Manuelito's, Winnetka, CA

Well damn, it has been a really long time.  This is the first blog of 2016 and we are already in May!!  Outraged as I'm sure you are, sorry, I've been busy.  I have still been eating tacos, well, I've been eating a lot of them, but I have not bored you with the stories.  Prepare to get bored, here we go again.

I pass this place pretty often.  It is right next to the Smart and Final that is close to the bar.  I was running some errands, going to be at the bar all night and knew I needed a bite.  I got the burning urge to get some information for a blog.  So, I decided to try this spot and damn am I glad that I did.  They have all sorts of different options and meats, but keep it simple which if you read one of the old blogs which might as well be archives by now, you know I'm all about.

They have a larger menu, but I decided today was a hard focus on the tacos.  It has been a long time.  These guys do a nice job on their menu.  It is fair pricing, good looking food, nice pictures in the restaurant and I will say that my food looked just like the picture.  The kitchen is small and managable. The lady cooking knew her way around a kitchen and was pretty darn quick.  She looked like she was having some fun, but who wouldn't working in a great little restaurant like this?

I didn't realize until I posted this pic on here how blurry it is.  Why would I leave it up?  Well, it is the only pic that I have of the whole working area.  Plus it also shows you how inept I really am so you can laugh about me later, or now...I did not try the waters, but will on another visit.

Nice TV set-up with your favorite shows on Uni-Vision, that is always pretty cool. Decor is nice, appropriate and isn't too much in this place.  Tables/booths are nice.  They really fit and give it a good homey feel inside of this place.
RATINGS:
CABEZA: 3, this is not bad, not bad at all.  Don't let a 3 fool you.  This is a tasty treat.  It is well made, quality meat and delicious, it just didn't go above and beyond.
PASTOR: 3, again, not a bad choice, it just didn't make me say "wow" need this one right away.  It is good meat.  They season it well, it is solid, just not a mind blowing experience.
POLLO: 4, OK, this is a special chicken.  Not just well flavored, but really damn tender.  They know how to cook, how to hold, how to serve chicken, this is a taco you want to try if you are in the Valley.
LENGUA: 4, nice stuff here.  This is flavored well, served hot and nicely shredded.  I recommend this to lengua lovers everywhere.
TRIPA: 4, this is one of those that I had to revisit.  It was a 3, I went back and got it again, asked for it a little more crispy, wow!  This might be a 5 if it was that way the first time I had it.  They do a really nice job with the tripa and you want to go get this, ask for it crispy, you will NOT be disappointed.
ASADA: 4, yeah an above 3 asada.  This is some good stuff.  They didn't go cheap, they went good.  I was surprised their wasn't an up-charge.  If you are only into asada, you will like this joint.
CARNITAS: 4, this was on visit two.  Didn't get it visit one, what a mistake!  This is really good stuff, one of my favorite carnitas.  I want to go back and try again, hope they have some consistency!
SALSA BAR: 5, not all of the salsas were amazing, but there was not a bad one.  The variety was great and they have some amazing salsas!  I did not like their jalapenos, but they had the pickled onions, oregano, fresh lime and some amazing variety in the salsa department to make sure that anyone who comes in is satisfied.
TORTILLAS: 5, why would I rate tortillas?  They have regular ones which are good, they have handmade ones which are incredible.  They are some of the better ones I've ever had.  They are perfect in texture, flavor is good and they don't fall apart.  These guys know what they are doing and she presses them to order, it is worth the wait, I will only be getting the handmade going forward!

Hell of a spread here.  Yeah, I ate all of those in one sitting and I have no regrets, I was damn hungry!  The salsa like I said is solid.  The green with avocado is my favorite.  It is some good stuff.  I of course had my Crazy Harry's Gear with me.  You can look and see the handmade vs the store bought tortillas.  I can't say it enough, get the handmade!

This is that salsa bar that I've been bragging about.  Pretty epic looking right?  It does not disappoint at all.  You will be happy with at least two or three items on here, so get ready to party at the salsa bar.

This adventure was solo, but I'm going to start dragging people with me again soon.  These adventures are always more fun when there are more people with you.  Though the food was good, a great experience has awesome people there with you.  Hope you enjoyed an installment on a blog that's been quiet for a few months, thanks for sticking with me!

Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of my youngest son Jason and I at Knott's Berry Farm.  We went on Journey to the Iron Reef, 4 times that day.  It was his favorite as he liked shooting the bad guys.  I was impressed and proud that he beat adults on this one.  He has a hell of a shot and really had some fun, obviously so did I.  Sadly we had to turn the 3D glasses in before we left, I think it's a good look for us.

Stay Excellent!