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| - Well, okay. So I broke one of my cardinal rules about new restaurants. Why not break the other?
Normally, I like to wait a few months after a restaurant opens to give them a chance to work out the kinks, but this time, my daughter insisted we go, so we did. I also don't normally write a review after only one visit. However, Gadzooks is worthy.
I was a bit unsure about going here, as I've been watching their construction progress for almost a year, anticipating an unannounced opening. Well, I guess they did it, and opened about a week ago. We rolled in about 6:00pm on a Thursday and they were doing a steady business. Clearly the management knows how to start up a restaurant, as the line appeared to be staffed with seasoned, experienced people. Everybody was calm, there was no confusion, panicking or running around. People moved through the line quickly and efficiently. This concept is a "build your own" enchilada or taco. You start with freshly-made-before-your-eyes tortillas in a heavy stoneware dish. You fill it with your choice of a variety of meat/vegetarian fillings, add a sauce, some cheese, and it goes into the oven for achieving a cheesy/melty/crispy consistency. Moving through the line, you order beverages from a fine selection of Mexican beers, margaritas or sodas. Then you add the garnishes like salsa, house-made crema, cotija, and a variety of spicy sauces.
You can eat there or take away. We chose to dine on the patio, which was a bit noisy, being next to Camelback road, but we were able to carry on a normal conversation. I had the 50/50 flour/corn tortilla, with a green-chile pork filling, green sauce and cheese. garnished with cotija and crema, the presentation made for a tasty-looking treat. It tasted as good as it looked. I would have preferred a bit more spice in the green-chile, but that's just me. Daughter had potato filling, and I got a taste of that. Everything was clearly fresh-made and quite delicious.
For me, Gadzooks is a welcome addition to my neighborhood and I look forward to leisurely bike rides up to the canal for a tasty dinner.
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