been resolved, so moving up to 3.5 honks as I had planned after only the tacos the first time.