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!

Lola's Baja Taco's, Granada Hills, CA

Melissa has been bugging me about going to this place for a bit now.  I've had friends tag themselves there and have thought about it, I mean, I am a huge sucker for a fish taco.  Lola's is in one of those semi-awkward parking lots.  It is there, easy to find, but hard to find?  Anyways, we got there, it is just West of Balboa on Chatsworth if you are familiar with The Valley, then again, it is still on that corner even if you are not.

 I didn't realize how blurry this picture came out until I posted it on here, but you get the gist of the place.  Small, quaint, neat little joint.  Decor is simple, not over done so I really like it.  People working there are nice and they really seemed to be helping each other out a lot.

Don't really know what to call this.  Prep area?  Cooking table?  Finishing station?  They are preparing some of the food right there, really finishing off the toppings.  Presentation was lacking, but it didn't look too messy.  Usually a station like that is reserved for the back, they do things just a little different here.

Here's a quick shot at the menu.  It is a bit on the pricey side for San Fernando Valley tacos, but they do have some cool stuff that you aren't really going to find everywhere.  Good diversity, but I'm not sure if they know which direction they really want to go.  Small taco place that has great fish or great fish place that serves some tacos.  Beer and wine was missing.  I had a lot of water because everything came across as really salty to me, but a cold beer would have cut through nicely.  We went non meat on this trip to maximize what they seem to be pushing.  Looked around and didn't see anyone else eating meat.  I like that, eat what they focus on.

We jumped right in ordering their chips, salsa and guacamole.  Not too shabby.  It was a great first impression, but like I said and will say again, a bit salty for my palate.  Portion on these two were solid.  They gave you a nice amount, the chips they seem to fry to order and they season them while they are hot.
RATINGS:
BAJA FISH TACO: 2, this was kind of tasty.  Melissa loved it, I found it to have too much mayonnaise.  The slaw mixture was a bit much and I thought that the piece of fish was a bit too small for the price, but it wasn't horrible.  Rating is on my experience here, you might dig it!
SPICY TUNA: 5, this was my favorite here.  It is something that I would go back for without a doubt.  Spicy, flavorful, it was great spicy sushi meets a badass taco.  This is so easy to screw up, glad that they didn't.  Really nice all all accounts from taste, texture, smell, they did really well and you are making a mistake not going there to try this one.
POTATO: DON'T KNOW?,  hard to rate this one.  It is different.  I don't want to rate it low because it was good, but I can't rate it too high because I wouldn't order it again.  Quite confusing, you'll have to go and eat this one yourself!
SALSA: 4, this was a surprise.  They know what they are doing here and I strongly recommend that you try this salsa.  It is a great compliment to the guacamole.  Light spice to it, smooth texture but not runny, great for dipping your chips.
GUACAMOLE: 4, I liked it.  It was a bit chunky, I don't like it when it is whipped unless you are turning it into an aioli.  Texture was solid, flavor was good.  Got some salt, citrus, vegetables, pretty solid stuff here.  In the end it wasn't that it was that amazing, but it was a great compliment to this restaurant, well done.

Food is overall good.  Presentation is on point.  Everything was a bit salty for my liking, but that doesn't mean that you won't love it.  The hard shell taco was good, the tuna was pretty unreal, that is a well deserved 5.  This is a good date spot if you are introducing your significant other to tacos.  They are like transition tacos.  They are not bad, but I'm not running back to them.  It is hard, I love trucks and small taquerias but do understand that places like this can attract more taco eaters, which is a good thing.

Huge thanks for those of you who continue to follow and continue to read.  Sorry I have not been writing as much lately, I've been working the bar everyday, loving it, but busy there and doing consulting.  I have been eating tacos daily, obviously but haven't been writing about them as much. I can tell you that I miss it and there are more blogs to come from the Order of the Taco.  The gang has been chatting, we are going to get a trip together soon, look forward to that.  Get tacos if you are in the valley and come see me at the bar!

Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of the hot sauces on the table.  Strong showing, these guys are pretty good and know what they are doing.  If I didn't make it clear, check them out, they are worth it.  The goodbye photo is pretty hot...

Stay Excellent!

Taqueria Mexico, Roscoe and DeSoto, Canoga Park, CA

I've run into some pretty bad taco luck lately.  I haven't written because much of the tiny, short adventures have been pretty poor and it is depressing to write about.  This place was different.  It is so bad that I must warn you.  It is so horrible that I would be doing you a complete disservice by not telling you how disgusting this place is.  It is beyond bad and I don't know how they in good concious can serve anyone food that tastes this bad.

The decor is promising.  It is a good looking little spot that has it all kind of split from the kitchen but you can still see it.  Tables and chairs are comfortable.  The place just shows so many good signs until you get your food!  It is really sad that they failed so miserably.

The menu is great and again it just sets you up to think that they won't suck as much as they do.  Lets get this over with...
ASADA: 1, made me want to vomit.
LENGUA: 1, more of a mystery meat.
CABEZA: 1, not sure if they were serious when they gave this to me.
PASTOR: 1, eww.
CARNITAS: 1, what the heck was that?
SALSA: 1, if you can really call it salsa, OK?

So I didn't finish my meal because it was that bad.  Yes, it truly was that disgusting.  Those photos are after I was done eating.  There was nothing edible.  This place made me crave a fast food restaurant.  It was so bad.  I literally ran to the car and drove as fast as I could to Rigo's to clean my palate.   


This adventure was horrible and I'm glad that you read it so that you don't go there.  I assure you that I took one for the team even walking into this place.  The only positive thing is this mural on the wall, it is your gratuitous photo.  Better blogs to come in the future.

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!

Los Tapatios, Lennox, CA

When you walk in, this is what you see.  A nice meat display, this is a pretty cool looking butcher shop.  I think this just heightens my frustration.  The meat that they have looks great.  Variety was pretty incredible, especially for such a quaint space.  If you haven't gotten the tone, the vibe yet, the tacos sucked.

I know, you are asking, how bad was it.  It was horrible.  It felt like my taste-buds were being punished.  Most everything was horrible.  The food was no bueno.  Aside from the company, the jalapenos were good.

The best part about this blog is probably going to be the pictures, because the food sucked.  The location, the photos, the Yelp all gave this place some promise.  Sadly it ends there.  Not the pictures, I have some salsa porn to share with you, but the ratings are going to suck, hard...

So the menu is, well, um, yeah a bit disjointed, but looked promising.  The broken sign doesn't  bother me, I think it adds some character.  They have too much for them to handle.  Yeah, the menu is too big for them.

This is the kitchen that makes food that sucks.  I just wanted you to see it first hand.

This is the unimpressive, flavor wise, salsa bar.  Enough of the pictures, its time to get to business:
RATINGS:
ASADA: 3, this was OK.  If I was trapped in this taco hell again, this is probably the only thing that I would order.
PASTOR: 1, you broke my heart.  Putting a ton of citrus on dry pork does not make it pastor, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
LENGUA: 2, flavorless and not exciting in anyway.  You can add salt to poorly boiled meat...
CHICHARRON: 1, a very under-cooked, unappreciated meat here people, it makes me sad.
PIERNA: 2, this was dry and flavorless.
CHICKEN: 2, here's the shocker, dry and flavorless...
JALAPENO: 4, this was the second best part of the trip. My company was obviously the best, but these were pretty tasty.  I think they are the only way that I was able to get through these tacos.
SALSA: they get a 4 on variety, a 3 on flavor.  PRESS THE LIMITS GUYS!  They need to be more bold in their flavor, really any bit of boldness would be appreciated.

Do you understand how I feel about the food?  Is there a question?  Is there anything left to ambiguity?  I sure hope not!  I feel it's clear.  If it is not, let me re-explain.  If you are by there, run in, grab those delicious looking jalapenos and run out and go somewhere better.

Chicken stock on the sope.  This excited me.  You would think this adds flavor, you would think this would make it a moist treat.  Not the case, chicken still was dry, the cheese tasted old and dry and I was beyond unimpressed.  That is so sad to me, I love sopes.

Thank you to anyone and everyone for reading.  Please keep spreading the taco word.  Get people to read.  Let them know where to go, or in this case where not to go!!  Shoot me messages of places you want me to check out, if you love the place, hate the place or if you want me to try it first because you are scared.

I hope you agree the pictures are the best part.  I just don't feel like Nicole and I deserved such a poor taco experience.  You should drive Chef Zadi's restaurant if you are planning on going to this one and eat his delicious tacos I wrote about in my last blog.

Nothing could be obvious in this blog than the message I've echoed in blogs for quite some time.  It doesn't matter where you eat, but who you get to do it with.  I sure got a BIG win in that department.  Nicole Merizalde is a great friend and colleague.  She's a really cool chick that everyone she meets wants to connect with.  She is a heck of a Tacoteer and I appreciate knowing her.  Obviously today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is of her making her way back over to our table.

Stay Excellent!

Corner of N Soto and Alcazar, East Los Angeles, California

"True love is your soul's recognition of its counterpoint in another."  How about a shout out to the movie Wedding Crashers for predicting the Tacoteering adventure that I got to be a part of in East LA the other night?  Damn, they nailed it on this one.  That cone alone proves that true love does exist.  That cone was, well part of the tastiness.  I can't help it, I can't fight this feeling, I have to show you another beauty already...

OMG!  I'm freaking out just trying to write this thing.  This place was that good.  No, is that good.  I have not been able to stop talking about this place, I mean, yeah, it was that righteous.  Enough is enough, lets start the story, so you know how we got here, why we got here, aside from taco love, and let you know how all of this went down, you will then see the ratings, wrap up and goodbye/gratuitous photo.  

This is a well fed cast.  Everyone knows Josh, Nicole is the girl next to him, I'm obviously the large, bald, bearded Tacoteer in the middle.  That hot guy next to me is Yellow Chocolate, who everyone should know by now, then Amelia is sporting that big smile that she takes everywhere and I'm telling you, I don't think it ever leaves her face.  

Meet the two first timers.  Amelia and Nicole.  See the excitement for just the horchata.  That isn't even the tacos yet.  I'm a lucky dude to work with these two crazy gals.  They are two great people who can always bring a smile to your face and they are strong willed enough to endure watching Big Hungry eat all day when she is in the office.  They really are talented great people and I'm so full of joyfulness to have them as friends.  Anyways, they have been on me about us all going Tacoteering.  I mean, you know I always want to.  We made these plans a couple of weeks ago, confirmed last week.  A few days before, they wanted to go and they wanted a place with margaritas.  I was down.  I have been wanting to do a write up on El Cholo for sometime, so that was going to work out just fine.  I was on the phone with them early in the day as I was training for a new restaurant opening at LAX and they said they were ready to ditch the margaritas and wanted a real, true Tacoteering experience.  I was so happy that I did the dance of joy from Perfect Strangers.  Sadly, no one did it with me, so I looked even more ridiculous.  I was excited to see what kind of Tacoteers my friends would be, and they sure did not disappoint. 

How did we get to our destination?  The van.  We carjacked Melissa's van right from the front yard and drove the Silver Sled to taco bliss.

This place powers it up in a very cool way.  These guys kicked it old school on this night keeping the place lit from the car.  They are all over it and made sure that the place was very inviting.  

When we got there, they were still setting up.  They did a pretty amazing job getting set-up so fast.  While we wait for them to set-up, let me tell you a bit more about them.  So, I have heard of these guys.  They are like semi-underground in the taco community.  They have a Facebook page, but it doesn't always seem to be up, which is honestly really cool.  I have attached the link to the blog.  Worth checking out.  I wanted to go here.  I've been waiting for the right time.  When the girls said they wanted somewhere different and cool, this was the only place on my mind.  I was a bit nervous that they wouldn't be there, it was rainy and they don't really have "hours of operation."  Anyhow, we decided to go and I told the girls I'd get them from the office.  I was obviously even extra psyched that Phil and Josh were going but was bummed some other folks, like Big Hungry didn't make it.  She was working out with her new trainer to bulk up.  

Oh good, they are set-up now.  So, they are on the corner of North Soto and Alcazar.  Often they are across the street from where they were on this evening.  It amazed me how much meat is coming off that tiny grill.  These guys work their tails off.  We also noticed that they enjoy a quick burrito if the line sort of dies off.  Aside from the gill, there is the cone that is pictured in the beginning and the large pot with the meats staying nice and hot stewing in their juices.  They don't just do a great job of flavoring and seasoning, but also of keeping the food hot, fresh and continuing the marinating, flavor process.  

The creation of their mulitas.  These little mules were pretty amazing.  I did not partake as I had for sure had my fill, but I can assure you that my next trip will include one of these.  They looked amazing.  Nicole scarfed one, but who could blame her?  They kept that grill hot and made sure those tortillas were a bit crispy.  Just another great option to showcase the diversity of these guys.  

Ahh, the final product in all of it's glory.  Looks righteous, doesn't it?  Please don't try to call this a quesadilla, you are embarrassing yourself, frustrating me and offending the food itself. 

RECORD, most pictures I've ever put in a row on this blog without my whimsical dialogue!  Look how sad she is that she is down to only one more taco at the end.  You can see the happiness exuding from her from the beginning through the first few, then you see the sadness when she only has one taco left.  
BUCHE: 5, where do I begin?  What do I say.  This was delicious.  Some of the best that I've had ever.  It was so good, texture on point, a bit of a bite to it.  Not slimy or under cooked.
SUADERO: 5, I mean, this thing reads pretty similar to the buche.  Really nice stuff here.  This was served so hot and man was it good.
ASADA: 4, slightly above average here.  It was good.  Really subtle flavors, great texture.  Cooked, but not overcooked, hard or chewy.  Really enjoyable.  
LENGUA: 5, holy guacamole this was some good stuff.  It is all that lengua should be with texture and flavor.  They will cut it right in front of you, so if you can't handle that, look away right after you order it.  It is in small pieces, then just shred and melts right into your hot, delicious tortilla.  
TRIPA: 5, write this down, people, best tripas I've ever had.  Yes, you read this correctly, best tripa I've ever had.  It was so good.  It has a slight kick to it, it is seasoned perfectly, it is soft on the inside with a nice sear from the grill.  You will be forced to enjoy this if you put it in your mouth.  If you've wanted to try tripa but you weren't sure if you would love it, this is the place to try it.  Both Josh and I commented immediately from tasting this candy-like treat.  This was my favorite of the protein choices that I sampled on this adventure. 
PASTOR: 5, this ranks with the best.  Put it in the hall of fame.  This is RT good.  This is Tacos el Gordo yummy.  Yeah, aciote, pineapple, clove, chili powder in a symphony of flavors that really made my day.  I want people to go and try this.  I want people to get excited and enjoy this.  You will be happy, you will thank me.  I know I said the tripa was my favorite, this one is tied with it.  I did go back and have a second of one taco, it was this one.  I had to see if it was as good as I thought, it might have been better.  Please try for your tasting pleasure.  
CABEZA: 5, I just love cabeza.  I go nuts for great cabeza, and this was it.  It has become one of my favorite choices when I'm tacoteering.  Problem is so many places it is slimy and lacks the enjoyable texture.  This place was right on point, yes, right on point.  
POLLO: 4, I stole a piece right out of Amelia's taco.  It was good.  Nice flavor, nice texture.  Why is it above a 3?  The flavor was consistent with the rest of the meats, out of this world.  Really nice flavoring on this chicken, you will be pleased.  
HORCHATA: 5, never would have thought I'd rate horchata, but this was creamy goodness.  I think it is a bit more milk than most, and man is it yummy!  It was a great wash down from the delicious tacos.  I shared one with Josh and Phil, not just because we wanted to, but because it felt more romantic for us.  
SALSA BAR: 5, this bad boy was packed with flavor and excitement.  There was a traditional red, green and an avocado.  Nothing disappointed.  They had heat, they had flavor, they were not overwhelming and they were an unreal compliment to their delicious meats.  The cilantro, onions, radish, cucumber and limes were all fresh and everything was cut by hand.  Really impressive set-up and the guys were right there talking you through your decisions in perfect Spanish and English.

I feel as though I've worn you out with the thoughts about this food.  Plain and simple, it was good, damn good.  They do a nice job of giving us some great options, a good variety and the service was great.  The guys working here were joking with everyone and seemed to be having a pretty awesome time.  The  burrito looked pretty amazing, I want to get Jason the Juggernaut here to see if it meets his high standards.  One of the impressive things to me, was looking into the pot where much of the meat was being kept hot.  I unfairly assumed that it was going to force much if not all of the meats to taste really similar or the same, well it didn't.  Food was really good and it all kept it's own distinct flavor and texture.  Again, these guys really do know what they are doing.  Very rarely have we had a place that ranks this high.  NOTHING below a 4?  Pretty impressive.  I loved the fact that as we were eating Josh looked at me and said "I can't find anything wrong with their food."  Phil and I totally agreed that this was a pretty epic meal.  

I'm a huge fan of the self service prep area.  You can choose your own adventure with the lime, cilantro and onion ratio.  These guys have a fantastic set-up.  They give you four amazing salsas that are all full of flavor and pack a little heat, but not too much.  They want you to enjoy the flavors but not get eaten alive if you are a wimp.  If you want some spice in your life, they have peppers and onions there for your enjoyment.  The fresh cucumber and radish is an appreciated touch that fits in nicely with what they are doing.  
I was thinking, we took and showed a bunch of pictures of Amelia eating, but what about Nicole?  Did she eat?  Did we get food action shots there?

You bet your buttons we did.  

One more shot of this awesome crew of people, it is actually a separate picture from the one above, taken by a very great person who was there eating tacos with her husband.  Good man Charlie Brown, take her for tacos, she will always appreciate.  

Well I can't say thank you enough to the Tacoteers of this adventure!  This was such an epic trip.  The tacos and the company was amazing on this one.  It is great to have new folks, especially cool ones like Nicole and Amelia but it is also so awesome to have shared so many great adventures around the world with Josh and Phil.  These guys are pretty fantastic and they are chefs.  They know food and we always break down how things are made, why and what we would do differently, which in this case is bring more cash to take food home for the family's to try.  I cannot wait to go back to this place and try it again.  I just want to bring more and more people with me.  This place is totally worth checking out.  As always, thank you for reading, re-posting, re-tweeting and telling your friends if you like the blog or telling your enemies if you don't.  The publicity is appreciated either way!  

Today's goodbye/gratuitous photo is a thing of beauty.  The look of true excitement as someone is biting into their taco.  That raw childhood innocence as you are about to indulge in deliciousness inside of a tortilla.  The anticipation of all of that goodness is so exciting for anyone and everyone.  If you really want to break down the excitement, look at the left of the photo.  Josh is excited for Nicole.  It is fantastic to see not only the eater, but the audience anticipating the excellence of a bite.  If you were wondering from the old commercials "where's the squirt?"  We found it, it is right behind Nicole being drank by some guy enjoying these most excellent tacos.

STAY EXCELLENT!!!