El Dorado

5134 South 24th Street (just north of Q)
Omaha, NE 68107
(402) 734-4947
Open lunch and dinner everyday
www.eldoradomex.com

Chips and Salsa

Pork Tostada and Carne Asada Taco

Carne Asada Quesadilla with Rice and Beans

It all started with the chips. Store bought and heat-lamped with boring El Pato-based salsa. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the large menu of seafood and other concoctions, we ordered our fav stand-by items. Maybe that's where we went wrong. The pork tostada wins the prize for Greasiest I've Had So Far. The little pellets of carne asada in my taco resembled poop. It's been hours and the quesadilla is still chillin' in my stomach--evidence that the ingredients were not fresh. The beans were ok but not enough to get me to go back, ever.

Fish Fork

Fish Knife

The piscine-inspired cutlery won't even do the trick. Some other reviewers say the seafood is good, but since here in Omaha we couldn't be farther from an ocean, I think I'll stay away. They're serving poop beef in our country's great steak mecca, for Christ's sake.

Jonesy's Taco House

1502 South 60th Street
Omaha, NE 68106-2102
(402) 551-6088
Open Monday thru Saturday, 11am-9pm
www.jonesystacos.com

Feeling very wary of Omaha TexMex after our unfortunate visit to Romeo's a few weeks ago, we decided to pop in to Jonesy's on a whim. The decor is pretty bare-bones and 70s, and the wait staff obviously wanted us to know that they are avid Wal-Mart shoppers and Taco Bell (?) eaters, judging from the volume of their convo. The beef and bean tostada came topped with grated cheese, cubed tomatoes and shredded lettuce that was actually... fresh! The ground beef could have used some more seasoning, and the hefty scoop of it was sort of overkill, but that's ok. The beans were all right, too, even with the absence of lard, which we all know makes a better bean. All these ingredients rested on a somewhat chewy--not crispy--fried flour tortilla. I kinda wished for some sour cream, and the "hot" sauce provided, though apparently house-made, was not hot in the least. The beef taco was pretty much the same as the tostada, just a tad smaller. Also, everything came out room-temp, kinda like when we make tacos at home and go back for seconds.

Junk food? Yes. Better than Romeo's? Hell yes. Will we go back to try a cheese and sauce covered Sancho? Probably...

Beef and Bean Tostada

Beef Taco with Hot Sauce

Romeo's Mexican Food and Pizza

2929 Farnam Street, Omaha, plus four other locations
(402) 346-1110
Mon-Thur 11 to 9,  Fri & Sat 11-10, Sunday Closed
www.romeosomaha.com

Romeo's in the Reader. Romeo's in the theater program. Romeo's on TV! That was it, we had to cave and try this local chain with near-viral advertising. We clipped our $5 off coupon and headed in. Just before noon and the place was already packed with people on their lunch breaks, adding to the cheerful din. Booth was comfy and rather dimly lit; service was prompt. Romeo's boasts both Mexican fare and pizza, so we tried both, but what was this? No complimentary chips? Fine, be that way. We ordered "chips and cheese" ($4.79) to start, and were served a very non-spicy bowl of cheese product, along with a basket of packaged chips that had been under the heat lamp all morning. One soft chicken taco, one pork and bean tostada, and one beef and bean "Sancho" later, we were full of some of the most bland and flavorless fat snacks ever experienced: Floppy tortillas, shiny cheese, wilted lettuce, the whole unsavory package. The pizza was better than Pizza Hut but worse than everything else if you know what I mean. In the sit-down version of Taco Bell, we paid our $28 dollar bill and left, knowing we would laugh about this someday. With everything shamelessly store bought on the cheap, the owner of Romeo's must be laughing, too, all the way to the bank.

Chips and Cheese Dip

Beef and Bean Sancho with Guacamole and Red "Chili"

"Soft" Chicken Taco (with Fried Flour Tortilla) and Pork and Bean Tostada with Sour Cream

Mini Pepperoni Pizza - 8"