Is Denver's Native American Restaurant Worth The Hype? TOCABE Review
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- Tocabe American Indian Eatery is the only Native American restaurant in the Denver area. As I hail from the East coast, specifically New Jersey, I have never been exposed ever to American Indian cuisine so for me it is the only Native American restaurant I have ever been to!
Native American food can include many different items, but Tocabe in Denver, CO specializes very much in fry bread. Fry bread is a staple in American indigenous food, and it has some controversial origins. Many people within the Native American community view Native American fry bread as representing oppression and tragedy, as it was invented out of necessity due to its ingredients consisting primarily of what the US government rationed to American Indians on reservations. To me though, food is always uplifting, and while we should never forget the dark aspects of history we can also see foods such as fry bread as a symbol of resilience and creativity in difficult times. For example budae jigae, also known as Korean army stew, after all was also created due to rationing and necessity but today Korean people still love to eat it and there are even restaurants that specialize in it.
No matter how you view the history however, my take is American Indian fry bread is delicious. Tocabe offers variations of the dish, such as stuffed fry bread recipes, however in this video I opted for the Indian taco. Also known as a Navajo taco to some, it is sort of like a Mexican huarache dish, with fry bread as an edible plate with delicious toppings on top. I opted for ground bison here. I also wound up getting some of the famous Tocabe bison ribs.
This is one of the most unique video topics I have ever done and I cannot wait to share this topic with you all. I hope you all learned a thing or two about the Tocabe Native American fast casual restaurant, as well as Native American food in general!
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Restaurant Deets:
Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery
3536 W 44th Ave, Denver, CO 80211
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I'm a Native and a Native Coloradan! I'm so glad you're putting Tocabe on the map. It's so delicious!!
The Bison is *super* less fatty than Cow. That's why the ribs are quite a bit tougher than cow/pork ribs. They're basically all muscle.
Either they wanted the ribs to be that tough or they just aren't cooking it right. You can make any lean, stringy, tough piece of meat tender if you cook it low and slow enough.
Yeah I was surprised to see bison ribs on the menu. In Jersey there are diners that serve bison burgers, and it's mostly done as a "healthy" option because the meat is very lean. How it's served in the taco is a perfect way to go IMO.
Nice UA! I’m Native and I appreciate you spotlighting this restaurant. If you’re ever in Phoenix, please visit the Frybread House. Just remember that a lot of these dishes served at restaurants represent contemporary dishes. Frybread was a result of government food rations and Native using what they could to make tasty items. Unfortunately, there are debates within Tribal communities because even though frybread tastes good, it’s very bad for you and represents desperation during the government rations era.
Maria's Frybread and Mexican in Phoenix is also good.
Are huarache authentic?
Hope's Frybread in Mesa, AZ is outstanding!!! It's a must try, I went out of my way and absolutely loved it!!!
@@dustymcdust825 there native to Mexico, not continental USA. But, they are native to indigenous people.... If that helps
@@chordsofgratitude2073 Actually it makes a lot of sense. Thank you. I was at a Mecha and Aim event about 30 years ago when I was in college and I was able to try some of the foods that were supposed to be authentic and indigenous. I was a national award winning executive chef and spent lots of time in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and I lived in Colombia. I also had nutrition as my science requirement in college. I learned about how the indigenous knew how to use lye to open up nutrients in corn (homony) when going through food history. Even my professor who was a certified PHD dietitian asked if I knew how they knew, we were both dumbfounded. How did they know these things? If they had not known how to do that they could not have survived. I just want to know how they knew centuries ago. My great grandmother was full blood Black foot. That’s where I get my lighter skin, how I wished that I could have spoken to her.
Hey man, if you ever find yourself in Tampa, Florida.. you must check out a coastal-Native inspired restaurant called Ulele, its on the Tampa Riverwalk! no lie one of the best meals I have ever had. We sat outside on the patio and the food was outstanding. I recommend trying the Native Chili, its a unique blend of alligator, venison, bison, duck, chuck, cranberry beans and it's just really, really well done. The service was also very warm, welcoming, engaging and highly professional. Ulele is a gem and a must try!
Tocabe has been a favorite of mine for years.
When I took my girlfriend (who is from Mississippi) there on a date, I tried to explain that she can't puck it up like a taco. Being the sassy southern belle she is, she took that as a challenge.
I have photos of her all dressed up for a night out, shoving her dinner in like a "regular taco". Lol. Plus, I got her hooked on Native cuisine.
Been eating fry bread tacos for years. Special occasions only. The Smithsonian has a great Native American restaurant. We have a great NA restaurant in the Bay Area too.
Hey Yui, great video!
I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen a RUclipsr eating Native American food.
Great exposure to this Native American cuisine.
I’m sure once people have seen your video they may venture out to Denver Colorado just to check out this restaurant.
Native American is one of my favorite foods that is often hard to find, even here in the US. I went to a state fair when I was a little kid back in the 1990s, and had the best food I ever tasted, which was Native American cuisine. I've been chasing the taste ever since, but nothing has ever measured up.
Thanks for the vid, will definitely check out this place next time I'm in Denver!
Wow, that spot you went to in the 90s must have been amazing!
This restaurant is so interesting to me, I am from Australia and we don't have anything like that here. food looks delicious
How is the kangaroo meat?
UA we have Native American days here in the midwest and one of my *very* favorite foods is when they take a turkey and dig a huge hole in the ground, line it with hot rocks and then bury it and let it cook for hours. Man when they bring it out it's just amazing.
Being a member of the Navajo tribe id would like you to come to the Navajo Rez and try the tacos. 👍🏽
I'd love to someday!
Definitely!!
Wow! this is only a couple miles from my house! Will definitely try it.
Thank you for letting me know!
Havasupai tribe near the Grand Canyon area, super good fry bread! I loved the Native American tacos there!
They closed the southern Denver area site on Arapaho! We tried to visit one time and they were occupied by some kind of other business. We had been there a few other times before and the food is great! Good to see the other one up north is still around. A must try place.
yeah I was bummed about that, just started working in the Denver tech center again, and... no tocabes on Arapahoe... sob
I’m surprised there are not more Native American restaurants.
Me too!
hoping tocabes starts a trend! most of us get our fixes at native American events like pow-wows
Fry bread is awesome. First had it 40 years ago. My girlfriend's older sister made it. She called it Dough Gods, this was in Superior Wisconsin.
Glad it was a success for you, I remember seeing it on DDD a few years ago and I wasn't sure but the Indian Taco looks great. I really like ribs, but maybe bison is too lean to cook that way, like you said.
loving the frequency of the uploads 😊
UA Eats drinking game: Every time UA says, ‘Why don’t we?’ Chug!
@gregoryjmorris9878 UA Drinks why don't we
I'm glad you broadened your taste buds the taco looked amazing ❤
Less talking and more VO. You let your food get colder/tougher (bison) I myself went to Tocabe years ago, and I was not disappointed… those Blackberry bison ribs were THE bee's knees! The fry bread was on point and they had sauteed vegetables like I'd never had my entire life. So melt in your mouth delicious! I can't wait to go back for those ribs!
Sitting Bull as an Avenger? Bison burgers are absolutely delicious.
Marvel did a Lakota dub of The Avengers. Will be on Disney+ in a few weeks.
The best frybread is made by mom or grandma.
This place is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! THE FOOD IS GREAT!
I first tried this place in 2017 and it was sooo good!!! I make sure to go back any time I'm out in Colorado.
Wow that's very different than what I ate when I was there... Didn't even know about tocabe. Great video will have to check it out on my next visit because I'm definitely going back for a second pass of moewwolf denver
You’re Great! Love your Videos
That sauce looks like chokecherry. Ty for putting this Native restaurant on the map ❤
Very cool! I'm from the east coast & totally like the idea of a "local" food place in Colorado being.. When I first had a Buffalo burger years ago I loved it
If you want those to be tender those ribs you need to put a little tiny bit of beer in there with some of that sauce wrap it tightly and foil and let it cook in the oven at 325 degrees for like 2 hours
Unique or not unique. There are no degrees. Otherwise, you are the best food reviewer on youtube. Please keep them coming.
@@DustyKid75you forgot pastrami. he's kind of an expert on that
I wish I had seen this video before I went back to Denver a few weeks ago. This will be on my Denver cuisine list the next time I go back home to visit the 303.
I love that place I have eaten there lots of time and I have had their food at the Denver Powwow..
Are you still here?!?! Have lots of recs for you!
What did the buffalo say to his child when he dropped him at school? Bison!
Oh man, that fry bread looks amazing.
My man, you’re supposed to dip that smaller fry bread in some protein like a spoon or preferably soups of sorts. That’s how us Natives do it in Oklahoma. Like some corn soup lol. That Indian taco looks beast.
LOVE corn soup! I had growing up & miss it.
Boil fresh ear corn in water with a little salt/sugar. Cut corn from cobs with a knife. In a bowl, add the cut corn, Grease (Bear is best, Bacon works, or lard)- mix well. Add broken up walnuts, maple sugar- mix again. Heat a bit. Serve. Delaware Nation style corn.
Under rated for certain 🍁
Great reviews 🏹
I had bison in a burger recently and it was excellent in that form. Ribs wouldn't have been something I expected considering how lean bison meat is.
Ayee came across yo channel. I fuck with you my boy ! Good vibes
In Portland they have an indian gathering around fathers day at delta park. You can get indian tacos and handicrafts there. The tacos are 🔥
Funny that you are in Denver. I'm going there in two weeks.
Enjoy! Also prepare to have a headache for the first 1-2 days due to the altitude 😂
I grew up in the Choctaw Nation. Commodity Cheese was its own food group in those days.
I could be wrong but the Fry bread to me looks like they used a yeast as leven .In original fry bread we use Baking powder as leven. 4 cups flour 1 tblspoon salt 2 tablespoon Baking powder and warm water to make a soft dough. Lat rise for 20 minutes . then fry make pieces very thin. I sppreciate you !!!
I used to live up the streeth from there, growing up. I enjoyed it the couple times I went
UA if you're ever in Ballsack Kentucky you have to try the lemon pepper rotisserie chicken we have at the local Food Giant.
Interesting...I have the bison ribs at least once a month, and it's always been very tender.
Tocabe means blue in the Osage language, as it was the favorite color of the owner's grandmother.
This restaurant offers a variety of toppings that go beyond a typical indian taco you would get at a pow wow.
The bbq sauce is a spiced up blueberry item called wojapi, a lakota / dakota dish that is usually made with chokecherries.
Hey bro, let me educate you a little bit!!! The man who started this restaurant, Ben Jacob’s, his family is originally from Oklahoma (Oklahoma, land of the red man) more specifically northeastern Oklahoma and are members of the Osage Nation!!! The Osage. Nation is the ONLY OFFICIAL NATIVE RESERVATION IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA! Tocabe means blue in the Osage language, hence the color blue which is prominent in the restaurant!!! 🤔
Can't visit Denver without going to Tocabe!
Bison can dry out way too easily. They really shouldn’t mess up the cook on them!
You have to get their hot sauce that they give you in a container and also drizzle it in honey. Makes a big a difference with a little sweet and their hot sauce is kind of tangy. They both were on the counter before Covid but now you have to ask
might be huckleberries...
There's a restaurant/store in Windsor Ontario Canada called Native Wonders. I recently visited in February and it's so well worth it.
This place is really good its just really large portions so i recommend going with someone and sharing one dish
really good vegetarian options if that is for you (i'm a part time veg)
Thanks so much for another excellent video. As you expand your food boundaries, we grow as well. I know nothing at all about Native American food. I do suspect, however, that in some cases the foods here were not altered to meet mainstream American taste, but in fact were created just after Indians lost all their independence, were forced onto reservations, and encouraged to adopt the agricultural patterns of the European colonizers. Fry bread sounds suspiciously like something created to utilize wheat flour, refined sugar, and lard, which would have been given to the Indians as something of a compensation for being moved onto agriculturally unviable land and having the bison practically exterminated. Corn, pumpkin, gourds, squashes, so much of our food today owes so much to the Native Americans.
The bison being stringy isn't the cook's fault. Its just inherently like that. I don't know if its possible to get bison to "fall off the bone". That is the reason it is usually served ground; I've only ever had it ground. Its like a leaner ground beef with a bit more of a gamey flavor, which I like.
We have some amazing fry bread in AZ. My fav is a simple ground bison, cheese and hot sauce. Or honey and butter.
I've never had fry bread but I am down with the "taco" concept. Those bison ribs looked super tough. I just don't see how a restaurant can offer "fast casual" and smoked meat at the same time. Your comment about smoking practices hit spot on. Good BBQ has no place in a fast casual concept.
actually most great BBQ is precisely fast casual. when you arrive as a customer do you expect to wait a long time for your meal or need to dress up wear a jacket attire? yes the cooking preparation process takes a long time, but not the dining experience.
Someone hates dickeys BBQ lol
huh... I'm from the South Denver Metro Area and I've never heard of this place. Gonna have to stop by sometime!
Oh, and you need to put honey on the fry bread. So delicious!
I was disappointed there weren't more authentic native foods or derivations of.
Why did I get recommend your channel. Interesting though chill personality too.
Bison is pretty popular here in Denver. I was a federal food inspector and worked in bison slaughter here. Also bison was so much cleaner than cattle. You don’t see all of the abscesses, disease and parasites like you do in cattle.
YUM!!!
😋😋😋😋😋
Safe Journey!
Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha!!!
Amazing review. Fry bread is greasy. Great observation.
I've eaten here several times and ribs most of the time. The ribs are not fall of the bone but they are definitely not tough like what you got that day. I always get them because they are tender and tasty
I went there once, and they make a good product.
BTW, they are closed on mondays. Was not expecting that. 😵💫😵💫
That taco looks very tasty. Looks like a nice blend of different flavors with those ingredients.
Lots of good for here in Denver 💯
Everything looks good to me. I don’t like my ribs too tender, takes away the texture and flavor. And of course Bison will be tougher than beef, it’s mostly muscle. And the fry bread does not look greasy at all compared to the Chinese donut.
Been wanting to come here since I'm only so far away
Tocabe is awesome. Used to live in that neighborhood and it was a go to on occasion.
But if you wanted the best ribs it was "The Ragin' Hog" BBQ just across the street in the Safeway plaza.
DDD great episode
Its called pry off the bone😂
Those ribs reminded me of what we used to call road kill ribs.
Nice never had Native American food love to try it I’ll look around in Phoenix Arizona 😊
I live in a Denver suburb, and this is the first I've heard of Tocabe. I'll have to check it out though. Also Bison isn't that uncommon here, every grocery store i go to has ground bison right next to the ground beef.
Good job. Yeah the ribs looks tough.
Slow cooked bison ribs may be the best way of cooking it....
In canada frybread is more often called bannok and is usually served with butter or jams and indian tacos is usually bannok, chili and cheeze
I have heard that bison meat is lot better tasting then beef.
❤
Those ribs looked tough and chewy right off the bat
I've had alot of bison and bison ribs. They have to be cooked lonhg and low temp. I love bison its leaner, has a sweeter taste.
Those are Urban Native Americans
You need to go to The Navajo Reservation for The Real Navajo Tacos Mutton stew frybread and Mutton Ribs
Their hominy salsa is the best!
His "way too sour" and "omg this is delicious" faces are the same face, lol
I ate there. It eas great.
Bison is incredibly lean and low in cholesterol.
You can't beat some good fry bread.
I like how you say Bison lol
I wasnt even aware that "native american" cuisine existed. At least not as restaurants
In Washington DC the Museum of the American Indian which is part of the Smithsonian has a called the Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe which is very good. Definitely worth a try if you are ever in DC!
DC is too ghetto
I wanted to try but it was packed when I visited before. Will definitely try in my next visit.
You make the same exact face for when something is really good or really bad.
That’s Sitting Bull in that picture
Looks like the portions are huge
The face this guy makes when he tries something ,looks like hes gonna say yuck then he says mmmmm lol
Don't panic I got the bannock