The first General Bracket was an eclectic one, which is why it's not surprising that these two highly disparate restaurants made it. However, when you get down to it they make sense: both Taco King and Hula Hands are just damn good restaurants. But which will make the illustrious Final Four of Anchorage restaurants? Let's find out.
Taco King: Anchorage is not a city that is rich in Mexican restaurants, so the exceptional simplicity, superb flavors, and inexpensive meals at Taco King are a delight for me. I long debated with my friends about the superiority of Benny's Food Wagon over this joint, but after eating at both of them for years it became clear that Taco King is just better. Whether you're there to see the King (Burrito) or the Queen (Tostada), you're in for a treat. This is a place that can make some damn tasty food.
Throw in three locations (one is just minutes from my place) AND delivery, and you have a place that's always a winner in my heart.
Hula Hands: Just a recent addition to my dining repetoire, Hula Hands has captured my heart. Since my college experience at Moscow, Idaho's Loco Grinz, I've had an affinity for Hawaiian food. Hula Hands has done the impossible and nearly rivaled that joint in deliciousness, giving me a diverse menu filled with crazy delicious food. Not only that, but it's inexpensive, crazy filling, filled with friendly servers, insanely fast, and they serve beer!
I mean come on, what do they not do?! They even have two locations, including one that is super close to my house, making them all the better.
The Showdown: On paper, this is a tight matchup. Two places that have a lot of positives and almost no negatives, but when it gets down to the bottom line it's no question: Hula Hands wins. I prefer Hawaiian food, it's uniformly great, and it is a truly unique establishment in the Anchorage dining community. As great as Taco King is, it gets shown up in no time by Hula Hands.
General Bracket #1 Winner: Hula Hands
Showing posts with label Taco King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taco King. Show all posts
General Bracket #1 (Round 2): (1) Dish vs. (5) Taco King PLUS (6) Hula Hands vs. (7) Bombay Deluxe
Today we have the two second round matchups in the first General Bracket, as we have a showdown between the king of Anchorage Asian dining in Dish and the Mexican delight Taco King, and a matchup between the Hawaiian favorites Hula Hands and the tops in Indian food Bombay Deluxe. Lots of matchups, lots of delicious, but there can only be two to leave this showdown to make the Elite Eight of Anchorage restaraunts. Who will they be?!
Matchup #1
Dish: Much to the chagrin of my coworker Dale, Dish took the first round win against Thai Orchid. To me though, it was a fairly easy matchup to decide because Dish just doesn't really do anything too wrong. They have a diverse and quality menu, their service is friendly, nice atmosphere, good location (close to my work), and are not too horribly priced. Plus, they're great with big parties.
One of their big problems though is they really don't blow me away that often. Save their extremely fresh tasting fish (unagi!), nothing stands out for them. Plus, there is the immediate issue with sushi for me: I simply don't want to eat it all of the time. It's more of a whimsical choice for me, which isn't their fault but a natural issue with their establishment.
Taco King: Ohhhhh Taco King. You're so reliable. Taco King is methodical in its crazy consistency, always being good, always being fairly inexpensive, and seemingly always hitting the spot. Plus they deliver, have three locations, and are fairly close to me. Throw in the fact that they have a go-to dish for me (Queen Tostada for the win!) and this is a pretty spotless little guy. While it's not a place where you're like "oh man, this is the best food I've ever had", there is something to be said about being always good. Taco King - you are always good.
The Showdown: For the simple reason that Mexican food is more consistently on my mind than sushi, Taco King wins. It's more consistent, it's way more inexpensive, it's crazy fast (I once ordered and ate in 9 minutes at Taco King), and they deliver! Taco King just does more right. I know many will disagree, but too bad. This is my competition after all!
Matchup #2
Hula Hands: Hula Hands has quickly jumped up the ranks of my go-to restaurants for a lot of reasons. Inexpensive and delicious food, go-to meals, surprisingly great beer list, close proximity to my place, extremely quick turnaround, plus I just love Hawaiian food. They also have almost absurdly friendly service...the place is just a gem. I can't really find any negatives in their formula, and for that reason they are a sneaky awesome contender of this tournament.
And for those that haven't eaten there...shame on you! This place is awesome. Get on that!
Bombay Deluxe: While I really enjoy Bombay Deluxe and their tasty meals and the crazy good Naan, they have huge negatives like the scary service that is the norm at their establishment. I'm not even going to pretend this is close.
The Showdown: Complete and utter domination. This is like Cornell versus Wisconsin. Hula Hands is a near perfect lunch/dinner spot for me, while Bombay Deluxe has more holes than the Indiana Pacers roster. Which makes me sad because I'm a Pacers fan.
Sigh...
Matchup #1
Dish: Much to the chagrin of my coworker Dale, Dish took the first round win against Thai Orchid. To me though, it was a fairly easy matchup to decide because Dish just doesn't really do anything too wrong. They have a diverse and quality menu, their service is friendly, nice atmosphere, good location (close to my work), and are not too horribly priced. Plus, they're great with big parties.
One of their big problems though is they really don't blow me away that often. Save their extremely fresh tasting fish (unagi!), nothing stands out for them. Plus, there is the immediate issue with sushi for me: I simply don't want to eat it all of the time. It's more of a whimsical choice for me, which isn't their fault but a natural issue with their establishment.
Taco King: Ohhhhh Taco King. You're so reliable. Taco King is methodical in its crazy consistency, always being good, always being fairly inexpensive, and seemingly always hitting the spot. Plus they deliver, have three locations, and are fairly close to me. Throw in the fact that they have a go-to dish for me (Queen Tostada for the win!) and this is a pretty spotless little guy. While it's not a place where you're like "oh man, this is the best food I've ever had", there is something to be said about being always good. Taco King - you are always good.
The Showdown: For the simple reason that Mexican food is more consistently on my mind than sushi, Taco King wins. It's more consistent, it's way more inexpensive, it's crazy fast (I once ordered and ate in 9 minutes at Taco King), and they deliver! Taco King just does more right. I know many will disagree, but too bad. This is my competition after all!
Matchup #2
Hula Hands: Hula Hands has quickly jumped up the ranks of my go-to restaurants for a lot of reasons. Inexpensive and delicious food, go-to meals, surprisingly great beer list, close proximity to my place, extremely quick turnaround, plus I just love Hawaiian food. They also have almost absurdly friendly service...the place is just a gem. I can't really find any negatives in their formula, and for that reason they are a sneaky awesome contender of this tournament.
And for those that haven't eaten there...shame on you! This place is awesome. Get on that!
Bombay Deluxe: While I really enjoy Bombay Deluxe and their tasty meals and the crazy good Naan, they have huge negatives like the scary service that is the norm at their establishment. I'm not even going to pretend this is close.
The Showdown: Complete and utter domination. This is like Cornell versus Wisconsin. Hula Hands is a near perfect lunch/dinner spot for me, while Bombay Deluxe has more holes than the Indiana Pacers roster. Which makes me sad because I'm a Pacers fan.
Sigh...
General Bracket #1: (4) Benny's Food Wagon vs. (5) Taco King
This has been one of the fiercest debates of my life amongst my friends: Benny's or Taco King? I've long belonged to Team Benny's, as I've been "eating it since (I) was in the womb" as my mom used to say, but have the years of Taco King love split the difference and made me a disciple of the King Burrito and the Queen Tostada? Let's check the tale of the tape and find out!
Benny's Food Wagon: This is the most endearingly unassuming restaurant in all of Anchorage, hiding off Northern Lights across from Taco Bell and Sweet Basil Cafe and serving a small but well crafted menu of classic Mexican treats at very affordable prices. My go-to meal is the Burrito Special, which comes with two chimichangas and a side of rice and beans (and lettuce!). I've been eating it for pretty much the entirety of my existence, and it comes as ingrained into my persona as anything I've ever eaten.
But I have to admit...it has fallen off since it moved away from its old location where Embassy Suites is now. They lost their old cook who made the rice as delicious as any I'd ever tasted, and they have long been trying to recreate the magic. While all of the other elements are mostly the same, with the rice being such an intregal part (somehow becoming my favorite aspect in later years) the once mighty Benny's has taken an epic downturn. Even the old stand-by employees that worked there have been replaced with late teens girls - very disappointing. But it still is met with a deep sense of nostalgia and esteem, and I will likely eat there for as long as I live in Anchorage.
Taco King: I always held strong against its charms, but the authentic(ish) menu and inexpensive meals eventually won me over. Taco King is a place that has something for everyone, and in a city that is so dreadful when it comes to Mexican food it is nice to have some guaranteed delicious in the town. Whether you're looking for guaranteed awesome from the very filling King Burrito or the epic-in-its-tastiness Queen Tostada, or perhaps something a bit more sweet like buñuelos or fried ice cream, this is the place for you.
It also has a number of locations placed very strategically across town (off Tudor down by the police station, off Huffman, and off A St. and Northern Lights), and the service is always superb, with the employees being extremely friendly. Plus, they deliver now!
The Showdown: As much as it shames me to admit it, Taco King takes Benny's down now. If this was 2004, it'd be Benny's by a landslide, but the mighty have fallen and the King has risen. If Benny's ever fixed their rice and brought back some of the charm that has seemingly been misplaced, I'd revisit this showdown. But as of now, the once and future King of Anchorage Mexican is here to stay.
But I have to admit...it has fallen off since it moved away from its old location where Embassy Suites is now. They lost their old cook who made the rice as delicious as any I'd ever tasted, and they have long been trying to recreate the magic. While all of the other elements are mostly the same, with the rice being such an intregal part (somehow becoming my favorite aspect in later years) the once mighty Benny's has taken an epic downturn. Even the old stand-by employees that worked there have been replaced with late teens girls - very disappointing. But it still is met with a deep sense of nostalgia and esteem, and I will likely eat there for as long as I live in Anchorage.
It also has a number of locations placed very strategically across town (off Tudor down by the police station, off Huffman, and off A St. and Northern Lights), and the service is always superb, with the employees being extremely friendly. Plus, they deliver now!
The Showdown: As much as it shames me to admit it, Taco King takes Benny's down now. If this was 2004, it'd be Benny's by a landslide, but the mighty have fallen and the King has risen. If Benny's ever fixed their rice and brought back some of the charm that has seemingly been misplaced, I'd revisit this showdown. But as of now, the once and future King of Anchorage Mexican is here to stay.
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