Taco ethnography: North African tacos at Los Originales Tacos Arabes de Puebla; Chef Farid Zadi

This was just the site.  This is not where we ate.  I mean, I wanted to, but we were there to eat Chef Zadi's master creation.  He was making North African Tacos and the brave Tacoteers that were with me had to try.  Mike, Dara and Charlotte Phillips, Nikki D, Melissa, Alexander, Eleni and the Juggernaut went down to Boyle Heights and had to see what these flavors were all about.  We were delighted not just by the tacos, but by the overwhelming amazing personality of a great guy, Chef Zadi.  If you are not following this guy on Twitter, it's time to start.  He sets up camp all around LA and delights palates with unparalleled flavors and original cooking treats.  When we found out he was doing tacos, there was no resisting.  We were introduced to flavors that were different then we were use to but so delectable.  One of the great things about Tacoteering is how I get the opportunity to try so many different styles, flavors and things in so many places.  The thing that makes that even better, like I've said many times is the people I get to do it with.

It matters more who you are eating with than what or where you are eating.  This adventure was a huge win on all three fronts!  Especially the who part!!!  Eleni is a bit too much like her father and did not want to be in the photo.  She was standing behind me rubbing my back as I took this photo of everyone.  No, we were not near or in a prison, just in the beautiful Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles in East LA.  It is great to see these smiling happy taco full faces.  I again must say that I'm lucky to have such amazing friends with me.  Mike and Nikki are two of my oldest and closest friends and everyone in this photo represents what a great family I get to be a part of.  The enthusiasm that we all have doing things together is great.  We all just really have fun together and enjoy all the adventures we get to go on, whether it is volunteering at the church for festival, going to a party at someone's house or a late night Tacoteering adventure in East LA.

Chef Zadi is a master of his craft.  He was working the line, telling people what the tacos were all about and where they came from.  He was in full teacher mode and it was great that he also had his wife and two kids there.  They were helping, working and having fun.  Seeing families that are together like that is so cool.  I loved seeing them all gathered around.  The chef was working his pans, seasoning his meat and making sure that everything was served correctly.

As busy as he was, he took the time to talk to Alexander and all of us.  He shared his passion, his vision, his knowledge and his taco genius with all of us.  He was telling Alexander about where he grew up, where his family is from and how he is able to bring so many flavors and cultures together all on one plate.  It was such an amazing experience for all of us, especially these young, growing, impressionable minds.  All three of my kids, including the stand-offish younger ones gave him three hugs and a kiss before we left because he was so warm, inviting and wonderful to everyone.  It really was a treat and the icing on the cake for a great Tacoteering adventure.

RATINGS:
CAULIFLOWER: 3, I know you are thinking it would be higher, but it was good.  It did not blow my tongue away with uniqueness.  I am a big cauliflower fan, so I was excited to try his cauliflower version.  For sure not bad, for sure I'd love to eat it again, but not unique enough to gain a higher rating from me.
POLLO: 5, is this my first pollo 5?  It was really good.  Flavors that I'm not familiar with, tenderness that was unmatched.  Really impressed me the way that it looked, tasted, smelled and how it all came together.
LAMB: 5, yeah, I liked it that much.  Melissa liked it, but did not love it like I did.  I really felt like he just harnessed in so many unique flavors and shot them onto taco excellence.  There was a hint of almost gaminess and that just made it even better, raw good flavors that were not overdone, but not spices were not underutilized.
SHAKSHOUKA: 5, I'll be totally honest, I did not know how to rate this.  I had not heard of it, tried it or know anything about it until I read this article about his set-up for tonight.  Shakshouka is a spiced pepper, tomato, egg and onion mixture.  It sounds so basic, easy and normal, but it was something special.  We all really enjoyed this.  It was tasty and fun.  It was so unique to my regular Tacoteering and I'm so glad I am now acquainted with it.
SALSAS/SAUCES: 5, this is a slam dunk 5.  The avocado sauce was thick and different with a nice sweet flavor.  His mild sauces were both balanced with a delicious, rich explosion of flavor.  His two spicy salsa were super duper good.  His orange habanero is one of the three best salsas I've ever eaten and I kept running back for more.  It was hot.  Super, spicy hot and so damn delicious!

Yeah, that is a spread!  Great looking food.  They really packed those tortillas with meat.  They also were using a really nice sweet corn tortilla.  The texture on it was amazing.  The variety of sauces and salsas were most excellent.  We had to try a bit of everything of course and I was impressed that Alexander ate and tried everything.  Who knew we are all such fans of shakshouka?  Yeah, I know, didn't know I loved this stuff so much!  Creative flavors, passion, talent.  Chef brought it all together.  There was some delightful marinated cucumbers, freshly chopped cilantro, hand chopped diced onions and an unbelievable, tasty slaw!  It was not toppings for your tacos, it was a necessary supplement to a great meal!

Thank you everyone for reading.  Thanks for the follows, re-posts, re-tweets and sending to your friends and families!  Don't forget to find me on Twitter and Instagram, both are just Order of the Taco!

If you are looking for Chef Zadi, check out his website at www.chefzadi.com.  Hunt him out, eat his food, support a master of his craft!  He sets up around LA, find him, it is a great date night or family outing that is something a little different then just going out to dinner or to some crazy big venue.  It's a casual fun time and if you are crazy enough not to be obsessed with tacos, he does all sorts of foods on different weekends and at different times.

Today's goodbye, gratuitous photo is Alexander and the Chef.  He spent a great deal of time speaking with and joking with him and I know it was an unbeatable experience for Alexander.  Great thank you to Chef Zadi!

Stay Excellent!

SAN PANCHO, Roswell, GA

Well, what a day.  You know how it goes.  It is just long and full of unnecessary stress.  I was just done.  I mean the 15 hour day after a long day of travel was what it was.  I had one thing on my mind.  Taco Mac.  If you’ve never been to Atlanta or stopped by their location in Chattanooga, TN, you are missing out.  This place is a treat.  It is truly Buffalo Wild Wings gone WILD!  I just wanted some spicy wings and a cold IPA.  If you are unfamiliar, Taco Mac has that name because it was either remodel the kitchen of a closed Mexican restaurant in Atlanta or change the sign.  FYI, great call by those Buffalo transplants.  Wings are great; atmosphere is a bit loud for me, but fun.  Beer is always awesome.  So, I get there and there is a line out the door, I figure there is just me, I can sneak into a spot at the bar which is where I’m planning on sitting anyways.  Well, that just wasn’t going to happen.  Braves are playing and the Falcons were playing a preseason game.  Four deep at the bar after the past few days, no thanks, I’m out.  I head towards where I think my hotel is and make a right turn.  This finds me somewhere on Alpharetta Drive in beautiful Roswell, GA.  Needless to say, I am just looking for somewhere to stop.  I spot this place, San Pancho and figure, yeah, I guess I could eat some tacos.

So it begins.  I walk in and the place is a neat little taqueria.  Guy at the counter is not too personable, but I’m coming to expect this in Atlanta area taquerias.  I order and sit down.  Neat little salsa bar, I dig it.  I really like the onions.   They have dried chilies and carrots shredded in there.  Yeah, that is for sure in my future.  They have a verde, rojo and a spicy jalapeno salsa.  I size the salsa up, grab some onion mix and head to the table.  Lots of employees just hanging out in the back, needless to say, food is pretty quick, I’m pleased by this.

RATINGS:

PASTOR: 2, I really am convinced this is a three or a four if it was not so burned.  I mean burnt to a crisp.  It was so charred it crunched when I bit down.  I’m not looking for that in Pastor.  Give me the juicy goodness that was created in the 1960’s by Lebanese and Greek immigrants in Mexico, thanks.

ASADA:  2, Once again, turn the flame down dude!  Burnt to a charred crisp.  I honestly did not even get close to finishing.  Stuff was junk.

POLLO GUISADO: 3, What?  Am I on a Guisado kick lately?  Yeah, fair assessment.  Stuff was ok.  It was no Guisado’s in Boyle Heights for sure.  I don’t even think they were related, but this stuff will stand up to a lot of what I’ve found in San Antonio and other parts of Texas.  It was pretty good, cooked properly, not overdone (shocked) and had all the flavors that you would be looking for.

ADOBADA:  2, This was a low blow for me.  I’m a huge fan when Adobada is made correctly.  I mean it is a pastor-esque treat that I really enjoy.  I’ll be totally honest, I don’t know if they know what adobada is. 

VERDE: 2, just not very good.  Too sweet, way too sweet.  I couldn’t enjoy it at all.

ROJO:  3, It was good.  Bit of spice, they put some love into this.  For sure more then they did with many of the other things that they were willing to serve.

JALAPENO SALSA: 1, this runny snot was one of the worst things to hit this tongue.  I considered making a rating of zero just to point out how this stuff tasted.  I don’t think it belonged on the salsa bar.  I don’t think “salsa” should ever be in the same sentence. 

ONION MIX: 4, Why is this even on here right?  I just had to find a redeeming part of this journey and the onion mix was it.

Yeah, avoid.  Avoid this place at pretty much all costs.  They had some other things on the menu.  It is surrounded by a bunch of places to eat.  Go up about two miles on Alpharetta and you will run into Mi Mexico and you can get a great meal.  Oh, and the tacos are only $.25 more at Mi Mexico!  The onion mix was solid.   I will steal that recipe and make it better, I’m sure. 

Here is the thing.  The place was bad, but the journey to get there was great.  Nice trip to Atlanta, sorry it was short and I missed some of the great friends and people that I know in the area.  I’m sure that I’ll be back, whether or not I want to!  Well, off to Miami, my plane is about to board.  Thanks for reading everyone, Stay Excellent!

Carnitas Uruapan, Boyle Heights

Each story is a different tale.  It is communicated in the same way, but maybe a different style.  This will be told with many pictures, but few words that will describe how amazing this part of our excursion was.  The story is about a great man by the name of Eddie.  Eddie owns a bakery in the Boyle Heights part of Los Angeles.  This is no ordinary man in an ordinary bakery.  This culinary genius makes the world better one corn kernel at a time.  Eddie met us as we were raiding his shop one and two at a time to buy pastries that were all to die for.  Eddie being the great guy that he was struck up some conversations with us.  He began asking what we are doing in the area.  James, a founding member told him we were on a crawl through East LA and around and how we have the blog going.  He asked to talk to me to learn a bit more.

After a brief conversation, he asked a really silly question.  "Do you think you and your buddies would like a tour of my bakery and a lesson on Masa 101?"  I mean really?  Yes!  What kind of a person would pass this up?  I gathered the troops and we went in the back of his bakery as he broke down the process for making great Masa, and just to make sure you really understand, this is amazing stuff.  It was so neat as he walked us through each bit of the process.  I will not go into all of his trade secrets, they are his, but I'm sure if you were in the area and he had a minute, he'd give you 10, he's just that great of a man.  FYI, he's also a huge Dodger fan, which is a big plus for all of us!

Corn is started in here about 600 pounds at a time.  Yes, 600 pounds.  This is soaked and cooked to more then double its weight.  Really cool to see.  It is then moved over to another part of the phase where it cooks some more and gets ready to be mashed.

From here it is put into a special masher.  Tamales and tacos tortillas are made from there.  Yes, tamales.  Listening to Eddie talk about his tamale wrapping parties brought tears to this masa loving guy's eyes.  It really made me weep.  He spoke of all the different kinds of tamales and how to make them.  We discussed cooking processes and the whole deal.  It was one of the best parts of the trip that you just won't hear about unless you take the time to read this blog.

Eddie provides the masa at about 20-25 pounds at a time, which is about five times a day to Guisados' two locations.  One is next door in Boyle Heights, the other is right by Dodger Stadium.  You really need to check out Guisados and check out this bakery and say hey to Eddie from the Order of the Taco!  Eddie can be found at:
2102 East Cesar E Chavez Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 265-2474
Thank you so much for reading, please tell your friends, STAY EXCELLENT ALL!

Guisado's, Boyle Heights

 We start this one by explaining what Guisado is, aside from the name of this place.  Lets start personal.  Guisado is something delicious.  Guisado is a style of cooking.  I fell in love with Guisado Style cooking when traveling through Texas.  Specifically when I was in San Antonio.  They had some amazing meats that were made in the style of Guisado.  Technically it means that it is sauteed with garlic, onions and tomatoes.  It is almost like a stew, but much better, and I like stews.  Many dishes made in stews and cassaroles are referred to as Guisados.  Guisados in Boyle Heights takes it to another level.  By another level I mean leaps and bounds beyond anything this guy could have imagined.  As the members of the Order recapped our epic outing, Guisados ranked one for some of us and ranked in the top 3 for all of us.  The hardest part about writing about this place is having to split off the owner's brother's business.  They are tied together, but too much information, so please check out the blog that I do on Carnitas Uruapan Market & Deli.

Guisados is on East Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights.  Place is great.  It sticks out just a bit with a super cool contemporary look for the area.  The place is nice, clean and fun.  They have a short line with tons of boiling pots in the background.  They even go as far to make Tinga.  A chicken dish I often struggle to find, but love to eat.  FYI, their's is by far the best I've ever had.  Armando takes his food really seriously.  We jumped in on his mini taco samplers.  You can pick any six of their tacos and they make them mini tacos which were great and a perfect way for all of us to try everything.  A true treat at this place, the fish taco.  This big piece of fish was amazing.  I mean seriously a great fish taco that I did not expect or see coming.  The flavor was on point.  The fish was flaky and good.  They do make  things affordable here, but do not do things the cheap way.  They have an extensive menu with many different meats and their mole sauce was one of the best that I've ever had.  It was subtle, sweet, spicy and flavorful.  I really appreciate the culinary prow-less that this family has.  As if the food wasn't great enough, they had a beverage that you need to get in on.  The Armando Palmero.  This twist on a classic was stellar.  Armando is the name of the owner, that is where the first pun came in.  It has lemon water mixed with some Jicima.  Yeah, you need to try this when you go.  What a great refreshing beverage to compliment amazing food.

What set this place apart?  Well, I really think a lot of that has to do with the tortillas.  What a great part of the food.  We were reminded more and more through this trip, a tortilla is like a fork.  You just need it to eat sometimes.  Their tortillas will be spoken of more in my next blog, but are unique and delectable.  Armando has two restaurants.  One is in Boyle Heights, the other is by Chavez Ravine near Dodger Stadium.  Armando has such a commitment to excellence that he only takes about 20-25 pounds of masa at a time.  Yes, he will run back and forth from the bakery to make sure that he is only serving the freshest product that he can.  The masa is craftily made by his brother Eddie especially for Guisados.  If this doesn't excite you, you need to reevaluate your priorities.

Guisados will be getting another visit from me.  The great service, excellent food and just down right cool vibe in there is worth checking out.  They know how to match a sauce to a meat and that is often lost in translation on these taco crawls.  I can't say thanks enough to the owners and staff of this place.  They embraced, welcomed us and thanked us for putting them on the excursion.  They taught us so much and really made us guests in their home.  Thanks for reading and please check out the blog later today that will be an extension of this visit which was next door at their bakery and includes a tour of the back and Masa 101!  Stay excellent!!!