Voodoo Taco Happy Hour Review

Voodoo Tacos has two locations in Omaha. One on 90th and Fort and Nebraska Crossing Outlets.  Happy Hour offers $1 Off Domestics, Margaritas and Daiquiris from 2:30pm-6:30pm. Also, $1 off Tacos from 3:00pm-6pm. Each Happy Hour is Monday-Friday and all day Saturday.

I visited Voodoo Taco on my birthday and my intention wasn't on doing a review. I just wanted to stuff my face and enjoy my 25th Birthday. It just happened by the time I got there, they were offering Happy Hour....so why not! I've been wanting to try Voodoo for a while and finally my wish came true. 

First taco we tried was the Baja Shrimp $3.75 (cajun battered fried shrimp, Napa cabbage, shredded Asadero cheese, fresh avocado, and topped with Siriachi aioli and fresh cilantro). Also the Smoked Brisket (slow smoked beef, refried beans, chopped onions, jalapenos, roasted corn, shredded cheddar, pico and cilantro). As stated before I've been waiting to try Voodoo taco for ages. I heard many fabulous things and my expectations were high. The Shrimp taco unfortunately lacked flavor. The description stated "cajun battered" and I was expecting spice and a kick. What I got was fried plain shrimp and over load of lettuce. For the price of Voodoos tacos I expected more. In my opinion it was just a 3 shrimp taco with lettuce, nothing to brag about. 

The next taco we sample (pictured above)  was the Fried Chicken Taco (crispy fried chicken, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and pico). This taco was okay even though it reminded me of a Crispy McWrap from McDonalds. Like the Baja Shrimp Taco the veggies were over powering the taco. If you're a taco fanatic like me, a taco is all about the protein!! 

One thing that is awesome about Voodoo is that Voodoo is a participant of Pin Point! Pin Point is an amazing app that offers discounts an points to many restaurants and stores. I just happened to look on my app and seen a "Buy one Get one Free" coupon.  

If you're looking for a wide variety of tacos, a fun atmosphere and a margarita...Voodoo Taco is the place to go. For Happy Hour I'm rating them 1 smile. 

Blatt Beer and Table

Located in Downtown Omaha, NE (610 N 12th Street) across the street from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, Blatt Beer & Table, a part of Flagship Restaurant Group (sister concept restaurants include Roja, Blue and Plank), offers a huge selection of local, domestic and international craft beer as well as continental pub fare. Happy Hour is Mon-Sat from 3p - 6:30p, Fri-Sat 9:30p - 11:30p and Sun noon to 8p. Snacks (including Bavarian Pretzel Bites and Frites) and Appetizers (Char-fried Chicken Wings, Blatt Bites and Sausages) are all available for a discounted price. PBR cans and draws are just $2, while draft beers are $1 off, well drinks are $4, house wines are $3 and their signature Guinness Bloody Mary is $5 (don’t let the name fool you, there is only a splash of Guinness included). Worth noting is Blatt doesn’t offer HH on days where events are occurring at either TD Ameritrade or CenturyLink (so no HH for you College World Series Fans and concert goers).

Overall the space is very open and inviting. Not as stuffy as the name would suggest and the bar is truly the centerpoint for this place. My first Blatt visit was during the first football Sunday of the season. Although part of the space was crowded with families after church, the bar area was essentially empty for the early game (groups started trickling in toward the end of my visit for the bigger ticket games). I didn’t get a chance to see the upstairs patio/beer garden as there was a private event that day. My second visit was the following Sunday during the late night Niners-Bears game. As expected almost everyone was at the bar, yet the space wasn’t crowded and the bartenders and wait staff were pretty attentive. 

The first snack off the menu I sampled were the chicharones ($2: fried pork skins, chili powder, lime). I love pork rinds (which is what these are, fancy name or not). They remind me of my great grandmother who can always be seen with a bag not too far away. While hers are the everyday buy at Baker’s for 99 cents kind, Blatt’s chicarones are a bit more dressed up. They bring them out warm and are served with a side of Valentina. They had a nice kick from the chili powder and I had to stop myself from overdoing it with the salsa picante on the bare pieces. For $2 they are definitely worth getting, if only for nostalgia’s sake.

Also on the menu were Blatt’s frites ($2: house cut fries, parmesan peppercorn aioli, smoked tomato ketchup). The frites came out hot and crispy, exactly the way I like my fries (again what they are) although they could use a bit of seasoning (I know the aioli and ketchup are supposed to be the flavor stars here but sometimes I just want a delicious plain fry). The aioli had a good balance which is sometimes hard to do with peppercorns and the smoked ketchup was perfect. That coming from someone who kind of hates ketchup is saying something (good job Blatt).

Last but not least were the char-fried chicken wings ($5: naked or buttermilk breaded, sriracha buffalo or Blatt BBQ, celery and carrot crudite, buttermilk bacon ranch & blue cheese mousse). For the price you get a good amount of wings (about 6) and they are sauced appropriately (not dry but not swimming). I decided to be “healthy” and get them naked, however I suspect they weren’t as crispy as I’d have liked due to them not being breaded. I’m sure this could be remedied by just asking for them extra crispy a la my usual order at BWW. I choose the sriracha buffalo option which was really spicy. You could tell the actual wings probably had just salt and pepper on them, again to showcase the sauce. I prefer seasoned chicken all the time no matter the accompaniments. The ranch had a bit of smokiness from the bacon but the blue cheese mousse was a little much (this coming from a gastropub frequenter). Overall I’d try the wings again, maybe breaded BBQ next.

Now for the beers. Granted I’m still new in my walk down beer lane but I enjoy finding craft beers that are available all the time (looking at you small batch brewers). As with most places I fully expect to visit one day and the beer on tap that I loved will have disappeared. But for now, I’m in new beer drinker I hate the bitter taste but these are alright heaven (say that three times fast). First was the Fruli ($5.75: strawberry fruit beer, Brouwerij Huyghe | Melle, Belgium). The ABV is 4.1% so you’re safe to put a few of these back before things get crazy. Love that this beer still tastes “beery” but the strawberry and whatever else keeps it from being bitter. Not hoppy (look at me learning new beer terminology) and pretty smooth. Would definitely get it again (so please don’t get rid of it Blatt).

Next I had the Crispin Pear Hard Cider ($4: Crispin Cider Company, Minneapolis, MN). Super crisp and refreshing just as you’d expect from a pear flavored beverage. The ABV is a little higher on this on (5%) and as it tastes more like a pop than beer you may be on drink three before you know it. Reasonably priced and complements most of the food on menu. Got it both visits to Blatt.

I give Blatt Beer & Table 4 smiles. Great place for beer lovers, love most of the items on their regular menu, but the lack of variety with the actual appetizers (wings or sausage/currywurst or Blatt Bites don’t leave you many options) and not having HH at all during events is a little disheartening. Still worth a visit in my opinion, just plan ahead.

Block 16 Happy Hour Review

Located on 16th and Farnam right next to Douglas County Courthouse (1611 Farnam St). Happy Hour is Thursday to Saturday from 3pm to 6pm. Happy Hour offers $2 Select Beers, $5 Wines and $5 Select Appetizers. Farm to Table is Block 16's style.Offering fresh and local street food to the table.

Vintage dressers and chalk board menus, posted on the wall brings its charm. Block 16 offers casual dining and early 2000 hits like Jay-Z "Izzo"and OutKast. Dining area is quite small but Block 16 uses every space for enough seating.

 For starters I tried Zip Lines Brewing Company (Lincoln, NE) Oatmeal Porter ($2) . Organic rolled oats with dark chocolate and coffee undertones. I'm not a beer kind of girl, it reminded me of a Mocha but beer. First appetizer I tried was the Smoked Brisket Quesadilla (smoked brisket, with corn relish). Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this divine creation. Please forgive me!!! Thin sliced brisket sandwiched between two different cheeses (american and provolone) drizzled with I believe a chipotle sauce,and topped with corn relish. To be honest I was expecting more meat, but the portion was reasonable. I was able to taste the smokiness from the brisket. Who would of thought that BBQ and Mexican would go together.

 (photo credit Block16)

Next was the Lavosh (flatbread with heirloom tomato, white anchovy, onion, herbs, and Grena Podona). When it comes to anchovies I'm not a rookie. What I learned from my visit is that not all anchovies are the same. I was expecting thin,smoked, and salty filet of anchovies. What I got was thick and cold filet. It wasn't much flavor overall. This dish tasted plain jane. I was expecting a lot more. I caught myself taking the toppings off and just eating the flatbread alone. 

Even though I had a good time, enjoyed my beer and quesdialla. I give Block 16's Happy Hour 1 smiles. Their Happy Hour isn't much to brag about it. Eventually I will go back and try their main menu items. Block 16 are host of many awards and accolades and I can't wait to try the Duck Duck Goose Fries.  

Punk's Simple Southern Food (Houston, TX)

Located in the West University district of Houston, Texas, Punk’s Simple Southern Food (5212 Morningside Drive) offers a varied selection of southern classics with a few twists. It purports to be all about southern hospitality married to a healthy dose of swagger and good manners. Happy Hour is offered Sunday through Friday from 3p - 7p in the bar area. Discounted appetizers including southern cheese straws, pork ribs and hot boiled shrimp stay in the price range of $2 to $11 (or current market price for shrimp). Both red and white wine is $5 and there is a $2 discount on Houston beers. Rounding out the offerings are three specialty cocktails, a manhattan and margarita for $6 and an alcoholic iced tea for $7.

I visited Punk’s on the last day of my Labor Day vacation (that Monday) so the bar was pretty empty save for two gentleman at the end. The space overall was inviting and open, much as you would expect from a southern establishment such as this. Bar area was huge so you didn’t feel cramped while eating your food and drinking (sometimes a problem for me as I tend to order many things at once). Most of the staff was chatty and warm, talking to my friend and I about where we were from and other spots to try in town. Our actual bartender/waitress wasn’t as great. After our initial order, she basically ignored us for the other guys at the bar (there was at least 5 feet between us and them). She also forgot to put in part of my order. There was a gentlemen cleaning the vents as well which struck me as a little odd for numerous reasons, one of them being me not wanting dust in my food. As it wasn’t terribly busy, they must have found it an opportune time to “clean house”.

My first sampling of Punk’s fare was the Southern Cheese Straws ($3: baked cheese straws with buttermilk ranch and Punk’s sauce). Now I like cheese straws and I get that the basic premise is baked dough that has cheese mixed in, but these were DRY. I like a little crispness to them but these were barely edible.The ranch and Punk’s sauce (aka housemade hot sauce) added a bit to them but overall they lacked flavor.

Because they were both so reasonably priced I tried both the Chicken Fry ($3: buttermilk biscuit stuffed with crispy chicken tender, Punk’s Sauce, and dill pickles) and the Pulled Pork Sliders ($3: pulled pork,vinegar bbq sauce, garlic aioli and a green cabbage and apple slaw). I love biscuits. I grew up eating either biscuits or cornbread. The only way to improve a biscuit I eat would be to add chicken. I theoretically should have loved the chicken fry. I probably would have if it offered up the tiniest bit of a flavor profile. The biscuit wasn’t buttery but very doughy (bleggh), the chicken (though crispy) was blah and the dill pickles (presented in a sort of relish) didn’t seem to really be present. The Punk’s sauce was a nice addition, yet not enough to save everything else. 

The chicken fry may have saddened me, but the pulled pork sliders were, how do the kids say it these days, on fleek? The pork was super tender and juicy, with enough flavor to make me temporarily not care about my first two items. The slaw had just the right amount of bite and there wasn’t a ton of it so as not to overshadow the real star of the show. There were three good sized sliders included making this dish really worth the money.

For my first drink I decided on the Hatteras Island Iced Tea ($7: bourbon, raspberry, lemon and iced tea) as it sounded like a perfect compliment to the humid Houston day. The drink was a niced size one for the $7 price tag. While the raspberry flavor was immediately evident, I didn’t get even a hint of bourbon, or lemon for that matter. Ended up tasting like a run of the mill raspberry iced tea.

I did decided to try out two items on Punk’s regular menu as they were pretty reasonably priced as well. The Loaded Tater Tots ($9: creamy rice loaded with bacon, cheddar, scallion, and sour cream rolled in potato crisps and fried served with buttermilk ranch) were an obvious choice because I love bacon, cheddar and sour cream anything. It also seemed much healthier since it was made with rice. The tots were huge and definitely something you could share with a friend. Outside of that they were very bland and starchy. I almost wondered if there was really bacon in it (there were visible bits of the bacon and scallions). The ranch helped a bit but I try not to eat things that require you to smother it in ranch in order to eat them.

As I was disappointed with my first drink selection I decided to try Punk’s version of a Pimm’s Cup ($10: Pimm’s No. 1, strawberry, cucumber, sugar and lime juice) which is one of their best sellers. I could immediately tell why. I normally stay away from gin, but this Pimm’s cup was delicious. The addition of the strawberry added to the flavor profile and helped the drink mellow out a bit along with the cucumber (which I normally hate, but liked in combination with the strawberry and lime in this drink).

Overall I give Punk’s Simple Southern Food 1 smile. Either they take the simple part of their name too seriously or I’m just used to super jazzed up southern food. The service could definitely be improved, especially if you're having a slow night with only a few customers. I wouldn’t recommend Punk’s to someone traveling to Houston unless you have an extreme affinity for pulled pork sliders and Pimm’s Cups under $14, in which case this is your place.