Orale

The fish is hiding underneath that garden up above.

Sorry you have to keep hearing about it but the battle for fish continues. I've plagued this blog with my taco talk for quite awhile that I find it appropriate to share my Yelp review on a newly found and tried taqueria.

The desperate cravings for some beloved fish tacos have left me to linger around Yelp for recommendations around my new town. After much deliberation and fighting the voice inside me that kept saying "It won't be like Baja Fish Tacos," I decided to finally give Orale a try. The Mister got out of class early on Wednesday night. I, on the other hand, arrived home exhausted from interviews and sitting in traffic. There IS traffic in the Bay Area! I obviously am not on the road during rush hour to witness such a phenomenon. It took me almost an entire hour to travel a mere 14 miles from Palo Alto to Campbell. Say, what?! I can almost liken it to the 405 in OC. Gross! So we're both at home on a Wednesday night. I obviously did not make dinner and so the alternative comes to mind-dining out. To us, dining out for dinner has seemed to become a thing of the past so the thought of entertaining our evening hunger with some 'outside' food excited us both. We head on over to Orale to find a small mom-n-pop establishment that is surprisingly immaculate! Orale, you should be honored to receive brownie points from a woman with OCD! Hungry hubs orders a platter of 2 grilled tilapia tacos for himself complete with salad, rice and beans. I opt for 1 grilled halibut taco with rice and beans of which of course ends up looking untouched by the end of the meal. Ooops, spoiler alert. Fresh chips and amazing salsa arrive at the table. We devour it, ask for seconds and finished that up as well. The food arrives. The Mister plows through his plate not leaving a trace behind while I pick at the fish inside the taco. I always do this and why I don't just get grilled fish instead of the taco whose shell I don't even eat is beyond me. The rice was pretty good-really soft and tender unlike some others which are rock hard and grainy. The fish....well, the fish. It was ok. Nothing spectacular. It was grilled fish and that's what it tasted like. There was too much going on inside the taco-sauce, lettuce, bell peppers, and chili's. To me, the flavor of the fish was masked by everything else. I was sorely disappointed but for $4.95, can't complain much. I've got to give them credit for not only being clean but having their food look and taste fresh. Oh and the workers were exceptionally nice! Will I come back? For the chips, yes! 3 stars for Orale.