The demise of the taco bandito has been greatly exaggerated! Wait..no it hasn’t …where the hell have I been? Nevermind that my taco Compañeros, I am back.
No I was not in jail you pendejos that were starting that rumor! Ahhh!!! Sooo estoopid! I pulled a Roberto Duran. No mas no mas. Sometimes you eat the taco and sometimes the taco eats you.
Yes I have taken a long hiatus but I still have some taco reporting left in me. You’ll have to pull the lime jarritos from my cold dead hands!
Ok ok..so where were we? Oh yeah…tacos…ah those little baby bombs of flavor.
A couple of things are in the works. I’m going to be changing the format of the blog. GTH 2.0 . So this is just a note to see if I still have any readers out there and to let them know I will be taco blogging again soon.
Also I had the pleasure to be a contributor to a book about LA food. (They tell me I contributed and I believe them.) It’s called Eat:Los Angeles and it’s a food lovers guide to LA’s best eateries. It includes everything from restaurants to ethnic markets to taco trucks. I have some copies I will be giving out to readers with the re-launch of the blog.
So the LA County Board of supervisors wants to end the taco culture in Los Angeles and for the first time ever Mayor Villaraigosa can’t find anyone to take a picture with.
We already know the Los Angeles city government is anti-taco. First it was the LA city Council that passed a law that required taco trucks to move every half hour or face a $60 fine. It was a small but revealing gesture and the message was clear,the government was coming after the taco. Now the LA county board of supervisors has double dipped into the proverbial guacamole sauce with a ridiculous law that requires taco trucks to move every hour or face a $1000 fine and possibly jail time. What’s next? Waterboarding taco reporters to get them to reveal locations of their favorite loncheras?
“But Bandini, a taco truck parks in front of my restaurant and is ruining my business” This is a legitimate concern for some restaurant owners . Noone thinks it’s right for a taco truck to park directly in front of a restaurant. But as usual LA city officials lack any creative solutions to the problem. Maybe implementing a law where a taco truck cannot park within a certain radius of a brick and mortar restaurant would please everyone.
Saveourtacotrucks.org have started a save the taco trucks petition. Sign the petition! take to the streets in a peaceful manner !Support the taco culture in LA!
Just when you thought tacos weren't "sexi" enough.
This made me spit out my water when driving down Whittier Blvd. It was a hot day and we were on route for some refreshing raspados(mexican shaved ice) and it wasn't a taco day but who can say no to el guero sexi?
So me and my lady friend walked up to the truck and peered in. Inside the truck were two mexican dudes, one at the grill and the other taking the orders.
"Where's the guero" she said
"shh that's rude" I told her
"I don't see a guero in there."
I ordered two tacos, one asada, one al pastor.
With still no guero in sight my tacos came through the small pick up window. I dressed them with salsa roja, onions and cilantro from the makeshift salsa bar inside one of the truck compartments.
The tacos were devoured in short time and were actually much better tasting than they looked. The salsa roja especially left me with a stinging sensation for the next 20 minutes making the raspado all the more refreshing.
When I have more time I think I will have to try some of that birria de chivo and find out more about this el guero sexi. Actually, I'll stick to the birria.
Tacos El Guero Sexi 4617 Whittier Blvd, East LA tacos $1
It's been two years? Time flies when you're eating tacos. This day kind of snuck up on me and I didn't have a chance to go out for tacos to celebrate so I thought to recognize the two year anniversary of my taco journey I'd list the best tacos I've had the last 2 years.
Best Carne Asada- Has to be El Parian. Although it's been awhile since I've stepped into LA's most hidden taqueria but the memories are still there.
Best Al Pastor - This one is a little tricky. I would say the taco table at the corner of Gage and Cesar Chavez with the al pastor spit but I've been told it's not there anymore. So when it comes to Al Pastor you can't go wrong with El Taurino.
Best Carnitas - This is a close one also. Carnitas is usually a safe bet at most taquerias but there are a few that really excel in the pig. The Antojitos Denise's taco stand in East La fries their pig in seasoned pork fat. Mmm pork fat.
Best Cabeza- The cabeza at Tacos Chatos has been a step above all the cabeza I've had. A little gem on the westside. Cabeza taco with guacamole salsa, lime, and a mexican coke.
Best Tacos in Los Angeles.......drum roll please!!..............Sergio's Tacos! - No I wasn't bribed, and yes I'm a little frightened the dictator himself King Taco will have me arrested for sedition. Sergio's just overwhelmed me on my visit. The tacos are classic LA tacos, packed with flavorful meats and topped with a shot of spicy salsa roja.
So here's to another year of healthy and safe taco eating for all.
Reply with your favorites for each category and I'll get to them in year 3
The choking air of summer hit me as soon as I opened my car door. The air conditioned ride from the Westside to the San Fernando Valley left me unprepared for the heat assault.I needed a cold beverage and a plate of tacos.
The taco hut wasn't my destination, just a stop on my way to visit friends in Van Nuys. In some ways I think I make friends with people in different parts of LA just so I can eat tacos in their city when I visit them. Before this blog I would make excuses for reasons not to hang out with people. Now I find myself mapquesting taquerias in their neighborhoods(I really need a friend in Highland Park).
Taqueria San Jose is a small taco shack a block east of Hayvenhurst on Vanowen in Van Nuys.They advertise tacos al vapor which are typically tacos de lengua or cabeza that are pressure cooked but i was in the mood for the taco trifecta so I went with al pastor, carnitas and asada.
The tacos came topped with onions, cilantro and a chile salsa. The carnitas, crisp at the edges had that perfect salty porkyness that goes so well with a squirt of lemon(or lime) and a spicy chile salsa. Both the pastor and asada had that grill taste and went well with an ice cold mexican coke.
I could have gone another round but the tacos al vapor will have to wait til next time. I wasn't in the mood for tongue.
Taqueria San Jose 16435 Vanowen St, Van Nuys, CA 91406-4730 (near the corner of Hayvenhurst Ave & Vanowen St) Phone: 818.782.9741 Tacos $1.25
