Food Review: Taste My City BBQ
As a Tucson native and a Black female business owner, I take pleasure in promoting and supporting Black-owned businesses. However, my experience with Taste My City was far from satisfactory. Being an amateur food reviewer, I always strive to provide honest feedback without any malicious intent. When I heard positive reviews about this place on Yelp and TikTok, I decided to give it a shot, hoping to indulge in some mouthwatering BBQ.
Having grown up in Texas and Tennessee, I have a deep appreciation for BBQ that reminds me of home. With this in mind, I ordered an XL Rib with the sauce on the side, a serving of Banana Pudding, 2 Wings, and a small seafood mac & cheese. Placing my order online was a breeze through Google, and I received confirmation on May 20, 2023, at 6:38 PM. The total cost of my order amounted to $43.44.
Living in Laveen, I consulted my map, which estimated that I would reach the restaurant by 7:03 PM. And true to the schedule, I arrived promptly. However, as I approached the establishment, I noticed a sign on the door indicating that they closed at 7:00 PM. This raised concerns since it's generally difficult to find great food when a restaurant is about to close. Nevertheless, another customer drove up and entered the establishment at the same time, and there was already someone inside waiting for their order, so I remained hopeful.
Considering the 25-minute drive it took me to get to the restaurant, I expected my food to be ready upon arrival. To my disappointment, it wasn't. In fact, we left at approximately 7:28 PM, which meant we had to wait for a good 20-25 minutes after our arrival and the 25-minute drive, making a total wait time of 50 minutes.
Eager to dig into my order, I immediately reached into the bag for a wing, only to find that it was cold. Not ice-cold as if it had been refrigerated, but rather as if it had been sitting out for an extended period. The crust was disappointingly soggy, giving the impression that the wings were reheated from the previous day. With just one bite, I knew it was a lost cause.
Moving on, I decided to try the rib tips. Remember, I had requested the sauce to be served on the side. However, to my dismay, they arrived sauced and cold. While I didn't expect them to be fresh off the grill, I did anticipate them to be at least warm. They had an average flavor, and had they been served hot, I might have been more forgiving. Once back home, I took matters into my own hands and reheated the rib tips myself. They turned out decent, but considering the issues with the chicken and my concerns about the temperature and freshness of the food, I ended up discarding most of the order because I needed to be more confident in storing it. To make matters worse, they were also out of banana pudding and seafood mac, resulting in a refund of $11.95 from my original total.
It's disheartening to see others rave about this place when my own experience fell short. In my book, if a restaurant serves fried chicken, it should be made to order; otherwise, it simply won't live up to expectations. There are no exceptions to this rule because anything less compromises the integrity of the chicken. I usually find fault with most sauces, but I must admit that theirs wasn't overly sweet, and I appreciated that. However, the fact that I specifically requested the sauce on the side and yet received sauced and lukewarm rib tips left me feeling disappointed. read more