Los Guachos Taqueria
1376 CHERRY BOTTOM ROAD; ALSO AT 5221 GODOWN ROAD 614-471-4717; www.los-guachos.com Jan. 26 ½ (out of five) $1.50 to $12 terrific taco truckstyle food sold at terrific taco truck-style prices
tacos, including al pastor pork, lengua, chorizo, suadero and tilapia; gringa; burritos; tortas; huaraches; Solo Para Tragones; chips and salsa; soups du jour, including vegetable-and-bean; flan
Forget Michael Jordan; I want to be like LeBron James. Regardless of how the 2017 NBA playoffs end (I’m writing this just before the start of the finals), no one can take away the crown that James helped bring to championshipstarved Cleveland in 2016. That, plus the generosity he bestows on his Ohio community, convinces me that the hardworking, socially conscious James is the kind of athlete — on and off the court — that people should try to emulate.
OK, I won’t be dunking a basketball anytime soon — at least not without teetering dangerously atop a ladder. But I can eat like the King by visiting the restaurant he dines at when visiting Columbus: Blaze Pizza.
I can think of several reasons why James would be a Blaze fan. But the most obvious reason is that, to a skill set that already includes the drop step, the spin move and the chase-down block, James has added another: “pizzeria restaurateur.”
Yes, James co-owns California-based Blaze Pizza — one of the fastestgrowing restaurant chains in America. And the Blaze near the Ohio State University campus — the subject of this review — is among the best fast-food operations in town.
Put simply, that shop is at the top of the Columbus heap when it comes to offering a great bang for your pizza buck: pies are $7.75 or less and are much better than they have any right to be at that price.
Unlike James, Blaze doesn’t look like an all-star. But its nondescript digs are functional — a modern, long-and-narrow, openand-airy space with sturdy wooden tables plus a few OSU-themed and industrial accents.
The most noteworthy element inside is a big, blazing-hot wood-burning oven where pizzas cook in about three minutes and emerge with a splendid, thin-andcrisp Neapolitan-style crust. A similar but thicker “highrise” crust, plus a rather elastic, super-thin, glutenfree crust, are available, too.
Blaze operates a la Chipotle. Accordingly, diners can access a cafeteria-style lineup of add-ons that includes various meats, cheeses, vegetables and sauces. The toppings are solid — some more so than others — and are free whether ordering a predesigned pizza or creating your own.
Among the eight predesigned pies, the Link In is a sure crowd-pleaser. Atop the toasty and golden-brown, crisp-edged “original” crust are a zippy house red sauce, sweet sauteed onions, blistered mozzarella and the symbiotic partners of roasted red peppers and chili-flecked, fennel-seeded Italian sausage.
The Green Stripe shows off a pesto sauce that’s better than some I’ve had in reputable Italian restaurants.
Also on the pie: red peppers, sweet-but-potent roasted garlic, mozzarella, tender if so-so diced chicken and arugula applied — like the pesto — after the pizza is removed from the oven.
Blaze is also vegetarianand vegan-friendly. The appealing Veg Out let me know that flavorful roasted zucchini and pungent Gorgonzola cheese are good ingredients. So are the (previously frozen) turkey meatballs, zesty pepperoni, artichoke hearts, milky ovalini cheese (aka fresh mozzarella), ricotta cheese, Canadian bacon-style ham
and dollops of the notlying “spicy” red sauce.
I suggest using the “eyeball test” on Blaze’s premixed salads ($4) — if tired-looking (expect this occasionally), pass. Otherwise the kaleand-quinoa, arugula
with fruit and goat cheese and the Caesar — and their commendable house-made dressings — are all pretty good.
Only soft drinks ($2) are offered, but they include Key lime-mint agua fresca (refreshing) and a recommended blood-orange lemonade.
To end on a slamdunk, order a s’more pie ($2) warmed up on the side of the oven. Fittingly for a business co-owned by James, it’s made with a famous, cookielike British “digestive biscuit” called McVitie’s, which bills itself as the “undisputed king.”
— Emily Jeffries ejeffries@dispatch.com @jeffriesemilys