Some of the best tacos ever!

As I do not really like to fly, the majority of the time I go to Virginia for our operations there, I drive cross-country.

Once we make it over Vail Pass and Eisenhower Tunnel (sometimes not an easy feat in the winter, or for that matter, Fall and Spring too!), make it through the Denver metro area, the roads flatten out and we hit the plains, all the way to Topeka and Kansas City. After Missouri, we leave St. Louis and head east on I-64, through the spreading suburbia and eventually back to the open spaces, until we get close to Kentucky.

From Louisville through Lexington, we hit the urban sprawl again, but there is something about Kentucky... Maybe the rolling hills, the horse pastures, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, dunno..

or maybe it is Taco Punk!!

I had read about this place for awhile and then last year, I finally had a chance to stop by and not it is a destination location for me! Check out their menu and you will see why!

The Bar-Beer-Coa was already sold out when I got there and they had run out of the 'Drain Cleaner' Salsa (mental note, change the drive time to get there earlier!) but as usual, I was not disappointed!

This visit I had the Grilled Adobo Chicken Taco and the Chorizo and Potato and added some of their Pineapple Habanero Salsa and then the Hot Salsa Roja.

Yeah, I do love this place!

And as I try to keep my promises, I even kept one of our 'El Diablo' Savory Craft Spreads on ice for them and surprised them with one!

 Next....

A return to Maya Mexican Grill & Tequila Lounge in Richmond, VA!

Savory Appetizer Cheesecakes

One of the things I love about what I do, is that I get to play with different flavor profiles with our cheesecakes! I subscribe to a lot of cooking and culinary magazines and I will see some recipe, not necessarily cheesecakes or desserts, but I see a flavor profile or combination that might just work in a cheesecake.

Over the last few months, we have developed a new product line, which are 'Savory' Appetizer Cheesecakes, which you spread on crackers, pita chips or the like. We started with four flavors, Sun-Dried Tomato w/ Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Bacon & Blue Cheese (ya gotta love bacon!), Smoked Salmon and my personal favorite, The 'El Diablo' which, yes, is a Ghost Pepper/Habanero Cheesecake with an Ancho/Chipotle Pesto, definitely not for the timid, but believe it or not, it is our most popular savory!

On another occasion, I was playing around with what I thought was going to be another Savory, but I had started adding sugar to the first test batch, when I said to myself....

Self.. you dummy.. there is no sugar in a Savory!!

I was about to dump the batter when I gave it a quick taste and went.... WHOA!!! This is good and with a little heat and that is how our newest dessert cheesecake flavor, The Habanero/Key Lime came about.

You get the sweet and tart taste of the Key Lime come through and then you get the heat, not overpowering, from a roasted Habanero sugar that I made....

Turns out it is the fastest selling new flavor I have put out in over 2 years!!

Go Figure!!

Got many more on the drawing board when we get through the fair/festival/market season, at least 20 other flavors that I want to do!!

Yeah, I do so love to play!!