Working in restaurants my whole life greatly limited my free time, especially when it came to dinner. It wasn’t until the last year when I transitioned from working on the line in a regular restaurant to solely doing catering and events that I suddenly find myself with the time to actually eat dinner with my wife. So Chelsea and I developed a weekly ritual of going out to Oswego once a week, typically on Friday or Saturday, after I got out of work and getting some late night food. We would go to Oswego Sub Shop or Maria’s diner or Calio’s Calzones (RIP, we miss you so much and DP Dough just isn’t the same) and at least have one meal a week together even if it was in the car while we sat by the lake. That tradition still continues even though I am home more often now. It’s our way to decompress, get out of the house and have a guaranteed date night with food we are familiar with.
Some time within the last year or so, a new place opened across the street from Sub Shop called Whacko Gringo and we eventually tried it out. They offer standard Tex Mex as well as some slightly less common options and some goofier Mexican-inspired fare for the local college kids. We tried the tacos and tater tot nachos, enjoyed it and figured we would make it back at some point. Their birria is actually really good. Not Mamacita’s good, but it’ll do. It wasn’t until tonight while we were sitting at Flat Rock over by the college that I realized we have been eating there roughly every other week for the last few months and I never posted a review, so here we are.
Our latest addictions from Whacko Gringo aren’t tacos or nachos, but instead açai smoothie bowls. See, mom? Not everything I eat is processed sugars and meat! Whacko offers a few different variations of smoothie bases with pure açai, half mango / half açai, coconut creme, matcha, blue spirulina coconut and pitaya (pink dragonfuit), and then you add your granola, fruits and superfood toppings and enjoy a healthy, fruity bowl packed with nutrients and flavor.
Chelsea changes her build every time, but tonight she went with coconut creme base, granola, almond butter, honey, banana, strawberry and pineapple. The coconut base is definitely strong on the coconut flavor but none of the chewy shredded coconut texture. All of the fruits are fresh and cut to order and are generously portioned, there’s a healthy layer of granola separating the fruit from the base and then a solid drizzle of local honey and almond butter.
I went with my usual of half mango / half açai base, granola, strawberries, pineapple, banana, honey and cacao nibs. I jokingly put a modification on my online order saying “F*ck me up with cacao nibs, willing to pay extra” because I really like the bittersweet chocolate flavor and the crunch to go with all of that fruit. When I arrived to pick up our order, one of the staff was making our bowls and giggling as she shook a borderline inhumane amount of cacao nibs on my bowl, showing they not only understood what I meant but also have a solid sense of humor to go with it. The mango base is a gentle tart flavor to go with the deep sweet taste of açai, paired with soft bananas, crisp strawberries and pineapple, crunchy granola and a little extra burst of sweet from the honey topped with crunchy, bitter chocolate cacao. The flavors all work well together and the granola and cacao offset the softer fruit textures to create a really nice combination.
The staff inside Whacko Gringo have been nothing but awesome every time we go and even when the place is packed with customers at their bar, indoor and outdoor tables. The food always comes out fast but never tastes old, and the option to order ahead online is a helpful touch. There’s a reason we keep coming back here and have all but abandoned our former go-to of Sub Shop across the street. Fresh, packed full of flavor and actually good for you, açai smoothie bowls have become a staple in our house. Plus we get a quiet drive and to eat by the lake for an added bonus.
107 West Bridge Street, Oswego, New York 13126, United States
(315) 234-2100