Where: Tacolicious (downtown San Jose, California)
Fish: cod
Price: $17.95 for 4 tacos
Extras: cabbage & cumin crema
Review: Two things about these tacos lost points with me, and both are extremely subjective criticisms. 1) The fish was breaded and deep fried. When it comes to tacos, I’m a grilled fish kind of girl, because I feel strongly that if I’m going to eat fried fish, it better come with some malt vinegar and thick-cut potatoes. 2) The creamy sauce!!! Why, oh why do people feel the need to put any kind of cream on their tacos?
That being said, they did a REALLY good job with the fried fish. It was neither soggy nor dry, and the fish was perfectly cooked. I suppose if you are going to fry your fish for tacos, this is the way to do it. Also, the cumin crema was very sparingly used, and did not overwhelm the taco at all. Extra points awarded for judicious use of condiments. The tortillas were also very fresh, which makes the taco that much more palatable.
Bonus: I also tried the nopales and Oaxaca cheese taco (pictured on the far left) and the butternut squash taco with braised leeks, kale, cotija cheese, and pumpkin seeds (pictured on the far right). Both were pretty adventurous, but I found the tangy nopales taco to be much tastier than the mild butternut squash. I did not, however, factor either one of the vegetarian tacos into my score for the fish taco.
Rating: 4 out of 5 chickens
