Unofficial Mini Review: Tijuana Flats Burrito Co., Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Yes, there is shade in Florida

Where: Eglin Boulevard, Ft. Walton Beach, FL

What Was Ordered:  The "Banging Chicken Tostadas" (I am not making that up) and a Coke.

What is Cost:  With the lunch special and a drink, about $10 (lost the receipt)

While marooned here near Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, and desperately missing Tucson, I decided to try the Northwestern Florida version of Mexican food. I was feeling a little homesick, so why not try something Tucson is known for?

I just picked some random restaurant. I drove down the street until I saw a Mexican place, and went there. It could have been any restaurant, but Tijuana Flats Burrito Co. looked clean and inviting. When you enter, you can grab a menu at the door before going to the counter to order. I looked over the menu quickly, but didn't see any Sonoran Dogs. It was a sad moment and a little piece of my soul blackened and turned to ash. At that moment, I thanked the Gods of Residences for blessing me with a home in Tucson. Disgusted, I returned the menu to its little cube-shaped holder and decided to go with the special written on the dry-erase board:  Banging Chicken Tostadas. Seriously, that is what is what was named. I didn't add the "banging" in there to be funny.

Anyway, after laughing inside when the waitress couldn't say "tostadas" anywhere near correctly -- TOAST-adas, I sat down and waited for the food. It came very quickly, and I was all ready to dig in, when I noticed something amazing about this place -- it has a salsa bar! There was a long counter set up with dozens of salsas, which I assumed were local brands, not just what the restaurant used in their food. I got some random samples and sat down to eat this:

Is this considered Flo-Mex? Also, 

¿Dónde está la tostada

As you can see, by tostada they meant tortilla chip. I am no expert, but I am pretty sure tostadas are usually bigger and rounder. This lunch was more like an order of nachos. 

The tostada or tortilla chip was topped with refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and chives. And there was a generous amount of chicken on there. The salsa provided was very good, but the salsa verde I got from the salsa bar was even better. The chunks of chicken were awesome. 

Overall, it was a cheap lunch, the employees were friendly, it had a salsa bar, and had unlimited drink refills. I am disappointed that the tostadas were just tortilla chips, but it is Florida, so I will cut them a break. If you ever find yourself in Ft. Walton Beach, and want to grab a quick, cheap lunch, you could do a lot worse than Tijuana Flats Burrito Co. It was decent Florida Mexican food, not as good as more authentic Tucson Mexican, but it won't give you the stomach problems like Taco Bell. 

Plus, there are a bunch of sweet airplanes on display down the road (but no Sonoran Dogs):

I think Wolverine is in here

The New York Times Loves Sonoran Dogs

To Those That Care,

Apparently there was an article, published, weirdly, on August 25th, 2009, in the New York Times about "Mexican Hot Dogs," meaning Sonoran Dogs, of course.

I have proof! Here is the link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/dining/26unit.html?_r=1

I am just sharing for those that are interested in what a major food writer thinks about the Sonoran Dog, its competition with the American-style hot dog, and the importance of the Sonoran Dog in Southern Arizona culture. 

Its always interesting to hear what fellow gringos think about the food, especially from a New York gringo's point of view.

Enjoy!

-Lou

REVIEW: Hot Dogs Obregon

Thanks google maps!

Where:  Food City parking lot, at the corner of E. 22nd Street and N. Country Club Road.

What Was Ordered:  Sonoran Dogs (3), Mexican Coke (bottle), and a regular old can of Diet Coke.

What it Cost:  Totaled $10.25 - $2.50 per SD, $2 for bottle of Coke, $.075 for Diet Coke.

The setup is classic and elegant. Just a white van and a hot dog cart, with a canopy stretched between them. There is limited seating underneath the overhang, which is basically a couple of cheap folding chair and tables. It is a hot dog stand, so really, is there a reason to expect anything more?

Don't be afraid of the white van

 I pulled into the Food City parking lot and approached the stand, completely clueless to the proper procedures for ordering food at Hot Dogs Obregon. 

There were only two other customers, on this Thursday afternoon. Apparently, what you do is sit down and tell the cook/chef what you want when he asks. There is no standing in line at the counter here. So after a little confusion, we ordered two Sonoran Dogs.

The stand sits close to 22nd Street, so you get a lot of noise and weird smells from the traffic. Somehow, this makes it better. It adds something real and special to the ambiance. You are in Tucson, in town, in the heat and the Sun, not couped up in an air-conditioned hideaway. Its Arizona, we sweat! Hot Dogs Obregon is very Tucson. I really enjoyed sitting outside, about to eat something that was also very Tucson. 

For those that have never had the Mexican version of Coca-Cola, I believe it is far superior to the version you buy at the local grocery store. It is made with REAL sugar, and this makes a huge difference. It even comes in an old-timey glass bottle. The annoying thing is the lack of twist off cap.

So after only a few short minutes we get our Sonoran Dogs. This is what they looked like:

Simply brilliant

They looked awesome. The Sonoran Dog came with the standard grilled hot dog wrapped in bacon, and Obregon topped theirs with grilled onion, mayonnaise, tomatoes, pinto beans, and a green jalapeno sauce. It even came with a free grilled pepper. 

They were extremely delicious! The only major issue I saw was the bun wasn't really equipped to withstand the mass of the hot dog and all the toppings, so a lot of it fell to the container (or table) below. Not a big deal, but you never want to waste any toppings. 

When I was about two-thirds of the way done, I was asked if I wanted another, and of course I said yes. So the second Sonoran Dog came, and disappeared quickly soon after. 

The peppers were very good as well.

In all, I was very pleased with Hot Dogs Obregon. Like the set up of the shop and the location in Tucson, it was no frills, simple fare. They were simple, yet delicious Sonoran Dogs, and fit extremely well with what the business was clearly trying to do:  Provide cheap, simple, but delicious food to its customers, without trying to be more than it was. 

SCORES: (Rated from 1-5, with more obviously being better)

TASTE: 

VALUE:  

LOCATION:   

OVERALL:  

Man vs. Food -- Sonoran Dog

What the heck is a SonoranBlawg?

When I moved to Tucson, Arizona in 2008, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. 

Tucson is filled with its own unique culture, and one important aspect of this culture is a local food favorite:

THE SONORAN DOG. Admire its majesty!

The purpose of this blog is to document an ongoing journey to find the greatest Sonoran Dog in the world. I am open to any and all suggestions! Please comment if you know a place that you think has the greatest Sonoran Dog, so I can drive wherever it is and give it a taste.

Can there be a place that truly has the greatest Sonoran Dog? There are many different recipes, and I wager the special hot dog tastes a little different at every location they are sold. Will I find the one true awesomely great, amazingly delicious Sonoran Dog? The one dawg that will trump all the pretenders and declare itself the champion of Tucson? The penultimate meal in a bun (or bollilo) that will compel me to visit every day to get one more taste of greatness?

Yes.