When I was a kid, my family used to occasionally splurge on the ultra-authentic Mexican food of Mrs. Lady’s restaurant in Okoboji, Iowa (it’s still there, and still getting mediocre reviews!). They had an Insane Taco on the menu, which was actually a huge taco salad. It was in no way insane, but I loved it anyway, mainly because most of my childhood was spent trying to eat way more food than I should have.
In the spirit of nostalgia, I ordered the taco salad at Merry Ann’s in Urbana last night, and it was pretty good, honestly. (Although, in a twist, I settled on the taco salad because the Railsplitter seemed like it would have been too much food.) The shell was freshly-fried, crunchy, and still warm. The iceberg lettuce was crisp, the ground beef was flavorful, and the cup of pickled peppers on the side added a nice kick. I’d recommend it, although in retrospect, I wish I would have got a slice of pie, too.
Photo by Seth Fein