So as Ramon and I continue our quest for greatness, we were sent in the direction of Tacos El Gordo. Place was started in TJ, now it has a number of locations in the greater San Diego area. They do a damn nice job. I am really glad we were steered in this direction. Luis, NOT Lewis, a restaurateur that we enjoy working with sent us here. I'll go ahead and post a picture for everyone to try to caption:
Ramon: "If my taco is not perfect, I swear I'm going to slap Luis."
Luis: "If Ramon's tacos aren't perfect he's going to slap me. Maybe if I look tough and angry he'll spare my life."
Spoiler alert, Luis didn't get slapped. Tacos El Gordo is known for its adobada. Yes, it is their Pastor. It is fantastic. They do both beef and pork adobada. I was surprised at how delicious they both were. Some places do one excellent, the other comes up short. Don't get me wrong, I have a favorite between the two, but one is a clear winner. This place is really cool. You walk up, order your food, different meats from different parts of the window, walk up to the cashier and pay. Affordable. This place kept it in the affordable range and they fill your taco up. It is not that really cheap taco with no meat, there is meat in there. It is like a hug meat market that makes tacos. Look at these guys in action. Hard to get a photo, they are all moving so fast.
These guys were all over the place. Cutting meat, working together, really fun watching them go. They all work together. People wait in long lines to get served in a quick, efficient manner. Tables are the old, fast food looking tables just lined up all over the place. I thought the set up was perfect. The building is hard to miss as it is the dull, stand out yellow.
So the Pastor. They have it in the kitchen, but kind of separate. Two big cones, one pork, one beef. They have two guys that just work the cones the whole time. Seasoning, and cutting. These men are masters of their craft. I'm quite excited watching them work. A nice big piece of pineapple on top and sharp knives that are constantly being sharpened. Yeah, pretty damn cool. It is like Benihana's Tijuana Style...
So, lets talk a bit about the tacos themselves.
RANKINGS:
PEPPERS and ONIONS: 5, these are some spicy peppers. The grilled green onions are so yummy. I could eat just those. The peppers were grilled, spicy, hot, super hot and super tasty. Nicely done, you got your own category for being that awesome.
ASADA: 2, yeah, just not very good. They also put their sub par guacamole on there. Tasted almost metallic. When they are cooking it, they are putting butter or something on there that causes the open flame to come up and it really forces an integrity lost on the taste. Bummer
SESOS: 3, didn't blow me away, didn't disappoint. If you've ever wanted to try sesos, this place has good beef execution, check it out.
SUADERO: 4, I'm proud to put a 4 on here. They do a nice job, you should dream about flavors like this.
NOPAL: 2, why? Well, I'll tell you. They were a bit too slimy. The real issue here is it is advertised like it is a taco, which excited me, it comes as a salad, sort of. Really it is nopal on a plate with some salsa and bad guacamole on it.
LENGUA: 5, YES, a 5. A damn well deserved 5. This stuff has it all. Crisp, buttery, soft, flavorful, fun. Yes, I said it, fun. They made this stuff so great. It was different then I normally have it. Texture was on point, flavor was amazing, the color was a bit darker then I normally see, but I would say that you are missing out if you haven't tried this stuff yet.
ADOBADA (PORK): 4, yeah, it is good. Really good. Tasty, crispy, good. Really nice stuff here. Worth eating and bringing your friends to eat. The sauce they put on it is creamy, good, full of flavor.
ADOBADA (BEEF): 5, you did not misread that. It is a 5 on beef pastor. I know, I'm as surprised as you are. This stuff is blow your socks off good. It was the second best thing that I ate tonight. Really tasty. So good. So juicy. Really a must eat. Like, this might make it to my plate for my last meal ever if I find myself on death row. Don't miss out.
BUCHE: 5, the 5 ranking was made for this taco. It might be one of the best tacos I've ever put in my mouth. Juicy, tasty, damnit, there are just so many great things that I can say. I could go on and on. This is wonderful buche. This might be the best pork I've ever had. I implore you to do yourself a favor. Please go to Chula Vista and eat this tastiness. You will want to send me a thank you after you eat this.
GUACAMOLE: 2, San Diegans, what are you doing to avocados to ruin guacamole? Please stop! Avocados deserve better. You need to stop ruining them. I hope that you read this and listen to me.
Whether it was the sopes, the tacos or the peppers, it was a great trip and a great time. As always, I go back to how awesome it is to have great folks, like Ramon to go on these adventures with me. A huge thanks to Luis for not only pointing us in this direction, but for joining us. It is great to get out of work and do something with a great guy like him. No, he does not have to use the restroom in the picture below.
Please check this place out for your own good. It is in Chula Vista, right off the 5 Freeway. H street is the place. Get off the freeway, go East about a quarter of a mile and you will have happy taste buds. One of the better places I've been. I look forward to taking some good people there, hopefully soon. Maybe this is on the list for our big OotT SD trip. Yeah, sound it out, you'll get the letters and what they stand for. It is obvious. Thanks everyone, as always for reading, we are still looking for a logo and your help would be appreciated. STAY EXCELLENT!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment