FAQ's:

How do you choose which restaurants to review?
Why aren't there any reviews in my city/state?
What's the deal with the advertising?
How did you come up with the name NoodleTaco?
Why isn't my favorite restaurant listed?
Can I suggest a place for you to review?
Where can I find the restaurant that serves noodle tacos?
How come you don't have a star-rating system?
You tagline is "Excellent Ethnic Eats on the Cheap." How cheap is cheap?
How do you keep from getting fat?

How do you choose which restaurants to review?
They have to be cheap, tasty and ethnic. Cheap means two people can eat well on $25 including tax and tip, but usually not including drinks. (We're not into paying for drinks unless it's a specialty for the place. For example, a really refreshing aqua fresca at our favorite taco shack might be worth paying for. Otherwise, we do just fine with water.)

Note: Cheap can fluctuate depending on what city you in. We aim for approximately $25 or less but this varies depending on what city we're in. Tasty is tasty. Everyone has their own sense of taste. We think our taste is pretty damn good. Ethnic means authentic. From real carne asada tacos to real Italian gelato, we feature places that try to serve authentic versions of their homeland's dishes or regional specialties.

Why aren't there any reviews in my city/state?
So far, we're funding NoodleTaco mostly from our own pockets. Until we strike it big, it might take us a while to get to your city or state. We love to travel and look forward to hearing your suggestions for great places to eat in your hometown.

What's the deal with the advertising?
While we do fund most of NoodleTaco out of the loose change collected from on top of our dresser, it does cost money to host and maintain the web site, travel to restaurants and pay for the tasty eats. Advertising dollars help fund our efforts to bring you more tasty eats. Advertising on the site does not influence our minds or our taste buds, just our pockets. We don't endorse our advertisers either.

How did you come up with the name NoodleTaco?
Well, it all started on a dark and stormy night. (If you live in Seattle, you know just what we mean.) We had nothing in the fridge except some leftover chow mein (excellent handmade Shanghai style noodles from Chaing's Gourmet) and flour tortillas. Peg, being the fusion queen that she is and also being too hungry to cook anything else, heated up the noodles and stuck them in a toasted tortilla. The noodle taco was born! When we had to pick a name for the site, Marcus said, "Who else would have the name NoodleTaco?" The rest, as they say, is history.

Why isn't my favorite restaurant listed?
Until we win the Lotto (we play every week) or strike it big another way, it might take us a while to get to your favorite place. However, if you suggest a place and we found it did not meet the standards of NoodleTaco (not tasty enough, not cheap enough, not authentic enough, and/or the service was bad), we'll write you back and let you know why.

Can I suggest a place for you to review?
Of course! Visit our contact page to make a suggestion. We love to hear recommendations for great places to eat. Please keep 'em coming.

Where can I find the restaurant that serves noodle tacos?
Sorry, so far noodle tacos are only served in the house of Cheng and Donner--not open to the general public.

How come you don't have a star-rating system?
Similar to our favorite food authors, Jane and Michael Stern, we don't rate the restaurants we list. If it's posted on NoodleTaco.com, that means it's GOOD. Good means it meets our high standards of being cheap, authentic and tasty. We've tried gobs of restaurants and many do not cut it. We don't rank the restaurants we post because we think you should try them all.

You tagline is "Excellent Ethnic Eats on the Cheap." How cheap is cheap?
We're happy campers if we can enjoy a meal for two (with water, not drinks; although we will make an exception for drinks that are a specialty for that restaurant), with tax and tip for $25 or less. Sometimes, we even have leftovers. Admittingly, we are not big people--although we do have hearty appetites. If you're a bigger eater, you might order more than us. Also, depending on the city and the cost of living, the meal for two may cost more or less. But generally, we try to aim for places where we can eat well for one Jackson and a Lincoln.

How do you keep from getting fat?
Portion control. We think that if more Americans would practice moderation (just enough, not until you're overly full) they would enjoy their food more, be able to eat all kinds of food (fatty ones too), and still maintain a healthy weight. In addition, we both like to walk or bike whenever possible rather than use the car.