Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Adventure Begins at R&R Taqueria!

Me and the girls have been watching Food Network, and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (aka "Triple D") for years. We enjoy the whole thing... Guy Fieri and his over-the-top personality, the characters and stories, but mostly the food... If you've watched the show, then you know what I'm talking about. If you're a fan of Triple D, then you really know what I'm talking about! www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html

Last week I watched a show where Guy introduced a retired couple who had apparently been traveling the country with the intent of hitting as many Triple D spots as possible. They hit their 100th spot at "Hillbilly Hotdogs" (known for the "home-wrecker" hotdog) and the Triple D camera crew was there to capture the moment. Well, that inspired me and got me thinking... I know Triple D has featured restaurants here in Maryland where I live, so why not start our own little Triple D "food tour"? I went to a Triple D fan website www.flavortownusa.com to find the places around me.

I talked to the kids and they were up for it. First stop was today at R&R Taqueria in Elkridge, MD. www.rrtaqueria.com Their Triple D episode just aired last week. It is authentic Mexican food that is served by Chef Rodrigo, out of a Shell gas station. Rodrigo was a commerical pilot for a cargo airline and got furlowed, but instead of delving into self pity he decided to pursue his dream of creating an authentic Mexican restaurant in his home town. It has been a popular place to eat, but after the news that Triple D featured them, they got even busier.

We headed out on March 2 and got there around 2pm for lunch. It really is a hole in the wall attached to a gas station, and you would never know the restaurant was there if you didn't know about it. I recognized Rodrigo from the Triple D episode as he was walking outside. I said "hi" and he was as friendly as can be. I let him know that we were there because of Triple D and that this was our first stop of our Triple D tour of Maryland. It turns out that they were getting ready for a Triple D Viewing Party out in the parking lot, so there was a lot of bustle. The place was very busy, but Rodrigo took the time to talk to me as I was looking at the menu. He was describing some of the dishes that were featured on the Triple D episode, and I said "that all sounds good". Rather than ordering off the menu, I just asked him if he could fix us what he likes. He eagerly agreed, and said something to the effect of "I'll take care of you." We pulled up to the counter (there are only about 8 stools in the place all on a counter facing the gas pumps) and waited for our food while the line of people out the door continued.

Chef Rodrigo brought us 4 different dishes and they were all delicious. Our favorite was the Huaraches Al Pastor, and the Alambres Platter was great, as was the Carne de la Mexicana. He even served us a "Trio Taco" plate that was not on the menu. After we ate he rang us up for $32. Four of us were stuffed and we had a whole "to go" box of left overs.

We didn't stick around for the viewing party outside (with a live Mariachi band) but it looked like it was going to be quite a Fiesta!

If you're ever around Baltimore take the time to find R&R Taqueria and you won't regret it! It is located in the Shell Station at 7894 Washington Blvd on the intersection of Route 1 and Route 175.


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