Fuego opened to the public this morning, but it warmed up with a preview on Sunday evening and we took advantage of the sneak peek.
The restaurant, which features jumbo tacos stuffed with fresh ingredients, opened its first location in the Waco area next door to the urgent-care facility in Woodway, just past the corner of Estates Drive and Highway 84.
It's a new one for me. When Freebirds and Torchy's came to town, I had dined at those places in Austin and elsewhere. Having had dinner from there Sunday, I can attest that it's in the same mode as those places. Gracie Bower, who is handling the social media marketing for Fuego's ownership group, told me she prefers Fuego over Torchy's. Of course, it's her job to say that, but she seemed sincere and I can understand how someone could reach that conclusion.
I might have been a little distracted as I was watching the second half of the Cowboys playoff game when I got home with my to-go tacos. However, I noticed both of my tacos featured well-thought-out combinations of flavors. One of my tacos had rotisserie chicken, bacon and chipotle sauce on it. The other was potatoes and queso as a canvas for grilled pork. Another heads up, the tacos are big. Two of then was really too much food, especially considering I also brought home chips and queso. BTW, the queso is the creamy, off-white variety. I'm not sure what the special ingredient is, but it's especially tangy.
Fuego general manager Les Collinsworth gave me a tour of the kitchen, emphasizing how they make their tortillas from scratch. He also said all of the fried items are hand-breaded in the kitchen. That's a good sign. Actually, he said everything on the menu is made fresh three times a day.
One more thing I noticed that might set Fuego apart from its competition is an impressive selection of sauces in bottles on top of the salsa bar. The sriracha stands out from across the room and it's sitting among a group of bottles that I'm assuming includes just about anything you would want to use to douse a taco.
One more bite: In case anyone downtown or at Baylor is feeling left out because Fuego opened all the way across town, don't worry, another Fuego is going in just off of I-35 near the Speight intersection. Bower estimated that one will be open this summer.
