Just happened to drive by this literal hole-in-the-wall in a
Barberton/Copley/Norton area plaza and decided to see what was up.
We noticed on our way into the sugar skull and swirl finished steel
dominated space, that there were three food trucks parked out back,
one of which we had sampled prior (Orange
Truk). The space is small but continuously packed and
supplemented by a string of takeout orders. |
The Stainless & Tight Space Probably Makes Them Feel More At Home... |
...Like In Their Trucks |
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The salsa has all of the flavors you would expect and the queso has the same rich and insanely salty profile I’ve come to expect from young Mexican cheeses.
Rapidly, the chips were joined by the soup and balls. The balls are
arancini (fried risotto nuggets) stuffed with poblano peppers,
chorizo sausage, goat cheese and queso rico then topped with a
roasted poblano crema and sprinkled with queso fresco. So many
ingredients and flavors work very well together; taste and texture
all make for a soft/crispy, hot/cold, salty/spicy, etc. dish. Very
nice. |
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Bright Fresh Salsa |
Salty Runny Cheese |
Crispy Outside |
Gooey Rich Inside |
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The soup is a Manhattan style (red tomato based instead of white cream based) shrimp and clam chowder. There is forward and evident spice. Citrus add a different kind of kick to the vegetable laden broth studded with exceptionally done seafood. The shrimp are more tender than they should be, that’s skill. The clams are every bit as tender (even more skill), you almost have to look for them in the spicy broth but their briny presence isn’t easily missed in flavor.
Three tacos completed our order, tequila-lime chicken; crispy
avocado; and the funky taco of the week…el pollo loco. The
tequila-lime chicken was the weakest of the bunch and without the
squeeze of lime would have been disappointing top to bottom. The
chicken was tender but the marinade, sauce and cheese didn’t offer
anywhere the level of flavor from the other two options. |
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Perfectly Done Seafood In Spicy Flavorful Broth |
Tequila Lime Chicken Didn't Approach Intensity Of Other Dishes |
The taco of the week…had a flour tortilla stuffed with nicely
crisped fried chicken, a bright citrus slaw, a sweet and spicy house
made “loco” sauce, scallions, and a dusting of sesame seeds. Miles
more interesting than the tequila lime. This was the only taco that
didn’t come with a lime wedge which it didn’t need. The best turned
out to be the all vegetable Crispy Avacado with fried Hass slices,
poblano citrus slaw, crispy fried onions, chipotle crema, cilantro
and lime in a flour tortilla. Paper thin crisp containing soft warm
veg, a wide range of flavors, varying textures, a well done little
combination in a well done little place. Sure you can get a pile
more sustenance for your cash at the Bell but the full tables and
continuous to go orders suggest enough local people may prefer a
more customized approach. They funk it up pretty well at the
truckeria. |
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Crispy El Pollo Loco Much Better |
As Was The Crispy Avacado |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B | C | C+ | A | C | B | ||
A Stands For Avacado | Boring Chicken |