Taco Tonto's--Lakewood, OH (Madison Ave.) [$]

We're back, folks! After three weeks of not seeing each other due to holiday festivities, we finally jumped back into our newest and most rewarding hobby. It was Grace's choice this time around so she suggested a place she's driven by many a time, Taco Tonto's in Lakewood.  The place was pretty crowded (there weren't a ton of tables to begin with) so we gathered the food must be really good.  We deliberated over the menus and specials board, ordered and paid at the bar, and sat in anticipation of our lunches.
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Shannon:
As soon as we walked in, Grace and I were directed to the specials, one being a Winter Vegetable special.  This included parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, and onions.  I chose to have this as a "burrito bowl," so the vegetables came on a bed of lettuce, diced tomatoes, and shredded cheese.  I ordered a side of guacamole and chips and a side of the citrus cilantro sauce.  The guacamole and chips came first.  The chips were still warm so they melted the guacamole.  This was a delightful experience!  The sauce came with the chips as well, which was slightly sweet with a definite kick to it.  A few minutes later, our names were called from the kitchen window and we picked up our plates.

The winter vegetables were steaming and spicy, which paired really well with the crisp cool lettuce.  I added the sour cream, which melted, like the cheese had also done.  This plate was honestly like nothing I've had before.  The mixture of the vegetables on top of typical burrito fixings was so different.  The hot and cold temperatures made for a refreshing experience, and the melted sour cream and cheese was just divine.  I tried dipping various vegetables into the citrus cilantro sauce, which I found quite good, although it certainly didn't need anything else to make it better.  The vegetables were cut very large so I sliced some in half in order to taste more than one at a time.  I would get a couple vegetables, scoop up some lettuce and cheese, dip it in either sour cream or the citrus sauce, and gobble it up!  I found myself forgetting about the chips and guacamole, until I was mostly too full to eat any more.  I ended up taking the sauce, guacamole, chips, and half my burrito bowl home with me.  I'm excited to enjoy it later!

I really liked Taco Tonto's.  The decor was super cool and the food reached you really fast.  I would definitely go back, and probably take my Mexican cuisine-loving sister!
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Grace:
When we walked over to the bar area to get menus, my eye caught the BLT burrito special. Then I came to my senses and figured a burrito with bacon would be really weird, so I basically just ordered what I get from Chipotle to play it safe. I got a chicken "burrito bowl" with rice, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and sour cream. I ordered guacamole on the side to toss on top of my bowl. When my name was called, I noticed that the burrito bowl was actually a burrito plate. However, the plate was really vibrant and totally the type of dinnerware I will choose for my own place (if I ever move out). Taco Tonto's chicken was pretty good, but it was also pretty dry. The marinade and spices slightly reminded me of Barroco's chicken. Whereas Barroco gave too much chicken in their arepas, Taco Tonto's gave a scarce amount. Don't get me wrong, it was still really good for the low price! I just wish the chicken was juicier and more prominent. I kind of wish refried beans came with the burrito bowl option, but I think you have to order that on the side. Since the chicken was pretty spicy, I needed a water refill but no one came around. I had to go up to the bar and ask her to refill it, which was different for a place that served primarily spicy food.

The decor was pretty cool. The wall by the food pick up was really bizarre and you can tell a local artist was commissioned to do it. Another wall consisted of multicolored geometric squares with the colors being really complementary, which reminded me of another thing I would do to my place (again, if I ever move out of my parents' house...). The tables were kind of squished together, which made us feel that everyone there was listening to what we were saying.

Overall, it was a good experience! The "burrito bowl" fixings were nothing out of the ordinary so part of my wishes they did something original and a little bit more novel. I will go back, but next time, sit at the bar and brush up on my Spanish.
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Chips and guacamole

Grace's food

Shannon's food

Food pick up area

Bar area

Cool wall!

Shirts for sale

Awesome corner

Old sign

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It was wonderful to finally get back to our lunches, and this was a nice, inexpensive and neat place to start up again!  Check it out.  We suggest trying the tacos, though we haven't yet, we will next time.