The wife and I decided on Fuzzy's Taco Shop for date night this past Wednesday. I think it just recently opened within a few weeks or so, maybe a month. It is just east of the Mockingbird Ln and Abrams intersection on the north side of Mockingbird Ln. It took over the space previously occupied by Blockbuster and is right next to the Dollar Tree.
Anyway, the line was about 10-15 people long. It didn't take long because of the amount of people but more because of the trainees that were taking orders. It seemed to go smoothly but what do I know.
The wife and I opted to have the chips & salsa ($1.99) and two sodas ($2.98). I ordered a taco plate ($5.99) that comes with two tacos (I chose shredded pork and garlic shredded beef) and two sides which we opted for black beans and MixMex fried rice. The wife ordered two tempura fish tacos ($3.98). With tax, title and license, the damage came to $16.17. I paid with a 20 and left them a $3-and-change tip in the tip jar. I was feeling generous even though they really didn't do ANYTHING but take my order.
After about 7 minutes, my order number was called (yelled) out and I walked to the pick-up counter to get my tray of food...they did provide us with the chips & salsa as we sat since it is technically an appetizer. The place was pretty hopping for a Wednesday night around 7:25pm after a tiny tornado just made it's way through the southwestern part of Dallas so 7-ish minutes was quick. I'm sure a lot of the meat is pre-cooked and there isn't much prep time but give me a break, I'm trying to be somewhat nice here.
My wife said she liked the fish tacos at Rusty Taco better. She said the "flavor" was better there. We talked a bit and I think we decided that the sauce that comes with the Rusty Taco fish tacos is the "flavor" she liked better, not the fish of the fish tacos. I wrote about my taste test at Rusty Taco and how I didn't think the fish tasted like fish. It tasted more like chicken or a form of chicken or pork. I took a bite of her fish tacos and I thought they tasted like fish but, like her, found them somewhat bland. I throw salsa on everything Tex-Mex that I eat so it really is a mute point after that.
I liked my shredded pork and beef tacos. I didn't think the flavor was awe-inspiring or overwhelmingly awesome but they were good and flavorful. The shredded pork was similar tasting to Rusty's pork taco. The shredded beef taco was tangy. I wouldn't call it spicy but you can tell there was some spicing added.
The thing, for me (us), about the tacos at Fuzzy's is that it comes with good portion size like Rusty but unlike Rusty Taco, Fuzzy's comes with filler like lettuce, tomato and cheese. This makes a difference for me because it adds to the filling of my tummy from the entree but also adds some extra tastes to the taco. It's better than the very sparse cilantro that Rusty puts on the shredded pork or the crumbs of cotija cheese on the shredded brisket. Don't get me wrong. I like the flavor of all the tacos from both places but when I pay $1.99 or $2 at Fuzzy's or Rusty, respectively, I would like to know I'm not going to still be very hungry after two tacos which is the way I feel after eating two tacos at Rusty Taco.
The chips and salsa are near equal at both establishments. The salsa at Fuzzy's is heated and slightly better but I think the chips are Rusty are slight crispier and more flavorful. Fuzzy's puts some kind of reddish seasoning (red pepper, spice, something) on the chips but it doesn't cover the chips. It's more of like an after thought where they tried to sprinkle it over the chips but it turned out to be more like a glop on the top of the chip pile.
The black beans were very regular, normal, uneventful, bland, and forgettable. It was almost like they put some beans in water and added diced onions. They weren't awful they just aren't something I will be ordering again and will not recommend to anyone.
The MixMex fried rice was almost as forgettable. Texture and look-wise it was like the Mexican rice you get at Freebirds but not as good. I mean I don't particularly like the Freebirds rice because Chipotle's is ten times better but it's one of those things that comes with the burrito versus a side.
Fuzzy's has other sides, which I might mention Rusty does not, like borracho beans, refried beans and latin fried potatoes but none of them other than the refried beans makes me want to try them.
For me, I thought Fuzzy's was slightly better overall. The taco filler was a definite plus for me. The taste/seasoning of the different types of taco offerings was very similar to Rusty Taco. The ambience is similar as Fuzzy's had indoor and outdoor seating. There were alcoholic drink offerings but I didn't see them easily advertised behind the ordering counter or on the paper menu so I can't comment on their pricing or taste (especially since I don't drink alcoholic beverages).
Is this slight difference enough for me to (1) revisit Fuzzy's or (2) make the extra 1-2 mile drive? Yes on both accounts...at this time. I haven't tried all the offerings at Fuzzy's which includes much more than Rusty so I at least have to give them the same three (or more) tries that I did Rusty. If it comes down to not being impressed, I will forego both establishments as I would just go to Taco Bell or Taco Bueno. The odds are that I will visit both places some time in the future for some reason whether it be a work lunch or a friends get together. I just won't go out of my way to include them into my list of eateries I prefer to attend.
Anyway, the line was about 10-15 people long. It didn't take long because of the amount of people but more because of the trainees that were taking orders. It seemed to go smoothly but what do I know.
The wife and I opted to have the chips & salsa ($1.99) and two sodas ($2.98). I ordered a taco plate ($5.99) that comes with two tacos (I chose shredded pork and garlic shredded beef) and two sides which we opted for black beans and MixMex fried rice. The wife ordered two tempura fish tacos ($3.98). With tax, title and license, the damage came to $16.17. I paid with a 20 and left them a $3-and-change tip in the tip jar. I was feeling generous even though they really didn't do ANYTHING but take my order.
After about 7 minutes, my order number was called (yelled) out and I walked to the pick-up counter to get my tray of food...they did provide us with the chips & salsa as we sat since it is technically an appetizer. The place was pretty hopping for a Wednesday night around 7:25pm after a tiny tornado just made it's way through the southwestern part of Dallas so 7-ish minutes was quick. I'm sure a lot of the meat is pre-cooked and there isn't much prep time but give me a break, I'm trying to be somewhat nice here.
My wife said she liked the fish tacos at Rusty Taco better. She said the "flavor" was better there. We talked a bit and I think we decided that the sauce that comes with the Rusty Taco fish tacos is the "flavor" she liked better, not the fish of the fish tacos. I wrote about my taste test at Rusty Taco and how I didn't think the fish tasted like fish. It tasted more like chicken or a form of chicken or pork. I took a bite of her fish tacos and I thought they tasted like fish but, like her, found them somewhat bland. I throw salsa on everything Tex-Mex that I eat so it really is a mute point after that.
I liked my shredded pork and beef tacos. I didn't think the flavor was awe-inspiring or overwhelmingly awesome but they were good and flavorful. The shredded pork was similar tasting to Rusty's pork taco. The shredded beef taco was tangy. I wouldn't call it spicy but you can tell there was some spicing added.
The thing, for me (us), about the tacos at Fuzzy's is that it comes with good portion size like Rusty but unlike Rusty Taco, Fuzzy's comes with filler like lettuce, tomato and cheese. This makes a difference for me because it adds to the filling of my tummy from the entree but also adds some extra tastes to the taco. It's better than the very sparse cilantro that Rusty puts on the shredded pork or the crumbs of cotija cheese on the shredded brisket. Don't get me wrong. I like the flavor of all the tacos from both places but when I pay $1.99 or $2 at Fuzzy's or Rusty, respectively, I would like to know I'm not going to still be very hungry after two tacos which is the way I feel after eating two tacos at Rusty Taco.
The chips and salsa are near equal at both establishments. The salsa at Fuzzy's is heated and slightly better but I think the chips are Rusty are slight crispier and more flavorful. Fuzzy's puts some kind of reddish seasoning (red pepper, spice, something) on the chips but it doesn't cover the chips. It's more of like an after thought where they tried to sprinkle it over the chips but it turned out to be more like a glop on the top of the chip pile.
The black beans were very regular, normal, uneventful, bland, and forgettable. It was almost like they put some beans in water and added diced onions. They weren't awful they just aren't something I will be ordering again and will not recommend to anyone.
The MixMex fried rice was almost as forgettable. Texture and look-wise it was like the Mexican rice you get at Freebirds but not as good. I mean I don't particularly like the Freebirds rice because Chipotle's is ten times better but it's one of those things that comes with the burrito versus a side.
Fuzzy's has other sides, which I might mention Rusty does not, like borracho beans, refried beans and latin fried potatoes but none of them other than the refried beans makes me want to try them.
For me, I thought Fuzzy's was slightly better overall. The taco filler was a definite plus for me. The taste/seasoning of the different types of taco offerings was very similar to Rusty Taco. The ambience is similar as Fuzzy's had indoor and outdoor seating. There were alcoholic drink offerings but I didn't see them easily advertised behind the ordering counter or on the paper menu so I can't comment on their pricing or taste (especially since I don't drink alcoholic beverages).
Is this slight difference enough for me to (1) revisit Fuzzy's or (2) make the extra 1-2 mile drive? Yes on both accounts...at this time. I haven't tried all the offerings at Fuzzy's which includes much more than Rusty so I at least have to give them the same three (or more) tries that I did Rusty. If it comes down to not being impressed, I will forego both establishments as I would just go to Taco Bell or Taco Bueno. The odds are that I will visit both places some time in the future for some reason whether it be a work lunch or a friends get together. I just won't go out of my way to include them into my list of eateries I prefer to attend.
