February 21, 2009

Review of Tocabe

Tocabe:  Adding a dash of American Indian to HighlandsOrder either the stuffed fry bread (it’s kind of like a calzone) or the tacos (all for less than $8 apiece). They are served with beef, chicken, buffalo or veggies. When ordering, you follow the same assembly line model that has made the burrito chains such as Qdoba and Illegal Pete's so efficient. Pick your beans, add cheese, tomatoes and onions, your pick of salsa and sour cream…sound familiar?

Everything you order is tossed in a bowl and passed back to the kitchen to be added to the fry bread. The result is exactly what you'd expect, heavy fried dough served with the flavors of the fixin’s inside and dressed up with a few artistic drizzles of sour cream on top to make it look pretty.

These creations will certainly fill you up. And the contemporary décor, complete with a few large flat screens and homey neighborhood feel, is certainly welcome. The patio and beer selection seems promising when the weather warms. But truth be told, I can see why I’d never heard much about American Indian cuisine. It's bland, altough I’m sure there are myriad more dishes and unique aspects to the cuisine.

But what Tocabe offers is little more than a Chipotle burrito served atop fried dough.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see A Strictly Native Eatery.

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