Restaurant Roundup: Taco Bell throwbacks, family-style dinners

Oct. 31, 2024

Taco Bell is reliving the past with the limited return of five of the most demanded nostalgic menu items from its first five decades. Starting today, the ’60s Tostada, ’70s Green Sauce Burrito, ’80s Meximelt and ’90s Gordita Supreme were released. On Nov. 21, the ’00s Caramel Apple Empanada will join the menu. Each item is less than $3. The ’60s Tostada is an original item, one of six that were on the menu in 1962 at Taco Bell’s first walkup location in Southern California.

Ace Umami Cafe & Catering continues to shift its focus to catering, cafe hours are being cut to 10 am to 2 pm Saturday with a limited menu. It will continue to stock its grab-and-go refrigerator at the cafe, which is in Signature Flight Support at 3501 N. Aviation Ave., north of the airport terminal. Family meals are also returning as the weather cools down. They’re available for pickup Fridays and Saturdays. Orders must be placed by 5 pm Thursdays. This week’s offerings were goulash, chicken pot pie and shrimp lobster mac-and-cheese. They’re typically $30 to $35 and serve four to six people. Find the menu and ordering information on Umami’s Facebook page each week.

Rudy M. Navarrete’s Tex-Mexican Catering is hosting its seventh annual shoe drive for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire. Navarrete will serve his Taco Bus menu at the first event and a taco bar for $10 at the other locations. Proceeds and extra donations will go to purchase new sneakers. Here are the dates: Saturday at The Blind Butcher Brewing Co. near Inwood, Iowa; Nov. 9 at Windy City Bites; Nov. 16 at Severance Brewing Co.; Nov. 22 at the VFW in Brandon; and Nov. 23 at the Masonic Center, 520 S. First Ave. Hours are 5 to 8 pm More than 1,000 pairs of brand-name shoes have been donated since the fundraiser started.

The Rush You have made a few changes to its weekly specials menu. New offerings are meatloaf on Wednesday and a turkey dinner on Friday. Sloppy Joes on Tuesday are a returning favor.

Check out the new breakfast specials for November at Crack’d Pot Restaurant. While breakfast is available all day, discounts are good from 8 to 11 am

Shenanigans Sports Bar & Grill have a new Wednesday Wings special. Get an order of traditional or boneless wings and fries for $8 all day.

Here’s the three-course dinner menu for November at Chef Lance’s on Phillips. The regular menu is available too.

If you’re using GLP-1 medications to help with weight loss and maintenance, Smoothie King has a new line of smoothies crafted to support your efforts. The drinks were created by a team of registered dietitians with Ochsner Health. See the menu and nutritional details at smoothieking.com.

Glacial Lakes Distillery & Brewhouse is hosting Dungeons & Dragons games every other Sunday beginning this weekend. The sessions start at 5 pm New players and seasoned veterans are welcome. Enjoy craft beer and drink specials while you play.

We weren’t able to tell you about the winning designs in Oh My Cupcakes’ annual Halloween contest in time for you to buy them, but we wanted to give a shoutout to the winners anyway. These cute pumpkin and mummy cupcakes were designed by Kensi and Everly, who each received a dozen cupcakes with their winning look.

Changes in hours, service

• Falls Landing Bar & Grill in the Country Inn & Suites downtown is closed temporarily for a change in management, according to a note on the restaurant’s door and on Facebook. The operator, who leases the space, shut down the restaurant on Monday.
• Severance Brewing Co.’s winter hours start Friday: 2 to 9 pm Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 11 pm Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 pm Sunday.
• The Taco Vault in Worthing has updated its hours since its opening Oct. 15. It’s open from 10 am to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 11 pm Friday and Saturday, and 9 am to 9 pm Sunday.
• Now that the season is over for the Falls Park Farmers Market, Songbird Kombucha is back to having store hours from 10 am to 2 pm Saturdays.

Here are other food and drink headlines from the past week.

Steakhouse opening delayed a week at The Steel District

Canopy by Hilton moves into finishing touches with opening in sight

Fall features at Grille 26 include returning favorites, new dishes

Dakota Craft Links opens downtown