Boise has two new Mexican restaurants

Azteca Mexican Grill recently opened at 10386 W. Ustick Road, near Sonic Drive-In and the corner of Five Mile Road.

Brought to you by the same folks who own and operate the Azteca taco truck, the new eatery offers an expanded menu of traditional Mexican dishes.

Expect to find lots of $1.25 tacos (carne asada, carnitas, adobada, chorizo, chicken and beef tongue), torta sandwiches ($5) on golden telera bread, quesadillas ($4-$5.75) and big specialty burritos ($6).

You also can get combination plates ($6-$7) with refried beans and Mexi-rice and specialty entrées such as enchiladas ($7.50) and a plump chile relleno with the works for $8.

Azteca Mexican Grill is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Phone: (208) 514-0158

Chipotle to open on State Street

Chipotle Mexican Grill will be opening its fifth Treasure Valley location on June 23 in a newly constructed strip mall at 7610 W. State St., across from Walmart near the corner of Glenwood Street.

The fast-casual chain is known for its fresh ingredients and letting diners design their own meals. The company recently announced that it would no longer be using genetically modified foodstuffs on its menus across the nation.

Chipotle serves customizable burritos, tacos, salads and burrito bowls layered with various meats or sofritos (spicy shredded tofu), rice, beans, veggies, salsa and guacamole.

Salsas are made in house, and the list includes pico de gallo, spicy tomatillo salsa and roasted chili-corn salsa.

Other Treasure Valley Chipotle’s can be found at 305 S. 6th St. and 205 N. Milwaukee St., Boise; 2126 N. Eagle Road, Meridian; and 1471 Nampa-Caldwell Blvd., Nampa.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Online: chipotle.com

Waffle Me Up, Scotty!

Waffle Me Up has been dishing up waffles at the Boise Farmers Market for three seasons. But this year, owner Hector Garcia purchased a food trailer, which means no more waffle irons under a flimsy canopy.

Now, market-goers can step right up to the trailer’s window and order from a tried-and-true menu that features mainstay waffles and a few seasonal offerings.

“I’ll be serving blueberry waffles when the season kicks in, then it will be all about peaches,” Garcia says.

Stop by for a BOB ($6), a hybrid waffle with bacon, basil and organic syrup. Or go for a BOB Deluxe ($8.50), which is the regular BOB waffle with Havarti and a fried egg on top.

Other menu items include the Waffle Me Banana waffle ($6) and Waffle Me Strawberry waffle ($7) with Nutella, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce and a puff of fresh whipped cream.

Waffle Me Up offers free additional toppings such as chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Garcia is always set up at the Boise Farmers Market (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays) and he can be found around the Treasure Valley during the week at various food truck rallies and other events.

To track the midweek whereabouts of Waffle Me Up, check out facebook.com/wafflemeup.

Acme’s new bread

Speaking of the Boise Farmers Market, Acme Bakeshop recently added several new bread products to its rustic bread lineup. Baguette and boule lovers swarm to Acme’s market booth every Saturday like flies to honey, but things are surely going to get busier now that the popular bakery is selling whole-wheat croissants.

Owner and head baker Michael Runsvold, a 2015 semifinalist for a prestigious James Beard Award in the Outstanding Baker category, is now offering ultraflaky croissants ($2/sold exclusively at the market), sprouted wheat sourdough sandwich bread ($5) and hard-crusted drums of whole-wheat boule ($5).

Acme bakes more than just savory items, though. Don’t be surprised to find chocolate-filled croissants ($2.50) and occasional Danishes ($3) topped with saucy rhubarb and seasonal fruit.

If you miss the market, Acme sells its crusty loaves of bread (minus croissants and specialty items) at the Boise and Meridian Co-op locations.

Online: facebook.com/acmebakeshop

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Boise has two new Mexican restaurants."