Replacing the (evidently not) immortal Japanese Steak House across from the convention center is a Tex Mex place that causes natives of the Lone Star State to wax rhapsodic. Unlike the old chop shop, the new joint is probably not somewhere you’re going to celebrate a festive birthday, but the newbie is colorful enough, and the staff are kind and helpful.
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop scratches the itch that lies somewhere between Taco Bell and El Vaquero. While that’s not quite the same league as the former resident at the address, that’s not all bad. Being at a point in life where Taco Bell is no longer an option, Fuzzy’s offers an intriguing alternative. And, as someone who still mourns the demise of the midwestern Taco Hut chain, it’s easy to understand the appeal Fuzzy’s has to those who grew up with it.
But for those who didn’t grow up around a Fuzzy’s, the attraction is a little mysterious.
We kicked things off with a Drunken Pig ($4.49). It is a soupy bowl of beans with shreds of pork, pico de gallo and cheese with chips. There was also a chunk of bacon. The starchy, soupy, swamp base was on the bland and suspicious side. As the name implies, it’s ideal for a drunken binge, perhaps — less optimal for the uptight with bad Taco Bell flashbacks.
No complaints whatsoever about the Burrito ($6.99). That was best find of the day. It’s sizable and stuffed with guacamole, beans, shredded beef (good quality, by the way), tomatoes, and cheese. There’s rice in there too, but every joint puts rice in burritos now, so no complaints.
Neither the enchiladas nor the tacos boast as much meat as the burrito, making them starchier, filler-food choices. The Shredded Chicken Taco ($2.29) is loaded with lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cheese and chicken in a crackling shell.The beef version of the Enchilada Plate ($6.99) offers a few crumbles of ground beef wrapped in tortillas with a savory sauce, plus bland beans and grilled potato cubes on the side.
The menu is elephantine. There’s a great deal to absorb the first time in. Breakfast is served any time, and the Migas option ($6.99) was not bad. This was somewhat surprising, as they are incredibly ugly and unappetizing, but there’s only so much you can do with scrambled eggs that are tarted up with chorizo, pico de gallo and tortilla strips. Even if the results are unattractive, they have all the right stuff for comfort food (and possibly also drunk food): savory sausage, eggs, starch and salt. Migas also comes with the aforementioned beans and potatoes.
It’s counter service, super casual. It’s cheap and easy, so you get what you get (alternately: it is what it is). All in, it delivers the same sorts of joys you might find at Taco Bell, without the lasting, sometimes painful, regrets the day after. You can find it at 479 N. High St. Fuzzy’s opens weekdays at 6:30 a.m. and serves until 10 or 11 p.m. (depending on the day of the week). On weekends, it opens at 7 a.m. (Saturday) or 7:30 a.m. (Sunday).
For more information, visit fuzzystacoshop.com.