This is the picturesque background that we get. As nice as that is, how are the tacos? Tried Kobe Beef Tacos at a restaurant. Horrid! Service pretty much everywhere that we have been has been atrocious. We literally walked out of a restaurant after being there for almost two hours and not getting our food. We had to find tacos. We tried asking around, checking what we could on the internet. We got a huge assist from some of the great folks who work in the kitchen at the restaurant that we are opening. They gave us a few places to go, the first mark was El Rey.
I snapped this picture as we were on the road. I know, Josh looks focused, Phil is super excited and Ashley really isn't using her hands to drive. What you don't see, is my beard and Fo. Both were in the car, both were hiding in this photo. Kind of concerning, but this blog would not be written about if I didn't make it back alive. The ride there was full of jokes and stories. The ride back, I don't think that I've laughed that hard in a really long time. I laughed the entire time. We all did. There was tears flowing from everyone's face. If you've ever opened a restaurant, it's like summer camp. You make friends, form bonds, connections and relationships that are special. There is a closeness and comradery that is pretty special. You miss the folks and it is like you've known them forever, even if it is your first opening with them. We lean on each other to help get us through not seeing our families, house, pets, friends.
This is the brave group. Yes, I'm wearing my apron still. We were busy at work, I spent the day working in the kitchen mainly with Phil and Josh. What a great time. Let me make some introductions. Ashley is the one in the green shirt. I'm sure everyone remembers Fo. Philly Cheese Steak went to the vending machine in West Hollywood with me, I'm the guy with the beard and I'm sure that you know Josh. We got to this Taqueria Truck and knew we were in the right place. We ate there and brought food back for the trainers that were left behind. We ate the good stuff, lengua, cabeza, tripa. We brought them back the pollo, asada.
They are a truck. Yes, "just" a taco truck, but they make their own tortillas, and they are fantastic. Really good white corn tortillas. Did I mention that Phil had us laughing hysterically the entire time? He really is a funny dude. The tortillas were light and soft. They were not grainy. I was impressed that they were able to knock out tortillas like that in such a tight space. It took a few minutes longer to get food, but well worth it with the fresh tortillas.
The menu had enough going on, but was simple and perfect for this joint. The Tostada de Camaron was tempting, but we stuck hard to tacos on this trip. I would not be surprised if we found our way back there, so there is probably some tostadas in our future. They have some great variety on meats.
RATINGS:
LENGUA: 2, just too soft. Not the right texture, almost a bit slimy.
CABEZA: 4, pretty delicious. This was solid. The seasoning was great, the texture was on point. I wasn't going to try it, but Phil came through with a big win here. Thanks for Tacoteering hard on this one Phil.
ADOBADA: 3, this was good for Idaho. I don't know if it could really hang as a three in SoCal, the land of Pastor and Adobada. Still, I appreciate the effort, like the texture, maybe a bit heavy on the aciote and clove.
BARBACOA: 3, solid. Nothing that was out of control amazing, but without a doubt something I would order. We brought it back for the folks left behind that we didn't take Tacoteering and they attacked. They did a nice slow roast on the meat, seasoned it well.
TRIPA: 2, this was so close to a three, but it was overcooked and got too crunchy. It is a hard one to make perfect, they made a heck of an effort. I think it was just cut so small that it was easy to overcook.
ASADA: 4, this was really well done. Smaller cuts then I normally prefer, but they marinated and seasoned it well, it was cooked very well, not overdone, and came out juicy and tender. It was even good cold when I ate a left over taco a couple of hours later.
POLLO: 4, yeah, this was the shocker. Really good. It was tender, well seasoned with red pepper flakes and a hint of tomato. I would get this again without a doubt.
Why the Twinkie? It is a mean, malicious inside joke. The Twinkie has been going on adventures and been all over the place. Food was plated well. We had many more tacos then this, but you get the picture. I do think that they need to get more onions and cilantro on there, but I liked it none the less.
Yeah, those shorts were awesome. We had to get a photo of them. This guy was ready to show everyone what he has going on. It wasn't much, but he wanted everyone to see. He's way too young to remember the basketball ear of the early 80's to make it acceptable to sport those in public, heck or private. His fiance was with him, I'm still not convinced that she is not a minor.
This "Captain Morgan" photo happened organically. Really not planned like this, but it happened. We had some fun there, it was a quick trip, but we needed to get back to work! There will be more tacos to come.
Thank you to all who have read, continue to read and tell your friends. Thanks for the re-tweets and re-posts. A huge thanks to Ashley as this was her first time Tacoteering and I don't know if she knew what she was getting into. She ate tacos like a trooper. Yes, usually with a new person I give them the goodbye gratuitous photo. Today you get a gem from the Order of the Taco Instagram. Phil and I wish you the best on your day.
Stay Excellent!
No comments:
Post a Comment