Rubio’s- A Fresh and Fast Mexican Feast!

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Yesterday I was invited to a luncheon hosted for local food bloggers by Ralph Rubio, Chairman and Co-founder of Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill.  We were treated to several courses of delicious offerings after a tour through the kitchen of their West Jordan location and a brief history of Ralph’s inspiration for the Rubio’s success story. During his college Spring breaks Ralph enjoyed the fresh flavors of the fish tacos and other beach style Mexican food found in San Felipe in Baja California, Mexico. In 1983 he wanted to share his love of  this food with a larger audience so he and his father, Ray, founded the first Rubio’s in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, California. As of this writing Rubio’s has just opened their 200th restaurant. They have locations in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Colorado.

What were my impressions? :

First of all the kitchen was nice and clean and well organized- a definite plus for anywhere I am going to eat willingly. 🙂

We saw them making guacamole with lots of Haas avocados and relatively few other ingredients. Nothing prepackaged or frozen which gets them another A+ from me. I can’t stand getting guac that is mock.

They were char-grilling shrimp, meats and peppers in an appetizing manner- my mouth started to water at that point. They cook rice and beans freshly throughout the day and the beans are not refried in lard but combined with garlic and pepper to make a refried texture that is very much more healthy for you. I like the black beans best though- very flavorful and served with a dusting of Cotija cheese- mmm good!

Delicious salsas!

We began our sampling with an assortment of salsas that are available in Rubio’s salsa bar to add to your food as you choose. These included a “fresca salsa” with a nice bright flavor, a “roasted chipotle salsa” that had some lovely smoky notes, a zestier “salsa picante”  and a tangy fresh salsa verde” tomatillo style salsa. They were served with their fresh tortilla chips and some of that really freshly made guacamole that I mentioned above.

This was followed by the  Rubio’s “World Famous Fish Taco”, crispy breaded mild white Alaskan Pollock with cabbage and a crema style tangy white sauce and mild salsa on a corn tortilla. Nice, crisp breading with good flavor and textural interest with the crunch of the cabbage and creaminess of the sauce. I didn’t get a picture of it as I was too busy sampling and then I remembered (duh!) I had my Coolpix in my purse.

These were my hands down favorites- mm-mm!

Next we were presented with two Grilled Gourmet Tacos- one of Garlic Herb Shrimp and one of Grilled Steak. These are pure genius! The best tacos I have ever had- and that’s saying something. Of course it has to do with the three kinds of cheese toasted on the inside of the corn tortilla, sprinkled with bacon and then topped with freshly grilled meats, Habanero Citrus Salsa , cilantro/onion, Cotija Cheese, Creamy Chipotle Picante Sauce and sliced avocado. OMG! I am going back for these- definitely!

Big Burrito Especial with Chicken served Enchilada Style

Next we were served half of a “Big Burrito Especial” with chicken. This was a huge burrito served enchilada style with grilled chicken, guacamole, black beans, rice, sour cream, salsa fresca and creamy chipotle sauce all wrapped in a flour tortilla and smothered in sauce- we were commenting about how much food it was for the price and how delicious it all was- not what you usually get in a quick service setting at all.

Rajas Burrito with Black Beans

Then a Carnitas “Rajas Burrito” in a whole wheat tortilla  with a side of black beans came out. Inside were Carnitas, grilled peppers and onions, cheddar and jack and mozzarella cheeses, black beans, rice, sour cream, cilantro/onion and chimichurri sauce. Another winner- this was Rick’s favorite when I carried home what I couldn’t eat. I loved the flavors here too- nice and complex with the roasted vegetables and others components playing nicely together.

Whew we still have two courses to go? Wow!

Balsamic Roasted Veggie Salad with Grilled Chicken can you believe this is 340 calories?!

Out came a Balsamic and Roasted Veggie Salad with Grilled Chicken that is a fabulous combination of field greens, romaine, grilled corn and peppers and onions, topped with grilled chicken and sliced avocado and tossed with a tasty Balsamic dressing.  This was a huge salad for a very reasonable price off of the menu and a very healthy total of 340 calories. (Check all the nutrition info here!).  I can see eating this one often- it’s a “clean eating” salad of the kind I prefer.

Street Tacos- Chicken, Steak and Carnitas- my kind of snack food!

For the final course we were served three “Street Tacos” – one each of Carnitas, Grilled Chicken and Grilled Steak served with a side or their “No-Fried” Pinto Beans.  These were very delicious and a  good value like the ones served from the street vendors on the corner- snack sized but with fresh guacamole and onion cilantro topping. They were a good chance to add salsas from the salsa bar and mix and match flavors. I like getting this kind of  wonderful and  inexpensive small tacos in a place that has good sanitation rather than on the street corner. This is a great alternative for me.

I was very pleased to see that they offer some Health-Mex(tm)  selections that are lower in fat and calories and offered with whole grain tortillas. Sometimes it is hard to find places that are easy to “eat clean” whilst dining out. I would happily eat many of their offerings on a regular basis and not feel one iota of guilt. I would also happily indulge in a shrimp gourmet taco as a treat to my tastebuds now and then. So my final recommendation to you is go for it check out one of the Rubio’s near you and enjoy some fast, fresh and fabulous food that is reasonably priced and delicious!

And many thanks to Ralph and the folks at the West Jordan Rubio’s and Crowell Advertising, Marketing and P.R. for inviting me and for your hospitality and the chance to sample such tasty fare. For the sake of full disclosure I must add that Ralph sent us home with all the leftovers we could carry and $30.00 in gift cards to enjoy a future visit on him. It didn’t sway my opinion in any way but it was very gracious indeed and much appreciated.

Note: All of the above photos are just what I snapped with my little camera in the restaurant- so this is not retouched food stylings at all- you can see how appetizing the offerings are as they are actually served.

🙂

Come to the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale on April 17th!

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Please come to the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale on Saturday April 17th as part of the Great American Bake Sale. Proceeds will benefit Share our Strength– a campaign to end childhood hunger in the United States. Food bloggers from across the country are supporting the cause by holding local bake sales where readers can purchase yummy treats baked by their favorite bloggers.

Utah Food Bloggers will be hosting two sales:

Saturday, April 17th, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Salt Lake City location-at Dan’s Market (1360 S Foothill Blvd)

Orem location– at Shirley’s (15 East 400 South)

Thanks to Dan’s and Shirley’s for hosting our bake sales. We really appreciate your support!

Maria from  Two Peas and Their Pod is organizing the Salt Lake City location and Becky, from Utah Loves Cupcakes, is organizing the Orem location. Maria will be appearing on Studio 5 of Friday April 16th to discuss the bake sale- be sure to catch her there!

Utahns baking for the sales include:

Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod

Becky from Utah Loves Cupcakes

 Tiffany from Food Finery

Barbara from Barbara Bakes–

Dara from Cookin Canuck’–

Becky from Vintage Mixer–

Krista from The Double Dipped Life

Frieda from Lovin’ From The Oven

 Cristie from The Table Runner

Vanessa from She Craves

(Me) Gabi from The Feast Within

Alicia from The Kitchenista

Laura from Rather Be Baking

Traci from Burnt Apple

Ginny-she doesn’t have a blog, but is baking amazing cakes for the sale:)

Koo De Ker

Sweet Tooth Fairy Bakery

 So what should I bake for the sale?

Superfoods Stirfry with Maitake Mushrooms, Lacinato Kale and Quinoa

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This clean-eating and very tasty Asian inspired dish makes use of three highly nutritious “super-foods”- Maitake Mushrooms, Lacinato Kale and Quinoa. I was in the neighborhood Asian market and came across a selection of beautiful fresh Maitake mushrooms. Maitakes (Grifola Frondosa) are being studied for their beneficial effects on the immune system, for cancer treatment and for their effects on blood lipids, glucose, insulin and blood pressure. They are chock-full of vitamins and minerals and besides that they taste really good.

Lacinato Kale (also called Cavalo Nero or Tuscan or Black or Dinosaur Kale)  is one of my favorite vegetables, like all kale it is full of vitamins and minerals -particularly vitamins A,K,C and manganese as well as fiber and deliciousness. It is also lovely in pasta dishes or as steamed greens.

Quinoa– I’ve written about how much I love it here before-is actually a seed (of the goosefoot plant- chenopodium quinoa) rather than a grain but it is generally assigned to the whole grains category. It has a complete protein- and lots of it- and is a bit nutty and delicious. I like it cooked a bit al dente so that there is a slightly chewy pop to the little curly-cued seeds when they are cooked. You cook it like rice- making sure to rinse it well beforehand as the seeds contain a naturally occurring saponin that makes them bitter. Just rinse and cook in a 2:1 of liquid to Quinoa for about 15 minutes after coming to a boil. Steaming is good too.

Stirfry of Maitake Mushrooms, Lacinato Kale and Quinoa

(serves two)

  • peanut, coconut or avocado oil for pan
  • 1 fresh Maitake mushroom* head, about 2 cups chopped (also called Hen of the Woods in your Asian Market)
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1-2 cups Lacinato Kale washed, spun and cut into 1 inch ribbons
  • Shao Hsing  cooking wine* (optional)
  • Black Vinegar* (optional)
  • Soy sauce
  • Salt
  • Szechuan Peppercorns, freshly ground, pinch (optional)
  • 2 cups of cooked Quinoa (see above)
  • chopped shelled pistachios

Heat a wok or a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. When hot add the oil then the mushrooms and onion, fry until the mushrooms render their juices and the onions are caramelized, add the garlic and cook being careful not to burn it. Add the kale and stir until softened. Add Shao Hsing, Black Vinegar (*found in most Asian Markets) and Soy starting with a Tablespoon of each and then adding more as needed to adjust to taste. Add the cooked Quinoa and some salt and ground Szechuan pepper or regular black pepper and stir all to heat through and serve in small bowls garnished with a Tablespoons chopped pistachios for a bit of crunch.

Good Eating to you!

xo

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