Taqueria El Rey Del Taco, Doraville, GA...100th BLOG

100th post!  Started this little bad boy last July.  We have gone on many adventures, this is our 100th post, so I want to start by thanking everyone for reading, I hope that y'all have enjoyed the adventures as much as I have!

Had a very adventurous trip so far, it now comes to an end as I head back to the City of Angels tomorrow early morning.  Can't think of a better way to wrap this trip up than a great adventure with a great friend and fellow Tacotter, Forrensy.  Fo and I have Tacoteered in a few states and have gone on some great adventures.  Today's did not disappoint.  Nino the KM recommended this spot, and he did well my friends, he did well.  It was a bit of a drive, traffic was horrendous, but it was perfect.  It gave us time to catch up, tell stories, talk about future restaurant openings and taco adventures.

This was our chariot.  Fo's Jeep.  There he is pumping his power!  It was a great ride to and from the Taqueria.  We really did enjoy our time catching up.  It was raining, pretty hard, which I enjoyed.  I have not seen rain in a while.  I live in Los Angeles, we are in a drought, there is not much rain, not much rain at all.

I really appreciate their hours of operation.  They are not afraid to be open and serve delicious food.  Fo said that he has been here in some of the later hours and that the food is just as good and the service is just as great.  Really love what they are doing.

The kitchen is simple and perfect.  They just happily crank the food out and the people working there were great.  All so nice, all so attentive.  It was a really cool experience.  It is amazing how much nicer the experience can be when the people working there are great and don't act like total punks.  I will say that my company was unbelievable.  Fo is a great friend and a great guy.  Fo and I met about a year ago and have done multiple restaurant openings.  We have become quite close and with our good friend Josh Razana lead a great core of trainers to open restaurants.  The Counter is as lucky to have us as we are to have The Counter.  We enjoy working long 12-15 hour days and then enjoy grabbing tacos wherever in the world we might be.  It really helps make the trips most excellent.

I wanted to send this picture of Fo's phone.  OK, not really, that just happens to be in the shot.  They come to your table with three delicious salsas, chips and a cup of limes.  I don't know if there is a better set-up for Tacoteers.  This was perfect.  The chips were good, they did not fry them there, but they did not taste cheap or stale, they were really damn good.  It was nice.  Lets get to it!
RATINGS:
BUCHE: 2, this was not very good.  It was not cooked very well.  The seasoning was pretty solid, but the cooking of it sucked.  It was boiled, not grilled or sauteed afterwards.  It did not get the time and attention needed.
BARBACOA: 3, not too bad.  It was solid.  Seasoned well, not overdone, shredded nicely.  Some small bones in it, but that really doesn't faze me, good barbacoa should still have some small bones.
SUADERO: 3, oh this is so close to a 4.  It is good, but I think back to Tacos el Gordo in Chula Vista and it makes this a 3.  I would order it again, it is good, tender and cut nicely.
LENGUA: 4, this was tender goodness.  I really like this.  I would recommend this to any lengua lover.  It is really good stuff.  Not too much seasoning, you really get to taste the meat and it is good.  Texture was on point.
ASADA: 4, on flippin point!  This was good.  Tender, tasty, seasoned nicely.  This was very well taken care of.  They got good meat, the did not over season it, but they did season it enough.  I was a big fan and if you like asada, are looking for a great starter taco if you are young in your Tacoteering, this might be the perfect taco for you.
PASTOR: 4, holy goodness, this was close to a 5.  Really close.  This is almost RT good.  Perfectly seasoned, crispy but not hard, sweet but not too sweet.  There was more than just a light hint of pineapple, but it was perfection on that point.  It really made me smile.
TABLE SALSA: 4, this was so good.  Might be a little, just slightly spicy for the average eater, but so damn good, I couldn't get enough!
JALEPENO SALSA: 4, this is not as good as mine, but really tasty.  Their texture was perfect, they need to boil it a little longer, not add so much milk and this could be a 5.  Really good.  I loved it mixed with the table salsa on my chips, try it, you'll be happy!!!
HABENERO SALSA: 4, this was good.  Not my cup of tea so to speak, but a balanced salsa with great flavors, I approve, and we all know that is important.

The grilled onions on top were stellar.  Not too much, not overdone, but so damn tasty.  The tortillas were made in the restaurant.  They would fall slightly apart, but they were so tasty.  They were some of the best tortillas that I have.  They were not as good as Chef Zadi's, but if I were to rate, his were a 5, theirs are a 4.  Very nicely done and it really made the tacos that much better.  The tacos were also huge.  You could get the store tortilla tacos for $1.10 or the handmade tacos which were huge for $2.  LOVE IT!  Totally worth it.

Very special thanks to Forrensy.  He is a great guy, great friend and one hell of a Tacoteer.  This was a stellar adventure, not just because of the tacos, but because I got to see a great friend.  We missed Josh, but still had fun.  I'm the lucky one, I get to see Josh often, I'll see him before the week is out!

Thank you to everyone for reading, re-posting and re-tweeting.  I'm shocked an humbled by how this thing has grown in the last year.  It really is awesome and makes it even better for me everyday.  Thank you so much.

Today's goodbye photo is of Fo and my bringing out the sillier side of Tacoteering.  If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen the photo, but here it is, us toasting the 100th blog and a great adventure with smiles!

STAY EXCELLENT!!!!!!

Taqueria Taquito Express, Roswell, GA

Yeah, this is a quickie, you know you all like them.  I was just picking up some bananas and apples from a gas station.  I'm on the road, don't judge.  I had dinner.  I was not hungry.  I saw this and could not say no.  My Taco Destiny brought me to this BP.  Anyways, it was what it was.  I am a fan of the car wash/gas station taco.  Anyways.  I had to get two.  They recommended pastor and asada.

This is the entire operation.  You are seeing it all.  Promising, right?  Here's the reality.  Salty.  They just cover up everything with sodium, no thanks.  They both get a 2.  The salsas are a three.  You are getting a quick short blog.  I do these often and don't write about it, but feel compelled to let you know that this happens if you don't know.

Here's the spread.  Yeah, that is it.  They put the right stuff on there.  I'm back in my hotel room, but wow.  I'm sad.  I couldn't finish that much salt.  The tortillas were not too good.  I'm excited.  Tomorrow I'm going out with the great Fo!  Fo and I are hitting a place that I'm told is fantastic and legendary.  Here's the thing, tacos are everywhere.  Search them out.  I do.  I'll let you know where to go.  Thanks for reading!

Stay Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!

El Rinconcito Del Sabor, Sterling, VA

If you are in the mid-Atlantic and looking for a place that is playing loud Spanish love songs, I have found the place.  Wow, this place was interesting.  With cafeteria style seating.

Yeah, here is your spot.  They feature Newman's Own salad dressing?  No, they do, it just didn't really fit.  It was strange.  I will say that the glares, eye rolling and extreme hatred for folks who are not Hispanic was obvious.  The food, was not bad.  My company was great.  I got to go with Matt and Jeffrey.  Jeffrey and I worked all day, Matt was enjoying a day off and we decided to do some Tacoteering.

Blurry, right?  Yeah, I do apologize, I was trying to get a quick action shot, and I did.  Nailed it!  We each ordered the same thing, they got Coke's I stuck with nothing to drink.  I was not intrigued by the beverage selection and was so uncomfortable ordering with the weird look on her face when she found out that I could order in Spanish.  Even the bathroom mirror was strange.  It was so low.

How's that for a selfie?  It made me feel like a giant.  Our ride there was great.  Matt was making jokes that I'm too tall and that he would have to open the sunroof of his car for me to fit.  I got a great picture of his profile while driving.

We had a great time just the three of us catching up for a few minutes.  Matt's beard looks great in this photo.  I miss it already.  I was so excited to see one of the New Jersey Rubber Ducky's on Matt's dashboard.

They became a special part of our New Jersey opening team.  I still have a number of them and have one from my trip this last week to bring home.  They became our little friend's.  The hotel had a ton of them and they would just show up in our rooms.  When they didn't, we would go and get them.

The menu really wasn't bad.  Pretty neat stuff, not overdoing it, but decent options.  I was happy to see some nice stuff on there.  Everyone eating in there seemed pretty happy.  I can tell you, the food was not too shabby, the people, well, that was a different story.  The people working there were rough.  The people eating there were great.  The kitchen there was small and efficient.  I was happy to see them utilizing the space well and not trying to be too big, because that would cause them to lose identity.

You see the whole kitchen right there.  Pretty darn neat if you ask me.  Food came out quickly.  Lets get to it.
RANKINGS:
POLLO: 3, this was pretty basic.  Not bad, but nothing to write home about.  It was good, not amazing.  Seasoning was good and I was happy, many places overcook chicken, it makes it tough and that bothers me.
ASADA: 3, again, pretty textbook.  Nothing that made me excited, but nothing that was bed.  It was slightly on the tough side, but the seasoning was solid.
LENGUA: 3, this was probably the best that we ate there.  It was good, really interesting seasoning, but nothing that got me excited enough for a 4.  Paprika was prevalent on this bad boy.  I did like it and next time, if there happens to be one will order three lengua tacos.
PUPUSA: 3, again, nothing amazing, but good.  This almost tasted not handmade, but it was.  It was perfectly round, which I've never seen.  They were a good size.  Nice and big, cheese was good, I did like it.

Not a bad looking spread.  The tacos were pretty big, which they should be for $2.59 a piece!  Yeah, that is even on the "combo" plate that I ordered.

This place echos what I always say, it is not what or where you are eating, but who you are eating with.  I'm really fortunate that it was with two awesome, great guys that I get to work with.  I'm really glad that I got one hour to spend with these two guys.  I really enjoy getting to build the relationships that I do.  They are excellent operators and are helping us grow the business, if we get to eat some tacos along the way, we are even more lucky, so today, we were even more lucky!  Huge thanks to Jeffrey and Matt for joining me tonight here in VA.

Thank you to everyone for reading and telling your friends.  This has been a really great month so far for the blog and last month, our one year anniversary was pretty righteous in itself, so thank you!

Today's gratuitous, goodbye photo is of hot sauce.  They were so mean and saying so many mean things, it may have made it to the car to be enjoyed later on something.  Just so you know, as I'm sure you do, I love hot sauce, and this is one of the ones I really do love and enjoy.

Stay Excellent!

Fiesta Hut, East Rutherford, CA

New Jersey, you just did it to me again.  I just do not have much good luck with New Jersey Tacoteering.  I often at least have great company, but flew solo tonight.  Fiesta Hut has been on my hit list for a bit.  It is closed Monday's, which is why I missed it last time I was out here.  I was surprised on my experience after the fairly solid Yelp.  Be careful, be wary, that is a deceptive score my friends.  Seriously, I don't really know where to start.

Unassuming entrance here.  I think it bodes well when I see an enterance like this, I got pretty excited.  The excitement ended pretty shortly once I got in there.  I stood there for a good five minutes before anyone greeted me and then they told me to sit wherever I wanted to.  I took the only small table left in the restaurant and waited for a while before anyone came over.  They came by, dropped off some chips and salsa and the lady walked away.  Eight minutes later she came by and asked if I wanted anything to drink.  I ordered a water no ice.  That took another 4 minutes to get.  She walked by my table about 5 times over the next 15 minutes until she took my order.  Wow, I felt like they wanted me in there.

I had a lot of time to look at this bad boy.  I was taken back at how pricey it was for the place.  It had horrific ambiance.  No music was playing and the acoustics were an abomination.  I could hear everything every table was discussing.  The couple behind me was talking about their daughter and the extreme hatred for her boyfriend and her work decisions.  The mother and daughter a few tables over were arguing because the daughter believes that unemployment is great because she could go six months without working if her company fires her.  Her mom did not agree.  There was a family of five a few more tables away that were all on their phones and when they did talk it was all small talk referring to the normal family conversations that no one else should be a part of.  The table in the back corner was discussing how both couples were enjoying time away from their kids and how they need to get out like that more often.  The other table had a son cursing at his parents, teenager, and it was just downright sad to listen to.  There was absolutely no privacy.  It really took away from the horrible meal, but sadly, not enough.

I went off of what she reccomended for a first timer to make me want to come back again tomorrow night or Friday night.  BIG MISTAKE
RATINGS:
CHEESE ENCHILADA: 3, this was by far the best part.  It was creamy, cheesy.  The sauce was OK, but from a can.  The cheese tasted like American Cheese extra Melt.
PORK TOSTADA: 1, this might have been the worst "pork" I've had in sometime.  I love cinnamon.  If you've had my Mexican food, I often utilize cinnamon.  Especially in my beans, but they just doused this pork with it.  There was no balance.  If not for that, it might have been OK?
CHICKEN TACO: 1, first off, I ordered a corn, soft taco.  I got lettuce, cheese and boiled chicken in a fried shell.  Bummer!  It had zero flavor.  I love boiled chicken.  I usually make my chicken tacos with it, but it has flavor.  They boiled it in water, no seasoning, no citrus, nothing.  It was boring meat.  YUCKY!
BEANS: 1, no flavor, nasty, overcooked.  TO THE BITE PEOPLE!  You cooked the flavor out of it.
RICE: 1, how hard is it to follow the instructions on the box?  Really?  It was not good, lacked flavor and was strangely sticky.
TABLE SALSA: 1, this was just despicable.  The first bowl I had was crazy spicy, thought it had promise.  I asked for a second bowl, it just did not have the balance it should.  The second bowl was crazy mild, "same salsa" but tasted like ketchup.  That just made me want to gag.  DISGUSTING!!!

Doesn't even look really appetizing.  Service did not save this experience either.  Did I finish the meal?  NO WAY!  I felt like I needed to vomit, but didn't eat that much, it was not tasty, not good and not acceptable.  The menu states "Authentic Mexican Food."  Let me reiterate, they lied.

I'm sorry for all the caps and yelling in this blog, but this was about as bad of an experience as I've had.  I really miss CA.  I'm hoping that this trip can bring some redemption to my palate which is sad and hurting tonight.  I don't go to DC until Saturday morning, but am apprehensive about Tacoteering until I leave the NY/NJ area after tonight, it was that disappointing.  Oh, and to put salt in the womb, that cost $17!!!  Yeah, I had to pay $17 to have that poor of an experience.

Thank you for reading, re-posting, re-tweeting and eating tacos.  I hope that everyone has better taco experiences tonight and tomorrow than I did.  Be careful friends, there are bad tacos out there still...

Tonight's gratuitous photo is of some flowers I saw on my way to the rental car.  They were pretty and that made my beard and I happy and gave us something sweet to focus on.

Stay Excellent.

Taco ethnography: North African tacos at Los Originales Tacos Arabes de Puebla; Chef Farid Zadi

This was just the site.  This is not where we ate.  I mean, I wanted to, but we were there to eat Chef Zadi's master creation.  He was making North African Tacos and the brave Tacoteers that were with me had to try.  Mike, Dara and Charlotte Phillips, Nikki D, Melissa, Alexander, Eleni and the Juggernaut went down to Boyle Heights and had to see what these flavors were all about.  We were delighted not just by the tacos, but by the overwhelming amazing personality of a great guy, Chef Zadi.  If you are not following this guy on Twitter, it's time to start.  He sets up camp all around LA and delights palates with unparalleled flavors and original cooking treats.  When we found out he was doing tacos, there was no resisting.  We were introduced to flavors that were different then we were use to but so delectable.  One of the great things about Tacoteering is how I get the opportunity to try so many different styles, flavors and things in so many places.  The thing that makes that even better, like I've said many times is the people I get to do it with.

It matters more who you are eating with than what or where you are eating.  This adventure was a huge win on all three fronts!  Especially the who part!!!  Eleni is a bit too much like her father and did not want to be in the photo.  She was standing behind me rubbing my back as I took this photo of everyone.  No, we were not near or in a prison, just in the beautiful Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles in East LA.  It is great to see these smiling happy taco full faces.  I again must say that I'm lucky to have such amazing friends with me.  Mike and Nikki are two of my oldest and closest friends and everyone in this photo represents what a great family I get to be a part of.  The enthusiasm that we all have doing things together is great.  We all just really have fun together and enjoy all the adventures we get to go on, whether it is volunteering at the church for festival, going to a party at someone's house or a late night Tacoteering adventure in East LA.

Chef Zadi is a master of his craft.  He was working the line, telling people what the tacos were all about and where they came from.  He was in full teacher mode and it was great that he also had his wife and two kids there.  They were helping, working and having fun.  Seeing families that are together like that is so cool.  I loved seeing them all gathered around.  The chef was working his pans, seasoning his meat and making sure that everything was served correctly.

As busy as he was, he took the time to talk to Alexander and all of us.  He shared his passion, his vision, his knowledge and his taco genius with all of us.  He was telling Alexander about where he grew up, where his family is from and how he is able to bring so many flavors and cultures together all on one plate.  It was such an amazing experience for all of us, especially these young, growing, impressionable minds.  All three of my kids, including the stand-offish younger ones gave him three hugs and a kiss before we left because he was so warm, inviting and wonderful to everyone.  It really was a treat and the icing on the cake for a great Tacoteering adventure.

RATINGS:
CAULIFLOWER: 3, I know you are thinking it would be higher, but it was good.  It did not blow my tongue away with uniqueness.  I am a big cauliflower fan, so I was excited to try his cauliflower version.  For sure not bad, for sure I'd love to eat it again, but not unique enough to gain a higher rating from me.
POLLO: 5, is this my first pollo 5?  It was really good.  Flavors that I'm not familiar with, tenderness that was unmatched.  Really impressed me the way that it looked, tasted, smelled and how it all came together.
LAMB: 5, yeah, I liked it that much.  Melissa liked it, but did not love it like I did.  I really felt like he just harnessed in so many unique flavors and shot them onto taco excellence.  There was a hint of almost gaminess and that just made it even better, raw good flavors that were not overdone, but not spices were not underutilized.
SHAKSHOUKA: 5, I'll be totally honest, I did not know how to rate this.  I had not heard of it, tried it or know anything about it until I read this article about his set-up for tonight.  Shakshouka is a spiced pepper, tomato, egg and onion mixture.  It sounds so basic, easy and normal, but it was something special.  We all really enjoyed this.  It was tasty and fun.  It was so unique to my regular Tacoteering and I'm so glad I am now acquainted with it.
SALSAS/SAUCES: 5, this is a slam dunk 5.  The avocado sauce was thick and different with a nice sweet flavor.  His mild sauces were both balanced with a delicious, rich explosion of flavor.  His two spicy salsa were super duper good.  His orange habanero is one of the three best salsas I've ever eaten and I kept running back for more.  It was hot.  Super, spicy hot and so damn delicious!

Yeah, that is a spread!  Great looking food.  They really packed those tortillas with meat.  They also were using a really nice sweet corn tortilla.  The texture on it was amazing.  The variety of sauces and salsas were most excellent.  We had to try a bit of everything of course and I was impressed that Alexander ate and tried everything.  Who knew we are all such fans of shakshouka?  Yeah, I know, didn't know I loved this stuff so much!  Creative flavors, passion, talent.  Chef brought it all together.  There was some delightful marinated cucumbers, freshly chopped cilantro, hand chopped diced onions and an unbelievable, tasty slaw!  It was not toppings for your tacos, it was a necessary supplement to a great meal!

Thank you everyone for reading.  Thanks for the follows, re-posts, re-tweets and sending to your friends and families!  Don't forget to find me on Twitter and Instagram, both are just Order of the Taco!

If you are looking for Chef Zadi, check out his website at www.chefzadi.com.  Hunt him out, eat his food, support a master of his craft!  He sets up around LA, find him, it is a great date night or family outing that is something a little different then just going out to dinner or to some crazy big venue.  It's a casual fun time and if you are crazy enough not to be obsessed with tacos, he does all sorts of foods on different weekends and at different times.

Today's goodbye, gratuitous photo is Alexander and the Chef.  He spent a great deal of time speaking with and joking with him and I know it was an unbeatable experience for Alexander.  Great thank you to Chef Zadi!

Stay Excellent!

JR Tacos, Happy 1 Year Birthday Anastasia Eleftheriades

Each story has a different time, a different perspective pending on who the person is telling the story and how the people reading it view it.  This blog, to many is about a birthday party for a sweet young lady and a taco truck from an excellent family that is tied back to our community at Saint Nicholas.

Yes, there is a photo bomb from my oldest son Alexander.  He was spinning around in his wheelchair and I didn't catch that he was in the picture until later.  The set up is for JR Tacos.  Raul Meza helps work at our church in Northridge, CA.  He also runs a great taco truck and does parties at people's houses.  This is not the first time this year that I've had the opportunity to eat his great food.  They do it all.  They show up with the food, cook it onsite, have the paper products for you to use and it is a great little set up.  Contact information will be at the bottom of this blog in case you are ready to use him for a shin dig or party that you have going on soon.

To me, much of this story starts with that amazing father swimming with the birthday girl.  George Eleftheriades and I met many years ago at summer camp in Greece.  We were at Ionian Village together in the summer of 1994.  We were inseparable out there.  We shared a bunk, would sneak out of the cabin at night and go to the beach.  We were able to sneak beer back to the camp and stay up too late while suffering the headache consequences the next morning.  George and I took every adventure even hiding in other people's hotel rooms and running around the hotel when we were told we had to go to sleep.  It was a great time in both of our lives.  Sadly, summer ended, and so did our time at Ionian Village.  George went back to Brooklyn, I came back to Los Angeles.  It is hard when you are that young, awkward age to have a friend, grow so close and then it is like you will never see them again.

THESE PRETZELS ARE MAKING ME THIRSTY!  If you don't get the reference, just ignore and keep on reading, I feel bad that you don't, we're about to go back to your regularly scheduled programming...George and I just understood each other.  We were the same age, well, we still are, we had fun and similar struggles, challenges and shared a similar cultural background.  We decided that we would keep in touch.  Prior to the days of blogs and Facebook, we wrote letters and mailed them back and forth.  We would very regularly for years write letters.  I was lucky enough to go to NYC the next year, we got to hang out, it was great.  We continued to write letters, got on the phone a few times, but as I said, there was no Facebook or Twitter or chat stuff that there is now, we lost touch.  I will say that years later I tried finding him on Facebook, Google all those search engines.  I really looked to see if I could find him when I was in New York so much.  I would think back to the great friend and guy that he is.  I'm fortunate to have many wonderful connections and people that have been in and are in my life, but I always do want more and hate losing one of the greats.

Now that you know some of the back story, you are probably wondering how I ended up at George's daughter's first birthday party 20 years later.  About a month ago as I was at church enjoying the Divine Liturgy.  A family walked in and began speaking to Dara, Mikey, Melissa and saying hi to the kids.  I glanced over and continued to ignore people, like I do.  As they kept talking, I looked back over and began staring at this guy.  It became an uncomfortable glare.  Dara and Melissa asked me what was wrong, but I was rendered speechless.  He than walked around over to where I was holding his beautiful daughter and asked me my name.  Before I could answer he was trapped in a bear hug that had to have been uncomfortable to anyone who was watching.  His wife, Belinda, Dara and Melissa were all quite confused.  After all this time, he had moved to Los Angeles and is living less than 10 miles from me.  What a great thing to have each other back in our lives.  It is great that after all these years, it is like no time has gone by, we have similar interests and will get to raise our children together.

That story is much of what I will remember of this party, but I know you Taco Enthusiasts want to know all about the adventure of the tacos and the party, I must give the people what they want!

What a great turnout of people excited to celebrate one year of life for such a sweet girl!  A few beers, some great people and tacos really made this hot afternoon great.  It was nice meeting so many people that shared the love for a great young lady with a wonderful family.

There is my sweet goddaughter Charlotte who made it to the party.  The question is, is Sophie State sleeping on the job, or is it just creative timing on this Tacoteer's part?  I will let you be the judge of what is going on here.  As you can see, many of us are watching to make sure that Charlotte is in good hands.  Was she dehydrated?  Can't be, there was a ton of water going around to make sure everyone stayed good on this hot summer day.  We don't know what the excuse for this is, but if you see her, feel free to ask her what was going on here.

Look at the sweet birthday girl and her mommy!  They are trying to beat the heat and are getting ready to eat some amazing tacos.  How can you not want tacos for a party?  I mean, even at one year old Anastasia knows that tacos are the best thing for a party.  How do you not know?  Why are you not having a taco truck at your party?  Maybe these ratings can help motivate you to do the right thing.
RATINGS:
BEANS: 3, refried beans, they can be pretty amazing, but these are pretty average, but I think exactly what you would expect for a party and a truck like this.
RICE: 3, good old Mexican Style rice.  The Juggernaut ate the heck out of the rice.  It was well flavored, not too salty, but brought some goodness to the meal.
SALSA VERDE: 2, this was the saddest part of the taco experience for me.  It really was so mainstream that it did not excite me.  It is probably good for the party scene, but I felt that it lacked the depth and flavor that is needed for a great salsa verde.  Maybe some more cumin and citrus would have brought a smile to my face.
SALSA ROJO: 3, pretty standard goodness right here.  I like it much spicier, but like I said, party salsa, the masses must eat it.  It is good stuff, you will like it, layered flavors, nice smokiness.
POLLO: 4, that is amazing to me for a truck to get above a three.  This was really tender, really flavorful, nice color to it, but not over seasoned.  Cooked all the way through, but so darn juicy.  Just enough chili powder and a hint of garlic really made this a surprise treat on a hot day.
ASADA: 3, exactly what you would, should expect.  They did a nice job, it is textbook truck asada here my friends.  You know what you are getting.
PASTOR: 4, would this get a 4 off a truck if I'm food trucking?  No.  Would it get it if in a restaurant?  No.  But for what this is, it was great.  Nice hints of clove, aciote cooked to tender perfection.  The texture was great on this one.  I was surprising pleased.  I will warn you that it was a little greasy, but that just made it better for all of us who enjoyed it!

Great spread here, yeah I got two pastors and two asadas to start!  Well worth it.  They let you go through the line, add some lime, cilantro, onions radish and salsa.  Makes it a nice little choose your own adventure.

Here's a picture of a young Tacoteer in his natural habitat.  He is carefully examining the tortilla and has a mixture of rice and pollo ready to be placed in before he skillfully attacks that taco.  If you don't know who that is, it is my youngest son, Jason the Juggernaut.  He is great and adventurous in eating as long as his big sister doesn't talk him out of it, which she commonly does!  He went through a couple of tortillas, a little chicken, but a ton of rice!

What a great day and what a great adventure.  It was wonderful getting to spend time with Anastasia and everyone excited to celebrate her birthday!  Proud of this sweet one year old.  Thank you to everyone for reading, telling people, re-tweeting, re-posting and indulging me as I go back in time with stories of childhood friendships that transform into the amazing relationships that they are today.  I do encourage everyone to eat more tacos, you are missing out if you are not eating them regularly already!  To find JR Tacos:
PHONE: (818) 730-9417
EMAIL: rmezatacos@gmail.com

Today's gratuitous photo is a photo of George and I from years ago at Ionian Village.  I'll let you guess who is who, the only hint is that I did not have my beard with me then! Thanks for reading.

STAY EXCELLENT!!!