Listo! at the Quarry in Minneapolis

Undaunted and Hungry

Ever undaunted and hungry (I returned my lunch at a Robert Street place due to really bad food code violations) we ventured out for Mexican American food.    This category is like Chipotle Mexican Grill...not really Mexican, but with a grill.

Listo! at The Quarry in Minneapolis

Listo! at The Quarry

We headed out for Listo!   Over the weekend, we were going to try it, but they were closed due to some construction... they're still tweaking the facility.

Located in one of the old Baja Sol locations ... near The Quarry...they've cleaned up and brightened the place...looks like lots of new equipment...overall more appealing than the previous chain.

The menu is quite simple.. tacos, burritos, quesadillas....plus a separate fish taco option.   Some sides, drinks in the cooler...order at the counter...they call your name.

Listo! Passes the Food Code Test

In the rain, the place was quiet.   Of course I had my eagle-eye scanning to make sure they passed the first test for safe food.  Whooo....yes!    Staff was wearing gloves, which were removed to run the register, then---just as it's supposed to be---hand washing and re-gloving!   They have passed the first hurdle.

Let's try the Listo! Food Menu

We went our separate ways on this...I chose the veggie quesadilla with green sauce.  John, strangely...since he never orders this....went for the burrito with carnitas and...he copied me...and went with green salsa.   He tried it the Listo! way (which I hoped to Heaven was better than getting a sub 'Mike's Way--an awful mess).   Jarritos all around.

I was very pleased with my choice.   I'd say about 4 stars.  John...um...not so much...he said about a 2 stars, maybe 2.5.    My quesadilla was well-made on the grill, with lots of fresh veggies and cheese plus the salsa, and was placed in a tidy basket with the trio of pico, quac, and sour cream.   All around, tasty, well-made, I felt 'safe' eating it because everything was clean and food procedures were being followed.

Listo! Quesadilla

Listo! Burrito

John was disappointed in the contents of his burrito.   It was terribly short of carnitas...maybe 4-5 small pieces of meat.   And, a few of the Listo Way ingredients were absent.   It tasted great, the tortilla was delish, it was accompanied by thin, flavorful chips...but it was mostly rice beans, sour cream, and green salsa.   He had a ; (  The guy making the food was checking the Listo Way list....but we think he was new and learning the menu.  He was clearly making a great effort.  But it fell short.

They met the standard for food safety for me, my meal was pretty good (I appreciated Jarritos mineral water as a drink option)...I'm sure they'll get feedback if they're too skimpy of the meat or leave out some of the ingredients.  

Our Listo! Conclusion and Recommendation

Our conclusion:   give 'em a couple of weeks (they've only been open a month or so), then give 'em a try.   They were working hard, but there were still a few kinks to work out.   Let's watch and see how they do.

Dinner at Listo!