Erica and I talk about food a lot, and so I've gotten to hear a lot about the food of her youth. This trip I've finally gotten the chance to check off some of these flavors. And I'm afraid I'm going to have to put Taco Casa and Shipley's Do-Nuts in the "must be Erica's food nostalgia" category. Taco Casa is a Mexican food franchise headquartered in Kansas and it's pure what-Americans-in-the-70s-thought-Mexican-food-was. And Shipley's has terrible coffee (but it's cheap!) and I found the glazed donuts (sorry, do-nuts) spongey. (A cinnamon twist wasn't too bad, though, and got bonus points for cinnamon-distribution throughout the dough itself.)
A childhood flavor that does live up to the hype Erica has been giving it is SnoBiz. SnoBiz is flavored shaved-ice, with some of the flavors (Erica's favorites) having added "Creme" (condensed milk, we're pretty sure). Early in our dating life, I bought Erica an ice-shaver and some flavored syrups, but she still craves the original. Usually when we come down to Mississippi it's for the winter* holidays, so the local SnoBiz stand is closed. Today we were at a mall (a sad, sad mall) in Jackson and there was a food stand that had official SnoBiz-brand SnoBizzes. We got small Blueberry Cobbler and a Strawberry Shortcakes (both Creme flavors). I nearly passed out from the sugar high, but I have to admit that it was tasty.
* Though winter should be in quotes, because it's usually in the 70s when we're down here.
Improv
Apparently you block out bad food memories. You hated Taco Casa once already back in 1996 in Austin, TX.
Even drunk, I was not a fan.
Fuzzy Gerdes
Actually, the Austin restaurant is Casa Del Taco.
Shotgun Alex
Fuzzy I have liked you since the first time we met but this, this could put a strain on our relationship. Taco Casa and Shipley's are not to be talked poorly of. The chocolate filled DO-NUTS are a little taste of brown goo filled dough heaven. I doubt that I would make multiple trips there a year and debate the financial possibilities of opening one in NYC for something that is "spongey". I don't drink the coffee. Milk goes best. On to Taco Casa, what did you have? The combo burritos, enchiladas and con queso are worth their microwaved weight in gold. I am terribly disapointed in your food critic skills and will take all further food suggestions with a grain of non kosher salt. You were right on Rowdy's though. The fries sometimes do not live up to my high school memories but the catfish does.