5/12/06 | Del Taco Crispy Fish Burrito
[ Currently Eating: Green Salad with Italian Dressing ]
Anybody up for a Cabbage Burrito?
Because that’s pretty much what I got when I ordered the Del Taco Crispy Fish Burrito the other day. We haven’t had too much luck with Del Taco items here at Cheap Eats. If you recall, their Four dollar combo meals were somewhat of a bust. But I’m always willing to hand over my quarters and dimes in the name of cheap eats experimentation. So I decided to give them another try in the form of their fish burrito.
Sorry, I know that this promotion is pretty much history. I have a ton of old pictures (maybe 40-50) of cheap eats food items that I just haven’t got to. This is one of them. You might recall the “Secret Fishing Spot” ad where their geeky rain-slickered spokesperson pulls up at a DT drivethrough in a boat to order the fish burrito. I saw that commercial so many times that I decided to try it out. Look Ma - advertising to dummies works!
Anyhow, the first inkling of trouble came when I was handed my order at the drivethrough window. I always take a quick peek in the bag to make sure they’ve got it right. Many times, I’ve been gyped for an item or given someone else’s order. Somehow, they never seem to ADD any extra items. =)
Anyhow, to my surprise, I pulled out something in a foil wrapper that said “Macho Bacon and Egg Burrito” among other things. I was about to hand it back when I saw the TINY sticker on it that said “Crispy Fish Burrito”.
Now, I KNOW that every restaurant has multiple-use wrappers. But there was such a huge push in advertising this item that I would have thought they’d give it a different special wrapper, or at least a bigger sticker! I had to look all over the foil in order to find it. Something seemed fishy, and it wasn’t the burrito.
My fears were realized when I got home and unwrapped the burrito. Where’s the Beef … er, Fish?!
I had to search a bit inside before the first piece of fried fish was revealed. I pulled it out of hiding and took the main picture at the top of this post. It’s like the fish was shy or something, preferring to nestle in an underwater cave of cabbage. I realize that this is fairly common with specialty items, but geez, I expected a little more of the main ingredient. At least with a Filet-o-Fish, the fish isn’t hiding.
I didn’t count the number of pieces of fish, but pickings were slim. Oh, they DID include a slightly dehydrated slice of real lime as they indicated in their ingredient list. I never use lime on fish, nor any lemon for that matter… squeezing lemon on seafood is something I could never get used to having grown up with fresh caught fish. I suspect it’s the same argument steak eaters have with people who drown it in A1 sauce.
So I would have liked to just see them cut out the lime and give me more of the goods. The taste of the burrito was like eating a cabbage burrito with tiny bits of tomato and onions (their “salsa”), some spicy mayo (their ancho chile sauce) and a tiny amount of fried fish. The flour tortilla it was wrapped in had an unpleasant smell and was actually a bit cold.
The most interesting thing about the fish to me is that the breading tastes like Carl’s Junior’s Fried Zucchini. I swear that it is the EXACT same seasonings and texture. That was a bit bizarre, because when I think of fried fish I’m thinking of your normal breaded fried fish fillets. Not the breading on Fried Zucchini!
For a burrito that is essentially just cabbage wrapped in a flour tortilla with a few morsels of fried fish and a dried lime slice, it is stunningly expensive at $2.89. I think this is where the bulk of the blame goes for its low score. I mean, if this were a dollar item I’d be willing to let it go. Yet another strike-out for Del Taco. I have to stop getting suckered in by their commercials and just buy their standard Cheapie items.
Price: Approx $2.89
Found at: Del Taco
Cheap Eats Score: 2/10
May 12th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
You’ve done a great disservice by making it look so tasty with your photo!
I’ve always found Del Taco far too salty for my tastes (same with Taco Bell) and I pretty much stick to El Pollo Loco. I actually had pretty good luck with EPL’s 99 cent menu (bean rice & cheese burrito and grilled chicken soft tacos).
Have you ever been to Senor Fish? There’s one downton-ish and one in Eagle Rock.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
cybele - you know, that is so funny because after I posted this I was thinking the same thing… I should have messed up the photo more! oh wells. Hey yeah, I’ve been meaning to do an el pollo loco post. I actually really like EPL, and now they’re playing their Loco Dollar commericals quite a bit… have you had their salads or soups? not too shabby.
oh yeah, I have been to Senor fish, actually the one I go to is in Alhambra which is closer to where I live. It’s really good…
May 13th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
I came across your site via Marvo’s site. I have enjoyed reading it.
Your description of the fish taco was right on. I had never tried fish tacos so one day after seeing so many commercials I tried this combo. It actually comes with 2 “fish” tacos here. After I ate it I felt like I had eaten healthy because of all that cabbage, but definitely didn’t feel like I had eaten a fish taco. Not the slightest hint of fish flavor in that lil fish stick.
May 14th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
After being curious about fish tacos for a while (Fish? Tacos? Together? Huh?) I happened to get some fancy fish tacos at a nice restaurant. Amazingly good.
Anyway, since then I’ve been trying to make them at home. I’ve had some luck making them fairly cheaply with frozen grilled fish fillets (like cajun or spicy flavors) paired with cabbage, rice, peppers, whatever.
Got any home fish taco recipes?
May 15th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
skibs - welcome! you should definitely try other fish tacos since its probably completely different that what most other people think of as fish tacos. oh, this is a burrito though… but same difference
warden - i’ve had really decent fish tacos at a local cheap eats restaurant called Dorados. The fish tacos are 2 bucks, but the fried fish pieces are so large that it is nearly too wide for the 2 corn tortillas underneath. They basically put the filets flat on the tortilla and then wrap the 2 edges around, top with red and green cabbage, salsa and crema(?) It is very good and very messy eatin. I havent tried making fish tacos at home yet…
May 15th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Darlings!!
One word: RUBIOS for fish tacos por favor!
Oh and skibs, almost 20 years ago the San Diego Union trib posted the recipe for Ralph Rubio’s white sauce. I still have the tattered slip of newspaper if you want me to post the ingredients, It’s really good!
May 15th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
Well, after reading this post and commenting, I ended up going to Senor Fish in Eagle Rock on Saturday.
Scallop Soft Taco, baby. Best seafood buy in Los Angeles County.
(I’ll make a point of trying EPL soup next time!)
May 20th, 2006 at 9:19 am
kate - i hear you on the Rubios, and I rather like their food, BUT…. I have been there (to various locations) about 4 times. Every single time I’ve eaten there, I have either gotten sick or gotten indigestion in a big way. I’m not sure what is going on, as I like their fish tacos. I know it can’t be the location because i’ve been to so many, I just think there is something they use in their food that disagrees with me.
cybele - after you talked about EPL I got a hankerin’ and went down there… an upcoming post on cheap eats. I have never gotten the scallop soft taco, i’ll definitely have to try that. Oh, the EPL soup can be really good… but once in awhile it is a little bit salty. i’m not sure if that bothers you (it only seems to bother my family) but if you pick up the food, you can always dilute it with hot water.
May 21st, 2006 at 11:10 am
Kate,
I’ve been looking for Rubios’ white sauce rec. for some time.. Tough to find good baja style fish tacos in Maryland.. would you mind posting contents of the article that you spoke of? Thanks,
John.
June 6th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
Yes, please post the recipe for Rubio’s white sauce! Seattle has lots of fish, but no good fish tacos.
June 6th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
john, kerrie - I keep seeing references online to the Rubio’s White sauce being merely equal parts yogurt and mayonnaise. Though it can’t possibly be that simple…?
August 8th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
so was the rubio’s fish taco sauce recipe ever posted? if so, please let me know where. or, if possible, email it to me. THANKS!
September 3rd, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Kate,
Please post recipe
April 18th, 2007 at 9:00 am
The Rubios sauce recipe is 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 cup plain yogurt.
But back to Del Taco- yeah my family used to eat there, but we got tired of getting ripped off. The food is cheap because you get so little of it. Their bargain taco night (usually Tuesdays, 3 tacos for a buck) is a joke. A teaspoon of meat, even less cheese and half a handful of lettuce.
November 16th, 2008 at 3:50 am
KATE, please post recipe. I do not buy that 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup yogurt business. That is what’s all over the web when you search for Rubio’s white sauce, but their sauce is more complicated than that… for instance, what are the little red flecks in it…???
Please share your recipe from the Union Tribune.
I am a former San Diegan relocated to the midwest and I am dying for a fish taco… I will have to make it at home