Indian Taco Tussle: The Fry Bread House Vs. Sacred Hogan

 

Associated Press

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Frybread (or fry bread), a notable Native American food and the official "state bread" of South Dakota (What? They got a state bread?), is a flat dough fried in oil and typically served at home and tribal gatherings. It can be spotted in various forms at state fairs, powwows, and festivals, but finding the delicious dough on a regular basis means you gotta know where to look.

While frybread can be eaten alone, the true treat comes with adding toppings such as honey, cinnamon, or in this case, taco ingredients. Enter our battle of the dishes contestants, The Fry Bread House in Phoenix (now with a new location in Mesa), and Sacred Hogan, also in Phoenix.

Now let's see who's got the most tempting Indian taco.

In One Corner:

The Fry Bread House
4140 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix
602-351-2345
1916 W. Baseline, Mesa
480-839-5252

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The Set-Up: Like a frybread baby being delivered by a stork, the Indian Taco from The Fry Bread House is presented wrapped in a bundle of paper and tied at the top. Ours came with refried pinto beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, and green chili beef.

Pros: The frybread was soft and puffy with a bit of sweetness and the green chili beef was delicious, with just the right amount of heat.

Cons: More toppings, please. Especially the green chili beef, which was sadly almost nonexistent. While we could eat a platefuls of The Fry Bread House's plain frybread, their Indian taco came up short on the taco-ness side.

In The Other Corner:

Sacred Hogan
842 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix
602-277-5280

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The Set-Up: No topping trouble here. Our Indian taco was served up with the same ingredients as The Fry Bread House (refried pinto beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, and green chili beef) in addition to red onions and tomatoes.

Pros: Generous amount of toppings, including the green chili, and visually more pleasing than its competitor's offering.

Cons: While it appeared delicious enough, way, way, too much pepper overpowered all of the other flavors, including the frybread, and made this Indian taco too tough to eat.

Too bad.

The Verdict: The Fry Bread House, but only if they add more toppings.

What do you say, frybread friends? Agree? Disagree? Have you had the Indian taco at The Fry Bread House or Sacred Hogan? What did you think?

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