Tag: Jacksonville

I was visiting Jacksonville Beach, Florida and a good friend told me I had to visit her favorite Mexican restaurant, Taco Lu.

This family owned establishment has been serving up homemade tacos and Mexican specialties since 2008. I was reading about how they started and it is an awesome story about taking risks and being an entrepreneur.

  

The décor is very colorful. There are sugar skulls everywhere. There is beautiful artwork hanging on the walls. It is a cheerful and fun environment that makes eating there a positive experience.

  

  

I had to start off with chips, salsa, and queso. The salsa was fresh with nice chunks of fresh tomato. There was just a slight heat, nothing too overpowering. The queso was extremely creamy. it was not too thick, meaning when you dip a chip in the chip does not break. And speaking of the chips, they were thin and light. They had the right amount of salt sprinkled on them.

Taco Lu offers all the traditional types of tacos. However, what makes them so popular are the unique flavors and combinations of tacos they have. My friend recommended I try the cheeseburger taco because it is her favorite.

This taco truly had all the components of a cheeseburger. There was ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, chopped up pickles, and drizzled with mustard. When I took a bite I could have sworn I was eating a cheeseburger. The flavor was spot on, what sold me on this was the mustard. it was delicious. The tacos are all sold a la carte so you can get as many as you want.

Rather than get a second taco I went for a side of the Mexican street corn. It was off the cob so it was easier to eat. The sweet corn was covered with cotija cheese, a chipotle crema, and fresh lime juice.

The taste was amazing. The cheese and crema added a slight tanginess to the sweet corn. I enjoyed eating this off the cob because it was less messy. I highly recommend trying this side over a more traditional side of beans.

I really enjoyed my visit to Taco Lu. There was a constant crowd of people my entire time there. I am so glad my friend gave me this recommendation. Check out their menu at http://www.tacolu.com/ And as they say on their website “See You @ the Lu”

Enjoy!

T

 

Before heading south to Gainesville, I stopped off for breakfast at Metro Diner. It was another restaurant that was featured on The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

It’s a great local place that is tucked away in a neighborhood. It was packed for a Friday morning – with a line all the way out the door, spilling onto the sidewalk.

I was hungry for French toast and they offered several options to choose from, it was a difficult decision:

• Cinnamon Raisin Pecan French toast
• Croissant French toast
• Pound Cake French toast
• Yo Hala on the Square French toast (challah bread stuffed with bananas, cream cheese, hazel nut syrup  topped with blueberries & strawberries)

I went for the Cinnamon Raisin Pecan. It was a great twist on a classic. If you love sweets this is the breakfast for you.

They have many daily breakfast and lunch specials so there is always something new to try. Check out the menu at: www.metrodiner.com

Enjoy!
T