Rambo's Taco Truck, Eagle Rock, CA

FINALLY!  This has been a long time coming to the blog.  Rambo's Taco Truck.  This place is every bit of badass excellence you think that it is.  This truck parks at nighttime only in beautiful Eagle Rock, CA.  Let me show you how legit this place is:

Yeah, Rambo has etched his name into the sidewalk, just to make sure that the literate pedestrians know whats up.  Impressed yet, you should be.  This adventure was with fellow Order of the Taco member and one of my closest friends, Brandon Begley.  Brandon and I have not had an opportunity to hang out much in a while with my work schedule, but we carved out some Tacoteering time and this little gem was the destination.  Let my just say, not a bad drive from the SFV!  We got there and back very quickly.  We were able to catch up, I got to hear more and more about his wedding plans, which is just around the corner!

Yeah, you read that right, "B" is for the best, even the health department caught on to how delicious this place is.  There is a lot of power stacked into this truck.  They are not playing around.  I love the Visa and Mastercard stickers.  They don't really like to accept them, they will ask you for cash, which is cool, I totally get it.  I mean come on, you are dealing with a truck on the side of the road, have cash when you come by.

How can you not want to come here for this kind of beautiful ambiance you can only get and enjoy in Eagle Rock.  The rolling hills, the different cars, the trees.  It is a haven for folks who like and demand delicious tacos.  Rambo's along with two other places in Eagle Rock have been on the list for quite sometime now.  Rambo's got special treatment because my cousin, Corinne was one of the people who recommended it.  Leo's and Sonia's are going to get hit by me sooner or later.  They will not stay on the list for Eagle Rock as long as this place did.  I waited way too long to try this deliciousness.

Look, anywhere that says "fried with pork lard" is fantastic.  That shows that they care enough about you to give you a delicious, natural product.  It is the kind of thing that you say thank you for.  You want to appreciate the finer things in life, just so you know, this is one of those finer things.  Pork lard will provide your palate with flavors beyond your wildest dreams.

Back to the ambiance.  So this is in eye shot.  Fiesta sa Barrio, Filipino Restaurant?  Yeah, the name is kind of confusing and intriguing.  Raises a ton of questions.  What do they really serve?  What is the draw?  I'm not sure what the draw is, but it has me sold.  After I get to the other two taco places, I'm going.

Back again to the food.  This place smells so ridiculous good when you get there.  We got there just before they opened and man was the smell a huge tease.  I was spinning in circles, jumping up and down, just so excited to have this place open up.  Brandon and my excitement was shared with a lot of people.  There was a line of people there before the truck opened and it stayed so steady while we were there.  Let me tell you why:
RATINGS:
TRIPAS: 2, I think for most people, this would be a 3 or more.  I just thought it was cooked too much.  It is fried, in that delicious pork lard, but I think it should be crispy, just not this dark.
LENGUA: 4, tender as could be.  It will melt in your mouth like an M&M on a hot summer day.  Flavor was good, worth it!
PASTOR: 4, this is unique and good.  It rivals some of the greats, but is not there.  I could not place the flavor.  It is a spice and seasoning that I know, but could not place it.  I recommend that pastor enthusiasts go and try this and let me know what you think.
CARNITAS: 3, solid, sweet, tender.  It didn't make me get overly excited because nothing set it apart, but it was good and I would not mind eating it again.
ASADA: 5, yeah, they own it.  It was really good.  Really nice because it was not overcooked, it was well flavored well and it was paired nicely with the sauce.
CABEZA: 5, this very well could have been my favorite thing there, which is rare.  I like cabeza, but it is not something I'm normally looking for.  This was so tender.  It was so juicy.  It had great flavor.  Salt without being salty, pepper without being too hot, cumin without being too smoky.  Yeah, I really love this, it was just sweet, spicy, tasty goodness.  Best cabeza I've had, go try it.

Hecho en Mexico.  I did not order anything to drink, until I realized that the Fanta was the Fanta from Mexico, yeah, it is that better.  The food was a bit spicy, if you don't want your food that spicy, ask for the sauce on the side.  These guys do it right.  They are nice, they are awesome.  I do think that you should check it out without a doubt.

It has been a while since I wrote a blog.  Longest gap I think since I started this July 5 of last year.  It has been a great year and I'm looking at continuing to grow this blog, the merchandising and the great experiences.  Thank you so much for the support for the last year.  Thank you so much for reading.  Please keep telling people, keep re-tweeting, re-posting and reading!

Today's goodbye gratuitous photo is of a beautiful man.  Brandon.  Brandon is not just sporting a shirt of the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, but he is checking in on Yelp.  I am going to start checking in on Yelp.  When you go, I have attached the link to Yelp to make it easier for you: http://www.yelp.com/biz/rambos-tacos-los-angeles

Stay Excellent!

Taqueria Tehuitzingo, New York, New York

This little gem is on 9th street.  Working in New York on Father's Day, what to do, what to do.  I was very fortunate the my cousin with a pretty amazing name had some free time.  She came by my work and we went on a walk through Midtown, New York.  It was a nice break during downtime at the restaurant.  We shared stories, caught up and had a fantastic time.  Don't worry, I got an unflattering picture of her and I will share it.  We almost hit up a Philly Cheese Steak place, but she saw this and well, yeah, you know where we went.  We made the prudent choice.  Not too big in there, so you know they aren't wasting time and or space.

Narrow space, nice guy working the register.  Place was pretty full when we got there and seemed to be humming with locals pretty much the entire time that we were there chatting and eating.  The scariest part of this trip was the lady at the table next to us.  Her eyebrows were painted on in the scariest way possible.  I would have feared for my life if it was any darker outside.  I could not get a picture of them, but found this on the internet, close enough, just imagine, uglier, more ghetto and scarier...

Yeah, no one needs to do that to themselves, it is not hot or attractive.  However, the menu was nice and had nice graphics.

Look how colorful and pretty that is.  There is the address if you are using your GPS to find this place because you are lost in New York and want to follow in my taco eating footsteps.  Did not get much food, it was hot, we were walking, I had been working and was heading back to work.  Eleni went for a tostada, you'll never guess what I had...
RATINGS:
BARBACOA: 3, yes, it was made with goat and I was so happy.  Very nicely done.  Slightly on the tough side.  I think that they cooked it just a little bit too high of heat, but the flavor on it was good.
SUADERO: 4, oh man this was good.  Super, duper good.  It had a little bit of the fat on there, it was cooked and then thrown on the flat top to crisp the outsides a little bit.  Oh heck, that was fantastic!  I was so happy that I got this.
AVACADO SALSA: 4, they put this bad boy right on the tacos and it was enough to get the flavors, spice and salt and just enough to make you just crave more but not over power the meat and tortillas.
SALSA VERDE: 3, came on the side and was good.  A bit sweet, with mild spice, but overall good flavor.  The dark color to it makes me think that they did it in large bulk and it is sitting in the back.  The bolder flavors says that I got the bottom of the barrel and that is great in my book!

That nasty diet Coke belonged to my cousin.  I know I need to teach her to drink better things.  All in good time my friends, I am still introducing her to The Order and how to hunt, attack and enjoy excellent tacos anywhere you go.  The place has good hot sauces on the table and like I said, pretty darn tasty.  Biggest suggestion, drop the price a bit, yes I know you are in Manhattan, and give a little bit smaller of a portion.  I would have had a third taco, spent more money and been happier, with the food.  Here is a copy of the menu so that you know what you are going to get when you get there when you go.

Pretty cool huh?  What was my favorite part?  Was it that the grade was still "pending" at the place?  No.  Was it the company?  I do always say that it doesn't matter where you eat, but who it's with, but sadly no.  Don't get me wrong, I cannot thank Eleni enough for tacositting me today.  I was missing the kids and my dad on Father's Day and it was great that my cousin came out, met me and we got to spend sometime.  Quality time and really talk.  I really did need it.  So what could it have been?

Thank you to everyone for the emails, re-posts, re-tweets and telling your friends.  Thank you for reading.  Before I go, as I'm sure you know there is always that goodbye/gratuitous photo.  This was my favorite part, catching this look on this photo.  Confused, bewildered, you be the judge.

Stay Excellent!

Lake Anne's Market, Reston, VA

How do I even start.  Haven't really written in a bit.  I have been working non stop.  Busy, busy, busy.  I didn't even get from Miami to Virginia, I'm in the Reston/Fairfax/Herndon area, and my phone was blowing up from some great folks about Tacoteering.  Yeah, it made life that much better.  How could I not?  How was I not leaving work, getting tacos and going back to finish the night?  This place did have it all.  Aside from the tacos for dinner, I bought food for tomorrow and the next day.  Nice to get a little one stop shop like this.  So the tacos are in the back.

Yeah, this place was pretty busy.  We were there for a while, service was slow.  We had World Cup on which was great.  The passion of everyone there watching.  Brazil got some bad calls they may not have deserved, but they still pulled it out.  Pretty mixed emotions in this place.

The passion was awesome.  The wait, not so much.  We had work to do!  We couldn't watch the entire game.  It really did take way too long to get our food.  To the point that I would not come here very often, and no, not just because it is on the other side of the country from where I live.  It is also a bit pricey.  Not horrible, but not the normal, affordable taco that we are looking for.

This is part of the BOH.  Yes, the food is out, they are cutting the meat fresh, doing so many things right.  They even have their open bottle of wine just to make sure that they have something to drink, celebrate with and use when needed.  I admire this.  The best part about this place is the flavors.  They really do know how to cook.  They make the tortillas by hand, the pupusas were on point.  They take the time to do it right, they should probably work on a balance, but still, they make the food from scratch.

There is the rest of the kitchen.  They are really going at it.  Making the food, working the masa.  Impressive.  It reminds me a bit of a place that is in California that I have yet to blog about.  Equipment is pretty well maintained, ladies were working hard, really hard.  Their tortillas were a little thick.  I think if the pressed them just a little thinner, it might make for a bit of a better taco, but they did not double wrap and the flavor on them is good.  A little hint of sweetness, not too salty.

RATINGS:
CHICHARRON: 3, this might have been a 4 if it was properly labeled.  It was more of a pork that was cooked like carnitas meets chicharron meets almost an adobada.  Good, tender, slightly over-seasoned.
POLLO: 5, yes, I wrote a 5 on chicken.  Well seasoned, so tender, so good.  Really happy with this.  Really happy that I tried the chicken.  If you are there, get the chicken, they know what they are doing.
LENGUA: 4, I like what they are doing here.  Cut into bigger chunks then I normally like, but they for sure made it work and work well.  Really tender, not over seasoned, well cooked.
ASADA: 3, this was good.  Nothing that will blow you away, but nothing that you will be disappointed by ordering.  It is solid.
SPECIAL?: 4, the guy talked me into it. It was a mixture of their chorizo, asada and chicharron all in one taco.  It was awesome, nice mix of flavors, not too much, very good and worth ordering.  Just tell them the tacos with the different meats in it.
PUPUSA: 3, the masa is good, but the filling was just not enough.  They kind of shorted you there, their curtido to put on top is just OK, but overall their stuff is really good.
SALSA VERDE: 4, oh I want to bathe in this.  It is good, spicy, thick, nice.  A little more balance in flavor could have brought on a 5.
SALSA ROJO: 3, by no means is it bad, but it was a bit watery and nothing special.

We got the food back to The Counter and they could not wait to attack.  Matt and Ashley are becoming some pretty amazing Tacoteers.  Yeah, I just had to share this photo.  It is way too entertaining for me.  For those who don't remember Matt, he opened The Counter in Clifton, NJ, which you should go eat at when you are in Jersey, and has been on some adventures.  We were reunited and had to grab a photo together.

I know, the look of excitement, the pearly whites, how can you not love him?  I do have another target for the trip, but don't know if I will be able to hit it.  If I don't make it there, I will be back and I will go!  You will hear all about the adventure.  Very glad we have a great spot here in the Reston area for tacos.  Very glad that I have such great people that I work with that love Tacoteering, once they were introduced to it!  The Taco Legends grow, I do love it.

It's been too long since I've written one of these, I've just been really busy with work, so I will try to get some more out soon!  Who knows where work and Tacoteering will take me next???  I might be coming to your city or a city near you.  With that being said, thanks for reading, re-posting, re-tweeting, and "liking" what we are doing.  The good-bye picture is one I caught of Matt working, well sort of...love you Matt!

Stay Excellent!

Valley Greek Festival

ALL I WANT IS MEAT FROM THE CONE!  For years we have heard this at the Festival.  This year, Chris and Bucky made the cone dream a reality for many Gyro enthusiasts in the San Fernando Valley.  We all dedicate one weekend a year to the festival, well kind of two as last year we were out at another church helping, but are all in for the Festival.  For us, it is another great excuse for us to work together, laugh together, fight over how to cut meat and enjoy the growth of a community that most of us grew up in and some of us fell into.  Festival is a great reminder of one of truths that echo through this blog.  It really doesn't matter what you are doing, it matters who you are doing it with.

 I know you look across that line, see Mary, Frankalicious, Peter the machine Karagianis and the beautiful Mark Schultz.  All are related in some way to the Order of the Taco.  The support and love for our late friend, wife and sister Krissy still hangs in the booth as a reminder of the love that we have for each other.  King's flags and jersey's line the booth as we prepare to watch two games in three days in the booth so that we don't miss rooting on our favorite sports team.

I was serious.  With the help of Tony Iokiam getting us power and Bucky/James IT genius and of course sling box, we did not miss a minute of hockey action.  We love our church's community, but we really don't like to miss games.  Any chance that as many of us are together as there were, we have to take advantage.  A great part was the loud cheers and chants from us and the great reception from the Festival patrons as we yelled GO KINGS GO!

Yes, I brought tortillas and made Gyro tacos for the grew before we got going.  We had onions, we had gyro meat, I brought the tortillas, cilantro, lime, hot sauce.  WIN!  We had a little pre-festival taco feast for those of us working the Gyro booth.  The tacos were delicious, the company was better.

Yes, there were many more tacos made, but this is all that was left by the time I got my camera.  We have hungry Tacoteers pining for some tacos.  The grilled onions with the cilantro and lime were pretty much to die for.  Yes, we are generous, yes we share, we even had a guy come by the booth looking for hot sauce.  I may have pulled some sauce out of my bag and shared...

You bet your pita bread that is my brother Paul cutting some more Gyro Meat!  Look at a skilled craftsman on his task.  FYI, it is darn hot in front of those machines.  There were many booths at the festival, but the one that had the hottest chicks.

Melissa, Nikki and Evie.  Three amazing woman working the Greek Market and doing the cooking demonstrations.  It was a favorite spot for me because they were the ones making and serving the Greek Coffee!  It helped keep me awake.

Like I've said over and over, the community is great.  The way everyone binds together for each other, our church and the faith is pretty fantastic.  It is a phenomenal nod to our Greek Culture and I'm lucky to be a small part of it.

This story was more about the people than the tacos.  I'm lucky to be a part of such a great community with great people, friends and Tacoteers.  I really had to think about this blog and the gratuitous good bye photo.  Today it is Mike.  It sums up what a great guy, excellent Nouno and amazing friend he is.  We've been working the festival together since we were little kids.

Lots of great people in the photo, but look at the winning smile from Mike.

Stay Excellent Everyone!