Sometimes it's the simple things in life that are the most special.
I have to admit that I have been rather homesick lately. Even though I am presently living here in the Deep South with all of it's unique culinary offerings, my palate still craves some good old fashioned West Coast favorites.
I've been reminiscing about at least a dozen or so great eateries that simply don't exist here in Louisiana and there are literally no equivalents that come even close to serving the same type of food.
Try finding some Hawaiian food down here.
Another foreign type of food down here is the Baja Fish Taco ... oh you can find fish tacos ... but, they ain't the same critter.
On it's face the Baja Fish Taco is a rather simple item. Here is how it is described on the Rubio's website:
Sustainable, Wild Alaska Pollock, beer-battered by hand and cooked to crispy perfection. Topped with white sauce, mild salsa and cabbage. Served on a warm, stone-ground corn tortilla.That's literally it.
Their famous 'Fish Taco Plate' consists of two of those tacos with some tortilla chips and a cup 'no-fried' pinto beans. It doesn't sound like much, and it really isn't, but man oh man is it one delicious meal.
Before I forget, I have to mention Rubio's amazing Salsa Bar. It doesn't matter whether you like your salsa mild or volcanic hot there is a style and flavor available for you to savor.
Like I said, it's the simple things in life.
There are other fish taco chains in California including Wahoo's Fish Tacos and Chronic Tacos which also serves a good Baja inspired taco, but it is Rubio's that owns my taste buds.
As you would expect, Rubio's serves much more than just Fish Tacos. I used to have a good friend who used to swear by their Lobster Burritos, which I don't think they actually serve anymore. She raved and raved about them. Yet I couldn't ever bypass my favorite meal of Fish Tacos to ever try one.
You can't go into a Rubio's and not get Fish Tacos! It just can't be done!
Here is some fun history from the Rubio's website:
Man meets fish taco. Man eats fish taco. Man falls in love with fish taco. Such was the case for Ralph Rubio, co-founder of Rubio's.
As a college student, Ralph made regular pilgrimages to Mexico's best beaches to surf, sun and socialize. It was on one of these trips that Ralph sat down at a seaside taqueria and met his true love. He was hooked on the fish taco.
Several years later, with the help of his entire family, Ralph opened his first Rubio's. A walk-up stand in Mission Bay, San Diego. It was at that walk-up stand that America had its first taste of the fish taco. Soon, they too were hooked. As word of Ralph's fish tacos spread, so did his business. One restaurant quickly expanded to three, and before long, San Diego's best-kept secret was out. Rubio's started a fish taco phenomenon that spread from coast to coast. Each new restaurant brought not just The Original Fish Taco® recipe, but also Ralph's commitment to fresh and high quality ingredients. A commitment that has become as synonymous with Rubio’s as the taco that made us a coastal favorite.
Sadly, I just read that last Fall Rubio's Coastal Grill filed for bankruptcy and had to close 26 of it's locations outside of the Southwest and halt new expansion franchises in Northern California and Florida. Currently the company still operates in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona.
The Covid 19 pandemic all but killed the business.
Hopefully the company can bounce back and become profitable again. It would be a shame for such a great restaurant to vanish into history.
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