Taco Life

El Chato Taco Truck ~ Los Angeles, CA

2009-12-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

This past summer to fall I've been back and forth between LA and Visalia. The summers in LA are no doubt some of the best times any red-blooded American can experience, with great weather, beaches, mountains and an event list that spills outta LA Weekly. But this year I had a longing to be back in Visalia, closer to family and friends, and mountains and rivers that I've grown to love. Seriously, there's not much better than kickin it at the river on a hot summer day throwin back cans of beer with friends. Only problem, LA has tacos...Visalia has tacos, but not like LA. It's different, the variety and quantity of tacos in LA is vast, almost immeasurable. Visalia, yeah, I can count how many places on my hand that are "worthy" of scoping out for a first time. Point is, when in LA, I ALWAYS check out new spots. This last time was El Chato Taco Truck, a drunken favorite of many bar and club goers on their way home from a night of partying.

EL CHATO TACO TRUCK

They don't have a salsa bar. Their menu is limited: tacos, burritos and quesadillas only. The meats consist of asada, pastor, cabeza, lengua, buche, pollo and chorizo. I don't know how big their burritos are, but I can say their tacos are super small, like the smallest taco imaginable, about 3 1/2 inch diameter, so $1 for a taco isn't all that amazing.

*5 tacos :) 2 pastor, 2 asada, 1 cabeza

WITH THAT SAID, this place is definitely among some of the best tacos I've tasted in here in LA, and I've been to plenty of spots. The quality was amazing because of their execution and obvious experience in serving up quality food.

*Asada

Finely chopped and well seasoned. Great execution. Meat was super tender in your mouth because of the thin cut of meat that was finely chopped.

*Al Pastor

My favorite of the three meats I had, the pastor was juicy, tender and had a nice char from the heat while turning on the spit. Oh yeah, here's the key, this place has REAL pastor served on a spit...with a piece of pineapple on top. I've come to notice that most places don't serve real pastor on a spit, only pastor that's basically a marinated pork. The only way, I believe, pastor can be done is cooked on a rotating spit...and this place does that.

*Cabeza

I'm not a huge cabeza fan, (I've only had it 3x in my life) but I ordered it anyways to see if these guys can really blow me away. The flavor was right on, but I'm just not a fan of the gooey soft texture. But this place did have the best cabeza I've had outta the 3x I've had it.

The tortillas are dipped in the cooking oil and heated up on the grill, which made the taco a bit greasy, maybe best kept for those long drunken nights...or for horrible morning hangovers. The salsa was satisfactory, nice heat that didn't destroy your mouth to any of the other great flavors that come with your food.

Like I said, these tacos are SMALL, so I ordered three more pastor :) But this time around they really doused em' with their salsa, which killed it for me. I think the best way to go here is get the tacos with the salsa roja on the side.

4 outta 5 for these bad boys.

Tacos ~ $1.00

El Chato Taco Truck ~ On the corner of La Brea Ave and Olympic Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90019

Mi Casita ~ Visalia, CA

2009-10-08T02:21:00.000-07:00

Even though I've neglected this blog, I still eat tacos. I'm still fat and I'm still unemployed. Not much has changed. I still love tacos, but a new love I picked up this summer is backpacking the beautiful Sierra Range. Ahhh, now if only I can incorporate the two...you know, spend about five days in the backcountry, somehow bring some asada or pastor and grill it over an open fire. Yeah, that shit will never happen...but till then...

MI CASITA

Conveniently located in the "North Side" of Visalia, this little shack is among a handful of taco stands along Houston Ave. that I've actually been to prior to this most recent meeting. I'm not going to lie, going to the northside for food might not sound so appetizing, but the area is highly concentrated with Mexicans, so you know what that means....there's gonna be some good food.

*I like the laker fan...but a Farmar jersey??? Come on.

*outside seating, 3 full tables, but the flys are crazy annoying

*that sign says, "we have sopes" :)

Since they didn't have pastor and carnitas, I ordered a cabeza and adobada taco with my asada taco. I've had the adobada over at Tacomiendo in Culver City, which was amazing, so I was excited to see how this Visalia stand would stack up to a CC great.

*Adobada

You know, I'm sad to say that Mi Casita gave me some poor adobada. The meat was soo dry, like border line crispy. It was like it was sitting in an oven on super low but was there for an hour. That type of dry. The pork was proper adobada, but what the fuck casita? Are you proud to give me this quality? You obviously don't give a shit, or else you'd be ashamed to serve this. Whatevers....they wanted my dollar and a quarter...they got it. Fuckers.

*Cabeza

I'm not a huge cabeza fan. This was my first time to try it, maybe not the best place to try an uncommon meat for the first time. I think it's the texture that gets me a bit uneasy. It's gelatinous, with little bits of meat, kinda gooey texture. The flavor, though, was really good. I definitely need to try this meat more often. OH, cabeza is basically cow cheek...but sometimes they just throw the whole cow head in a pot and stew the puppy, then serve you whatever meat is there. Not the most appetizing sounding, but it did taste relatively good compared to the crap adobada.

*Asada

No surprise, the asada was the star. I don't expect any different here in visalia though....it seems this is an asada only type of town. Can't hate though, asada is bomb, it's just I'd really like to see a place with some good pastor done properly on a spit. Mmmm....

Anyways, the asada is very reminiscent of Super Taco's in Woodlake. Thin sliced carne that's grilled then finely chopped, creating super tender and juicy asada. One of my favorite types of tacos.

There is a stocked salsa bar, but in the Visalia heat, it was kinda hard to even think about putting any salsa. Maybe next time. And there will be a next time.

Asada - 3 1/2 stars

Cabeza - 2 1/2 stars

Adobada - 1 star

Overall ~ 2 1/2 stars

Tacos ~ 1.25

Mi Casita ~ Corner of Houston Ave & Church St. Visalia, CA 93277

La Carreta Taco Truck ~ Puyallup, WA

2009-09-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

I ate 8 tacos total. Yeah, they were fuckin good.

I was in the market for food, driving down Meridian Ave, leaving Mt. Rainier, and noticed a 49 cent tacos sign, and about flipped my car cutting across the street. People who know me, know I'm a fuckin taco guy who talks about tacos and dreams about where I'm going to eat my next one.

For you Washington people (if you have a chance at reading this) let me tell you...I'm from the central valley of California and I currently reside in LA, so I have taco cred, not to brag, but I know my shit. This place here is legit. You're lucky to have such quality in the most random spot in Washington.

I ordered 1 pollo, 1 asada, 2 "spicy pork" (which is pastor, just goes to show how they have to americanize the names for this area). Everything was right on. With each taco I ate, the more surprised I was at how good they were, especially after being somewhat disappointed from Flair Taco in Fremont. I was thinking there was no hope for this state, but La Carreta provided, and has thus redeemed you Washington.

After devouring those first four, I order 4 more, this time 2 carnitas and 2 more pastor. ( I was surprised they actually called it carnitas...and not "pulled pork" haha..) The lady working the truck was very nice, and could tell i was happy, which made her happy.

About the flavors, I think what really stuck out was their carnitas. I've been hard pressed to find a carnitas that's been worthy of its own paragraph in my reviews, but this here took it. Usually, the blandest of the mexican meats, it held up perfectly, slow cooked and roasted to my sense of perfection, juicy and toasty, not dryed out. (I hate dry carnitas) The pork acted as the perfect canvas to hold the salsa, onions and cilantro...it was a great taco.

The pastor, surprisingly, I enjoyed. I usually don't like saucy pastor. But this one proved to me that there is hope on the other side. The saucyness came mainly from the grease on the grill mingling with the marinade, and I loved it. Loved it so much I ordered 4 altogether :)

Bravo La Carreta. You just put Washington on the taco truck map of goodness.

Tacos ~ pollo and pastor 49 cents / asada and carnitas $1.25

La Carreta Taco Truck ~ 12413 Meridian Ave E Puyallup, WA 98375

Flair Taco ~ Fremont, WA

2009-08-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

I'm backed up on this blog about six taco joints deep. Living this life unemployed, I've had ample time to do things at a slower pace, so I apologize for the lack of new taco goodness that is usually found here on this webpage.

Anyways, I spent about 10 days in the Seattle area, shlepping around because I've become good at it, and literally stumbled upon two taco trucks, separated about 100 miles apart. Both times I found these trucks I was hungry and already looking for food, so to find a taco truck, in Washington of all places, was definitely a blessing.

Unsure of where to begin, I'm going to start with the first truck, Flair Taco in Fremont, a neighborhood north of Seattle, across the river.

FLAIR TACO

First thing I noticed as I walked up to the truck was news paper clippings taped to the front raving about this place. I'm not really into braggarts, so I wanted to let the tacos speak for themselves. I was coming in a skeptic...even though I was excited and really hoping that this truck was at least remotely like the tacos I'm used to in LA.

I don't even pay attention to menus anymore, being a taco lover and reporter, I've hardly the need to deviate from my calling. But I do recall seeing something totally unique, a meal called the "Passport Special," where the only way you can order this meal is if you have a valid passport. Fuckin loco mayne! I was curious about this and asked taquero. He proceeded to explain to me like some fuckin rookie to mexican food, something he described as a "taco with cheese and guac, kinda like a quesadilla."

Come on man, I was like, "Dude, that's a mulita!"

"Yeah! Exactly! I didn't think you'd know!"

"Pffft, I live in LA homes. East Los...what's up?!"

Of course, I don't live in East Los Angeles, but whatever..I was hoping he'd cook my food with special care.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but what I got was something reminiscent of what I'm accustomed to: two warm, small taco truck tortillas, onions, cilantro and a salsa roja that was spicy and smelly...in that good mexican grub way. But a huge factor to a good taco is the filling.

I ordered one asada and one pastor, and all I can say is this truck did not blow me away. No "mind blowing experience," or "tacophoric splendor." The asada was alright, but I have an odd feeling that it was recooked, not that I care about such things, but if you're going to recook, at least heat my meat up proper style...serve it hot! As for the pastor, it was the saucey type, you know, the type when if you don't cook it long enough, the marinade will not fully dry onto the pork. Sometime it works out...this time it didn't.

I will add though, that this place did quell my taco fix. My only problem is it didn't leave me with a sense of "wow" like the newspaper clippings implied. Eh, for Fremont, WA, a neighbordhood in northern Seattle, I guess I could have done a lot worse.

Tacos ~ 1.25

Passport Meal ~ 9.50

Flair Taco ~ 315 N. 36th St. Seattle, WA 98127

Yadi's Taco Truck ~ Culver City

2009-07-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Where the fuck have I been? About two months has passed since I've touched a keyboard with smelly salsa fingers, and I just couldn't take it any longer. Between Peru, Backpacking, and being in Visalia (ugh) I haven't been able to do what I have come to love over the past year: eating tacos and writing about them.

"But Jason, there wasn't any mexican food in Peru?"

Are you fucking kidding me? That place might as well be in the Orient, because their idea of a tortilla chip is what we call here in the states, "won ton." One good thing came out of that though, now I know won tons and guacamole taste good together!

"Visalia? Come on, there's some good mexican food there!"

Hmmm, you're right. There is good mexican food there. But most places are restaraunts, and sometimes I don't feel like having to get served...what's up with the lack of taquerias? Another thing, the places that are grubby downs are in the Northside, nuff said.

So, I'm back, LA. Your old friend is here...and ready to eat some mother fucking tacos!

YADI'S TACO TRUCK

You can tell alot about a business' food by the type of customers it attracts. And this taco truck, thank God, had ALL MEXICANS at it. And I'm not talking like, two or three people, I'm talking two or three FAMILIES, all chillin, eating outta their trucks; one family even had some chairs out by their cars! There were kids whizzing past me while I was waiting in line, adults behind me laughing and eating...it truly was a beautiful site. All on a Monday night. And not a gringo in sight, except yours truly :)

How awesome does that look? Anyways, I order two pastor and two asada tacos. Seriously folks, at this point, I was about to explode. I took about four to five pictures before my mouth was so full of saliva I had to put the camera away and start grubbin' it.

OK, I really just want to talk about how awesome this night was for me, but at some point I have to tell you how the tacos tasted, what the truck served, all that nonsense you would get from a proper review of a place. But you know what? Believe me when I say this...This truck is good. And not because I haven't had a proper taco from a truck in lord knows how long, but because everything came together in a way that seemed almost predestined. Read my writing, look at my pictures. Trust me...

Besides the obvious, this truck had a couple things that stuck out to me. First, the tortillas came to me hot, so hot they were a bit stiff. But if that's how they wanna do it...by God, I'm going to let them. There was no lack of flavor, and not a problem when it came to getting it in my mouth. Second, they served the tacos with grilled green onions. That's just special to me.

Yet, if I were to gripe about this place...I'd say the tacos were on the small side. But this isn't anything I'm not used to...and don't expect.

I'm so glad to be back. Only for a week, but damnit, I'm going to fit as much tacos in this week as I can!

Tacos ~ $1.25

Yadi's Taco Truck ~ On the corner of Venice Blvd & Sepulveda...in front of the Chevron.

El Abajeno ~ Culver City

2009-05-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

I hate being a noob. Especially when it comes to experiencing new restaurants I'm not familiar with. There's awkwardness, ignorance and plain out tomfoolery when it comes to simple things such as standing in the right line to ordering your meal correctly. I'm sure some of you, or at least the two of you who are reading this, can attest. You just gotta swallow your pride and jump into the unknown, and hope you come out the other side a better person, or in my most recent case, walk out with a full stomach and a wallet that's not empty.

EL ABAJENO

This family owned and operated mexican joint has been pushing out authenticity since 1969. I'd like to say they are one of three really close, really great mexican joints, literally a stones throw apart. Two doors down from Abajeno is Taqueria Sanchez, across the street is Tacomiendo. With El Abajeno, my latest conquest, I finally put all pieces together to form the "Triforce of Culver City Mexican joints". Yeah, I said it. And you heard it here first.

What I ordered is not what I received, but I'll leave that for the end of this review. I ended up with three huge pollo taquitos, a carne asada taco and a stack of chips.

I was amazed to find that they only had 3 choices of meat for tacos: asada, lengua and chicharron. Amazed because this place is a mexican counter/deli with a HUGE menu.

Anyways, my taco had its ups and downs. The carne itself had a really good grilled/charred flavor with the meat being chewy yet very tender and juicy. The downside was the tortillas were starchy, like store bought... I ended up taking off the second and used only the one. The tipping point was my expectation of the tortillas to lose heat quick, from experience, but they kept heat long enough for my last bite to be nice and hot, lending this taco a thumbs up.

Through many Yelp recommendations, I opted for some taquitos. To my chagrin, what I get is this.

I'm fuckin gringo apparently, because I was expecting rolled, crunchy taquitos, not this soft lookin open tamale thing.

When I took my first bite, I was blown away. The tortilla was the quite the opposite of my taco. It was two very soft, almost melt in your mouth, homemade soft corn tortillas. The pollo was properly stewed with long hours of heat that came apart with the softest of pull, the avacado added another layer of flavor and texture and topped with mexican cheese, oh man! These flavors married so well, it was like taking a bite outta butter. Melty, chewy, fall apart deliciousness that it's no wonder so many people on Yelp put up reviews soley on this one item.

I'm definitely a fan of this place, despite my first time performance. Here's the story, I walk in and notice a huge menu. I couldn't even tell if they had tacos, the menu was so big. I ask chica if I can get a carnitas taco, she says no, but they have taquitos and it comes in pollo and carnitas. So I order three carnitas taquitos, expecting the crunchy rolled, but what I get is three HUGE pollo taquitos. And my total cost of my meal, 3 taquitos 1 carne taco and 1 medium drink? $14.60. Right when the cashier said that number, I literally almost doubled over. hahah, yeah, I'm broke and I haven't had a meal cost that much since I ate dinner with my parents, and they paid.

For the carne asada taco.

For the taquitos.

Tacos ~ 1.99 Taquitos ~ 2.95 for carnitas; 3.15 for pollo/asada/lengua.

El Abajeno ~ 4515 Inglewood Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230

Taco Plus ~ Santa Monica

2009-05-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

I found out about this westside favorite from a taco informant over at Yelp.com. I read the reviews, checked the menu and was a bit wary about the quality of taco. First off, the front sign says, "Taco Plus.... Fresh All The Time." Uh oh, is this another westside, "fresh-mex" taco joint? I've encountered a couple and more often than not, left less than happy. Second, tacos cost $2.35. That just makes me shake my head. Will this trip be worth it?

I took my chances anyways...

Taco Plus

First off, parking here can be a BITCH. But of course it is, you're in the Westside during lunch time. Note for you taco hunters, if at first you can't find parking in the centre, park across the street at the Smart and Final lot, behind Santa Monica Blvd.

But if you're blessed by God like me...you get hooked up like this during gnar lunch time periods...

*Jeep always in the crucial.

The inside is very small, only 3 or 4 tables that seat 4 and a back bar area with 4 stools. I could tell this place was for the locals who have time on their hands, or people who work in the area who get their meals to go.

Remember the "Fresh All The Time," logo out front? Well, let me tell you, right when I walked in I noticed a glass container with food sitting in heat pans. I didn't really mind seeing rice and beans, etc... in there, but what did bug me was seeing cut up asada, pastor and carnitas sitting in this heat box. Fresh all the time, huh??

While ordering, I noticed a big grill right behind chica with pollo, asada, fish and various other goodness being grilled fresh. Now that's the business!! I was just hoping they weren't gonna give me the bumbaclat sitting in the heat box.

My fears were realized once I saw poncho getting my tacos ready. Whats worse, before homeboy even got there, I saw a coworker of his pouring water all over the meats! What is this shit? Are you really pouring water all over the meat in hopes of slowing down the drying process.

"Fuck," is all I can say. I have a feeling my meat is gonna be really dry. Fuck it. I'm gonna it eat.

Before I begin, I want to address something that did impress me about this place. Their salsa bar was definitely a "plus." They have everything you could need, two rojas, a mild verde, cilantro, pico de gallo, radishes, limes and even green onions. Check out my set up...good looking aint it?

Anyways, the tacos are very big. Much bigger than your normal taqueria...hence, the $2.35 charge. The really load it with plenty of the meat. But one downside, is the tortillas were not very good. They tasted like store bought Guerrero brand that I'm not a fan of. Their super starchy and do not keep heat very well. My first bite, I expected some warmth, but no, none at all. It was like eating straight up room temperture tortillas...terrible.

*Pastor

First thing I notice is the flavor. It was undeniably pastor, but I'm not a fan of their marinade. Very unremarkable, with the "heat pan" pastor being dry. I did appreciate the crispy edges, but not at the cost of dry meat. Also, the salsa they put on top tasted like nothing. It was like having water that didn't help the already crappy tortilla. By the end, the inner tortilla was soggy and on the point of breaking.

*Asada

Hmmm, I'm kinda on the fence with this one. While the meat was dry and lacked any sort of mexican flavor, it was very lean and grilled properly with a nice stand alone beefy flavor. Like the pastor, it had charred crispy edges that tasted great, just the meat was soo dry, and once again, the crap salsa they put on top didn't help. A good thing was I was able to take it off and put on their "very hot" salsa, which wasn't really that hot, and I'm no fire eater.

It would be a stretch calling this place "authentic." Shoot, it's probably authentic to the masses here on the Westside who are transplants from the Midwest, where their idea of a "Mexican Restaurant" would be Cabo Cantina. It would be better to describe this place as a "watered down" version of Mexican food. The sad part is, it's a literal description as well. Really Taco Plus? Did you really just pour water all over the meats in that case? And "fresh all the time," my ass.

Tacos ~ $2.39

Taco Plus ~ 1525 S. Bundy Dr. Santa Monica, CA 90025 (310) 207.0793

Taqueria Chihuahua ~ Santa Monica

2009-04-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

So far I've gained back all 10 lbs. that I lost while at the Mayan Riviera. WTF?! What have I been doing?? Drinking, eating and eating and drinking some more. I swear, my job is EATING and DRINKING. I'm good at it. Someone hire me. Attached you will find my resume. Thank you for your interest.

Seriously though, I went a week and a half between posts and what's the reason? I've been on a little pizza hunt, as of late. As if tacos weren't enough, now pizza has piqued my interest, and my second chin is responding. For any of you that are actually following this blog, watch out for my new pizza blog, "Piece of That Pie." It's a work in progress...

Anyways...onto the tacos!

TAQUERIA CHIHUAHUA

So today is the second time I experienced this taqueria. The first time I was so impressed that I had to try it out one more time. Big difference between this time and the first?

This...

*Taco Dorado - Pollo

This my friends, is what brought me back to this place. The taco dorado (crunchy taco) here was excellent. The tortilla was fried proper with the pollo inside. The texture of the tortilla was perfectly crunchy, not hard, and not heavy, yet was strong enough to withhold my grip and the several bites I took without cracking and breaking, which can be very annoying. The chicken was very tender and juicy, not at all dry, with a sweetness from tomatos and a pepperyness that added a nice little bite at the end. This right here is a crunchy taco I can stand behind. Can't say the same with Tito's...ahhh Tito's I still have to do a review on your weak ass. One day you will get yours...one day.

Anyways, that was last week. Today I opted to go with the usual suspects.

*Carnitas y Carne Asada.

First off, the size of these tacos are a bit bigger than your standard taco truck tacos. Also, when you order they ask you if you want them with everything, meaning they themselves control how much onion, cilantro and salso goes onto your tacos. Which isn't so bad because they have a decent salsa bar with two salsa roja's (hot and very hot), a pico de gallo, radishs and pickled carrots. They actually did a good job on topping my tacos how I like. That's a plus in my book.

The carnitas taco was of the roasted type, which isn't my style. The pork was so dry that the flavors weren't shining through. Hence, I extra doused it with their smokey spicy salsa roja, which was great.

The carne asada here is the real deal. A very tender and juicy meat that's remiscent of grilling. There were even a couple charred and crispy edges in the mix, which I love because of that extra flavor. The pepperyness of the meat, added with their great salsa roja, married so well. I love this taco.

What an underrated player Taqueria Chihuahua is in the westside taco game. If you're in Santa Monica, I highly recommend this place over Tacos Por Favor, if carne asada is your thing. Their menu, besides the tacos, consist of many of your usual favorites, but something I did notice was they had mulitas. Maybe next time I can compare Chihuahua's with the USC favorite, La Taquiza.

Tacos ~ 1.59

Taco Dorado ~ 2.49, I think. :)

Taqueria Chihuahua ~ 12034 Venice Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90066

El Super Taco ~ Culver City

2009-04-28T23:46:00.001-07:00

I've been waiting two long months for this place to open its doors. I was impressed with the one off Pico in Santa Monica and once I saw the big sign with "coming soon" in front of the new El Super by my apartment, I vowed I'd be the first one in line with a big smile and an empty stomach.

EL SUPER TACO

FINALLY!

I walk in like I said I would, with a hungry stomach and a big smile, but all this soon turned south. For reference, I ordered the three taco combo plate.

*Al Pastor, Suadero, Pollo Tacos

First off, the beans were really salty. Like, so salty I didn't even eat them. Maybe first day jitters on their part? The rice was mediocre, at best. Something was missing in its flavor...I'll remark upon it later on. Now the tacos...

By far the best taco was the al Pastor. It was super tender and was marinated proper. It had a good glaze on it and wasn't over powering with the marinade. I really couldn't have asked for much more from a non spit pastor taco. Nice job.

Praise ends there. Check this pollo taco.

I know I should never judge a book by its cover, but damn, this pollo looked gnarly to me. As a result, I wasn't really enjoying this taco. It was tender but lacked much flavor. I really doused the salsas and onion and cilantro on this puppy.

Now for the suadero. What is suadero you might be asking? I really didn't know what this meat was until I saw it as an option at one of my favorite westside taco trucks, Tacos de Valle, which I still have to review on this site, but my cousin PATRICK keeps duckin' my emails about the pictures on his camera....fucker ass.

Anyways, suadero is basically beef brisket which is grilled. The suadero at Tacos de Valle looked mighty fine so I decided to try them out here first.

Well, I wasn't expecting this color, but it tasted alright. Very meaty with a chewy texture. Almost like carnitas, but beef. There wasn't much flavor besides the meatyness, so of course expect me to douse the shit outta this taco with their salsa verde.

Throughout my meal I kept noticing that something was missing. Flavor! Dare I say this El Super Taco lacks that bold mexican flavor?

I will! The flavors were empty and left me with a feeling that the food was NOT prepared with that mexican amore. It felt like I was eating food that was "prepared" just not "cared" for. I have this feeling I'm being a bit harsh because it was the first day, so I'm sure the cooks still have to get used to all the in's and out's in making the standard. I'll keep that in mind.

To end it on a positive note, they kept with their heritage and served their tacos bare with a side of grilled onions, and of course their salsa bar is still bangin'.

Tacos ~ $1.25

El Super Taco ~ 11499 Jefferson Blvd Culver City, CA 90230 310.391.8148

Gladi's & Carlita's Hot Lunch Truck ~ West LA

2009-04-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

I believe this truck is parked here during lunch hours (11am-2pm) in front of a major commercial building. It caters to the suits in the area, and the menu reflects that. I of course, ordered two tacos (carnitas and asada). But as I was checking the menu, I noticed a HUGE VARIETY, from pastrami sandwiches to teriyaki bowls, tacos to hot dogs. This place was ready to go.

GLADI'S & CARLITA'S

The carnitas was of the roasted type...which means they stew it for a long time, but then roast it in attempts to give it a crunchy outer surface. They did an ok job on not OVER roasting, yet it was a bit on the dry side. Nothing a little salsa roja and lemon couldn't help. The flavor was actually pretty good, despite they dryness. You could definitely taste the long hours in the crock pot. A very filling taco, also. They packed that bitch.

The carne asada was pretty standard. Not much flavor to it but they prepared it really good. Tenderly cooked with a little bit of juice from the griddle. Again, the salsa roja and lemon really helped out.

Now, here are my qualms. The tortillas they used were TERRIBLE. The carnitas and asada weren't exactly my definition of juicy, dry store bought tortillas did not help this taco one bit. They reminded me of Guerrero taco tortillas, good size, but once you heat them up, they get a bit hard and don't keep the heat. By the time I got to my second taco it was cold, dry and a bit on the hard side. They were really heavy, and not to mention they used two tortillas; they probably would have been better off using one tortilla.

Second, if you're looking for authentic mexican, this is not your place. Like I said, they cater to the SUITS in the area and their menu and flavors reflect that. Not the bold and flavorful stuff that leaves your breath smelling of a mexican kitchen. Too bad...because that's the shit I love!

PS-The couple working the truck (maybe Gladi and Carlita?) were VERY nice to me. This truck does have potential, I will be back to try out one of their breakfast burritos because of them.

Tacos ~ $1.50

Gladi's & Carlita's ~ La Grange Ave. & S. Bundy Dr. West LA 90025

Broadway ~ Santa Monica

2009-04-17T21:39:00.001-07:00

Herbal-Eye

10 W ~ Santa Monica

2009-04-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

DAT FIYA!!!

It's crazy that cop didn't stop us behind this burning inferno because as I was driving by the volvo was putting out mini explosions. Pretty scary. What's even worse, if you can notice her, is the bitch who's car is exploding is standing down wind in the midst of all that smoke. Serious lady? You know that shits not healthy.

405 N ~ W.LA

2009-04-17T21:15:00.001-07:00

BOMBED.

Yuca's ~ Los Feliz

2009-04-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of being unemployed is almost all obligation is thrown out the window, which leaves you with an open calendar to do what you want, when you want. I can wake up at 11 am because I don't have to go to work. I can take my time from point A to B, because I'm in no rush to get to work, or to get home from work. Also, if someone offers, "Hey, wanna go to the dodger game on monday? At 12:30?" I don't have to say, "Awww shit, I have work!"

Yeah, it sucks not having a job, but hey, gotta look at the bright side, right? Anyways, this opportunity presented itself and instead of saying "aww shit I have work," I said, "YES."

Awesome huh? What's even better is that friend (Cori) lives in Los Feliz, which automatically meant that my head, and stomach, was thinking, "Oohhhh Jason, Yuca's afterwards!?" Yes sir, Mr stomach...Yes sir!"

Here are some pics of the Dodger home opener, just for the record...

*Apparently, being handicapped means you can get drunk and trash the p.lot also.

YUCA'S

Apparently we were eating at the right time, this place being a HUGE favorite among all the hipsters and locals to the area. Something like 25-30 min waits for food and long lines during the lunch hours. Ouch, is this place really worth it? Not to mention Yuca's received first place in LA Tacos March Madness tourney. They even had a certificate on the window. Hmmm, we'll see about all this hoopla.

*Once again, note the Jeep in crucial parking.

The menu is simple: tacos, burritos, sandwiches, tortas and hamburgers.. hamburgers? Apparently they're good because I saw a couple patrons munchin down lookin all happy and shit. One thing that really blew me away about this place is they have cochinta pibil! Mmm mmm mmm, I had some of this goodness while I was in Tulum, Yucatan, where this dish is originated. Knowing I had the real thing, I was a bit curious and ordered it along side with a carne asada taco.

Let's start with the asada. This is very different than what I am used to. I'm sure many eastsiders would agree, this taco is made for the area...fresh, lean and lacking in that bold mexican flavor.

BUT, I still enjoyed it very much. The carne is grilled and reminded me of the steak you would eat at Tender Greens. This is a good thing. They use a flank steak and is seasoned simply with salt and pepper. The tenderness was very different in that it was "grill" tender, like a soft chewy bite that reminded me of eating at a friends BBQ or a fresh organic restaurant. Once again, think Tender Greens. They then top it with a pico de gallo which added extra freshness from the tomatoes, all sitting on top of two big size homemade taco tortillas that were soft and aborbed and kept heat very well. This was a good taco. You don't get that bold mexican flavor, but more of that California fresh flavor that's all about simplicity that emphasizes on the product, rather than added flavors that enhance.

I didn't know what to expect with the cochinita, but after I took that first bite, all doubt about this place was removed. THIS PLACE IS GOOD. REALLY REALLY GOOD.

The proper way to cook cochinita pibil is buried underground, pibil literally meaning "buried." I don't know if they actually roast the pig buried underground like tradition asks, but either way, this pork lived up to my standards, standards that were set in Yucatan, the motherland of this particular dish. Super flavorful with the juices staining the tortilla for added flavor. A perfect combination of savory, sweet, salty and hot. The texture was perfectly soft and juicy from the long hours of heat, it was like biting into butter. What more can you ask for? This might have been one of the best tacos I've ever had.

Do I really need to say more? If you're in this area, try them out. There might be long lines, but if you have the time, you will be rewarded with some fresh mexican food. Fresh mexican food that places like Baja Fresh and Rubio's is probably trying to mimic. Once again, this is not your average authentic mexican restaurant with bold flavors. This place is all about simplicity and perfection. Me encanta.

Tacos ~ carne asada $ 2.25; cochinita pibil $2.00

Yuca's ~ 2056 Hillhurst Ave. Los Feliz, CA 90027

Guillen's "La Playita" Taco Truck ~ Marina Del Rey

2009-04-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

These guys are directly related to Mariscos Guillen La Playita off Lincoln Blvd. I've done a review on their taco stand and wasn't so impressed with the calibur of meat tacos, them being a marisco place. Yet I went with the two carne asada tacos anyways. Ya, I'm stubborn.

I get my tacos and took a seat next to the truck, on the sidewalk. They came to me nice and hot, I knew they would because I was the only person there and I personally saw and heard them cook up my meat. This is already lookin up.

I took my first bite and was thoroughly more impressed than with my first experience. Cooked perfectly, and came tender and very juicy. The carne itself probably had a simple marinade of salt/pepper and a dash of lime, but the salsa roja took the brunt of the flavoring, which added extra goodness to my palate. The tortillas were white corn, store bought, but held heat great so by the time I was done with my first taco, my second was still nice and hot. Another big plus.

Good Job La Playita!! You just redeemed yourself in this taco lovers eye's.

Tacos ~ $1.25

Guillen's La Playita Taco Truck ~ Glencoe Ave. in between Beach Ave. and Maxella Ave. Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

Tilamook Cheese ~ Culver City

2009-04-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

Someone PLEASE bomb up this billboard. Something that is beffiting of this wondrous cheese.

S. Centinela Ave. in between Bristol Pkwy and Green Valley Cr.

La Isla Bonita ~ Venice

2009-04-08T14:39:00.001-07:00

I was a bit sketch on going here. I've been to Mexico and back, and had some great tacos everywhere in between, so going to a Venice taco truck had me a bit wary. But, I had to check it anyways, a friend recommended it. Thanks for the tip, Chili.

La Isla Bonita

As I'm driving down Rose, I see the truck in the distance, but it's parked like it was actually parked there...not serving food. I was wrong of course...but check it. It's a bit ridiculous, IMO.

I walk up and I automatically get the gringo treatment. I start ordering in spanish, but chica responded in english, and in a sorta annoyed way, like, "why the fuck is this asian trying to order in my language?" Bitch musta been on her RAG.

"Gringo treatment." *laffs*

Anyways, she starts to call out, "Dos tacos.." But she remembers me being gringo and catches herself midsentence and finishs, "two carne asada tacos." Damn dude, for some reason I'm feeling disrespected, and I'm trying to talk in her language! Eh, whatever...It's Venice so I shouldn't be surprised.

Now, here comes something I've never seen before...

BAM!!

I seriously start to laugh aloud when I see this. I'm thinking, "WTF?! Frijoles on my tacos?! Seriously?!"

I'm open minded so I eat the tacos, beans and all.

Two carne asada tacos, from a marisco place at that. I've already learned this lesson. Don't get carne at a place where their specialties are mariscos. I've always been the stubborn one though.

I knew before I even took a bite that this was going to be a bland ass taco. The coloring of the carne asada was greyish. Greyish!? hahah Proper asada should have a dark color, not a dark grey color. The meat was cooked, meh... It was cooked, but dry and flavorless. Now I know why they put frijoles on top, to add a bit of moisture to the meat. The salsa was next to non-existent, and whatever was there didn't help out in flavoring up the taco.

Such a mediocre experience. Once again, get the mariscos. Don't even fuck with the meat. I already knew from Chili Krauss (who's a pesca-vegetarian) that her fav's were anything with shrimp. Too bad I'm not a shrimp guy...

PS - oh, and it being in Venice, they felt they could get away with charging an extra quarter more than most other trucks here in the Westside. Bastard asses.

Tacos ~ $1.50

La Playa Bonita ~ Corner of Rose St. and 4th Ave. Venice, CA 90291

LA Taco Trucks ~ KCRW

2009-04-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

KCRW just shot a pilot for their new online video series titled, "Good Food." What better way to pilot this series by doing it on one of LA's most treasured food icon's...LA's Taco Trucks!!

Here are some screen shots...

Taco trucks in Venice?! Take a guess at which one they shoot.

my personal favorite of the video...I love that guy!

Click on the link below for the whole video!

LA Taco Trucks on KCRW's "Good Food"

Crown Cleaners ~ West LA

2009-04-08T13:12:00.001-07:00

On the corner of Venice Blvd & Meier St.

Cemitas Tepeaca ~ East LA

2009-04-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Another interview in the bag, this time in East LA. Ahhhh East LA! You know what I was thinking the night before? No, it wasn't what I was going to say at the interview, about how I would be a great asset to the company. I was thinking about one thing, and one thing only...Where am I going to eat?!?!

CEMITAS TEPEACA

I basically drove south from where my interview was at, turned left on Cesar Chavez (you know there's gonna be a shit load of Mexican fare on this street) and drove until I found a truck or a shop. There were so many spots, literally, on every corner and on every block. It was like I died and was driving down Taco St. in mexican food Heaven.

Caught this cool little mural while at a red light...

Finally, after just three minutes of driving, I see this...

BOO-YA! Does that truck have a picture of baby Jesus flying in the sky?

I don't know if you can see, but that building in the background is Los 5 Puntos, the ever famous carniceria and market. Apparently, they have some bomb.com. They even made the the first round of LATaco's March Madness Taco Tourney. A bit bummed I didn't go in, if I would've known they were a heavy hitter, I would have dumped this truck in a heart beat and checked out their famous carne asada. Next time, if I get the job of course.

So I order two carne asada tacos. Take a look see...

Took the picture of the tacos on a milk crate. It also doubled as a chair.

These tacos were really good. The carne asada was well seasoned, with hints of cumin and chili powder, and was cooked to my personal preference, juice running down my hands and tender crispy charred edges on the asada. Mmm mmm mmm. The salsa roja added a spicy kick that took the taco to flavor heights I can only dream of recreating. The tortillas were probably store bought, but I have a feeling they buy from Los 5 Puntos, and they make their own. They aborbed and kept heat well. There were even little crunchy parts on the tortilla (note the little browned areas).

Now I know why so many people rave about the calibur of mexican food here in East LA. It's mexican food, made by mexicans, for mexicans. I'm pretty sure they could tell I was asian, but that didn't stop taquero from talking to me en espanol. I respected and spoke back in common tongue.

Look at me, going all "native" n shit! hahah.. Me encanta!

Tacos ~ $1.00

Cemitas Tepeaca ~ On the corner of E Cesar Chavez & Indiana St. Los Angeles, CA 90063

Bienvenidos Al Valle de San Joaquin ~ Hanford

2009-04-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the San Joaquin Valley! Apparently there's only four cities you need to know about.

Tacos El Grullo ~ Hanford

2009-04-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

I need a job. BAD.

I'm at the point where I'm looking for work back in Visalia, my hometown. If any of you know about Visalia, then you know my hesitations. It's hot in the summer, cold in the winter and a wasteland of drunk high schoolers, pregnant girls, and old conservatives hell bent on keeping any form of liberalism outta their city.

Ok, I'm over exaggerating, but seriously, it's not my beloved City of Angels, where Mexican's crap delicious tacos for all us gringos to enjoy. Where loving Obama makes you hip, not retarded. Where people of different race and lifestyle are commonplace, not unusual.

So, I made the trek, did the interview (hungover btw, a whole story on its own) and took a train back home to LA.

But not without stopping at a taco shop first :)

Tacos El Grullo

Despite having a big breakfast and lunch, I forced myself to make a stop here before I got onto the train. I did a review on the Tacos El Grullo in Visalia, which was not well received by this taco lover. I made it a point to stop here at this Grullo since it is the first of the three restaurant chain. Maybe this parent station is what it's all about.

*two carne asada, one pastor, one pollo

"Where's the carnitas, Jason? What's up with the trio?"

Yeah, they were out. Bastards...

I went straight for the carne asada taco. I took the first bite and it brought me back to the Grullo in Visalia, and the initial problem I had with this place. The meat was nice and tender, cooked perfectly with crispy edges but again, the marinade was a bit salty. "Damn them! They did it again," I think to myself. It's sad because everything else is so proper, but that saltines was just a bit too much for me, and I usually enjoy salty! You know its bad when someone who likes salty, thinks food is too salty.

The pastor was cooked proper and came nice and hot, but they over sauced the pork. It's like eating a rib that's been marinated properly, but then basted with the marinade, and served to you with bbq sauce plastered on it. They just plain out over did it. Overkill. Too much. Take it ez, Grullo, I'd like some pastor with my sauce please.

My dad ate the pollo, kinda pissed because I have a feeling it might have been the best of the four tacos.

Again, a mediocre taco experience that left me wondering, "Why?" They have everything going for them: proper tortillas, proper cooking methods, good salsa, but terrible meat prep. Over salted asada and over sauced pastor. Terrible...(en espanol).

Tacos ~ 1.30

Tacos El Grullo ~ 314 W. Lacey Blvd Handford, CA 93230 559.584.8436

Jessica Alba ~ Taco Life

2009-04-01T18:34:00.001-07:00

I love tacos.

Taqueria El Fogon ~ Playa Del Carmen

2009-03-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Playa around the middle of the afternoon, tired from walking to and from a cenote, driving in a Collectivo (public transportion via a van), hauling our bags, finding a hostel, and finally dropping our clothes off at a lavanderia.

Tired and hungry. What a combo. We find this spot on our way back from the laundry mat, and decided to get a little snack.

TAQUERIA EL FOGON

This place was smokin hot (literally, smoke was permeating through this open air, no walled restaurant). We decided to grab a table on the outside, away from the hustle and bustle of tourists and servers. Spot White Godzilla in the picture??

"Puedo tomar una foto?"

Homeboy was cool about it.

No chips? This was already on our table when we sat down. And no, we didn't get chips. It was nice to have a little salsa bar on our table for our tacos though. Oh, that green sauce = incendiary.

Matt and I split 4 pastor and 2 chorizo tacos. The pastor was first up.

Let me start out by saying the pastor came in super thin slices, probably because of how homebody slices from the spit. On each taco they add a slice of the pineapple that is on top of the pastor while cooking. Flavor? It's hard to tell because the portions we received weren't that significant. I was able to kill each taco in two bites, so add small tacos with small portions of pastor and really, I can't tell you if it was good or bad? But I do remember being satisfied...and that's what really matters. Not to mention I was tired and hungry, so I didn't really think about the flavor while om nom nom om om'ing.

Would you just look at that? Oh man that thing is making me salivate!! We split an order of two chorizo's...one being good enough. This taco was well portioned, and at one point I was eating droppings on the plate with my fingers. The cheese had the texture of crumbled blue cheese, but it was a mild white ...similar to mozza or monterey jack. The chorizo was super greasy and flavorful...like, really flavorful. I've had some good chorizo...and this right here is one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

One more thing, take a look at the juicy running off that tortilla. WOW. If that doesn't make you chorizo lovers salivate, I don't know what will.

Overall, I'd come back just for that chorizo and cheese goodness. And if I did order pastor, I'd probably get a burrito or a plate, so I could get a better portion. Those tacos were just mini.

Pro's

-Pastor on spit

-Big menu

-Open air restaurant

-Salsa on table

Con's

-Shitty portion of pastor on taco

-Loud and rambunctious: I was tired

-Gets really busy

-Slow service...it was really busy

Tacos ~ Pastor: $14 pesos / $1.00 usd; Chorizo and Cheese: $24 pesos / $1.75 usd

Taqueria El Fogon ~ 8th and 35th Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Los Compadres ~ Downtown Los Angeles

2009-03-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've caught a couple observations over the past couple years about Spanish speaking people's in the service industry. Whether it be at a restaurant, a bar, a trainstation or among new faces, speaking their language automatically bumps you up in the respect and friendliness scale.

I have a million and one stories to validate my point, but I remember one specific time while in Playa Del Carmen. I went to find a fellow American in our hostel, and found him out in the veranda attempting to speak to our roommates, who happened to be Argentinean. He was glad to see me because we could actually have a full conversation. So we went at it full force with the metaphors, heavy american slang, and shit talk...basically about what was gonna go down that night out at the bars. Outta nowhere one of the Argentineans I met earlier said to me, "I like you better when you speak spanish."

hahahaah, he was just fuckin around, but I could tell he loosened up the second I responded in spanish about what my fellow american and I were speaking about.

Another instance I caught a shift in attitude was here...at Los Compadres. Literally, "The Godfathers." But with the service I received, I'd say it means, "The Friends."

LOS COMPADRES

I came into this place freshly back from Mexico (literally had gotten off the plane late the night before) and with a Spanish speaking tongue ready for the unleashing. I went the normal, most obvious route...

"Hola! Coma Esta?"

"Bien! Y tu?"

"Muy bien, muy bien!"

I followed by ordering my taco's in spanish, as well as asking her about the pastor(which I ordered) that was advertised as on a spit, or "trompo," out on their sign. She could tell I was a baby rookie in spanish, so I explained that I had just come off the airplane the night before from Cancun, and how I mobbed deep to Isla Mujeres, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen. I told her the reason I'm speaking spanish is because I want to be able to order taco's better :) She smiled and went on about how she's learning English at the adult school up the street, so she could serve taco's better. hahah, good times.

She must have liked me because I straight up got the VIP treatment. How you say? Let's just say she didn't give me the pastor that had been cooked earlier in the morning and was sitting in a heat pan. She went straight for a little fridge and pulled out freshly marinated pastor that was sitting in a little tupperware and threw it on the grill.

Did you hear what I said?? I said she straight up got the REAL shit outta the VIP SECTION and cooked my food FRESH TO ORDER. Hot off the fucking grill, straight into my buddha belly.

She even brought the plate to my table with two different salsas. What a sweetheart.

I think she marinated this pastor in some magical sauce and kept it cold in some sort of wizards fridge, then cooked it on a sorcerers stove, because everything about these taco's were magic.

Seriously, I love this. I've said it before, but this right here is what this blogs all about people. Finding a spot in the middle of nowhere, a random place that totally takes you by surprise and when you come out of it you feel ....happy.

Pro's

-Friendly mom's and pop's service

-Pastor on spit in the AM thru lunchtime

-If you're friendly enough, she might give you the VIP treat

Con's

-Ninguno (none)

Taco's ~ $1.25

Los Compadres ~ 633 N. Spring St. Ste 8 Los Angeles, CA 90012