What is this food "revolution" all about? Is it the ranting of a crazy old chef? Is it someone trying to use strong words to entice you to come to his restaurant? What's going on? I had to go find out for myself. I know Chef Zadi, that is no secret. I've gone to street side tacos in Boyle Heights, East LA and enjoyed late night meals on the side of the street, but what is he doing on Jefferson not too far from USC inside an actual restaurant? I was at work, doing some store visits with Amy. She's been Tacoteering before, so you should know her. Anyways, we decided that we were going to grab lunch and I was determined to try this place. I've been talking about it since it opened. I was in Saudi Arabia when the doors opened and didn't get back until a couple of weeks later. I have been busy and not in that area as much. Being that we were in Downtown LA and headed to Culver City, the opportunity presented itself. As per the norm, we rocked out to some serious Elvis Radio the whole time we were driving!!
The building itself is unassuming, but don't think for a second that the tacos are. The plain style of the building is perfect. It is clean, nicely set-up and very welcoming. If you look closely, you can see Amy contemplating her taco choices for the day.
What do you eat in this joint? It says tacos, the chef, Chef Farid Zadi is of Algerian decent, born in the Rhone region France, it is in a neighborhood flooded with fried food options and quick eats. This guy has been teaching culinary students for years. His wife is Korean, really where are they going with this food? What's the inspiration? What flavors are they going for? Many great chef's I know, including the amazing and unparalleled Yellow Chocolate, have spent time learning from Chef Zadi. I'll show you the menu so that you can see what you think.
Menu is interesting. It looks like it is almost overwhelming, but it is not. The menu has some great options but is not too much. They stick to great stuff. If you don't know or don't understand, this guy can cook. He can cook really damn great. The menu has the options of breakfast type stuff and of course the tacos, quesadillas, burritos, kids meals, it has options. I love that they have great vegetarian options to go along with perfectly seasoned meats. The first question is, what did I think of the food? How did it rank?
RANKINGS:
SHAKSHOUKA: 5, this breakfast style taco combines some great flavors of slow cooked eggs, sweet peppers and tomatoes. It is sweet, and delicious. He knows how to cook eggs. So many people turn the head up and don't allow the protein to properly cook, well done Chef, well done.
CILANTRO YOGURT CHICKEN: 5, this is as good as it sounds. With the Greek Heritage I love to marinate chicken in yogurt, with my LA roots I love cilantro on everything!
CHARRED VEGGIES: 5, you just can't go wrong with this taco. It is good stuff. The veggies are charred just enough to extract and intensify the sugars in them, but they are not burnt at all. They have a nice sweet flavor to them and pair perfectly, probably the best of all the tacos with the tortillas which were second to none.
BLACK EYED PEA FALAFEL: 5, I think this is my number 2 of all of them. This was a delightful treat. Such a great idea and a nice treat. The falafel was so good. Packed with flavor, great texture as you could tell it was properly mixed but not over beaten. There is a light spice on the end that really was the treat as far as I'm concerned.
CHICK PEA TAGINE: 3, why was the rating lower than the rest? It's just my taste. This stuff was good, by far one of the more creative, for sure it was tasty, but in my humble opinion was not as knock your socks off good as the other tacos. The moisture in this taco also ate into the delicious tortilla a little bit. The chick peas were well cooked. A bit al dente which gave it some nice texture. I think that I would have liked it a little more if the peas were mashed into a hummus and spread on the tortilla.
BEEF BRISKET: 5, this is a nice twist on a more "traditional" taco for LA. You'll enjoy the smoky flavor and great texture on this meat. It is something nice. You should be expecting some greatness here, it sure did deliver when I was there.
SMOKED LAMB: 5, this was my favorite. Not just because I love lamb, but because there was so much flavor, so much depth and texture that is really unmatched. There was layers of smoky flavor with subtle salt and a buttery finish that was just unreal. I will dream about this taco.
Stuff looks great! His presentation is simply perfect. He doesn't try to distract you with silliness, he doesn't try to over do it as many chefs do, he keeps it simple, perfect and focuses on the flavors, not the useless flair. Don't misunderstand, there is attitude and style, just no unnecessary frills.
Salsa descriptions are great. They are accurate. I enjoyed all of the salsas that he had, the hot is HOT! I loved it. It went on everything that I ate. He has some chips set there for you to try. These are not chips like you are use to getting, these were like chips from the heavens. They were so delicious. They were just perfect in every way. Made in house, lightly salted, not over fried, but not chewy. Like I've said, this guy knows what he's talking about.
Great looking salsa table. It is inviting and enticing! We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to get there when they were slow, so we got to bring the salsa to the table, which was very helpful for my hot salsa needs. These salsas are a compliment, not a garnish. They are enhancing the flavor, not covering up food like salsas sometimes are. It is a nice change of pace to what some places do.
Yes, we had some dessert. When the owner insists you try something, you try it. Well I am so happy that I did! I am not a dessert fan. It is not something that I am looking for. I like the spice, I like the earlier courses, not desserts. Sweets just don't do it for me, this however was an exception. This was an exception that I'm so glad that I made. They were Algerian Samsas. He makes them with cashews and serves them with blood orange jam. I dare you to go and not try these bad boys. They combine sweet, with savory, oh goodness!
Have the questions been answered from earlier? I think they have. Chef Zadi and his family are starting a revolution. They are taking the stand that food can be great, good for you and different. I'm such a fan of the traditional taco, there is not hiding or denying that, I would never want to. I will say that this place does it so similarly but different. The business of my schedule has not given me an opportunity to sit down with Chef and discuss what he sees coming or how he views the revolution, but I can tell you that I see great things coming. I see this restaurant as a challenge to so many others. The Zadi family is showing us great ways to eat traditional LA foods in a slightly different way. The more people that go here, the more people will join. This is the kind of place that challenges your taste buds and forces you to try new things that you will want again and again.
Thank you to all for reading. Please go and check this joint out. It is a one of a kind type of place. There are a lot of great taco stands, carts, trucks, everything out there. This one is unique. It is not going to be what you think, I hope that I gave you enough of a glimpse to help you understand. Please re-tweet, re-post and let people know about what is going on right by the Adam's District in Los Angeles. This place is getting some pretty serious press, my blog is nothing impressive, but hopefully it helps reach a few more people! If you are bored, follow me on Twitter and Instagram, I post silly stuff and tacos, tacos are the serious part, the rest is pretty crazy. It is a great way to find out where I am and what I'm doing, cause I know all of you care...
Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is one of those photos that I love to catch and the people in them hate. I'm sorry, I just can't help it. The picture is of Susan, Chef Zadi's beautiful wife. She is always so sweet and wonderful. She has a great smile and remembered me as soon as I walked in the door and gave me such a warm greeting.
Stay Excellent!
