Erica O'Neil

Grasshoppers galore from Oaxaca Restaurant, a tangy, crispy treat.

Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley.

This week: Chapulines from Oaxaca Restaurant

Wikimedia Commons- Helene Combes

An assortment of insects (beetles, grasshopppers, worms, ant larvae) to be added to your Mexican food of choice.

¿Como se dice?: Depending on how adventurous an eater you are, chapulines are either the next notch on your bizarre foods belt, or the next creature to be featured in your nightmares. Chapulines are edible grasshoppers that have been boiled to a deep red color and fried to a crisp. While Andrew Zimmer wouldn't flinch at the thought of picking insect legs out of his teeth, we can see where you might be a bit skeptical.

But if you're willing to withhold your judgment of these humble six-legged creatures until you've tasted 'em in a taco (or popped 'em solo by the handful), you might be pleasantly surprised. Hit up the corner of 12th Street and Dunlap to find out. Within the Let It Roll Bowl is Oaxaca Restaurant, which Oaxaqueños will know as the new front of the old Mini Mercado Oaxaca. They're still serving outstanding Oaxacan food (in addition to bowling alley favorites like pizza and hot dogs), and they still have a little marketplace where you can grab mole bases, exotic spice blends, and yes, chapulines.

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Erica O'Neil

A huge, meaty tamale that packed the red chile punch, from the Tamale Store.

​Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the Valley.

This week: Red Chile Tamales from the Tamale Store

¿Como se dice?: The holiday season may have passed, but here in the Valley, tamale season is year round. This past weekend we hit up our local farmers' market and scored one of the biggest, juiciest, and most flavorful tamales we can remember scarfing down in recent memory. The red chile beef tamale from the aptly named Tamale Store was a down-to-earth package of corn husk-wrapped happiness among a sea of bourgeois "artisan" eats. You can keep your lavender scented sugar. We'll take a dozen tamales, please.

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Erica O'Neil

How do the new Doritos Locos tacos stand up to the rest of the Bell's menu?

​Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley.

This week: Doritos Locos Tacos from Taco Bell

Taco Bell

Doritos Locos!

​¿Como se dice?: A taco shell made out of Doritos? How is it that someone hasn't thought this up before? It's brilliant in its simplicity and so loco that it just might work. Or it could be the birth of a monstrous snack food-taco hybrid. We bellied up to The Bell to bring you our verdict.

We'll give credit where credit's due: Taco Bell is hard at work winning back customers after last year's lawsuit surrounding their use of questionable "beef" taco filling, which should really be a non-issue to anyone that has ever eaten Taco Bell. How concerned can you really be about soy filler in your meat paste when you're blitzed and ordering Fourth Meal from the back of a cab? It all ends in a flurry of taco crumbs and near-instant regret.

Taco Bell's post-lawsuit R&D crew (who we imagine to be a group of stoned teens playing mad scientist with the same six ingredients), started off the year by launching The Bell's idea of breakfast: First Meal. On the whole, we thought it was a disastrous, stomach-curdling stab at breakfast foods. Face it, there's no reason you should ever be in the drive thru of a Taco Bell at 8am.

But fear not, with the launch of Doritos Locos, Taco Bell has returned to what they do best: capitalizing on guilty pleasures to sell questionable meat paste to the masses. Except this time, when you wake up hungover, you'll have electric orange dyed fingers to remind you of your abysmal Fourth Meal-fueled decision making skills.

Read on to check out our first impressions of the Doritos Locos tacos, including whether or not we recommend that you run to (or far, far away from) the Bell.

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Flickr- ireither

Mexican American ain't all bad, but it is at these joints.

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The whitest taco in existence.

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In the Valley there's amazing Mexican food from the mom 'n' pop hole-in-the-wall to blow-your-mind haute cuisine, Mexican-style. You would think that with such a wealth of delicious and accessible Mexican food on every corner, there would be no need for a "Worst Of..." list. You would be wrong.

Also check out Laurie Notaro's response to our list.

What follows is a list of the ten worst places we have ever eaten "Mexican" food. Learn from our mistakes, and avoid these bland, Meximerican monstrosities that have the gall to call themselves Mexican restaurants. (You'll note that Filibertos and Taco Bell did not make the cut, because as much as it shames us to admit it, such fast food joints have their time and place. And that time and place is last call on a Saturday night.)

10. Julio G's
If neon lights and faux '50s flair could compensate for flavor, Julio G's would be the Mexican food king. Because that's really all this place has going for it. The menu is ridiculously expensive for such standard deep-fried Meximerican fare, smothered in melted cheese and regret. We'll put it another way: if we found ourselves at Julio G's, we would order the cheeseburger before anything else on the menu.

9. El Portal Mexican Grill
El Portal in downtown Phoenix (specifically, in the bottom of the Cronkite School building) must be banking on the fact that a hungry college student will eat almost anything. Perhaps most students don't care so long as the tacos are at least a little crunchy, the shredded meat inside reminds them of chicken, there's a hint of yellow-ish or orange "cheese," and a smattering of tomato bits to make it a "healthy" lunch choice. El Portal's food isn't so much bad as it is bland, and the presentation is sloppy right down to the loosely rolled burritos on the verge of flopping apart. The colors of the beans, vegetables, and meats are all muted like bad cafeteria food, and they'll take any chance they can to top your meal with a combination of cheese, grease, and more grease. Mexican food could be worse. Unpleasant flavors would certainly be worse than no flavor at all.

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Flickr- DianBauman

Mexican wedding cookies, or polvorones, perfectly sweet little shortbread treats.

​Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley.

This week: Polvorones from Azteca Bakery

Flickr- Vondelicoius

Hot polvorones, fresh from the oven.

​¿Como se dice?: You probably know polvorones as "Mexican wedding cookies," but nobody in Mexico is going to refer to these little shortbread gems as such. Instead of talking past the friendly folks at your local panadería, ask for polvorones instead.

Polvorones are the crumbly little shortbread cookies us gringos know and love, and they can be flavored with nuts, cinnamon, anise, and pretty much any other flavor combos. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to polvorones, so each bakery may have a slightly different take on these tasty treats. Just make sure to grab a glass of milk to go with your galletas, you cookie monster.

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Flickr- hackett

Cheese enchiladas bathed in dark red chile sauce.

​Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley.

This week: Cheese Enchiladas from Carolina's Mexican Food

Flickr- hummingcrow

Action shot of Carolina's tortilla making experts hard at work.

​¿Como se dice?: Cheese enchiladas may sound deceptively simple, but we've endured too many greasy masses of corn tortilla that sink to the bottom of out gut, so a place that does cheese enchiladas right is a place that can get the more complex dishes right too. Carolina's will have you forgetting every bland Meximerican enchilada disaster you've encountered (and Phoenix certainly has its fair share). Forget about the soggy platter of rolled tortillas so covered in cheese that it completely obscures the zing of the namesake chile sauce. Carolina's packs a punch and will satisfy even the pickiest of enchilada purists. Plus since you're already there, you can pick up a dozen fluffy, homemade tortillas for later. Never a bad thing.

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Erica O'Neil

The campechana tostada from Mariscos Sinaloa, packed with octopus and conch.

​Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley.

This week: Campechana Tostada from Mariscos Sinaloa

¿Como se dice?: Marisocos Sinaloa specializes in seafood, and this is one joint in the Valley that's anything but fishy. If you're still a skeptic, the campechana tostada is all it will take to break your "no seafood in the desert" policy. Tons of sea critters are piled high on a crispy corn tortilla, tossed in a light and zesty brine with some good old fashioned salsa bandera. Plus, where else are you going to find sea snails on the menu? Delicious, delicious sea snails.

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Flickr- Backpack Foodie

Tacos al pastor, roasted schwarma-style over a vertical spit.

​Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley.

This week: Al Pastor Tacos from America's Taco Shop

Evie Carpenter

Tacos al pastor from America's Taco Shop.

​¿Como se dice?: America's Taco Shop does two things, carne asada and al pastor pork, and lucky for you they do those two things very well. The al pastor is our personal favorite, and is the Mexican equivalent of the vertically roasted gyros-style meat kebab. But even though the cooking technique is similar, the flavor of the al pastor is completely Mexican. Smoky chiles, sweet pineapple, and bright red annatto spiced pork is thin-sliced and piled high in a corn tortilla. Order up a couple tacos, an ear of America's corn, and an ice cold cerveza, and dig in.

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Erica O'Neil

Lucha Libre Tostilocos from Barrio Queen: salty, sweet, tangy and spicy chips 'n' toppings.

​Tacos may very well be the perfect food, but let's face it, the standard Meximerican fare can get a bit stale after a while. Taco the Town is here to highlight some of the more unusual Mexican finds in the valley.

This week: Lucha Libre Tostilocos from Barrio Queen Tequileria

Flickr- ProAeroPhoto

Lucha Libre Tostilocos fit for a luchador!

​¿Como se dice?: Tostilocos are a funny little snack that you can pick up from street food vendors in Mexico, but hardly ever see on a menu here in the States. The closest American comparison is probably a Frito pie eaten straight from the bag. Rip open a bag of flavored tortilla chips, add a bunch of odd ball ingredients on top, and dig in with a spoon. Kind of like a pile of Americanized nachos but with much weirder ingredients than you're probably used to seeing.

When we saw the Lucha Libre Tostilocos on the menu at Barrio Queen, we couldn't resist. A big boat of Tostitos came topped with chile-coated tamarind candy, tart lime juice, salty hot chamoy, crunchy sweet peanuts, and a sprinkle of fresh fruits 'n' veg. You wouldn't think it all works together but if you grew up on the border and eat your mangos with chile and lime, you're probably a good candidate for this salty, sweet, hot and tangy treat fit for a hungry luchador.

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Flickr- Accidental Hedonist

Sonoran dogs, bacon-wrapped and piled high with goodness.

​A good Sonoran hot dog is the sum of all its parts, from the bacon down to the bun. And honestly, we could care less whether or not Arizona was the first to bacon-wrap a hot dog. So long as we get to benefit from the match made in heaven, you won't hear us complaining.

So what's so good about a Sonoran dog? Mesquite-smoked bacon elevates a humble hot dog from ho hum to mouth watering. The smoky southwest flavor is nestled in a fresh bolillo roll that creates a soft little boat for the dog. Then you load that sucker up with all sorts of toppings to taste, as each hot dog cart has its own special flair. Or stick with the original when the hotdoguero asks, "Con todo?" Pinto beans, tomatoes, onions, and mayo. Why mess with perfection?

Here are our Top 5 Favorite places to snag a Sonoran dog in the Valley, from fancy to bare bones food truck-style. When it's wrapped in bacon, ambiance is secondary to Sonoran dog bliss.

Vitamin T's version of a Sonoran dog. Trust us, it tastes better than it looks.

​5. Vitamin T So it's not your traditional hot dog en estilo Sonora, but we're willing to give Vitamin T a pass. It's still a bacon-wrapped dog served in a soft bolillo bun, but the toppings are a little non-traditional. Cabbage, black bean spread, grilled onions, jalapeno salsa, mayo and mustard make this a fully loaded, and totally tasty Sonoran dog. But at $6 a pop, you better savor that flavor. More >>