USA Taco, truck

Had a pretty good day at work.  Day got better as I see my cousin driving down the 101.  I pull up next to her on the bike, say hi and keep going.  I'm thinking how the little things make your day go so much better.  When I get off the freeway, I'm heading home like normal.  I was kind of in a rush because I knew Melissa was heading to Cross-fit and the kids were all mine.  I'm driving down Parthenia and made a right on Reseda to get to the house.  Suddenly, there is a screeching sounds and the smell of rubber on the street.  I've spotted a truck I'd never seen before, Taco Destiny has again led me to a truck.

Place was cool.  Parked across from Tire Pros, this mother and son were working and making some great food.  Kid was no older the 7 and was taking orders, he was pretty cool.  Mom was doing all the heavy lifting and was cooking.  She had some pretty solid kitchen skills.  Menu was extensive as far as meats go.  I'm sure they had a bunch of stuff, I was fulfilling my Tacoteering duties, so I really did not pay attention.

Pastor: 2, there was so much seasoning on this thing.  Holy heck!  Not worth saying anymore, don't eat it here, you will be sad and leave crying.

Cabeza: 2, chewy and was a far cry from the goodness of the other night.  They really need to not serve things they don't know how to make.

Lengua: 3, solid.  Nothing really to write home about, but not too shabby.  They cut it into bigger chunks then most places, which I was nervous about.  I liked it though.  The flavor was good, cooked correctly, nice.

Asada: 4, shockingly excellent.  I was quite excited.  It is hard for me to rate Asada above a 3, these guys did it right.  Nicely seasoned, cooked properly.  My banana off to the chef here.

Salsa Rojo: 3, really liked it.  Very good stuff.  Spicy, not overdone, worth an eat.

Green Salsa:  4, I was so excited.  They actually make jalapeno salsa.  Wasn't great, but they got extra points for making one of my favorite salsas.  They water it down a bit, but it is not an easy salsa to make.

Nice touch at the end of the day, with avocado on each taco.  Nice thin slice on top of the cilantro and onions.  It went a long way with me.  I was quite excited about this.  I'd go back to this place and say to go check it out.  If you are after some great asada, a different salsa, see a good family, check the place out.  Thanks for reading, have a great night everyone, Stay Excellent!

La Esperanza

Beautiful Friday night in Chavez Ravine.  Dodgers take out the Reds, Kershaw pitched a heck of a game.  Kids went nuts enjoying the fireworks.  Baseball on a summer night with the kids, does it get better?  Well, that is up to La Esperanza.  When the game ended, I knew there was an opportunity for some tacos.

Jumped in the car with my Papou, Papap and my oldest son Alexander.  We shot North on the 101 and got off at Silver Lake Blvd.  Took it until it turned into Beverly and kept going.  Most places were closed.  Just as they were losing hope and I was losing patience on all of the questions, we spotted a truck on the North side of the street.  Popped a U-Turn and pulled up in front of this little gem.  We walked up, they had a table set with four chairs and a couple of random chairs around, worked out perfectly, we snagged the table.

Truck was clean, looked nice inside and out.  Lady working the counter was nice.  Broken English, well, maybe a word or two.  Guy working there was the same.  They were super nice.  I did the ordering.  We had multiple trips up ordering more and more tacos.  Experience was great.  Lady there got more social and nicer with each order.  Nice touch on the jalapeno's.  I do have to point out, they needed to be grille just a little bit longer.  Enough with the journey, on with the ratings!

Asada: 3, again, lay off the heavy handed salt.  You were two shakes away from a 4.  This stuff was solid.  Cut well, cooked well, good flavors, just slightly overpowered by the salt.  Like I said, just a couple shakes shy of a 4.
Pollo: 1, this was horrid.  So overcooked, so burnt, so over-seasoned.  This stuff was so rough I almost asked for a refund of the $1.50 a taco.  It was just inedible.  Shame on you for putting this in a tortilla.
Lengua: 2, pretty let down here in the tongue department.  It was a cooking issue, not a seasoning issue.  Way under cooked.  The meat came out chewy.  It was just stretchy and took a while to eat.  Saving grace was that they had a great salsa to pair with it and the seasoning was right on point.
Buche: 3, nicely done.  This is pretty good stuff.  They did well with it.  Smooth, cooked appropriately.  Not over-seasoned.  There is so much flavor here, you don't want to overdo the seasoning, and they didn't.
Cabeza: 4, Buttery, delicious.  I really enjoyed this treat.  It was the tastiest part of the trip.  This stuff was nicely done with crispy ends.
Pastor: 3, I originally was going to write this down as a 4, but it just wasn't.  I've had so much Pastor that has been horrific, in comparison it was better, but reality, it was just average.
Salsa Rojo: 3, spicy, very nice.  I really did enjoy this.  There were smoky hints from the adobe, but it really was not over done.
Salsa Verde: 3, sweet, delicious.  This stuff was a great compliment to the fattier pieces of meat.  Not spicy and was nice for Alexander to enjoy.

Readers, I again plea to you, find great pastor.  Don't settle, you deserve better, well most of you do.

This place was pretty good, I'll stop again if I see it.  Service was nice, food overall was pretty good.  Getting to try all that they had was great.  I appreciate that they didn't have carnitas because they said that they didn't have the equipment to do it right.  Mad street credit for that!

Thanks for reading, I ask again for you to tell your friends, and please, don't settle for bad pastor.  Stay Excellent everyone!  

PASTOR CRISIS in Los Angeles

“Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.”  -Aristotle

The good news, is I'm on point with the Great Aristotle on this one.  I am focused and we are going to get through this together, one taco at a time.

There is a crisis that is concerning to all of us here in not just the Los Angeles area, but the continental US and most of, if not all of the world.  I hate to be the barer of this bad news, but I cannot keep it a secret much longer.  We need to talk about Al Pastor.

This is like online dating gone wrong.  I was hitched prior to this really coming onto the scene, but I've seen and heard these horror stories.  You meet this great person online, you see their picture, you read their profile.  They are as hot as Matthew Perry, as charming as a 4 year old who wants to share his toys with you, as smart as Socrates, as cultured as Sir Sean Connery and as successful as Warren Buffett.  Then you meet him and he looks like Jabba, is a selfish prick that doesn't know how to open a door, is dumber then Lloyd Christmas, has the cooth of a backwoods redneck and hasn't had a job in 6 years.  I'm so tired of false advertisement.  Stop!  Call it what it is.  Change your menu from "pastor" and just put, this meat sucks and we over-seasoned it and are going to try to pass it off as pastor.

People keep asking me, what is pastor?  Seriously?  It is one of the best things that we've ever been given on this earth.  It should be made "gyro" style.  It is a solid marinade from for at least 24, if not 72 hours.  It has hints of pineapple, citrus, cumin, peppers, it has aciote, it does not SUCK!  It means, made in the style of the Shepard and was born in beautiful Central Mexico.  Traditionally pork.

Trucks, stands, restaurants have been making it horrible in the area lately, and I'm not going to put up with it much longer.  I am appalled that we are ok with mediocre pastor!  When did it become ok to ruin great things?  I see the efforts going on in NYC after Hurricane Sandy destroyed part of the Statue of Liberty and think that a pastor restoration project is in order.  I'm willing to put in the time, I'm willing to do the work, what I'm not willing to do, is settle.  I'm madder then a midget at a high urinal.

I will not walk up to or into an establishment with bad pastor and be nice.  If I look even more pissed then normal, I'm mad at, fed up with, sick of the nasty stuff that you are trying to pass off as Al Pastor.

I've provided the public with a definition, I've posted pictures of what this needs to look like below.  If you receive a 1 on a rating on your pastor, I will probably have to bash the heck out of your horrible, despicable establishment.  I will be making pastor soon.  I make a damn good pastor.  Prior to eating it with anyone, I made it for months.  Damn near a year until I got the recipe right.  Why?  Because, that is what you do.  You don't insult your friends, family or guests with garbage.  I would not do that, I know that you would not tolerate friends, don't tolerate it, don't sink, keep your standards where they should be for pastor.

I urge everyone to follow in this.  Please, let your places know how horrible their pastor is.  Tell them they suck and you are not coming back until they fix it.  This art form is more valuable then the Mona Lisa.  I can assure you that this will make the world a better place, one taco at a time.  Stay Excellent Everyone.

Cemitas Poblano, (Truck)

Still trying to figure out the best way to hunt down these moving magicians.  Anyhow, Cemitas Poblano was in Culver and I was headed to the office.  Taco Destiny?  Ummm, yeah!  Dolly and I pulled up, nice crowd for 11am on a Friday.  Smells were good, menu was pretty extensive for a truck.  I enjoyed seeing them work in there.   Truck was clean and appealed to the folks that are in the area and looking for an option.  End of the day, it was a "pretty truck."

I do all that I can to not hold this against them.  Truck holds great variety and was quick on the draw.  Not many pepper options, I mean with the name?  Then, their sandwich options?  Come on, if you name your truck after a famous sandwich and a famous pepper, deliver dude!

The rant is over, for now...Ratings are going to have a twist.  I'm rating each item except for one.  That last one is going on its own paragraph.  I'm warning you, because it is time for a rant.  It is time to talk about this.  There is an issue in Los Angeles, we are going to begin to address it.

Asada: 2, Seriously Culver City?  What is with the salt?   I need to taste the meat.  Salt is an enhancement, not the only thing you put on there.  Stop soaking pre and post cook on your meat, you are embarrassing yourself.
Lengua: 4, Nicely done.  Buttery, soft, palatable.  This is one of my favorite meats when done right.  Sadly there really were no more meat options, I enjoyed this so much, I would have like to see what else they could have done.
Salsa: 4, It was not that the salsas were that good, but they paired them with the right meats.  Thank you.  Cilantro, onions and the correct salsa for each meat is what goes on your taco.  I'm very glad to see someone do this right.

The last thing that I had was Pastor.  It receives a 1.  It sucked more then a drunk cheerleader at prom.  I was so disappointed.  I was going to go on my rant but have decided that a separate blog is necessary to address this crisis.

Thanks for reading, see you on the flip.  Stay Excellent readers!

Campos, Culver City, CA

Yesterday I'm working down by USC in the morning and have my weekly meeting at Home Office in Culver City.  There are so many ways to get from USC to Culver, but I usually stay on Jefferson and shoot all the way down.  I've been eyeing this place, and had decided that I was trying it and writing about it.  As I travel down Jefferson, Taco Destiny kicks in.  There was gun fire in a shopping center and police had blocked off the whole street.  I was diverted.  This journey led me down Adams and I decided to wind through the streets of Culver and then ended up on the Westside.  I shot back into Culver knowing that I had to get to a meeting.  I spotted Campos and knew this was why I had been diverted.

Campos has had multiple locations in the Santa Monica, Culver City and surrounding areas.  There use to be a great one on Pico and Barrington, it is now some other joint.  Anyways, I was on Venice across from the big Army Surplus store, parked Dolly and ordered some tacos.

They are running a special on "authentic tacos."  The way the chalk board was up and they presented it kind of irked me, but that is why I go in.  I do the dirty work, so you all know where to eat, or what to eat when you go in.  I know, it is my burden.  Anyways, tacos are $1.25.  I order four tacos and wait.  Well, I waited a heck of a long time, and there was one other person in line.  It was about 20 minutes for four tacos.  This had me a bit disappointed, but you know the drill, we're there for the taco, efficiency is an added luxury.

What I liked, the salsa bar was pretty rad.  I dug the set up and I dug the salsa.  They had some fantastic options.   Ratings below will tell you about the salsas, yes, I tried them all, don't act like you are surprised.  They have some pretty cool looking vegetarian options on the menu.  I liked it.  Shows some good effort to connect with the community.  This is in a good part of Culver and is right by Santa Monica, folks are going to look for a less meaty option.  I didn't try it, but noticed it on the way too extensive menu.

RATINGS:
Asada: 1, there was so much salt on this stuff, it made me gag.  I'm all about some sodium on a taco, this was out of control.  Tip, if you spill the salt all over chef, start over!  I've been there in restaurants, it sucks, you have food cost and all of that, but you really ruined the whole meal.  Lucky for me, this was the last taco I ate, again, Taco Destiny.
Pastor: 1, ouch.  I know, this is some bad stuff my friends.  Cumin is one of my favorite seasonings.  I put it on darn near everything that I make and in almost every kind of cuisine.  I think it is one of those seasonings that just makes plates great.  The person that made the pastor wore the meat out with Cumin.  It was horrible.  Second to last taco that I ate, it was really rough.  I hate bad pastor.  It was so sad, no citrus notes in the meat, not even a hint of pineapple.  You should be ashamed line cook.
Lengua: 3, Probably saved the trip.  Buttery, cooked, but not overdone.  Solid.  It didn't blow me away, but didn't make me want to leave either.  It was good Lengua, I'd say check it out if you are in the neighborhood and have a pining for some tongue.
Carnitas: 3, Some of the better carnitas I've come across in the recent journeys.  It didn't knock my socks off, but was consistent and solid.  Flaky, cooked nicely.  The seasoning on here was good.  Not overdone, but flavorful.  Hints on chili powder, cumin, salt and red pepper.  Like I said, good, not amazing.
Salsa Verde: 3, nicely done.  I enjoyed it.  They did a great job of seasoning, blending and they let the salsa sit to allow the flavors to meld.  Why is it not more then a three?  Well, it was just solid, didn't have the extra flair.  They had a mild and a spicy, both were similar, just added a lot of habenero powder to the spicy.
Salsa Rojo: 3, Like the Verde, it was well done, had a mild and a hot.  Both were good.
Orange Salsa: 5, what?  A five on a salsa and you didn't make it yourself Z?  I know, unheard of, but this stuff was damn good.  Spicy, flavorful, on fire spicy hot!  I loved it.  This stuff was a compliment to anything in the world.  There was bonnets and other peppers in here.  For sure this was the highlight of my day yesterday.

Moral of today's story, it is not where you eat, it is who you eat with.  I'll write about that another day, but for today's story, I have to say, that I realize my love and memories of Campos was not the food, but it was going to see my dad when he worked in Santa Monica and him and I grabbing burritos together.  It was taking Paulie there as a three year old and him and I scarfing Chile Verde Burritos together.  Thanks for your time everyone, tell your friends to check it out and follow this thing!  Happy Friday.

TACO DESTINY

Manifest Destiny:  The theory that the United States was to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.  Think about it, completely true.  Worked out pretty well for a large chuck of, if not all of the people that will read this blog.  I pose the question this morning, do we all have some sort of a "Manifest Destiny?"  I challenge you to find yours, and ask of you to indulge me while I tell you about mine.

You are going to get another blog today about a joint I visited yesterday, and the story that comes along with it, which directly correlates to the "DESTINY" I'm speaking of.  I'm destined to find more tacos.  Thrown off my normal path as I'm headed places finds me in taco situations that we can't deny, are pure fate.  Whether it is a great salsa, the perfect lengua or just some good old fashion Carne Asada, it is meant to be.  I write this today to embrace my calling, shout it from the blog mountain that it is and remind you that I'm on a mission.  A mission to find, enjoy, and share the experience of tacos everywhere.  I've got notes and pictures on places that I've been eating tacos at around the US and those experiences will be shared.  If you didn't know or understand what this blog was all about, I hope this sheds some light on it for you.  If you have been reading and didn't get it, I'm sure you do, it is about the Taco Destiny that I have.  Thanks for tuning in, have a great weekend!

Mi Tierra, North Hollywood

So I'm trying to chase down this truck that hangs in the North Hollywood area.  I need to eat!!  You know how these things go, I'm starving, even more moody then normal, I mean, it is not a good situation.  Lets make things worse, There is a victim, my dad is stuck in the car with me.

I did, I cracked, I had to go to Yelp.  They were about as helpful as Yelp can be.  I mean, I still don't fully understand all of this stars and more reviews should give more accuracy.  It really reminded me why I started this thing.  I don't want someone with no pallet to begin to sway my decision of dinner, lunch, breakfast or any meal in between or before or after those.  Food is important.  We need it to live, we need it to have fun.  This blog hopefully is going to evolve to guiding people towards what works in a tortilla.  I pray none of you find yourself in such dire need of a taco and having only Yelp to turn to.  Please, I plea of you to tell your friends of this so that we might avoid anyone that we love finding themselves in this situation.

Onto Mi Tierra.  Place is pretty well known in the area.  Been there for a bit.  Known for making their own tortillas and having an "amazing" breakfast.  You can find this delight in North Hollywood on Victory by Lankershim.

Scoring stays the same that it always does:
Tortillas (handmade in house): 4, loved it.  Very soft, not too thick, but could be a bit thinner, they don't make a very good chip
TACOS: 2, get the tomatoes off!  You are hiding flavor and adding filler!!!
Carnitas: 1, this might be one of the worst things I've ever eaten
Asada:  3, not bad, but worth eating
Lengua: 3, it is good, but not amazing.  It was buttery, soft, not overcooked
Pastor: 4, might have been the highlight of the meal.  I expected the tortillas to be tasty, but the pastor was surprising.  Well seasoned, well cooked, but not overdone.  I would have to say, go out of your way to get one of these little taco treats.
Salsa:  4, they serve two of them, both are fantastic.  Nice spice, real vegetables and they don't over season.

Tacos are a good size, but are also $2.25.  I know, not much, but come on, tacos are so accessible to us partly due to their pricing.  This is on the high end.  Can't say enough bad things about the horrible display of what they were calling carnitas.  Dry, flavorless, yeah, I'm going to drop it before this whole thing goes South.  Tortillas are nice, Pastor excellent, but order with no tomatoes.  I promise that you will enjoy this taco more.  They will be giving you some nice lime to squeeze in and salt is available on the table, you might need some.  I like, personal preference of course, they serve lime in their water.  English is really limited in this place, if this bothers you, this might not be the right blog for you.

Again, thanks for reading everyone, please tell your friends.  Please follow this thing, I want to get this out there.  As always, I'm open for suggestions on places.  Stay Excellent Everyone.

Sabores de Oaxaca

Sabores de Oaxaca is on Venice in Culver City.  This little gem is right off of I-10.  Place is neat.  I mean you walk into a restaurant after walking the ramp and then there is just one table in the actual building.  There is an adjacent sort of awning covered, patio which is really cool.  The set up of this place is pretty rad and would be fun if you are by yourself, or if you have the whole crew from the Order.  The ladies that were working when I went in, were super sweet.  They were nice, of course I knew the food was going to be good, when they spoke no English.

Biggest issue with this place was the options, or lack there of.  They have some pretty popular burritos and do some different dishes, but I'm talking taco meat.  They just don't do many things.  What they do, they do pretty well.  Here's the rankings:
Pollo: 3, nothing too amazing, but they did a good job.  Boiled then grilled.  Keep that going.  Maybe a bit more seasoning and we'd be up to a 4
Asada: 3, not too dissimilar to the Pollo.  Good, not great.  I won't give it a 2, because I really like the texture and the cut size is good.
Carnitas: 3, solid job here.  It didn't blow me away, but was damn good.  I like what they are selling.
Pastor: 2, not very good, sorry.  Great, you took pork and added some aciote and pineapple.  I mean come on, put some effort into this.
Salsa: It's Tapatio

Alright, here's the deal.  I like the place.  I'm not "blown away," but I dig it.  Ambiance is pretty great.  People working there, pretty rad.  Food was good, not great.  It is one of those places you just go when you want a quick good meal.  Not having too many options can be frustrating, but it also can be a great thing.

I know this one is not as fun as the rest, but at least you know about another place.  Thanks for reading!

Rigo's Tacos

Rigo's Tacos from San Fernando, now found in the Valley, specifically Northridge.  They have taken the spot of Little Cesar's on Parthenia and Lindley.  Well, they might as well have stayed in San Fernando.  I mean, come on.  If you have the reputation and following that you do in SF, I would expect a bit more when you move to Northridge.  If you have nine locations in two states, you have now been lost in translation and I'm sorry my friend, you are done.  If you are a fan of Rigo's, I send my condolences.  

They did have a nice salsa bar, and really just sprinkled the cilantro and onions, they of course had it set at the salsa bar when you need to add more.  The jalapenos they had on the bar were pickled but were great, firm and hot.  Radishes are available raw, it is a nice touch.

Salsas: 3, they were solid.  Didn't blow me away, but had nice citrus notes and were spicy, but not overpowering.

Buche: 4, very nice job.  Best part of the experience.  It was nicely stewed, well seasoned and had a bit of a good crispness to it.  

Asada: 1, I just asked for a little sample, it was sub par.  I don't even feel that print is deserved on this product.

Lengua: 1, wow, I'm shocked at how bad this was.  It made me sad.  It was stewed and by stewed, it tasted like it was soaked in hot water and a bit of salt was added.  Lengua is my favorite, they lost me at hello.

Pastor: 2, I mean really?  Come on guys.  It was burnt to a crisp.  The one piece I found in my taco that wasn't charred and by charred I mean burnt to Hades was ok.  The flavor was nice, not overpowering.  Maybe a bit to much achiote, but not way too much.

Wrap it up!  Here it is.  The table set ups are nice, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and Tapatio.  I dig that.  Salsa bar was solid and their two salsas were good, especially the verde.  This place knows how to use citrus which I really dig.  However, they don't know how to cook!  I mean dude, either way over or way under cooked.  Find a happy medium and get me excited about a taco in my face!  Thanks for reading everyone, much love from The Order of the Taco!

Princess Pub & Grille, San Diego

Ok, this is not going to be a "typical" or regular blog spot.  Every so often, you have to do the right thing, so I did.  I'll start with the story, then get to the tacos.  Sometimes a taco's adventure can lead to its greatness, but that is a whole other discussion that we can tackle on another day...

I was staying on PCH in San Diego last night by the airport because I had an early morning meeting there for a new restaurant that we will be opening in the Southwest terminal.  I got in late after a ridiculous traffic ridden drive, I was stuck in a car, didn't have my beloved Dolly.  Anyways, my room was supposed to be paid for by the company that I work instead, I end up forking over the cash only to find out that it was an error on the hotel's part.  I had a parking spot in the filled lot, so knew that driving was not an option at this point for dinner.  I asked where a great place to eat that was walking distance.  They told me that my only option was Italian.  I thought, not a bad choice.  San Diego's Little Italy was two blocks up the hill and there was a ton of great joints for pizza, pasta and anything from their delicious cuisine.  As I began my short trek up the hill, my mood changed.  I realized that the day was coming to an end, I didn't have anything more then dinner and a few emails left on my list for the day.  I thought, WWTB?  If you are not familiar with the bracelet I should be wearing, it bodes the question, Where Would Tacos Be.  I know, I'm in Little Italy, but where some see road blocks, others see solutions.  My mind came clear and I realized, IT'S TUESDAY!  I knew that if I walked far enough, someone would be doing a Taco Tuesday.  Well, my hunch was correct.  A few blocks in, still in Little Italy, I found an Irish Pub with a huge A-frame sign that read Taco Tuesday.  I knew dinner had found me.

Here's the scoop, the decor is pretty typical, pretty cool.  I put the website below if you are bored.  The bartender was pretty good, attentive, knew the menu, handled the crowd well.  I played coy, asked about different things, we all knew what I was there for.  I mean, come on, I write The Order of the Taco Blog!  There are four options on the menu.  Chicken, Lamb, Fish (grilled or fried), Corned Beef.  Tough call, I know.  I asked, I pondered, I looked around.  For $6 you get two tacos, have to be the same kind.  I have no issue with this.  Barkeep points me towards the fish, which was already a shoe in.  I then had to deliberate, I'm in an Irish Pub, have to go with the corned beef.  Then, instinct took over, I'm no Greek god, but I sure am a god damn Greek, I went for the lamb.

I expected small, worthless tacos.  I had no doubt on what they were going to look like.  I mean come on, there was Cholula on the table!  No Tapatio or Valentino's in miles from this joint.  As with my wife's view of me, low expectations led to pretty solid results.  With this being a one off from the normal blog, I'm not going to give the normal ratings of stay away to run your ass over there and get some.

Tacos are huge.  I mean, they are really huge.  You get an option for corn or flour, no matter what your protien choice turns out to be.  The fish is Cod and can come grilled or fried.  I had the grilled and thought that it was great.  Meaty, and tender.  Very delicious.  The salsas that were served with them sucked.  They might have been two of the worst salsas that I've had to eat in some time.  I was sad for them when I had the salsa.  The slaw that they put on top was solid.  Not to thick and overpowering, sure didn't taste like it was a mayo pile of goop.  Lamb was a great call.  It comes with a white sauce that resembles Tzatziki.  I really dug the sauce.  It was good, garlicky but sure did not overpower, just complimented the meat.  Full of great roasted lamb.  I mean, lamb and tortilla is about as natural as a relationship as I can think of.

Here's the long and short, go for the tacos, don't eat the salsa.  It seriously would not even have deserved the "1" that I would have given it.  If you are by Princess Pub, thank them for Taco Tuesday and check them out, the nachos looked pretty stellar.  Thanks everyone for reading, please tell your friends and let me know if there is a place I need to check out, it will go on the list and I'll let you know how it goes!


http://www.princesspub.com/

La Fregada

So this was impromptu, like most visits!  Headed home after a long week of work, right off the 405 and Nordhoff.  I've seen this place change hands over the years, the new owners have been there for a bit.  I've been told I had to check it out by multiple sources.

The the bad, the facts...place is WAY too limited on options.  I've got no problem on focusing what you know, but you've got to have some options to sell tacos in the great City of Los Angeles.  Pastor, Asada, Carnitas, Pollo.  Yeah, that is all.  Salsa: red and green.  Tacos:  Small/Large.  They will make you damn near anything that you can think of with that meat.  They make a Guisado, which I normally will try, but there's is a "rotating" one that has different meats, pending on what they are trying to get rid of before it goes bad, which says, "hey, we are putting our left overs in here, we don't know what you'll get!"  Don't worry, they add vegetables...

The good, the facts...they have the small taco which is the smallest tortilla I've ever seen.  This thing is loaded with meat.  You get a heck of a deal for $1.  Nice job.  The "big" taco is a handmade corn tortilla.  This tortilla is great, not for a taco though.  If this was for a huarache, YES!  They do sell huarache, so I'd say if I go back, that is the direction I'd go.  For only $2 for the "big" taco, also loaded with meat, not bad.

SCALE:
1: Don't touch this, it is nasty, 2: Below average, I'd avoid, 3: Solid job, it is good, didn't blow me away, 4: Above average, nicely done, 5: Get off your ass and try this delicious shit!

Small taco: 3, the thing was loaded with meat, but was super tiny
Big taco: 2, loaded with meat again, nice size, but the tortilla is not made for tacos, it is better suited to be cooked longer and have more moisture on it.  It will absorb and taste so much better.
Salsa (verde): 2, spicy, which is great, but just not great.  It had way too much lime and way too much salsa. Also tasted a ton of vinegar.  Sadly a common mistake when making salsa verde.
Salsa (rojo); 1, The number says it all.  It was horrid.   They did not soak their peppers, they used dry which I normally love, long enough.  I mean come on, you have to blend it with more then water, salt and vinegar.
Asada: 3, solid.  Nice flavoring, cut was good, not over salted.
Pastor: 2, just ok.  Not bad, not great.  Meat tasted old and was overcooked.
Pollo:  Didn't try, it looked to be overcooked and I hate chicken that is overcooked.
Carnitas: 2, again overcooked.  It was dissolving too quickly.

Wrap up:  Place is ok if you are in a rush and need a taco.  If you have eight extra minutes, go up to Sepulveda and check out Rincon Taurino.  The service there will be quicker and the food is exponentially better.  La Fregada does an ok job as a mom and pop, but needs to go a bit further, or less when it comes to cooking.

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

OotT: El Primo

Finally tracked down El Primo.  They were parked on Saticoy and Reseda last night.  I got there on my way home from work about 9:00pm.  Place is a nice truck.  Inside pretty clean.  I say check it out.  Ratings are solid, promise.  They advertise a Pastor being done on a spit.  They weren't joking.  Tried the normal.

All ratings are out of 5.  1 means, no!  2 means it was okay, but below average.  3 is solid, it means that it is good and should be tried.  4 is above average and it went above and beyond in flavor.  5 means, get off your ass and try this phenomenal shit!
Pastor:   4, legit.  Not enough pineapple flavor, but not overdone with achiote.  Little bit of spice to it.  This place is no Rincon Taurino, heck not even El Indio on Tampa and Roscoe, but solid.  I'd get their pastor over King's in LA.
Lengua:  2, it wasn't bad, wasn't very good.  It was so close to the Asada.  Maybe if they lay off the butter and let some of the flavors come out, we can call it a contender.  It is cut, not shredded tongue, which I can go either way on.
Buche:  3, average.  I mean just dead average.  They did a fine job, but it sure didn't blow me away.  I'd order it again, something to consider.
Asada: 1, it wasn't horrid, but nothing special.  Too finely chopped.  I mean come on, everyone does Asada.  Everyone in LA is looking for it, set yours apart.  Any finer chopped and you could have considered it ground.  Wouldn't order it for me again, maybe kids?
Barbacoa:  Didn't have it, so that sucked!
Salsas:  5, They had four different salsas, all were fantastic.  Yes, fantastic.  Spicy, flavorful, accessible and unlimited.  Loved the spicy green, it was not their verde, just a solid green, little bit of avocado in there, heck of kick, check it out!  They had pickled red onions that were second to none and really took the food up a notch.

You get to put on your own cilantro, onions and lime which I go back and forth on.  This location, it really worked and I dug it.  I'd recommend trying the place out.  If you want ground beef in a Mexican style taco, you've found your spot.  Pastor, totally worth it.  The rest seemed pretty solid.  You are looking at $1.50 a taco, which is pretty standard.  I will warn you, this is the small tortilla.  You do get a nice surprise, of a corn tortilla that is deep fried and has some damn good pinto beans on it.

SIDE NOTE:  Witnessed a great thing here.  A homeless women walked up, I was getting on my motorcycle to leave.  She was asking for money.  A guy sitting down on the folding chairs scattered around got up and bought her dinner.  It was cool to see this guy's son translate as his dad spoke no English but wanted to hook her up and his son was the vessel that made it happen.  Teach your kids to be the best, they will be.  She was crying, she was so happy.  Great to see a good person do a solid by the less fortunate.

Who we are...

This is an elite group of folks that I have compiled to help us get the word out about the very best tacos.  We live in LA, so that is what you are going to learn about first and foremost.  My travels extend to most of the US and overseas.  When I come across a great one, you'll know, when I come across a horrible one, I'll try to warn you.

Here is the deal.  The keen taco pallet that we are bringing to the table is second to none.  I have found true Taco Conquistadors.  These guys will really help you find excellence for your taco consumption.

How to join us?  Well, you become a pledge.  There is a test, a rigid screening process and then you are put to a vote.  The members of the group will vote and make a decision on whether or not you are in.

Questions:  Email me at CZaferis@Gmail.com, don't waste my time, I won't waste yours.