America’s Taco Shop
2041 N. Seventh St
Phoenix, AZ 85073
(602) 682-5627‎

Phx411.com writer Amie Tatalovich and I stopped into America’s Taco Shop for dinner/happy hour on Friday.

We arrived at the lull between the lunch crowd and dinner and were greeted by owner Terry Bortin who proceeded to introduce us to the history of America’s Taco Shop which is very much intertwined with his own history. Listening to Terry it’s clear there’s something present in every dish they serve – America.

America Corrales, Terry’s wife, was born in Culican, the capitol of Sinaloa in northwest Mexico and home to some of Mexico’s largest agricultural operations. America learned to cook from her mother, spending much of her childhood helping prepare meals for her five siblings. Terry, who has 17 years experience in the restaurant industry, met America in 1999. 8 years later, and on their wedding anniversary, they opened America’s Taco Shop in a historic house on 7th Street and Monte Vista in central Phoenix.

Instead of creating a large menu, Terry and America decided to concentrate on just a few dishes and make them better than anyone else in the city. And if you’re using Yelp.com as a guide, it appears they’ve accomplished that goal with their carne asada.

We started by tasting their homemade margaritas. We tried both the Tamarindo, made with fresh tamarind and the Jamaica. I would recommend the Tamarindo over the Jamaica but both were good.
Tamarinda margarita:

Next we tried the Vampiro, which is similar to a tostada. The Vampiro is served with carne asada covered with monterrey jack cheese, guacamole, caramelized onions, and lettuce.

Vampiro:

Terry then served the carne asada burrito and it’s definitely their signature dish. The carne asada was lean, tasty, and served with caramelized onion, guacamole, and a great pico de gallo.

Carne Asada Burrito:

Arizona Ghostchasers are offering a tour of Phoenix’s early cemeteries in March.

John Mariani explores some of Phoenix’s nicer restaurants.

A short list of Phoenix bars having Inaguration parties.

And unrelated links:
2 men survive floating in the ocean for 25 days in an icebox.

And the Economist reviews the Bush years. It’s not pretty.

We’ve got another restaurant review from Nicole over at Bacon and Bakin. Here she reviews Stax in Scottsdale.

And not only does she review the restaurant but offers advice on building your own burger there.

The muse of the double-sided menu at Stax is the burger. Poor decision-makers may find a meal at Stax overwhelming, as building your burger can be a multi-step process. So, let’s break down the ordering process:

1a) Order one or two of the Stax-style burgers, pre-built sliders w/topping ranging from bruschetta to exotic salsas. Basically, you’re putting your trust in the kitchen, but have confidence in the chefs, as they know what they’re doing when it comes to combining flavors. Skip to step 8.
OR
1b) Begin building your own burger. “Burger,” however, is loosely defined at Stax, where your sandwich patty can be made from 3 oz. of beef, bison, turkey, lamb, ostrich, salmon, or veggies. (I took my own liberties at home, making sliders out of chicken.) Choose one meat per sandwich. Order two for lunch, three for dinner, four for coronary.

2) Add a cheese like cheddar, jack, or feta. Or not.

3) Add some bacon. This is not an option, but rather a requirement, as far as I see it.

4) Add some veggies, like the traditional lettuce and tomato or the more exotic flamingo-pink pickled onions.

5) Add a sauce, including a couple variety of salsas.

6) Add an aioli, such as pesto, chipotle, or spicy.

7) Choose how many carbs you can take: have your burger(s) served on a bun, topless (just the bottom of the bun), naked (no bun), or on a bed of greens

Ogle other people’s food as it comes out of the kitchen, wondering if your food is going to look as awesome.

9) Rejoice! Your food does look as awesome as other’s people’s.

10) Sink your teeth into your juicy meat gem

Stax Review.