After witnessing a few weeks of construction on a new home for Jaque en el Cuadro on Hampton we had to check it out. What once was a diamond in the rough is now a full on gem! The new modern design was the perfect 21st century update for this daring restaurant which includes Pan-Asian, New American, and French cuisine all on the same menu. But their take on the traditional taco is what brought us here and we were [not] disappointed.
While other taco shops might load their menu with fillings galore, Jaque’s specializes in one type of taco: Two Tacos, focusing on quantity and quanitity simultaneously. What they’ve created is something completely new. While we’re usually not fans of crunchy tacos, this was actually a soft taco in disguise. The crunchy edges give way to a soft (some might say soggy), slightly opaque window of greasy goodness that tantelizes the eater with a peek inside this little half-moon of heaven. The meat filling is a modern masterpiece of molecular gastronomy. This restauranteur keeps his cards close to their chest by only calling it “Taco Filling”. But we were able to deciefer the undeniable flavor Textured Vegetable Protein or TVP to those in the know. Yum!
The real magic is in the combination of warm lettuce, cold cheese, and salsa. The salsa or “taco sauce” was full of flecks of spices (salt) and tomato ketchup flavor. After our first was finished we longed for a time-machine to undo what we had just done another taste. Luckily for us each order is true to its name and comes with two tacos! And so cheap!
You better believe we’ll be baque to Jaque’s!
Happy April Fools Day!
Brilliant! For a moment, I thought you’d lost your minds. Or that I’d lost MY mind.
Ah yes, Jaque en el Cuadro — one of the brighter spots on the taco sun. So bright it might blind you if you get too close, so I think I’ll stay away.
Love it!