You can get pretty sloppy at the
Sloppy Taco Palace in more ways than
one.
Recently, I went to check out the bar (it looks more like a bar then
an eatery) off South Kirkman Road, and the drink selection and prices had me
rethink where the moniker originated.
There are two happy hours a day
that include $2 domestic drafts (including
Yuengling)
from 4-7 p.m. and midnight to 2 a.m. daily and $1.50 domestic drafts on
Wednesdays. This is a full-liquor bar, and every day they have specials on $5
Double Smirnoff, $3.50 Cuervo shots and $4.50 Don Julio shots. They even sell a
homemade sangria with a delightful little name I can't repeat in this column.
Which makes sense, because the bar/eatery has a rockabilly-cantina vibe to
it.
Now the liquor isn't the only thing that can get the customers sloppy
at STP (yes, like the band). I did attempt one of the signature sloppy tacos you
can order off a small menu sitting in a plastic slip with drink specials on the
other side of it. You'll find these standing on top of the handful of tables
scattered in the middle of the bar, along with the booths on the right hand side
and the L-shaped bar top. I had the steak taco, and the boyfriend had the pork
(or poke as the menu reads). When the owners say sloppy, they mean sloppy. The
soft tortilla was packed with meat and pico de gallo with queso smothering it. I
tried using my hands, but the very sloppy mess forced me to eventually finish it
off with my plastic fork and knife.
These tacos are good, like craving-in-the-middle-of-the-night good. Along with
the drink specials, Wednesdays offer $1.50 beef and chicken tacos. Otherwise,
they are normally $3.50. Chips & salsa, nachos, quesadillas and sliders are
other items on the rather small menu.
Located in the same shopping plaza
as JJ Whispers, Sloppy Taco Palace is easy to miss at first pass. That's because
the sign over
the bar/eatery still reads "Underground Bluz."
Sloppy Taco took over the space of the former bar last summer but will
get a new
sign once they "sell some more beer
and tacos."
The stage in the front corner has bands playing live
every Thursday and Saturday night starting at 10. If the band stickers on the
beer cooler are any indication of the owner's taste (Reverend Horton Heat, for
instance), I will probably dig the musicians they invite onstage.
On the
walls you'll find local artwork for sale, along with some Patriots and Red Sox
signage --
obviously a Boston bar. A chalkboard over the bar has food and drink specials
written in chalk and spelled out in those colorful letter magnets we probably
all had at least once as children.
There are a few TVs so you can watch
the games, and there are booths that make the place resemble an eatery. There
isn't any smoking. But once you sit at a stool and see the drink selection,
there is no denying this is a bar first and foremost. With some crazy good,
crazy sloppy tacos to soak up the alcohol.
Sloppy Taco Palace is at 4892
S. Kirkman Road in Orlando. Call 407-574-6474.
Orlando
Brewing will be at Dandelion Communitea Cafe on Saturday for its Central Florida Earth Day celebration. The local brewery will be selling its best-selling brews
for $3 each. Bands performing include The Token Gamblers, Kaleigh Baker,
Bughead, X:144 and SPS and The Legendary JC's. A drum circle will end the
evening. The event starts at 7 p.m., and there is no cover. Dandelion is at 618
N. Thornton Ave. in Orlando. Call 407-362-1864.
*Tanqueray's in downtown
Orlando will also be getting in on the Earth Day fun, with its "Central Florida
Earth Day After Party." Starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, again there is no cover
to enter the bar, which will host local blues artist Teague Stefan. This is a
21-and-up event. Tanqueray's is at 100 S. Orange Ave., call
407-849-8540.
*For all of you doggie and drinking fans out there (not
necessarily in that order), you need to go to downtown Orlando on Sunday for the
6th annual Dog Fest at Casey's on Central. A benefit for The Cian Griffin Cystic
Fibrosis Fund, there is a $10 donation at the door. There will be pooch vendors,
food and drink specials, pet contests and more. This is always a popular event.
Festivities start at 2 p.m. Go to myspace.com/dog festorlando.
Kelly
Fitzpatrick can be reached at 407-420-5710.
kfitzpatrick@metromix.com
