Editor’s note: I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Troy High School intern, Miki Fujiwara, to the Fast Food Maven blog. If you haven’t already noticed, Miki has been hard at work blogging for me this week.
Today, she’s been scouring the Web for some “interesting updates to feed your food fever,” she tells me.
Bring it on Miki. Thanks for the help.
- Is Irvine-based Taco Bell straying from its “non-authentic” Mexican food roots, and dare I say, serving “real” Mexican food? Our friend, Christian, at OCMex blog seems to have stumbled upon a “test” location in O.C. He found the restaurant serving authentic, foil-wrapped, cilantro-and-onion topped tacos! The Maven contacted Taco Bell to learn more, but TB not talking yet. Stay tuned. (photo above courtesy of OCMex blog)
- Could casual dining be headed for a turnaround? Darden Restaurants, parent company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, saw fourth quarter profit jump 21 percent. (AP)
- Will Starbucks defeat McDonald’s in the coffee war? Seeking Alpha examines the “brutal assault” McDonald’s has made against Starbucks.
- Is there etiquette involved when taking free food samples? Food Frenzy blogger Niyaz Pirani ponders this question.
- Hurry before it’s too late. OCMex explores special items for June at Taco Rosa for all your Mexican food cravings.
- Manhattan Supper Club in Orange re-brands. New name: Manhattan Steak & Seafood. (OCweekly)
(Compiled by Miki Fujiwara/Register Staff Writer-Intern)
Maven stories you may have missed:
Did you know the Orange County zpizza locations have a “2 for Tuesday” special offer where you buy one pizza get another one for free … no catch. Every Tuesday all day.
Some stores even have a $1 slice Wednesday … all day every Wednesday.
No coupons no catch!
Hi Miki, and welcome to the blog!
If Taco bell where to go “real” mexican food on us, I would say it would be one of the most seismic events in fast food in recent years.
I’m serious. If this takes off the copy cats will follow and we could be looking at a new “Fresh Food Movement”…
Interesting….
I had another one of the authentic tacos yesterday. If somebody had just handed me one I would’ve never guessed they were from Taco Bell.
Welcome Miki, I wish I had interned for the Fast Food Maven when I went to Troy. Instead I interned at a science lab and was sorta disappointed. No explosions or cool experiments… I should have interned with Bill Nye, Science Guy! =)
So where were the tacos purchased?
My entry gives location information.
So what the frack do you all mean by “real Mexican” food?? Wouldn’t that be food that comes straight from Mexico?
It makes me chuckle when you all get your shorts in a twist about “real Mexican” food. I like Taco Bell; I like Del Taco; I like Flamingos Restaurant; I like Chipolte; I like Taco Factory; I like the new place that opened on La Paz and Margarite that I can’t remember the name of; I like the tacos off the ‘roach coach” that stops by my late place of business; the list could go on and on. They all offer something alittle different from each other which makes them all good, at least to me, and seems to satisfy most of the populace.
It just makes for some great places to choose from.
Is this the Taco Bell test kitchen on Warner and Grand in Tustin/Santa Ana?
If you real authentic mexican tacos you need to come to the Inland Empire to new King Taco location in Ontario! Hands down the best or make the trek to East Los Angeles. I would like to taste these taco bell AUTHENTIC mexican tacos. I think it’s a great idea!
“Is this the Taco Bell test kitchen on Warner and Grand in Tustin/Santa Ana?”
They might have the authentic tacos there but I got mine at the location on Redhill at the 5. All the info is in my blog entry that Nancy linked to.
“So what the frack do you all mean by ‘real Mexican’ food??”
Yeah, there’s a lot of snobbery in Orange County when it comes to opinions about what constitutes real Mexican food and everyone has their own opinion. A lot of people will also name one place in the county as the only possible place to get authentic Mexican food from. Me, I definitely recognize that some places are more authentic than others but I don’t get too worked up feeling like I have to brand a place as inauthentic just to show others what a know-it-all I am.
I like the word “authentic” better than “real”, but that opens up the debate of does it have to be made by Mexicans to be “authentic”. LOL I’m just messing with you guys; I had a semantics class in college using S. I. Hayakawa’s book and it just sorta comes out once in a while.
And Christian, I clicked on your name and looked around your blog - looks fun; I will go back for a more in depth browsing.
Thanks. There’s a ton of info there.
I hate food wrapped in foil. I know, it’s just me….
I was reading between the lines looking for the “Taco Rosa deals”. My eyes must be going bad…I see no reference to Taco Rosa within the body of this blog…other than in the headline of the blog itself?!?!?
eric: It’s on this line: Hurry before it’s too late. OCMex explores special items for June at Taco Rosa for all your Mexican food cravings. click on the link to OCMex blog..but this was for June..but he might have more deals this month