The tacos in the Hamptons place opened up near us. I had reviewed the one in West Midtown Atlanta and called the food what it was but kinda got into the whole well appointed patio and quenching margarita thing.
We tried out the one here. You can either order and pay in the QR-verse or you can fill out paper chits, like you do at cart-less dim sum. Love it. We went with the chits and my one small issue here was that I put an L instead of a check mark next to the fried oyster taco, but the taco arrived not on the crisp green leaf of L that I wanted but instead on a really leathery corn T. Anyhow, the three small fried oysters were truly not bad even if everything thing else about the taco was.
There’s a lot of talk of duck on the menu, as well as cauliflower and falafel and sweet sesame-soy glaze. Any of the principals can be served not in tacos but instead over a small bowl of beady brown rice adorned with matchsticks of raw, multicolored red pepper. If I recall right, the company launched in White Plains, New York, which tracks.
The tone of the menu nods in a non-explicit way to diners who are more concerned with portion, healthfulness and satiety than with the pursuit of flavor. It is like a meal from the Whole Foods hot bar with two big bonuses. First, this a sunny place, not just the patio also the inside, which gulps in the open air and street energy. It reminds me of a certain Logan Square restaurant, but without the douchiness. Second, the margaritas are built for folks who crave icy, shaken citrus cocktails. They also come very quickly: the guy across the bar asking if you’re ready for another round is now the ToastTab app on your phone.
I suspect we’ll end up going there more than I’d anticipate. I also think I’m going to end up ordering a salad with a side of rice and a double order of fried oysters, and never let the word “taco” enter my head.