On May 20, Rubio’s Coastal Grill and James Beard-Nominated Television Personality, Restaurateur and Cookbook Author, Richard Blais, will take eaters on a culinary adventure with the launch of a new line of innovative street tacos. The adventure-inspired tacos are completely unique to the fresh Mexican-inspired eatery, known best for its award-winning Original Fish Taco® and healthy grilled seafood.
The culinary partnership between Chef Blais and Rubio’s was born out of Rubio’s Co-Founder Ralph Rubio’s desire to continue pushing culinary boundaries to bring innovative, surprising tastes to the menu. Just as the Original Fish Taco was inspired 38 years ago by a journey to Baja, collaborating with Celebrity Chef Richard Blais was equally inspired by the brand’s sense of adventure.
“After a year of quarantine and travel restrictions, we are all craving new adventures and tastes. The new Rubio’s x Blais Street Tacos remind us of favorite destinations, from Hawaiian-influenced Hula Hula Carnitas to the craveable Blaised & Glazed Crispy Chicken, inspired by spicy Buffalo chicken wings, to the Ancho Po-Boy Shrimp, a modern take on the New Orleans classic,” said Rubio’s Co-Founder Ralph Rubio. “Demonstrating the signature creativity that won him the title of Top Chef All-Stars, Celebrity Chef Blais delivers unexpected taste twists and innovation. The bold flavors and incredible textures in Rubio’s new, adventure-inspired street tacos are next-level delicious.”
Rubio’s Rewards members will be first to try the new Rubio’s x Blais Street Taco Plate, with VIP early access. For one day, on May 19, Rubio’s Reward members can place an order online at Rubios.com, or through the app, and get one FREE Blais taco or $5 off the Rubio’s x Blais Street Taco Plate.
The trio of imaginative street tacos feature Chef Blais’ sophisticated and daring cooking, infused with Rubio’s signature Mexican flavors. Available both to-go, or for socially distanced dining in Rubio’s restaurants and outdoor patios, guests can mix and match any three street tacos, served with a side of house black beans and warm tortilla chips.
“I moved to San Diego and couldn’t wait to taste Rubio’s iconic fish taco,” said Chef Richard Blais. “The bar was set high to craft all-new tacos that not only rivaled the Original Fish Taco in craveability, but to create flavor and texture combinations that evoked memories of great travel adventures. We had so many ideas that we ended up leaving 17 taco recipes on the cutting room floor. The final three Rubio’s x Blais Street Tacos are truly the best of the best.”
The three new tacos include:
- Hula Hula Carnitas: Inspired by Chef Blais’ time in Hawaii, the Hula Hula Carnitas taco features pork marinated in a rich blend of gochujang, achiote, and garlic, wrapped in a banana leaf and slow-cooked, creating tender, juicy meat with an authentic Hawaiian Kalua flavor. It is served on a stone ground corn tortilla with mango salsa and garnished with black sesame seeds, cotija cheese and a slice of lime. The taste is a subtly sweet mash-up of authentic Hawaiian and Mexican flavors.
- Blaised & Glazed Crispy Chicken: Delivering a tangy, zesty taco twist on Buffalo chicken, the Blaised & Glazed taco starts with Rubio’s crispy chicken tossed in Frank’s RedHot® sauce, the secret ingredient used in the original Buffalo wings created in Buffalo, NY in 1964. It is served on a warm flour tortilla with crisp shredded cabbage, homemade ranch sauce, and house pickled celery and jalapeño, garnished with cotija cheese and celery seed.
- Ancho Po-Boy Shrimp: Named after New Orleans’ most famous sandwich, the Ancho Po-Boy Shrimp taco is a modern take on classic New Orleans street food. The taco features flash fried ancho-lime shrimp with Cajun aioli, and is served on a warm flour tortilla with crisp shredded cabbage, salsa fresca and a slice of lime.
About Richard Blais:
Bravo TV’s Top Chef All-Star Winner Richard Blais is a successful chef, restaurateur, James Beard-nominated cookbook author and television personality. In 2009, he created Trail Blais, a forward-thinking culinary consulting company that has consulted on, designed, and operated popular eateries across the country. Trail Blais also advises national brands on menu creativity, ideation and employee training sessions. In addition, Blais hosts the hit hospitality industry podcast, “Starving for Attention’” as well as a second Podcast, “Food Court.”
About Rubio’s® Restaurants:
Rubio’s first opened in 1983 in the San Diego neighborhood of Mission Bay. Today, Rubio’s uses responsibly sourced seafood and continues to expand its menu with innovative recipes ranging from seafood tacos and burritos to California Bowls and crisp, fresh salads. In addition, Rubio’s offers all-natural chicken, raised without antibiotics, and all-natural USDA Choice steak, “no fried” pinto beans, handmade guacamole, a variety of proprietary salsas, and craft beer and hard seltzer beverage options. The award-winning restaurant regularly receives accolades for its famous Original Fish Taco®. It was also recently ranked as one of Fast Casual’s “Top 50 Movers and Shakers” as well as one of the top five most loved fast casual chains ranked by Foodable Labs and Digital CoCo. Rubio’s is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., has over 3,000 employees and currently operates over 150 restaurants in California, Arizona and Nevada.
