Tacos and Fish Sticks

The surfboard on the wall reads, “Go with the ‘FLOW’ood,” and Taco Del Mar is the most recent restaurant to come rushing in with the influx of eateries opening in Flowood. So how did “Tacos of the Sea” end up in Flowood? The franchise started in 1992 in Seattle’s waterfront district, and has grown to well over 200 locations. Apparently, the founders of the franchise, brothers John and James Schmidt, were inspired by the little beach-side food stands in Southern California that served burritos and the like. The brothers decided to do something similar, and their ode to beach culture is irrefutable.

Taco Del Mar’s menu offers a “fresh, fast and fun alternative to traditional Mexican food” according to their Web site. There are burritos, quesadillas, nachos and all the standards you’d expect. What you might not expect are the fish tacos. Made with Alaskan cod, they honestly look like fish sticks in a shell. If that whets your appetite, you need to be gassing up your car for a trip to Lakeland Commons. Other than that, the burritos are huge, and you have your choice of shell: white, wheat, spinach or tomato.

Open less than a month, it was fairly obvious that the employees and manager were novices at the food service thing. While it’s supposed to be fast food, make sure you’re not short on patience when you go.

Hopefully, by the time the drive-thru is open, they’ll have the hang of it and all will be smooth sailing. Overall, Taco Del Mar is a cross between Taco Bell and Moe’s.

Speaking of which …

Moe’s Southwest Grill is on a nationwide hunt for a star of a new Moe’s video. The restaurants are introducing Moe’s Video Nation—the Web site. Moe’s fanatics are urged to produce and upload their own 30-second video about Moe’s. The video’s theme should be “A Moe’s Burrito in Every Hand.” With a theme like that, there’s certainly plenty opportunity for fun and impertinence. In fact, that’s what they anticipate. It is Moe’s!

Matt Andrews, vice president of operations for the company, says, “Moe’s is a unique brand and a unique experience and our consumers know that—they like it, they expect it, and they are every bit as unique.”

The contest runs through Dec. 31, 2006. As with any cool contest, there’s a cool prize. Actually, it’s a prize that only a Moe’s lover would appreciate: Moe’s burritos for life.

Visit http://www.moes.com for details about the contest and to vote. And as a side note, don’t have a wardrobe malfunction in your video and expect that to give you one-up your competition. Moe don’t play that.

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