Set sail to the Yankee Clipper for 'Tuesday Tacos' and Clipper Burgers.

What can be said about the 'Tuesday Tacos' at the Yankee Clipper, nestled in Ankeny's Uptown neighborhood, i.e. the part of town that isn’t a strip mall.

For one thing they're more like a cross between fry bread and a fried pirozhki. You could easily confuse it with a Tasty Tacos' puffy taco on first glance, but in essence its basically a lump of dough, shaped into a flattened half-moon, deep fried, then split and filled. The ‘shell’ may be huge but its not excessively bready in texture. Its taste is lightly sweet but not distracting.

As for fillings, you’ve got two choices.

There’s the Mexican Taco with seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese and lettuce, tomato; extra for a slather of sour cream.

And then there is the American Taco, a true melting pot – in your stomach; with ham, shredded cheese and lettuce, lovingly garnished with ranch dressing. This rough beast can be best summed up to paraphrase Chief Wiggum, "If we can keep [this] down, we'll be sitting pretty."

As this special suggests, the Yankee Clipper only offers these tacos, plus a taco salad, on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m (or until they’re gone). If you really want to try one, you might want to beat the dinner crowd.

The Mexican Taco at the Yankee Clipper.

The American Taco at the Yankee Clipper. In essence, a deep-fried ham and cheese sandwich. 100% evil.

Another signature item of note at the Yankee Clipper is the Clipper Burger: a deep-fried breaded beef patty topped with bacon and pepper jack, served on a toasted bun. If you like chicken fried steak, you'll love this burger! Its the closest thing to the chicken fried steak I used to enjoy at the Y Not Grill on Sixth Ave. several decades ago. Crunchy rings made with a surprisingly strong onion and a fine Bloody Mary rounded out this excellent meal. The Yankee Clipper also makes a pretty good White Russian, IMHO.