Aguacates Mexican Restaurant, Miami, FL

Let's start from where we started today's adventure after we left work on the way to the airport, Tenango's Taqueria.  Don't go there.  The place sucked.  The menus were dirty, the people were rude and they use the nasty looking round chips.  Yeah, I'm glad we left and came to Aquacates.  

Menu is simple.  It is also nice to see other bald people enjoying tacos.  Tacos are good for you.  They look Chipotle like, but not.  It is really cool.  They make it right in front of you, for you.  You get the option of corn or flour tortillas.  They warm them on a flat top right after you order.  After they make your food, give you your options, they do offer you guacamole which was pretty solid, you can head over to the salsa bar.

Not a bad salsa bar.  Cilantro and onions are on there, put on as much as you want, but don't overload and dilute the flavors and meat.  Limes were fresh and good. Jalapenos over there were good too.  Spicy, tasty.  The folks that work there were awesome.  They were really nice.  Very helpful, very nice, seemed to really enjoy working there.  Josh and my favorite part of the salsa bar was the description on the mild salsa.

Hard to argue with that.  It was pretty darn flavorful for none spicy.  This one and their verde were pretty solid.  Really solid.  

RATINGS:
ASADA: 3, pretty average here.  Almost too average, but it wasn't bad and I think that if you have the craving, this will satisfy. It won't blow you away or really impress you, but you won't leave sad for eating it.

PASTOR: 3,

BARBACOA: 2, this almost hurt my feeling.  It was so dry.  It was really flavorless and did not make me feel good about ordering or eating it.  

CARNITAS: 4, what can I say, Miami knows its pork.  This stuff was sweet and good, full of flavor, not at all dry.  Very tasty treat and pleasant surprise.  

So the portions are pretty huge here.  They are not afraid to hook it up.  They make sure that you get plenty of food.  The environment is nice and the people are pretty great.  Overall, the food won't blow you away, but it won't really disappoint.  Warning, they are closed on Sunday!  A total bummer.  Many things around them are closed.  

Thanks for reading, please continue to re-post, re tweet and tell everyone about the adventures.  

Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of another hat.  The Mexican Restaurants in Miami all seem to have at least one, and this is their's.  Hope you enjoy and eat more tacos!

Stay Excellent!

Wapo Taco, Hallandale, FL...again! Place is almost too EXCELLENT!!!

I have to start this one off with the picture of their two beautiful cones.  One is pork, the other is chicken.  They are pretty much equally excellent, not good, excellent.  There really is no place like this one.  It is something really, really special.  These guys don't just get it, they force other people to get it.  How can you argue with dueling cones?  It is just awesome to see.  I needed this, I needed this bad.  I've experienced so much bad pastor in the last week plus that it has made me depressed.  This made it all better.  It was a hug from grandma, you know that hug that just makes you feel like its all going to be OK.

Here is the napkin dispenser.  We are doing this photo next so that you know how to eat tacos.  I love this thing.  Josh and I kept reading it and enjoying it along with the decor of the restaurant.  The new menu, by the way, is amazing!  They did three months of research on what the guest really wanted and that is the menu.  They condensed it and went by the rule of doing great things rather than trying to do everything and falling short somewhere.  Let me again repeat, they did not fall short anywhere.

These guys are monsters.  They are always working and working hard with smiles on their faces.  The people that work there make you feel so good as they are always smiling and seem to really enjoy being there as much as I do, and if you can't tell, I love being there.  The owners are in the thick of it and working.  They are leading the charge of excellence that this place portrays in every interaction with the guest and in every dish.  Lets go over what they are creating...

Here is where it all started for us.  Two tacos each.  We had to go pastor, one chicken, one pork each.  We really weren't that hungry, we just needed good pastor, but instead we came here for excellent pastor.  They don't overwhelm you with pineapple, but you get it.  It is the perfect balance of sweetness.  They cut from the cone right into your tortilla.  It is like milk straight from the cow, it really doesn't get better and trust me, I know.  We were done here.  We were ready to head out.  We have been working all day and were pretty full.  We were chatting with the owners and they told us we had to try their Carne Asada with cheese tacos.  We reluctantly said yes to this.

Wow.  I didn't think it could be this good.  We each took our first bite after this photo.  After a solid 6 minutes of crying from happiness, we were able to finish these amazing tacos.  It is something like you've never tasted.  It is flavors that melted together like nothing else.  Grilled fresh jalapeno that are nicely sliced by hand, avocado, cilantro, onion, oh my goodness, I'm about to drive back up there and I'm still full.  Their food is seriously second to none.  They really don't take a back seat.  At the end of this, we were done.  Josh was finishing his juice, I couldn't even take another sip of water, we were going to grab our tab and head to the hotel.  Apparently we weren't leaving without dessert.

I don't know what they call it on the menu, but it is like tacos dorados.  It is their version of a hard shell taco.  This is what I love about this place and these guys.  Guests want hard shell tacos.  They take their delicious homemade tortillas, grill them hard and serve them like this.  Josh and I each had one and a half.  Oh my goodness they were so tasty.  So perfect.  This is the kind of dessert that I will eat.  At this point there was only one thing that we could do, loosen our belts, smile and take a selfie of happiness.

These are two of the happiest tacoteers that you might ever see.  We loved this place, we loved this meal.  We will be back.  There is a second location coming soon in Coral Gables, you better believe that I am going to make it there.  You better believe that I'm excited more people will experience this place.  It just works.  You can grab a beer with friends and co-workers in a comfortable environment, you can take your wife, girlfriend or potential girlfriend on a date here and you are comfortable.  Ambiance is great, food is amazing, it is just comfortable.

Thanks for the reads, re-tweets, re-posts and for checking us out in general.  I did not rate this place since I have before.  Let me make it easy for all of you, they get a 5 on everything.  Their people, their food, perfect today, as it was the last time that I came.  I look forward to my next trip to the area to be able to go back and check these guys out again.  Josh was saying the same.  He loves the place, we both were saying these really might be the best tacos we've ever had and it really might be one of the coolest, best restaurants that we've ever been to.  After the tough run that we've had in Miami, this was such a relief and it brought us to our taco happy place.  If you need a great laugh, read the blog from the other day about Mr Taco.  Place was a burn and you get introduced to BIG HUNGRY, a new tacoteer on the blog. That blog is almost the antithesis of this one.

If you're not following the Order on Twitter or Instagram, check us out, easy to find Order of the Taco!  It'll keep you up to date on where we are, what we are eating and if you are missing out or if you should stay away and run for cover.

Every so often, the goodbye/gratuitous photo is of me.  Today it is a shot that Josh got of me inside the door of Wapo Taco. It sums me and my love for tacos up pretty darn well.  Josh has nailed some pretty cool photos of us Tacoteering, but I will say that I do like this one.

Stay Excellent!

Jacalito Taqueria Mexicana, Miami, FL

Josh jumped up on a chair when we got to the restaurant to get the perfect photo.  You should have seen the ladies that work there run out all confused and scared.  It was fantastic.  He then explained to them that he is Spiderman.  Pretty epic moment to start off today's Tacoteering.  We decided to give Miami another shot.  Maybe we are just being too nice.

They had some really awesome hats on the wall.  These were two awesome ones.  I like it, thought it was some pretty cool ambiance.  It fit for the building and the people that work here.  Lets talk about the people that work here.  I don't think that they could have been any nicer.  Pretty sure that they are all related, which is cool.  They all worked really well together and it was great to get to be in their home.  They treated everyone with such love, care and respect.  It doesn't make up for horrible pastor, but was a nice touch.  They do not speak a word of English, but somehow Josh and I were able to make due...

Here is the menu.  Pretty neat menu.  They have a variety, but not too much.  Obviously we stuck to the tacos.  You can always judge a place by their most simple dish.  It is a foundation of who and what they are.  Plus, we really love tacos, a lot.  Pricing wasn't too bad, it was in line with the area.

This is the set up.  Nice little bowl of chips and salsa, menus are clean looking.  I like it.  Lets talk about juice.  Their is amazing juice in Miami.  We are obsessed with one juice spot that does fresh juices, but these guys do their own waters.  I couldn't help but get a refreshing maracuya.  Theirs is nice, tasty and delicious.  Very refreshing and the sweetness compliments the spicy flavors well.  I will miss being able to get maracuya, guabana and some of the other fruits that are just not indigenous to the Western US.

This is the whole restaurant.  The owner was in the midst of a mean game of candy crush, we didn't disturb her.  Well, Josh (Spiderman) did when he jumped up on their chair and roof.  It wouldn't be a trip to Miami without someone messing up our order.  We couldn't get mad, they were all so nice and apologetic.  It was very disappointing that they were out of so many meats, but that seems common in the area to just not have most of or a large portion of the menu available.  This is where my love for chalkboards comes in.  When we sat, I will say that one of the scariest moments was looking at the table.  It had regular Tabasco on it.  If you know me, you know I'm not a Tabasco hater, but come on, get some Tapatio or Valentino's on the table.  Enough about that, giddy up.
RATINGS:
BARBACOA: 3, this was good.  It was a nice gamy type of flavor with a good soft texture, but it didn't just dissolve when you eat it.
COCHINITA: 3, pretty textbook here.  Nice touch with sticking to the pickled onions.  This area does most pork pretty well.  The lack of soft texture prevented a 4.
LENGUA: 3, nothing to write home about here.  This stuff was good, but not amazing.  I would eat it, but wouldn't rush back to get it.  There is better lengua out there my friends.
PASTOR: 2, oh this is just pissing me off.  I'm so tired of bad pastor.  This was a bit dry, there was way too much pineapple and it was sugary canned pineapple.  I just want to scream at people when they serve me bad pastor.  I really think I should be able to punish people.
CARNITAS: 3, good stuff.  It was consistent, but sure didn't blow my socks off.  They could do better.
SALSA: 2, it was spicy, which I liked, but didn't have much flavor to it, that was a bit sad.  Just no depth to it.

Pretty good looking spread.  They keep it pretty simple.  Tortillas are not too thick or too much, but they are solid.  Looking at the ratings, not too bad of a place.  I don't plan on ever going back, but I'm not filled with rage and anger like many other places that we've been to for tacos around here.  Pastor, why can't anyone in Miami make it?  It is killing me.  I just want pastor so bad right now.  We are trying to find it, we are giving everyone an opportunity to get it right, but no one is.  I just don't get it.  I can teach people?  Should I move to Miami for a few months and just teach everyone how to make pastor and carne asada?  It seems that this is a necessary thing.  Maybe people would be happier here.  Maybe driver's would be less aggressive because they got to enjoy pastor.  I am really thinking about it.

Thanks again to everyone for reading, posting, tweeting and all of that stuff.  Great readers lately.  I hope that if you are not, you look up Order of the Taco on Instagram and Twitter.  Up to date taco pics and places.  Please let me know if there is anywhere you think I need to get to, I love suggestions.  We're in Miami for a few more days, back in LA for one day then heading to New Brunswick, NJ and probably a day in NYC!  Have a target on a place in Harlem, hoping to get there one night.

Today's gratuitous/goodbye photo is of the flowers on the table.  They were just so beautiful.  The flowers really helped make the place look even more great.  They were fresh and smelled wonderful.  Made me think of all of the roses at my house.

Stay Excellent!

Viva Mexico, Little Havana, Miami, FL

That's the whole restaurant, so you know that it's good, or is it?  We've had some rough bouts here in Miami.  Read the last blog, OUCH!  We were deceived.  Luckily, not tonight.  I don't mean to deceive you.  This place isn't amazing.  This place didn't blow our socks off.  This place is no California delight, but it was edible.  It was a bit more than that, there was some good stuff here.

I'm a fan of the menu being on the wall like this.  I'm also a fan of some of the more "risky" meats they attempt.  I'm a huge fan that this is their entire menu.  Keep it simple, keep it real.  Keep it going.  These guys have some pride in what they do.  Just a heads up, there is no English here.  They do not speak a word of English.  They will make no effort, I kind of really dig it.  They do pass out the menu to you, it is a bit more condensed, I had to take a picture, obviously.

Yeah, pretty big deal.  It is a legit little menu.  It is a postcard size.  I'm glad Josh came back over so that we could share the best tacos that we've found so far.  While we were there, some dude came up trying to sell us bootleg movies, that always adds to the ambiance.  It is neat, they have a few really wobbly tables outside and I enjoyed it.  It is right on a little corner.  Some jerk came and parked on the street, in a no parking and walked up to the counter to get food to go.  You get the vibe, I can feel it.
RATINGS:
LENGUA: 3, this was good, but there was nothing special.  they shred it for the the most part, but it is just boiled, they don't throw it on the flat top or anything.
BISTEK: 2, yeah, here was a downer.  There was just no flavor to it.  It almost tastes like they boil the meat to keep it moist.  Not really sure, but it lacked seasoning, spice and flavor.  So sad.
PASTOR: 2, yes another damn egg has been laid in Miami.  This was dry.  Really dry.  It lacked flavor, depth, excitement.  I can't wait to go home for the one day I get in LA before I head back to NY/NJ.  Pastor, mi corazón llora por ti!  I long for your smell, I await your touch and flavor.
BUCHE: 3, this is solid, but nothing special.  Textbook buche.  I would have really loved something that was a bit crispy and had some more flavor.  Still, pretty good, I'd order it again.
OREJA: 3, this is like a cut and paste description to the buche.  I was happy with it overall.  I love that they make this.  Most places are afraid to make ear.
TRIPA: 4, oh man.  This is the best taco I've had in Miami, without a doubt.  It was crispy and good.  Flavor was right on point, texture was solid.  Salty, but not over salted.  Really happy with this.
VERDE: 3, good, but nothing amazing that you need to try.
ROJO: 2, not very good.  Almost over smoky and too many different peppers to be able to enjoy flavors.

So this is the table top salsa bar that you get.  The Tripa was great.  Really amazing, but the pickled peppers and onions, boom.  That was a real treat.  Spicy, flavorful, just delicious.  I enjoyed the set up of this little table side salsa bar.  Limes were fresh, salsas were not too bad overall.  I recommend this place, so far if you are in Miami.  It has been the most acceptable so far.  As for now, I might be sticking to Cuban Sandwiches for a few days.  OK, I probably won't because I'll miss tacos.

I know, you are wondering why I don't have a picture of the tacos.  I don't know why.  I totally forgot to take a picture.  Maybe because we finally had tacos that looked good in front of us.  Anyways, thanks for reading, thanks for taking the time.  Please continue to re-post, re-tweet and tell your friends if you like it and your enemies to read if you hate it.

Today's goodbye, gratuitous photo is of Matt.  Matt's on here a bunch of times.  Great dude.  Everyone ditched us to go to this hipster looking Cuban place, but Josh did come back and had tacos with us.  I was glad that Matt stayed so I had someone to talk to and Tacoteer with.  Matt's in his "Matt Place" while he's eating.

Stay Excellent!

Mr Taco (Truck), Miami, FL...BURN

Lets start this story from the beginning.  Many stories, told by most people don't always start there.  El Palacio De Los Jugos.  This place is a dream.  They have some random foods there in a few different spots, we went there for the juices.  We didn't really know what to expect.  Let me tell you, we were overwhelmed with happiness.  They have so many fresh squeezed juices.  Many fruits that we can't get in LA.  It was wonderful.  We all enjoyed some juice and though we were tempted by the lechon, we went on our way to Mr Taco.

Yelp, wow!  This place has 8 reviews and they are all 5 stars.  I guess they could only find 8 friends or family members to lie for them.  This is a mockery of Yelp.

This might get a bit rough, don't read anymore if you don't want to hear the horrible truths I'm about to lay on you about this place.

So this is the menu, looks simple, aside from the menudo, how could they really screw this up?  We were excited.  It looked legit.  Small truck, neat signage.  We were taking pictures, trying to figure out what some of the meats were that Josh, Phil and I didn't know. We were happy the Jen Pollick was on her virgin Tacoteering adventure.  The excitement ended there.  I ordered 7 tacos.  Yes 7.  Matt ordered three tacos.  There were things that I've never heard of.  When we would ask, we were getting some strange answers.  Most of the items, like "res" was just "cow."  Cesina, apparently not to be confused with Cecina (which is salted beef deliciousness) was some "mixed" meats.  By mixed meats, they would put some kind of a sort of beef with chorizo.  Cheap chorizo.  The "lengua" was disgusting, the "tripa" was inedible.  I can't tell you what anything else is or was, because it doesn't make sense.  All the "meats" were the same.  All the "meats" were "mixed."  Phil ordered a burrito de pollo and it seemed very, um well, yeah.  Josh got some tacos and yeah.  Jen got the tacos dorados.  How can you screw those up right?  Don't worry, these masterminds found a way to do it.  These things were about 8 inches long and there was meat in about 3 1/2 inches.  Nasty.

I blame me.  I totally blame myself.  I ordered first.  The guy there asked if I wanted "everything" on my tacos.  I said "yes, cilantro y ceballos."  He then goes to put something on, I stopped and asked what it was, he said "lettuce."  Wait, COMO WHAT?  Lettuce?  On a street taco?   Are you serious?  Are you messing with me?  This guy then puts on onions, cilantro and tomatoes, fine whatever, I'm dying for tacos, I'm hungry, I still am blindly anticipating something delicious.  Failed in every which way shape and form.  These guys even got confused and made Matt's order twice?  They tried to give it to him twice!  Then they argued that he didn't already have it.  I will say that the guy working there then told us we could have the "extra" tacos for free.  They had lettuce and tomatoes on there!  Seriously, why didn't you just add cheddar cheese and sour cream???  Then this dude tries to tell me that the "white sauce" is too hot to eat?  Seriously, do you know who you are talking to?  It wasn't even that hot.  By the way, you are a taco truck, sell salsa, not "sauce."  Idiot!

I can't believe that I'm going to say this, but I mean it.  I really, really wish that I had gone to Taco Bell for tacos tonight over this place.  I would have rather had a soft taco supreme with their almost ground beef than gone to this horrid truck.  I never thought I would say that.  I'm not a Taco Bell "hater," but it's not tacos.  It's not a bell.  It is what it is, but it is so much more appealing, tastier, and all around better than this junk truck.  I haven't been to TB in some time, this place made me miss it for the first time.

The place is 8pm or after always, how do you not want to go?  How can they destroy tacos?  Why would they do this?  I feel dirty, violated and cheated.  This is a crime.  I seriously considered calling the police to shut them down for calling the criminal things they put on a plate tacos.  Damn, these guys are not good people.

We paid and left angry.  Very angry, very disappointed, very upset.  On our way back to the hotel, we started speaking about El Palacio De Los Jugos.  Well, we went back and got more delicious fresh squeezed juice.  The juice was amazing, but it sure did not calm me down.  I hope that time can heal this deep womb.  If hours pass, maybe the hurt will lessen.  Please, keep Josh, Phil, Matt, Jen and me in your thoughts, we went through a lot tonight.  I'll be burning on this one for quite a while.

Thank you everyone for reading.  Trust me, we took a few bullets for anyone who might have stumbled upon this place.  I appreciate the reads, follows, re-tweets and re-posts of this blog.  Please keep it up!  Please do me one other favor, don't lie on Yelp, it is not a nice thing to do.

I can't deny anyone of the goodbye/gratuitous photo.  Josh got a great picture of Jennifer Pollick. She is a great girl that I get to work with and one of the trainers at the opening we are doing at The University of Miami.  She works out of our Home Office and rocks.  Here is Jen eating this horrible food.  She can't help herself, her nickname is BIG HUNGRY.  She has quite the voracious appetite.  This is her doing her thing and eating, it is an animal in its natural habitat, go Big Hungry, get it!

Stay Excellent!

El Taquito, Miami, FL

Miami, round one was pretty disappointing.  Before we get into that, look at Matt hiding in the back of this picture.  He's so excited to go Tacoteering with us.  Yes, he did great and as always, I'm proud of him.  Kind of sad, Josh, Matt and I are back at it, Phil on his way to join us, but Fo is sitting this one out.  Fo is hiding in Georgia.

This is the entire restaurant.  Quaint, nice looking joint.  A few bar-stools to sit on that surround the tiny inside perimeter.  It works.  It is great for Miami, Coconut Grove.  You can grab your food fast and move on to the beach, or in our case back to work.  This place shows so much promise.  Simple operation, executable menu, heck of a location.  They failed, miserably.

Menu showcases an ease of execution.  I was a bit put off in the beginning when they don't have Cecina.  Menu isn't that big, don't be short when you have so few items.  If you are, apologize and have a reason.  The two guys working, did not seem to love it.  It is really obvious that they did not want to be there.  It really showed in the food that they were not into it.  We remained optimistic and ordered.  The encouraging part was the guy in the khaki shorts in the picture above had been in before and was getting a pretty large catering order, thought we might be on to something special.

Matt and I are there ready to order.  Josh was getting a bit of a birds eye view.  I'll stop beating around the bush.  PASTOR!  It broke my heart.  I am angry.  I wanted to start throwing chairs and screaming at them for bastardizing pastor.  It offended me.  You'll see below that this is a 1 on the rating scale.  It might be some of the worst pastor that I've had, ever.  I beg you to not go near their pastor.  You deserve better.  If you are reading this, you know you deserve better.  I'll continue the search in Miami.  I'll take that burden on my heavy taco shoulders.
RATINGS:
POLLO: 1, this was dry with no flavor, not taste, nothing.  It was just really weak.  It was also overcooked.  Yeah, no bueno.
ASADA: 2, this was just overly unimpressive.  It was just blah and there.  No real flavor, no real taste, just kind of there.  Bummer...
PASTOR: 1, this done pissed me off.  It was dry, it had no depth, really not much flavor.  It was almost forced.  The lack of care put into this was bad.  You can't put some seasoning and spices on pork and try to pass it off as pastor.
CARNITAS: 3, pretty standard.  Moist, flavorful, tender.  It was good, but did not set itself apart from the pack.  Not bad, not great.
CHURRASCO: 3, first time encountering and this was good.  I think from what I've read about it, well, not think, I know I could make it much better.  It had some nice flavor and the onions that were grilled with the meat was on point, nicely caramelized.

I think the fact of the matter is that the presentation sure outdid the taste.  It was cool packaging?  I like the boat with the tacos thrown in there.  It was cool to have Matt and Josh just getting work done and then getting some tacos eaten!  Churrasco.  Had never really come across this on my travels.  I'd say that so far I'm a fan, but am still skeptical.  This might have been the best thing that they did at this place, so keep that in mind if you go.

As always, thanks for reading, please tell people, re-tweet, re-post, get the word out about tacos and how we attack them.  I'm in Miami for a bit, send some suggestions, we are out on the prowl!  We are going to continue the search so you know where to go and where to get pastor.  You know that you need it in your life.

Today's goodbye, gratuitous photo is of a tree.  It's the tree that we parked below when we went to get our lunch.  It was a large beautiful tree, we were just so entertained watching people stare at it and take pictures.  I figured I'd take a picture and put it on here to say goodbye to you.

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!

Phillip's Seafood, Newark International Airport...desperation blog

This blog and it's contents are written solely out of desperation.  I am, was desperate for New Jersey to leave me with a better taco taste then my last blog that shall not be named.  I got dropped off at the airport, and was flying back to LA myself.  The trainers stayed one more day then I did.  I got through security at lightning speed.  I got up to the gate, settled in and finished writing the blog posted yesterday.  A blog of bad food, sad tummies and a sad looking Bethany.  With the hopes of redemption, an attitude of can do, I looked at the menus for both restaurants in the terminal that I was in.  One had "tacos" the other didn't.

I'm a huge fan of fish tacos.  I think that they can be some of the best tacos.  I was hoping when the restaurant is known for seafood and they have Mahi Mahi tacos on the menu that I will be in for some bit of happiness, somewhat of a treat.  I was quickly reminded that I was in New Jersey once I took my first bite.

Where do I start.  Fish tacos that come with waffle fries and a Mediterranean Salad?  Look, I already told you that I was desperate.  I told you that I was backed against a wall and the only way out was a great taco.  Like a midget at a urinal, this came up short.  I love Mediterranean Salads, I love me some waffle fries, I don't love them next to a taco.  Tacos go great with anything, if they are good tacos.  These, were not.  I feel weird even trying to rate, but what the heck.

RATINGS: 
MAHI: 2, incredibly overcooked, poorly seasoned, tough, wood like texture, uneven grill marks.
SLAW: 1, flavorless, wilted cabbage, pre-cut.
WAFFLE FRIES: 2, they were cold, had been sitting in the window
MEDITERRANEAN SALAD: 3, decent, lots of cucumbers, dressing was ok, probably closer to a two, but it was the best thing I ate.
TORTILLA: 1, I don't know what this really was, but it was bad.  Nasty, bad, paper thin, probably not made with masa, it was really bad.

There was no salsa, they did have regular Tabasco which, yeah, is good but yeah, anyways.  Needless to say, I did not finish my meal.  I almost fell out of my chair when I got the bill.  It was seriously like getting robbed.  My food even took forever, possibly longer.

I will look for tacos any and everywhere.  I want them.  But I don't like hitting a streak of tacos this bad in a row.  Tacos are just needed.  I will probably hit a truck or something here in LA today.  Will I write about it?  Probably not.  I just need to heal my taco wombs.  What got me through this meal and my last two experiences were the great trainers that I was with.  I often say it is not where you eat, but who you eat with.  They may not have been at the airport, but they got me a card and it was really nice.  They each wrote a personal goodbye and it was one of the cooler things I've gotten in a while.  I read it over and over as I sat alone in the airport.  It reminded me of the importance of great friends and the connections that can be made through openings.

What?  Did you think that I would show you what was in there?  Heck no, it is not your business, it was addressed to me.  Why did I put this sideways?  Because I wanted to.  OK, because I didn't feel like pressing the button to rotate it.  I know that it says that card has no purpose, but it did.  It was a great thing and made me crack a smile.

Oh yeah, even the bartender, I sat up at the bar SUCKED.  So anyways, don't go there.  Thanks for reading the blog, thanks for taking the time.  Look forward to telling everyone about the great experiences in Tacoteering that I'm going to find.  The photo today is of me.  Tired, ready to get back to California where the tacos are delicious.

Stay Excellent.

The Taco Spot, Hollywood Beach, FL

So, this place sure is not in Los Angeles, CA.  This place is pretty cool.  Do I love it, no.  Will I go back, yeah, I will when I'm in the area.  It was good.  Not amazing but good.  It was good for white people's tacos.  There were three things that were really great, the service, the company I was with and the ambiance.  Yeah, we were sitting outside on chairs that are comfortable outdoor furniture.  Here is what we saw the whole time:

Yes, Mr Moon over the Atlantic Ocean.  This was taken by the beautiful Fo while we were sitting in our seats.  It really was comfortable.  The view really was nice.  The company was great.  Nikki P from NYC, Fo from Atlanta, Christian from DC, and Alisha from LA were stranded for extra days with me in Florida on this opening.  We shot out for dinner.  Long days, we were all hungry and we decided Tacoteering was the best way to go.  We were right.  Here is a picture of the great folks:

Yes, Christian has the creepy look in the pimping jacket, Fo has the winning smile, Nikki is trying to book a flight out and Alisha is texting someone, I guess.  What a great group.  Don't worry, Fo took a selfie of all of us, get excited for that one later.  More about the place.  I called to check it out, the people were so nice.  The waitress was most righteous.  Her name was Adriana.  She is a very nice young lady and did an amazing job.  I would love to work with someone who like her.  Very attentive and a master of her craft.  Restaurateurs are amazing people, she is one of them.  Really, the people who work there are great.  They're not as great as the people who work at The Counter, but they were pretty good.  The menu is pretty good, but not great.  It's not great because there is a bunch of stuff that they have not on there.  Not a few things, but a ton of things.  There was a number of tacos, but they are not on the menu.

That is their menu.  There it is, pretty exciting right?  Ok, it's not that exciting, but it is alright.  Let me say, these combos are the way to go.  They will allow you to mix tacos on the combo, they come with two, it is pretty cool.  I dig that.  They just charge you for the higher priced taco, that is cool.  Lets just get to what you want to know, the ratings:

RATINGS:
CORN: 2, here's the thing, they are famous for this.  At least that is what they say.  It is slightly over grilled and then they drown it in Parmesan cheese, but the nasty, over produced kind.  Don't get excited by this lie.  It is not all that good.
CARNITAS: 2, this is like very white people's carnitas.  It is okay, over seasoned, over cooked, not the slow cooked goodness that is carnitas.  They do put a ton of salt on this stuff, so be prepared.
CHICKEN: 2, why did I not call it pollo?  Because it is not pollo.  It is poorly grilled chicken.  It had no flavor and was cut way too big for tacos, I mean come on people!
KOREAN SHORT RIB: 4, creativity alone gives you at least a point here.  I have had Korean Short Rib Tacos, these were not too bad.  Nice use of brown sugar and salt.  They did ok on the meat, but the sauces on this taco were second to none.  They really were good.  One of the folks I got to eat with got the sauces on the side and they were really amazing.
TEMPURA SHRIMP: 4, yeah, no typo there!  Yum, yum gimme some.  This was a treat and a half right here.  I have no complaints.  It was tender, good, nicely battered and fried.  Very encouraging.  I was so happy that Adriana recommended this.
SALSAS: 4, creative with nice variety, not enough spice for the big guy, but still tasty enough to be above the scale.
PINEAPPLE JALAPENO: 3, yeah, this should start so sweet and finish so hot, it did not, but was good.  Paired with the right taco, you are in for a treat, enjoy it.
JALAPENO: 4, ok, very different from the normal jalapeno salsa, but delicious.  Very delicious.  This was some great stuff that I would enjoy on my taco eggs in the morning and my lunch tacos and my dinner tacos.
HABANERO: 3, this was WAY too mild.  The flavor was good, but for sure the weakest as far as impressions in the bunch, very sad.
SEVEN CHILI: 4, the complexity made this happen.  Not as spicy as I would have liked, but good.  It was deep with layered flavors and was very nice to enjoy on all of their tacos.

Looks pretty good right?  No, it kind of doesn't, yeah, those are all flour tortillas.  There is the "corn" option, but its not on the menu and I looked at what they were calling "corn" tortillas and it was scarier then a fat guy in a thong.  Beans and rice were alright, but not Salsa and Beer good for sure.  I promised a selfie, so here it is without further a due:

What a great group.  We did have some real fun.  It was great just chatting, catching up.  We've all been working such crazy days and hours together but haven't spoken.  My beard and I really enjoyed everyone.  Lets caption this.  Fo: I love selfies!  Z: Just another taco picture.  Z's Beard: I just want to get back to eating tacos.  Alisha:  Camera?  I love being in photos!  Nikki:  Yo, I'm Nikki P from Staten Island Representin!  Christian:  Wow, I love Z's beard. We took a picture of all of us with the waitress in front of the restaurant.  The guy who took it was not too sharp, it didn't come out great, but here you go:

My beard is so hidden in this photo.  It is sad.  It represents so well.  Another day, another great adventure, another taco.  Couple more days here, then back to LA for a week and a half then Tacoteering takes itself to New Jersey.  Yeah, you read that one right, bring it on Garden State!

A few things, before I go, thank you as always for re-tweets, re-posts, reading, telling your friend, family members, enemies and co-workers.  Before I say goodbye, and remind you of what I'd like you to do like I do every blog, you get one more gratuitous photo, this time, it is of Fo:

Stay Excellent!