Osorio Tacos Y Salsas

Osorio Tacos Y Salsas is a truly authentic Mexican experience near Traverse City, MI.

If you go waaaaay back to the first post that I put on this blog, the one wherein I explain why I have undertaken this adventure, you'll notice a picture that looks simply delicious, yeah? Well, sadly, that meal and its accompaniments are not available here in Traverse City. Actually, you'll need to travel about 3200 miles, to a barrier island in Guatemala (where I lived for about two years) called Sipacate. There, you will find fresh from the sea (you can watch the fishermen carry them in) delicacies as you enjoy miles of black sand beaches and an amazing non-resort, truly local atmosphere. I love Sipacate. It is perfect.

While Osorio Tacos Y Salsas isn't Sipacate, it is authentic! And by that, I mean supremely delicious. Yes, this is the closest to that amazing Guatemalan fare that I have yet come stateside.



Simple decor matters not. At this Traverse City area restaurant, the food is what shines!

There are a lot of joints around this nation that claim to serve authentic Central American fare. Hardly any of them do. What you'll find at those places is a bastardized Tex-Mex, a flour shell bathed in meat and cheese and sour cream. That is NOT authentic!

Osorio Tacos Y Salsas IS authentic!



Along with amazing fare is some truly delicious takeaway items, including tortillas and salsa.

This restaurant is somewhat of a dynasty here in the Grand Traverse region. For the longest time, a simple taco house was located in Traverse City. The locals loved it. Amazing, simple, authentic Mexican food was their hallmark and they had legions of fans because of it. Then, they simply disappeared. Not for lack of business. But for something else. No one knew why.

But, now they have returned! No longer located within the Traverse City limits, they have chosen a location very near to the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Traverse City's gateway to the north.

The new focus of this restaurant is an even more real and authentic experience. They are also featuring some of the most outstanding homemade salsas your palate will ever experience. Good god yum!

One feels as though they've stepped out of Michigan altogether when they enter Osorio Tacos Y Salsas.

The atmosphere is decidedly simple. A few tables, some sparse decor. You do feel as though you've stepped out of Michigan when you enter this establishment. Take it from me! This place feels like Mexico, and I love it!

The simple surroundings of your chosen table may be purposeful, who knows? Because, when the food arrives, "simple" takes on a whole new, much more enticing meaning!



A truly authentic Mexican dining experience awaits you in this Grand Traverse region eatery.

Speaking of food, let's dive into what this authentic eatery offers, shall we?

First off, for you folks that want to know what it feels like to "sit right here and have another beer in Mexico", you'll have to go to Mexico. There is no beer (yet) at Osorio Tacos Y Salsa. But don't let that deter you!

The menu starts out right where the name implies, with tacos. An order of four tacos costs $8.99. There's a varied selection of meats available, I suggest the Chorizo, a Mexican sausage. Damn that's good!

You can snag a Taquiza, a plate of tacos for four folks, for $39.99. It consists of steak, chicken, pork, rice, beans, pico de gallo (LOVE this stuff!), guacamole and tortillas. A sort of build-your-own paradise.

Quesadillas are also huge on this menu. A couple of great selections are featured, both for around $8 each.

Vegetarian quesadillas are also available for you poor folk that don't eat meat.

Moving on, we see the Tamales! $2 each, try the poblano con queso. Wowza!

Now we're at the main dishes, people. These are $10.99 each and feature some truly authentic meat preparations paired with rice, beans and five flour (no) or corn (YES! Like I said, let's be authentic here) tortillas. 

Next, we hit up the Enchiladas. $10.50 each, all simple, traditional, cheesie and delicious!

Plenty of side dishes adorn this menu for your added eating delight, ranging in price from$1-$4. Considering the amazing homemade salsa, you have to try the chips and salsa! Only $2!!

Lastly, a grand mix of drinks from Mexico (again, no beer) round out the offerings here.

Osorio Tacos Y Salsas is a grand place to gather with friends and family.

I love this place. I always have. True, this place just opened on May 21, 2012. However, this place can be found throughout Central America. It's the place where the locals go when they want truly amazing home cooked meals. When they're missing their mother's Mexican cooking, they come to this place. When they want to gather with other town folk, laugh at the touristos eating at Burger King, talk the day away, whistle at pretty girls, hit on handsome boys, this is the place that they come to. I have been to so many local eateries in Central America. Upon my return, I missed this food and this atmosphere so very much.

Osorio Tacos Y Salsa may not be open air. It may not be the center piece of some small Mexican village. It may not serve beer. But, what it may not be does not matter. What it is is a place that has taken its Mexican heritage, a heritage that prides itself on authenticity, and has dropped it in the midst of Acme, Michigan. This is authentic Mexican fare and oh how I love it!!

Added bonus here, soon, very very soon, Osorio Tacos Y Salsas will serve fish tacos and....my mouth is watering just thinking of this....chile rellenos. I will be there every day.

Buen provecho!

(All photos by Brooks Vanderbush)

Aerie

Soaring 17 floors, the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa's tower dominates an otherwise unremarkable skyline.

Shall we discuss fine dining?  Why yes, yes we shall.

Aerie sits perched atop the only "skyscraper" in the TC area (actually just a little past the gas station paradise of Acme).  More commonly known as the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa (an amazing place to stay, by the way, truly top notch!), the tower of this resort is the home of one of Traverse City's most amazing dinnertime views.



The decor delights the senses almost as much as the view!

The vista from any table in the joint is simply amazing.  You will literally be sipping your Cristal whilst overlooking all of the beauty that the Grand Traverse Region has to offer.  The panorama alone is certainly worth one of TC's highest price tags.

Is the view from Aerie in Acme, MI worth the rather subpar food and sky high price? Possibly.....

Now, let me tell you what I envision when I think of "fine dining."

Fine dining, to little ol' me, is all about new and exciting experiences.  As you can see from the pics, the ambiance offered at Aerie is quite lovely.  However, the experience of fine dining is about MUCH more than the patron's surrounding environment, to be sure. 

Aerie is truly an amazingly beautiful restaurant with loads of potential.

Inherent in the phrase "fine dining" is an exceptional encounter with food. 

During a recent trip to the top of the Resort, my lovely Lisa and I had a wonderful time.  But, that time was had more as a result of the company than as a result of the offered fare. 

Lisa and I are fans of the complete set of food-stuffs.  We had heard from a trusted chef friend that the bread, supposedly homemade, was quite tasty.  Well, while surrounding tables were piled high with bread and the accompanying oils, our waitress never produced a single grain.  We thought perhaps the bread only appears with a salad purchase, but that would seem a bit too "Big Boy" for such an establishment.  So we let it alone, a bit too amused by the situation to actually inquire about what was up.

Slightly put off, but still in lovely moods, we ordered a couple tasty appetizers.  My pork belly, complete with black beans and rice, was superb.  Lisa's Octopus was outstanding.  I sipped on a Short's brew and we made some EXTREMELY intelligent conversation, if I do say so myself!

For the main course we went with the seafood paella and the sea bass, both fantastic.  Dessert saw some rather unimpressive square creations, supposedly "cake," but rather tasteless and bland.

Caution can be thrown to the wind if you love a good local brew, Aerie has a pretty decent selection.

My final opinion of this establishment is this:  wonderful restaurant, but could/should be so much more.  While I was very pleased with the overall taste and quality of the food, the taste was a result of heavy saucing with some exquisite sauces.  A fine dining experience should be consistent and the sum of the food's flavor should not be held within its sauces.  I have been to some phenomenal fine dining eateries in my day and many have bowled me over completely.  The way in which they marry the food's natural flavors with the various spices and sauces presented were completely new and exciting to my pallet.  Myriad new and strange offerings graced their menus and their chefs wove their magic into every single bite.

I suppose that I felt a bit robbed, to tell you the truth.  I left Aerie pleased, but slightly disappointed.  When someone visits your restaurant in search of fine dining, your chef needs to be prepared to offer up a meal that is better and more enticing than can be found at the myriad exceptional restaurants surrounding him/her.  To me, Amical, Red Ginger, Stella,  Poppycock's and basically all of the areas other first-rate offerings stood out as places I would of rather ventured to.

While this may seem a bit harsh, I thoroughly expect to be wowed whenever I venture into a restaurant claiming to be "fine."  In this case, Aerie was fine, but only fine.  You really have to kick it up a notch for a guy whose favorite stop is Amical or whose significant other can cook like mine can!!  Next time Lisa and I seek out fine dining, I think that we'll make the tiny little jaunt back to the Cook's House (they were completely booked that night).

All restaurants mentioned will be reviewed eventually, I promise.

(All photos by Brooks Vanderbush)