We start this one by explaining what Guisado is, aside from the name of this place. Lets start personal. Guisado is something delicious. Guisado is a style of cooking. I fell in love with Guisado Style cooking when traveling through Texas. Specifically when I was in San Antonio. They had some amazing meats that were made in the style of Guisado. Technically it means that it is sauteed with garlic, onions and tomatoes. It is almost like a stew, but much better, and I like stews. Many dishes made in stews and cassaroles are referred to as Guisados. Guisados in Boyle Heights takes it to another level. By another level I mean leaps and bounds beyond anything this guy could have imagined. As the members of the Order recapped our epic outing, Guisados ranked one for some of us and ranked in the top 3 for all of us. The hardest part about writing about this place is having to split off the owner's brother's business. They are tied together, but too much information, so please check out the blog that I do on Carnitas Uruapan Market & Deli.
Guisados is on East Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights. Place is great. It sticks out just a bit with a super cool contemporary look for the area. The place is nice, clean and fun. They have a short line with tons of boiling pots in the background. They even go as far to make Tinga. A chicken dish I often struggle to find, but love to eat. FYI, their's is by far the best I've ever had. Armando takes his food really seriously. We jumped in on his mini taco samplers. You can pick any six of their tacos and they make them mini tacos which were great and a perfect way for all of us to try everything. A true treat at this place, the fish taco. This big piece of fish was amazing. I mean seriously a great fish taco that I did not expect or see coming. The flavor was on point. The fish was flaky and good. They do make things affordable here, but do not do things the cheap way. They have an extensive menu with many different meats and their mole sauce was one of the best that I've ever had. It was subtle, sweet, spicy and flavorful. I really appreciate the culinary prow-less that this family has. As if the food wasn't great enough, they had a beverage that you need to get in on. The Armando Palmero. This twist on a classic was stellar. Armando is the name of the owner, that is where the first pun came in. It has lemon water mixed with some Jicima. Yeah, you need to try this when you go. What a great refreshing beverage to compliment amazing food.
What set this place apart? Well, I really think a lot of that has to do with the tortillas. What a great part of the food. We were reminded more and more through this trip, a tortilla is like a fork. You just need it to eat sometimes. Their tortillas will be spoken of more in my next blog, but are unique and delectable. Armando has two restaurants. One is in Boyle Heights, the other is by Chavez Ravine near Dodger Stadium. Armando has such a commitment to excellence that he only takes about 20-25 pounds of masa at a time. Yes, he will run back and forth from the bakery to make sure that he is only serving the freshest product that he can. The masa is craftily made by his brother Eddie especially for Guisados. If this doesn't excite you, you need to reevaluate your priorities.
Guisados will be getting another visit from me. The great service, excellent food and just down right cool vibe in there is worth checking out. They know how to match a sauce to a meat and that is often lost in translation on these taco crawls. I can't say thanks enough to the owners and staff of this place. They embraced, welcomed us and thanked us for putting them on the excursion. They taught us so much and really made us guests in their home. Thanks for reading and please check out the blog later today that will be an extension of this visit which was next door at their bakery and includes a tour of the back and Masa 101! Stay excellent!!!
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