R&R Taqueria in Elkridge, MD

It's funny how TV changes people's opinions of restaurants. I was traveling up north along I-95 a couple of years ago and stopped to get gas in a Shell station in Elkridge, MD. Attached to the gas station's store was a Mexican restaurant. I suggested that we try the tacos there but my travel companions objected to getting food from a creepy gas station and we ended up snacking on some sad looking foods from a supermarket across the street. Fast forward a bit and I'm making the same trip along I-95 with the same people and it's lunch time once again. After looking through the various smartphone apps for a place to eat, it is decided that we try a Mexican restaurant that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives called R&R Taqueria. We follow the directions and end up pulling into the same Shell gas station. I recognized it as the place that was rejected for being gross gas station tacos, but it was now okay to eat at since it had been legitimized by the Food Network.

There was a good amount of people inside the tiny restaurant. It was separated from the gas station store by large windows, and the walls were decorated with Guy Fieri's portrait. R&R Taqueria is the second restaurant I've dined at that was featured on his show.

I tried two of their tacos at R&R. First was a taco al pastor, filled with nicely marinated pork, onions, and cilantro on a corn tortilla. Next was a pollo taco, consisting of the same fillings with the pork exchanged for chicken. While I liked the al pastor, the chicken was very dry and bland. The salsa served on the side helped it out.

I also tasted part of a chicken huarache. This was a thick tortilla topped with refried beans, meat, cheese, sour cream, and avocado. This was my first time trying a huarache, and it was definitely interesting. I'll need to try another one of these at some point.

 

I liked R&R Taqueria. It was good, simple, and cheap Mexican food all inside a cramped gas station. I'd stop there again on my next road trip up I-95!

The Whale's Rib in Deerfield Beach, FL

We headed to Deerfield Beach one evening to find some seafood near the ocean. Once there, the decision of what restaurant to eat at was made mostly by which restaurant offered free parking. Turned out The Whale's Rib was one of the few restaurants in this part of town that didn't have meters charging $0.25/ five minutes. I suppose that's a good thing, because apparently The Whale's Rib has some Food Network credibility.

I was able to find this through the magic of YouTube:

The only thing I tried mentioned on TV was the Whale Fries. These were homemade potato chips, served with a couple of cups of Whale Sauce. Can't go wrong with homemade potato chips...

My meal came with a side salad, consisting of romaine lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumbers, croutons, and balsamic dressing.

For my main course, I had the California Shrimp & Scallops. The menu described this as being artichokes, pepper, and onions over spinach pasta. When the plate arrived, I was initially impressed. The colorful plate of pasta had lots of huge shrimp and scallops and three good sized garlic rolls. I could have done without the mushrooms that were also added to the pasta, mentioned nowhere on the menu. I'm really not a big fan of cooked mushrooms. Overall, the pasta was also a bit boring tasting and could have definitely used a bit more flavor in the sauce. I ended up adding some salt to give it more flavor.

Seemed like everyone else at my table enjoyed their food. I think I should have stuck with a classic fish dinner. I'd go back to The Whale's Rib again, but I wouldn't order a pasta dish next time around...