the taco journey continues

At first my goal with this blog was to find the perfect taco. But now my goal is to try as many tacos as possible and perhaps try every taco truck in Los Angeles.To be a taco conquistador.So when I was driving west on pico and fairfax and noticed a crowd at a truck with a Tacos y Cemitas poblanas sign I just had to pull over.

I was tempted to order a cemita since that seemed to be the popular choice with the other patrons but I ordered three asada tacos. My tacos came with cilantro piled high and a dab of salsa roja. About half way through the first taco I noticed that every bite had some fatty bits of meat and that the meat was getting tougher and tougher to chew. Make no mistake about it my friends this meat was tougher than wild monkey of borneo.I got through the first two tacos but half way through the third I was done.


It became obvious to me despite the advertisment of tacos that the real draw here must be the cemita poblanas. Construction workers in pickup trucks pulled up and jumped in line as smoke bellowed out of the top of the wagon and the smell of milaneza on top of a domed roll with avocado y queso called out to me. I'll be back to try the cemitas but I can't recommend the carne asada tacos.


pico and fairfax 1 block west of fairfax. tacos are $1 each

El Taurino

The eastside of Los Angeles is a hotbed of taco activity. From east LA to the neighborhoods surrounding downtown LA you are never too far from great tacos. King Taco may be the big name in town but when it comes to asada tacos and spicy salsa roja El Taurino stands right with them. In fact their salsa roja and tacos are so similiar in taste and texture that i'm not sure I could tell the difference between the two. Which is a good thing because I love King Taco. But El Taurino has been around since the late 70's serving up authentic tacos, sopes and tortas as well as their signature barbacoa(goat)dish long before King Taco and for that I salute them as the great taco matadors of this fine city.

The inside of El Taurino is decked out with bullfighting imagery with several bull heads mounted on the walls sourrounded by paintings of matadors and scenes from bullfights. I've never been to a taqueria that had a bull head mounted on the wall that didn't have great tacos.What makes El Taurino's tacos so great is the triangle of flavor(tortillas, meat, salsa with major kick) that I have described in previous entries.The tortillas are oiled just right, the meat broiled and packed into the tortillas, the onions cilantro and salsa roja(very hot) smothered over the taco.

tasty asada tacos with firey red hot salsa roja

Having a bulls head mounted on the wall is a subtle way of telling the taco customer that they've entered hallowed taco territory. Most people wouldn't put much thought into the signifigance of a bulls head on the wall at a taqueria but I truly believe it's a display of confidence and I have admiration for such a bold move. If the tacos were not of high quality I believe I would be offended by this grand attempt of intimidation. But the tacos at El Taurino are a magnificent truimph in taste and life and holding one in my hand I feel as one with the Bull charging towards the red curtain of the matador, only to be slain. Because I can stop now and know that I have reached the taco pinnacle, held taco greatness in my hand and looked into the eye of the matador without reaching for that cold beverage.


the bulls are grand as the side of the sun
and although they kill them for the stale crowds,
it is the bull that burns the fire,
and although there are cowardly bulls as
there are cowardly matadors and cowardly men,
generally the bull stands pure
and dies pure
untouched by symbols or cliques or false loves,
and when they drag him out
nothing has died
something has passed
and the eventual stench
is the world.

-Charles Bukowski


El Taurino is at 1104 Hoover St one block south of Olympic. Tacos are $1.15 each. Beer is $6 a pitcher

La Cueva

The good thing about being on a taco hunt is that I am trying lots of different taco places. Before this taco hunt I would primarily stick with King Taco and Cactus Taqueria when I was in the mood for tacos. Now whenever I see a taco stand or truck I instinctively pull over.What I've learned is that tacos are alot like people. Not all of them are the same. Some tacos are boring just as some people are boring. Which brings us to Lawndale, a city not known for their tacos but known as being a boring city. Sorry if anyone from Lawndale is offended by that but it's the truth. Ya'll are boring.

But the tacos at Tacos La Cueva, a taco hut on Artesia Blvd in Lawndale are anything but boring. In fact they are the coolest kids on the block. Having seen this taco hut several times on my way to El Indio(mexican resteraunt with yummy enchiladas)I finally decided to stop and check it out and was pleasantly surprised how tasty these tacos were.





My tacos came filled with grilled asada beef that was dripping with flavor. The beef looked as if it were grilled and then braised in it's own fat. The end result was alot of flavor that dripped on to the corn tortillas that were just how I like them: soft and stained with salsa roja. Speaking of which, this salsa roja was tasty and had some kick to it. Not King Taco spicyness but it had just enough nip to it to make me reach for my lime jarritos. Top it off with some marinated carrotts that had some snap to them and I was in taco bliss my friends. While these tacos were not perfection rolled into tortillas they did meet the requierments I have set out for myself for what makes a great taco.

These were great tacos and I will be back to visit my friends at La Cueva and next time for some adobada or perhaps lengua. But until then another taco journey is complete and I will return to the east side of Los Angeles to put this south bay oddyssey in perspective.


La Cueva is at 4565 Artesia Blvd in Lawndale. Open til 3am fri and sat. 11pm weekdays and sunday. Tacos are $1 each

Taqueria El Charrito

I love tacos. When I'm not out in the city finding new taco places i'm splashing some marinated carne asada on my grill and eating tacos at home.

Part of the adventure when trying a new taco destination is not knowing what to expect . A taco is a simple creation but it can be interpreted in so many ways. No two taquerias prepare their meat and salsa the same way. Not all corn tortillas are created equal either. Which brings us to El Charrito. A new taqueria on Virgil Ave in East Hollywood.

I'm not sure of the taco history on Virgil Ave and although I am not a taco historian I do play one on this blog and I can with confidence assume that there was a time when outlaw taco carts roamed these lands. At one time this may have been the pantheon of taco exploration where taco merchants rolled out their fare and perfected their craft. They may have been surplanted by taquerias or they may have evolved themselves into taquerias.

dodgy menu


I ordered two asada tacos and took in the scene. The smell of burning rubber with workers in mechanic uniforms pushing stalled vehicles into their shops while stray dogs dodged two lane traffic and vendors sold pinapples and mangos from their carts. There was something happening here but I didn't feel a part of it. I felt like a spectactor to it all . I wanted to run across the street and help push the broken down vehicle into the garage, or dance through traffic to grab one of the stray dogs or stand next to the vendor selling fruit and tell him a joke but instead I ordered two asada tacos and took a seat on a stool at the counter.


Before picking up one of the tacos the first thing I noticed was how fresh the corn tortillas looked. Each taco had a fistful of charred asada on top of a single fresh homemade corn tortilla. I dressed my tacos with onions, cilantro and salsa roja from a container on the counter. It took eating a full taco to realize how tasty these tacos were. I think it was how fresh the tortillas were. Homemade fresh tortillas can really make the taco. The beef was a little greasy but there were no fatty bits and the salsa roja was very good and didn't overwhelm the taco. I was pleasantly surprised and I will be returning to El Charrito.



El Charrito is on Virgil Ave in East Hollywood one block North of Melrose Ave. Tacos are $1.25 each

Taqueria El Jaliciense:

While in Canoga Park I remembered a taco reccomendation I recieved via email . This happens quite often now when I am in different parts of the city. I keep a little black book of taco destinations people have reccomended and depending where I am I consult it to see if i'm near one of them. People I am with may find this odd because I disapear at odd intervals and then reappear without telling them we're I've been. Kind've like Clark Kent except i'm not fighting any villians, I'm just eating tacos.

Often i've already eatin lunch or dinner but if know that I wont be back in the area any time soon so I try to fit in a couple tacos.That's why sometimes when I review a taquiera i will only order two tacos. Not being at optimum hunger might affect a review a 1/2 pt either way but I try to stick to my formula of what makes a great taco and not judge the tacos on how hungry I was at the time.

So I headed up topanga canyon in search of this Taqueria. I didn't have an address or a name but was given a general area and told to look for an orange sign. I drove up and down topanga and I was about to give up when out of the corner of my eye on a side street I saw a bright orange sign that read "El Jalisciense"


El Jalisciense which translates to "of Jalisco" has a menu with enchiladas, burritos, tamales, mariscos,and chile rellenos which I assume come from Jalsico style recipes. I didn't try any but someone sitting next to me had the enchiladas and they looked good and cheesy with lots of sauce.

As far as tacos they have carne asada, al pastor, cabeza, lengua and carnitas to choose from. I ordered asada tacos and spooned some salsa roja from the salsa bar on them.


The meat was moist with lots of flavor with not a trace of fat on the taco. This is always a good sign. There is nothing worse than biting into a taco and getting a mouthful of fatty bits. How can you ever trust your taqueria again if that happened? I like to be able to just trust the taco and bite into it without worrying.As far as the rest of the taco the salsa roja was a standard taqueria salsa that didn't impress me and didn't elevate the taco. There was just no kick to it and it had a strong smokey flavor that overwhelemed the meat.The salsa bar also had a salsa verde as well as what looked like a tomato/tomatillo salsa with chopped onions. I'm partial to a strong salsa with kick that makes you reach for that cold beverage.

If this was my local taqueria I would eat here quite often. I dont reccomend driving out of your way for many taquierias and I dont reccomend it here either but if you live in the area I suggest checking it out and making it your local.
3/5

El Jalisciense is at 21922 Schoenborn St, Canoga Park. Tacos are $1 each