Posted on 05/15/2018 4:13:10 AM PDT by simpson96
In what can only be described as a huge slap in the face to our Southernmost neighbor, America just declared Taco Bell its favorite Mexican restaurant. Yes: French fries served with nacho cheese and tacos wrapped in Doritos tortillas are the marks of great Latin cuisine here in the good ol' U.S. of A.
To be fair, authentic restaurants weren't really given a fighting chance. The Harris Poll EquiTrend Study only gave participants six mainstream options: Taco Bell, Chipotle, Moe's Southwest Grill, Qdoba, Baja Fresh, and Del Taco. Moe's was America's number one Mexican restaurant brand in 2017 and 2016, and before that Chipotle ranked tops. In the 30 years since this EquiTrend Study launched, Taco Bell never took the top spot — so major congratulations are in order.
The chains were judged on three qualities: familiarity, quality, and future consideration. When the responses were added up, Taco Bell prevailed. “Taco Bell’s marketing is ubiquitous, so it wasn’t surprising to me that they came out on top this year,” Amir Kanpurwala, the survey director, told Yahoo! Finance.
Honestly we're not all that surprised at the news: People getting married at Taco Bell and tattooing themselves with the chain's logo. The stats are there, too: The Bell led the charge in new product launches last year, with menu items including the Naked Egg Taco and the Nacho Fries. The latter was Taco Bell's most successful launch to date. Plus, they didn't give anyone a food-borne illnesses.
(Excerpt) Read more at delish.com ...
They are both garbage. But at least not real Mexican food which is not only garbage, its unsanitary garbage. Mexican meat processing permits an ounce of rodents per pound of meat.
I see your cat food and raise the ante. Too bad the choices in the survey were limited, because coming off the culinary top turnbuckle—with a folding chair—is the ultimate non-Mexican/Mexican offering that no one can resist, the Jack-in-the-Box deep fried taco.
The chain sells over 500 million tacos a year. No one is quite sure what’s in them, but once you take a bite, you can’t put them down.
My diet no longer includes regular trips to Taco Bell, but I'd still go if I didn't have the won't power to resist. My waistline and lab numbers have greatly improved, as a result.
Summing up -- I LOVE Taco Bell!
I also love MEXICAN FOOD, which I get at real Mexican restaurants and make at home...
In Yuma, Ariz., I liked to eat at Chretin's, but I haven't eaten there since they moved to a new location. In Southern California, I like El Farolito in Placentia, El Tepeyac in East LA and La Puente, and El Adobe de Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, which was President Richard Nixon's favorite restaurant.
The best breakfast burrito in town can be found at King Taco in Pico Rivera. King Taco is a chain, and not all of their eateries are open for breakfast. However, all of the food that they serve is excellent.
Embrace Taco Bell for the fast food that it is. If it helps, consider it “Mexican Inspired” fast food.
Dave's in San Clemente, Calif. was a Mexican restaurant that catered to surfers who frequented the nearby beach. It's not far from the Trestles, a famous surfing beach just south of San Mateo Point. Nonetheless, they served excellent Mexican food. That's where I had my first chimichanga. If I was in San Clemente at mealtime, I would always try to eat there.
Unfortunately, Dave apparently moved on and the place became a burger joint.
I never go to my local Taco Bell, too crowded.
Taco Bell also has at least one “walk up” beach restaurant catering to surfers.
Dunno if I would call Taco Bell ‘excellent’ but it is tasty.
I just don’t think it is very Mexican.
Is Taco Smell still using it’s old slogan “Run for the Bathroom”?
After that, the chain that I most preferred was El Torito in Houston (we did have a Chi Chi's in Sunrise, too, but I hated it). El Torito went through some hard times, and is now concentrated in southern California. We had El Torito's in northern California (Concord, Dublin, and Milpitas), but only the Milpitas restaurant is still operating.
These days back in Houston, I like Pappasito's Cantina and Chuy's. Since moving back, I have not yet visited the original Ninfa's on Navigation (something I used to do on business trips), but hope to try it again sometime.
-PJ
thats called ambiance,,
its the tuba and horn music that bothers me more. .
Taco Bueno is far superior to both.
On The Border is way better!
I'll have to head over there next time I'm in the Duke City.
Taco Bueno is definitely better. Used to be some here in San Antonio but franchise wasn’t well managed and gone they are. Taco Cabana is closer to authentic Mexican but Taco Bell is Taco Bell... and very popular in San Antonio despite 5-6 Mexican restaurants every block. Most of the Taquerias are run by illegals. Menus almost the same. Good and cheap but Taco Bell has its place here. As to Chipotle, I never understood the following they have. Freebirds World Burrito is better. Del Taco opened a few years ago and closed in two years. Just didn’t gain traction. Chuy’s is good and have heard good things about El Chico.
There is some funny footage on YouTube of actual Mexicans being served Taco Bell fare and looking quizzically at it, trying to figure out what it is.
I don’t understand why Taco Cabana was not part of the poll. Not a real big fan of theirs but they are big enough to be in the poll. For the record I do Taco Bell about 6 or 8 times a year, cheap, ok food, fast they are what they are. El Chico used to be ok when they were the only higher end game in town.
I recall the radio ads for Taco Bell in 1967 in which the spokesman suggested that to remember the eatery’s name, “when you think of bells, think of tacos.” for example, think of the historic bell on display in Philadelphia as the Liberty Taco, and the leftist calypso singer as Harry Tacofonte.
No more then a ground meat patty and a side of fries is great Belgium or German cuisine.
We take stuff from else where, play with it and make it our own.
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