Drive-Thru Gourmet

Taco Bell raises the steaks with these beefy new nachos

Five bucks gets you a ton of beefy nachos.

Courtesy photo

This week, I reached out for a new $5 Steak Nachos Box from America’s No. 1 Tex-Mex munchie-buster, Taco Bell, with 7,000 restaurants across this great land.

Good ol’ reliable Taco Bell has done it again for the quadrillionth time, raided the fridge for its core ingredients — nacho chips, cheese, sour cream, yadda yadda — thrown them together for something different that tastes the same, and called in the film crew...we’ve got a new product to promote!

Here’s the $5 Steak Nachos Box breakdown: a double portion of marinated grilled steak, refried beans, warm nacho cheese sauce, shredded three-cheese blend, pico de gallo, and reduced-fat sour cream on a whole mess of tortilla chips.

And I do mean mess. Good luck getting that sour cream spot out of your upholstery. How many times have I told you — if you’re going to eat in your car, get leather seats!

Total calories: 1,060. Fat grams: 52. Sodium: 1,880 mg. Carbs: 115 g. Dietary fiber: 6 g. Protein: 34 g. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $5. Some Taco Bells really are taking “$5” merely as a suggestion … and charging $6. Ask first.

Yikes, 1,880 mg. of sodium? Good thing this $5 box includes a medium soft drink. If you dine in, you might be running back to the fountain a couple of times. Or stick your head under a nozzle.

Just because Taco Bell says you’re getting a double portion of steak, don’t think it’s one of the West Texas steakhouses where your meal is free if you polish off a cow within 30 minutes. Let’s say the $5 Steak Nachos Box has a nice grabful of steak pieces.

Taco Bell came up with clever packaging for its $5 Steak Nachos Box — a cardboard box, like you get at the doughnut shop when you order a dozen glazed. There’s a paper liner at the bottom to shield your pants from the ooze. Even so, better eat fast because there’s so much toppings, the tortilla chips have a five-minute sog limit.

At Taco Bell, what’s new is old again. The $5 Steak Nachos Box is a little smaller than its recent Boss Nachos box, and a little bigger than its lamented Nachos Bell Grande box.

For sheer value, the $5 Steak Nachos Box is the best bet. It’s standard Bell-issue components, a good deal of food tonnage for a pretty nifty price, and it includes a soft drink.

There’s plenty of the good stuff on top so you get some of something on every chip. The box looks like a mini-buffet, but you can go even bigger, say guac or jalapenos, for a modest additional price
Even for a Taco Bell regular, this is so much food, you won’t finish it on your drive home. Don’t leave the box in your car, you remember what happened last time. A Christmas tree dangling from your rearview mirror won’t put a dent in that cloud.

The $5 Steak Nacho Box is eating big on the cheap, and that’s what drives the Taco Bell machine.

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Ken Hoffman reviews a new fast food restaurant item every Wednesday. Have a suggestion or a drive-thru favorite? Let Ken know in the comments or on Twitter.

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mandito's on the move

Armandos' family-friendly, Tex-Mex sister restaurant taps Katy for 2nd Houston-area outpost

Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley

Mandito's serves all the Tex-Mex favorites.

Katy residents will soon have a new option for fajitas, enchiladas, and margaritas. Mandito’s Tex-Mex has claimed the former Jax Grill location (9910 Gaston Rd.) for its second Houston-area outpost.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley

Mandito's serves all the Tex-Mex favorites.

Part of the Palacios Murphy Hospitality Group that also includes River Oaks favorite Armandos and Italian restaurant Lulu’s, Mandito’s is a more family-friendly establishment than its upscale siblings. Joining an original location in Round Top and an outpost in Bellaire that opened earlier this year, the restaurant takes its name from the childhood nickname of co-owner Armando Palacios — “Mandito” is “little Armando.” It is expected to open in early 2024.

The menu centers around burritos, enchiladas, flautas, and fajitas as well as the signature burrito bowl, a clever reimagining of a taco salad with ground beef, steak, or chicken topped with lettuce, corn, cheese, avocado, beans, and more. Other favorites include the Tex-Mex Kale Caesar, Tres Hombres Plate (three different enchiladas), and the Tex-Mex Banana Split. They’re paired with a robust range of frozen and shaken margaritas.

Palacios Murphy COO Alex Curley lives in Katy and sends his children to Katy ISD schools. He’s bullish on area that’s grown 20-percent since 2020, according to a release.

“As a Katy resident, I am ecstatic to be able to oversee the construction of a Mandito’s Tex-Mex in the community that I love deeply,” Curley said. “I have no doubt that Katy residents and visitors to the area’s numerous attractions will quickly fall in love with Mandito’s Tex-Mex. We have put a significant amount of work into making this concept a neighborhood locale that caters to a number of different audiences who are collectively in search of a communal space that prides itself upon delivering delicious food and drink selections and outstanding service to each and every guest.”

In keeping with that optimism, the Katy location will be slightly larger than its Bellaire sibling, with the ability to seat over 150 people indoors and 50 more on a patio that will look onto the development’s green space. In addition, an expanded to-go area will have a dedicated entrance to expedite pick-ups.

The restaurant wants to give back to its neighborhood, too. Therefore it will host spirit nights for local schools and sports team and offer a 10-percent discount to Katy ISD employees and first responders.

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