Does new R&R Taqueria live up to the TV hype of the original?
Downtown’s new R&R Taqueria taps into a couple food trends of the moment: Everyone likes tacos, and people like to go to places they’ve seen on television.
The original branch, a tiny Elkridge cafe inside a Shell gas station, shot to fame after being featured in an episode of the show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” In it, chef Rodrigo Albarran, a Mexico City native and former commercial pilot, explained his success to the show’s always ecstatic host, Guy Fieri. Location doesn’t matter, he said. Food matters.
Fast forward a few years and Albarran has moved out of the gas station to a larger location nearby and added branches in Perry Hall and downtown Baltimore’s Lombard Street. So how is the food?
First impressions: From the Food Network decals on the glass windows of the first-floor restaurant, a passerby could be forgiven for thinking the restaurant is really a store for the cable TV network. Inside, the multilevel dining room looks ready for its close-up, with vibrant murals by Colombian street artist Ledania adorning the walls and tabletops. Gold and white couches sit strangely low to the tables. You may be tempted to ask for a booster seat.
Must-tries: The menu is sprawling; the eye searches out red Food Network logos to know where to begin. Start off with a margarita — not too sweet, not too sour — or creamy horchata ($2.80). Add a healthy order of tacos ($2.89 each); our favorites were the smoky shrimp tacos and the tacos campechanos, filled with a deliciously fatty hodgepodge of meats including chorizo and beef that tastes like it’s been stewing for days. The spicy, salty pork chorizo also makes a satisfying addition to the $8 pambazo and one of the hamburgers ($9). (The pambazo, unfortunately, comes drenched in sour cream and salsa, making it impossible to eat as a sandwich. You may want to ask for the toppings on the side.)
Special touches: Desserts are priced at $6 each. Flan resembles a crumbly cheesecake, with what tasted like Hershey’s chocolate syrup on top. The menu also offers a fine tres leches cake and a dry molten chocolate cake with marshmallow topping. Our server carried a blowtorch when she brought out the latter dish to give it that extra singe. (We always get alarmed when we see a server lighting things on fire. Are we at