Casa de Tacos, Canoga Park, CA

Casa de Tacos.  How did we end up here?  Doctor Uncle Paul, Smoky Alex Z and a I were on our way to Outlaw's in Van Nuys.  We got a call and had to run up to the bar.  While we were there we realized that we didn't have enough time to get to Outlaw's.  I had to be back to bar-tend and get delicious beer to thirsty people.

www.crazyharrysbar.com.  You need to come and check the place out.  It really is amazing.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  It really is an awesome joint.  Anyways,  When we knew that we had lost some time, we decided to go somewhere closer, this led us to Casa de Tacos.  A number of regulars at the bar had told me I had to try this joint.  I'll save you the suspense, they were correct.

Tile was nice, place is small and quaint.  They don't waste space.  The joint really does look nice and delivers with the food.  The guys working there were ok, but nothing special.  If they had some real customer service, I think this joint would be close to unstoppable.

Menu is good.  Plenty to choose from, but nothing overwhelming.  They don't overdo it trying to cover every meat.  That is nice to see!  The meats they do, they did a nice job with.
RATINGS:
ASADA: 4, 
CARNITAS: 5, this might be my favorite carnitas.  Close to perfection.  It is right on point.  So moist and delicious.  I strongly recommend that you go and try this stuff.
PASTOR: 3,
TRIPAS: 4,
BUCHE: 4, 
LENGUA: 4, this was Alexander's favorite.  The sad part is that we went to order another one, Alexander's request, they were out.  Good stuff, texture on point, flavorful, worth having.
CABEZA: 4, tasted like lamb.  This was a delicious treat that caught me a little bit off guard.  Texture was right on point.
POLLO: 4, this had a red sauce that it was cooked in and it took the chicken from a 3 to a 4.  This stuff was good.  Moist, tender and packed with flavor and a light spice.
MILANESA: 3, 

Flavors were on point.  Their tortillas were good, not to tough, but could handle the meat just fine.  Food came out timely.  They got a bit busy and kept the pace, which is cool.  Another neat thing is that they cook right behind the counter.  They have a prep area in back, but you can see them preparing the food.  I enjoy the show, thinks it gives a lone tacoteer something to do that doesn't involve Facebook while they wait for their tacos.

Thank you for continuing to follow the blog.  I know I haven't been posting as much, been really busy getting the bar going and consulting.  I have traveled minimally so no exciting destination tacos.  The really nice part about that is there are so many awesome taco places in the Los Angeles area that I can hit!

I couldn't not make this the gratuitous/goodbye photo.  Alexander and his amazing Uncle.  They are such great buddies and it is so great to have a young man have the love and trust that he has with his uncle.  They were so excited to have the same new trucker hats on and sport the bar out at lunch.  It is even better that they both love Tacoteering.  Here is the two of them hanging out enjoying some tacos!

Stay Excellent!

Queries Tacos Way, Northridge, CA

Wanted to try this place for a while.  They just moved into this spot.  Mario, a regular at the bar kept telling me to go and try it.  He does their apparel, go buy some.  Brandon and I have been talking about this and we finally pulled the trigger.  Jason and I had gone swimming and he ended up falling asleep.

So what do we do.  We have Tacoteering plans and the third of the three amigos is out.  We set up his car seat, first time a car seat has been in Uncle Brando's sweet ride.

 He still did not wake up.  Jason was out hard.  He went from being so excited to go tacoteering to sleeping without moving.  We were excited.  We've read, we've driven by and we've heard nothing but great things.  The tables are cool.  We did like that.

Table was sweet.  Jason loved sitting next to it!

The sleeping continued.  We got to the place and Jason decided to get in a few more winks while at the restaurant.  He didn't last long in the chair, he wanted to sit with his dad, I sure didn't mind.

Isn't it great to see how happy he is?  He is loving this trip so far.  Either way, he did really enjoy the quesadilla.  Can you see the shared excitement that we have.  It might have been the best quesadilla I've ever had, not made at home.  Yes, you read it, this is a 5.  While we're at it, lets do the ratings:
RATINGS:
ASADA: 3, good, nothing amazing.  This middle of the road stuff was good, worth having again , but it won't make you want to sound the horns with excitement.
PASTOR: 2, why is this so low?  It was just ok.  It didn't impress me and as I was tacographicdreaming about other pastor, this just didn't do it for me.  It was hard to identify.
POLLO: 4, I can't tell you what flavors made it stand out, but it really did stand out.  Smooth and it became almost creamy with the cheese, guac and spices.  I also might be on a chicken kick lately.
CHORIZO: 4, I do not like chorizo.  It's not very good to me in general, however, this was amazing.  I love this stuff.  Try it.  Clove, flavors that were earthy, but not over the top.  Worth having.
CARNITAS: 3, pretty run of the mill, but pretty good.  You'll like it but it won't give you an amazing tacogasam.
CABEZA: 3,  I like it, I don't love it.  They should probably cook about five more minutes.  I'm a fan of the less cooked food, but this needed an extra couple of minutes.
LENGUA: 4, this stuff was nice.  Texture was on point, flavor was really good.  It melted nicely in with the cheese, try it.
SALSA BAR: 4, they get a four because of their spice and balance.  They do a nice job on the salsas.

What a great looking spread.  This stuff is some great stuff.  I've been a fan of the Mulita for a long time.  Not many places make it, but these guys make it pretty amazing.  How do you not love a taco with melted cheese and guacamole?  They do a nice job.  They crisp the tortillas nice without burning them.

So the food did not end with the mulitas.  We had an amazing beverage.   We shared this bad boy.  If you go, and you are over 21, you should try this.  It is super tasty.  Brandon is not into the tomato thing and he still loved this.  We did get two straws and shared this like Lady and the Tramp.

I've read a lot of knocks on the service, especially on Yelp.  Our service was solid.  Really solid.  The girls was sweet and attentive.  It was great to have such great service.  I am thinking that people were frustrated in the first few days of being open.  That is common, you've got to give them a chance to get settled.  My advice, give them another shot!  Check out their menu, that might entice you.

Not a bad looking menu.  Look at the variety without going overboard.  They do a nice job of giving options of the same great stuff.  I do think this place has staying power.  Give them a shot if you didn't love them, come try them if you haven't.  Support the little guy getting off the ground.  The food is good, our service was solid, worth going to if you ask me, I'll be back and I can assure you it is a huge upgrade from Anna's that use to be there.

This was a great adventure with a great friend and of course Jason the Juggernaut.  It was an added awesome surprise that Melissa showed up and joined us.

Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of Brandon.  Uncle Brando is a favorite of my kids.  They love him.  He's so great with them and is a great support of Melissa and I as we are taking this bar scene on.  We did some great marketing and got some real ideas going and in play with this meal.  That's a big reason why we had Jason with us.  Here is a shot of Jason at the bank before the goodbye photo.

 Here is a great shot of Brando and a cool photo on the wall.

Stay Excellent!