Lexington, KY - At first, the title of South Limestone's new eatery The Local Taco, a small family of restaurants that started in Tennessee, may be deceiving. But with an emphasis on using local ingredients as much as possible, and making many items in house from fresh ingredients -- from tortillas to margarita mix -- the restaurant's interpretation of the buzzword "local" goes a step beyond "locally owned." These details, along with a unique and creative menu, help The Local Taco stand apart from your typical college chain.
Indeed, the restaurant appears to be geared, in large part, toward college students, with its inexpensive menu, proximity to UK's campus and casual service. However, it serves as a fresh alternative to traditional Mexican fare for families and other non-college entities as well. Located in the newly remodeled former location of Pita Pit, the surprisingly large space has been converted into three separate dining rooms with a patio and sliding doors that would make for great al fresco dining in warmer weather. The decor is casual and modern -- contemporary art, and no shortage of flat screen TVs. The service is structured somewhere between casual burrito chains like Chipotle and Qdoba, and a more authentic taqueria: upon entering, you order at the counter, grab your silverware and drink, and take a seat; the food is delivered to your table when it's ready. Considering the large selection of items on the menu, I didn't find this set-up to be particularly efficient -- with it being our first visit, my guest and I were slightly overwhelmed with the menu options and nowhere near ready to order when we walked in.
Despite that slight glitch, we enjoyed our experience at The Local Taco. We decided early on (after the friendly host encouraged us to sit down and study the menu) that we would order the four taco option ($10) and the dinner enchilada plate, which includes a choice of two enchiladas and two sides (also $10) -- note that these are the two most expensive items on the menu. From a choice of 10 taco selections, which include everything from BBQ pork to buffalo chicken, we chose the following: fish (lightly fried white fish with jalapeno tarter sauce, lettuce and pickled jalapenos), steak (chile-spiced Angus beef with horseradish sauce and pico de gallo), vegetarian (portabella mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, fried onions and goat cheese) and southern fried (fried chicken with honey lime mayo, lettuce and tomatoes). For the enchilada plate, we chose the smoked brisket (Texas-style beef tipped with pickled red onions, queso fresco and our choice of sauce -- we went with mole rojo) and shrimp (shrimp sauteed with green chiles, topped with a pumpkin pesto and lemon crema sauce).
We welcomed the opportunity to try so many options, and while some choices rose above others (we really enjoyed the vegetarian taco and brisket enchilada), overall, we were impressed. The "Mexi tater tots" are also worth a mention -- deep-fried, crispy balls filled with some sort of cheesy jalapeno-potato mixture. This isn't an authentic Mexican taco joint by any stretch, but as a casual Tex-Mex eatery, it excels.
The Local Taco has a full bar, with a number of specialty cocktails drinks, as well red and white wine sangria.
Our meal, which included several adult beverages and a guacamole starter, came to $41.69 before tip.