Steak Quesadillas: A Sweet and Savory Memory Rekindled

Ah, the taste of forgotten flavors! This past weekend, a craving hit us, sending us down memory lane to a dish we hadn't enjoyed in far too long: a very particular steak quesadilla. It’s funny how food can be a time machine, isn't it?

A couple of years ago, back when we were still soaking up the sun in South Florida, we used to make frequent, almost quarterly, trips up to Orlando. It was just a little four-hour drive to pay our respects to "the mouse" at Disney World. Being annual pass-holders, we'd often turn these visits into delightful long weekend trips, usually taking a Friday or Monday off work to extend the magic.

While in Orlando, we'd navigate the infamous I-4 highway, cruising along the perimeter road where a galaxy of restaurants awaited. It was there, amidst the bustling choices, that we discovered our new Orlando dine-in favorite: Rocco's Tacos.

And surprisingly enough, Rocco's Tacos dished out some pretty spot-on Mexican food. Their menu was loaded with all the essentials: sizzling quesadillas, authentic street tacos, and of course, a dazzling array of margaritas. But the real star, the undisputed champion of our table, was their fresh guacamole, made right there, tableside! Watching them mash the avocados with fresh lime, cilantro, and onion was part of the experience, and I've gotta say, it was truly one of the best guacamoles I've ever had at a sit-down restaurant.

But I'm rambling on about Rocco's entire menu, so let me get to the real point of this story. The one dish we found ourselves consistently ordering, over and over again with each visit, was their unique Steak, Black Bean, and Sweet Plantain Quesadilla. I had never tasted anything quite like it before, and was so impressed by its deliciousness. The combination of savory steak, earthy black beans, and the unexpected burst of sweet plantain in a warm, crispy tortilla was simply divine. Its deliciousness so impressed us that we’d order it repeatedly, always splitting it to savor every bite.

Fast forward to today: ever since our move to Georgia, a Rocco's Tacos isn't exactly around the corner. This past weekend, the memory of that infamous quesadilla popped into my wife's head, sparking an undeniable craving. After talking about it (and confirming that Rocco's Tacos locations are indeed exclusively in Florida), we decided to take matters into our own hands and make our own version, of course with our own custom twist on it.

For lunch, we decided to get the griddle heated and start this process. A quick trip to Publix secured the missing sweet plantains, and then it was off to the backyard to cook. The ingredients were deliciously simple: some large (burrito style) flour tortillas, refried beans, queso fresco, sweet plantains, and some fantastic leftover flank steak from the night before.

All these flavorful components were piled generously onto one tortilla and then folded over itself, to serve half of a quesadilla, which was jammed packed with goodness and more than enough. This was a pretty easy lunch to put together and incredibly filling, perfectly tiding us over as we patiently waited for the ribs that were smoking alongside them 😉.

This homemade sweet steak quesadilla brought back so many wonderful memories of our Florida days and proved that some of the best flavors can be recreated right here in our own backyard.

Click the following link for the video and recipe to this delicious creation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDUuEA89AgY