Tacos El Zorro

I got a tip from a fellow taco hound named Moose to check out Tacos El Zorro at Sherman Way and Colderwater Canyon in Van Nuys. Tacos El Zorro with three locations in Van Nuys are big players in the Valley where there is no big name taco establishment.

The mariscos get top billing at Tacos El Zorro, the large chalices of seafood cocktails are monuments of excess, the largest sold in a goblet made for a king and priced at $21. But I didn't come for the seafood as enticing as it looked, I came for the tacos. After a quick glance of the taco options I knew what I wanted, un taco de asada, y un de pastor.

When my tacos were ready a nice mamasita brought a tray with my tacos and two squirt bottles of salsa, a chile arbol salsa roja and a complex orange colored tomatillo salsa. I went with the roja for the carne asada and the orange on my pork taco.


al pastor

The al pastor, seasoned with cumin and lime was not your traditional al pastor but it was excellent. The chunks of pork so tender , so different yet so delicious. The sweetness from the orange salsa was the perfect compliment to the seasoned pork.


carne asada

The carne asada was top notch as well. The marinated skirt steak on top of thick homemade corn tortillas with a pico de gallo and a salsa roja took me to that special taco place I only go to for the finest of tacos. The beef was tender with a hint of garlic and the taste of citrus marinade in every juicy bite. The tomatoes and salsa roja provided a perfect balance to the salted beef, the juices soaking into the thick fresh toasted corn tortillas.

Very often a great salsa can hide the weakness of a taco. But these tacos had no weakness. The homemade corn tortillas and the artfully prepared meats didn’t hide behind a great salsa. The salsas added extra juice to already delicious tacos.

These may be the best tacos in the valley and as far as Van Nuys is concerned Tacos El Zorro has no equal.



Tacos El Zorro
13710 Sherman Way (Sherman Way and Coldwater Cnyn)
Van Nuys
Tacos $1.70

Pili's Tacos

I got a tip from a taco informant about some taco activity in West LA. The suspects name was Pili. Apparently this Pili was grilling up some authentic tacos on the westside. I think that’s actually a misdemeanor. Section code c1300-200.

I salute Pili’s for their boldness. They set up shop across the street from La Salsa,one of Southern California’s fresh mexican grill chains. La Salsa’s motto is “keep life fresh, keep it exciting” I have no frickin idea what that means.



I got a closer look inside Pili’s: A few tables, a counter with stools, a cooler with bottled soft drinks. I wasn’t too hungry so I ordered a carne asada taco and a carnitas taco to go.



I tore into the beef first after plucking out a few fatty bits. The greasy carne asada really hit the spot, the salsa roja was not real spicy but had good flavor to it. The tortillas were damp but I expected as much when I decided to get my tacos to go.Foil will make your corn tortillas sweat and they can get a little soggy.



The carnitas was soft ,juicy and well seasoned. Not too porky and no stray bits of fat to ruin the experience.

Overall these were quality tacos that demand a second trip to try the al pastor and barbacoa and other antojitos.



11924 Santa Monica Blvd, West Los Angeles
Tacos $1.25

Taco News

You wont find me pimping many products but I'm breaking form here. I'd wear one of these t-shirts everyday if it were socially acceptable. Check out http://beezocalifornia.com/tacos.html

Great article on the taco truck business. "Los Angeles is the hub of this culture, and as the tender nursery to the taco-truck world, it is responsible for its gradual expansion into the rest of the country." Truer words have not been written my friends. The taco truck scene is exploding all over the country and Los Angeles is the taco capitol.

Much like LA there are taco truck clampdowns happening everywhere from Lodi,California to Austin,TX to Raliegh, North Carolina. There is a wave of unchecked aggression against the taco culture. On the surface it's just a bunch of whiners that aren't copasetic to the taco lifestyle but in my opinion there are nativist elements at play also.

Santa Ana Taco Truck Vendors win lawsuit

A victory for the taco truck community came down in a ruling that has voided Santa Ana's anti taco truck ordinance. This is good news for the Los Angeles taco truck community as the Santa Ana ordinance was almost identical to the current LA ordinance.

Taco truck vendors: 1

City Hall beaurocrats: 0




Saturday, August 19, 2006

Truck vendors win lawsuit

The judge's decision voids Santa Ana's regulations about when food can be sold and how often vehicles must shift spots.
By AMY TAXIN
The Orange County Register

SANTA ANA – An Orange County judge ruled Friday that Santa Ana can't require food trucks to move every 90 minutes or limit their hours of operation, a decision that strikes at the heart of the city's rules for the vehicles.

After a four-day trial, Judge W. Michael Hayes determined that the city failed to prove the food vendors threatened public safety. He also found truck owners would suffer irreparable losses once the Santa Ana required them to move every 90 minutes and limited their hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to a letter sent to attorneys Friday.

"There was a lot of uncertainty, but with what the judge has said we're relieved," said vendor Roberto Guzman, one of the plaintiffs. "We feel good and want to work even harder."

Hayes asked plaintiffs to draft paperwork to formally strike the rules.

Other cities in Orange County working on regulating food trucks were watching the case. Santa Ana adopted its rules after residents complained of litter and noise from the trucks. The city also argued the trucks would worsen the quality of neighborhoods.
(more at url)

related stories
Santa Ana Vendor truck trial begins today
Rules of road vary for vendors in Orange County

Taco Hunt turns 1 year old.

So ya I got a few funny looks from the other taco truck patrons when I pulled out a candle and lit it on my taco. And yeah even a few more funny looks when I blew out the candle.

It was one year ago today I posted the Mission statement where I declared that no part of the city was safe from the taco bandini. Well some cities escaped my taco reporting. Long Beach, I’m putting you on notice.



But it’s been a good year. 76 taco establishments on the board almost 200 tacos consumed and only one upset stomach.

Since the day I set out on this journey I’ve become a more adventurous taco eater. I’m no longer afraid of the cabeza and lengua.Sesos still freaks me out though.

There are still many famed taco establishemts to get to. Cheo's in El Sereno, El Taquito mexicano in Pasadena, Tacos Baja ensenada, Taco Nazo...the list is long.

stay tuned..

"R" Ranch Market

Don Jose

Outside the “R” Ranch Bodega at Redondo Ave and West Adams the smell of grilled meat fills the air. A taco wagon in the parking lot, a taco truck on the street, another parked on the northeast side of Redondo Ave. I got out my camera, notepad and prepared myself for taco consumption.

First up was Don Jose, the taco wagon in the parking lot. I decided to break out some español: Dos tacos, un de pastor y un de asada , con todo para aqui. If you don’t know any spanish do yourself a favor and learn those words and it will get you far in your own taco journey. That’s if you’re on a taco journey. Only a nutter would actually go on a taco journey and document it on the internets.



Don Jose’s had something on the menu you don’t find at most taco trucks. Pupusas. Pupusas is a salvadorean dish. A thick corn tortilla stuffed with a cheese(quesillo) and a meat(usually chicharones). I wanted to order one but I figured it would fill me up and ruin my taco reporting.



My tacos came with a cup of salsa roja, onions and cilantro. The tacos were bigger than your average but ultimately a letdown. The al pastor was overcooked and crunchy, dare I say burnt. The asada, flabby and flavorless. There was something to hold out hope for however. The al pastor that wasn’t burnt was very flavorful. I'll chalk this up to recieving a bad batch and give Don Jose another chance.



5212 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, 90016 Tacos $1


Leo's



So it was on to Leo’s, the truck parked on the street. I ordered the asada and al pastor to compare and also cabeza. Leo’s is a truck where you pay after you eat your tacos (unless you get them to go). This gives the taco patron an opportunity to dos mas at any time and just add the total to your bill. I probably would have dos mas’d if I hadn’t already had two tacos because boy was the al pastor tasty.



Containers with salsa were set in the ice compartment. Verde and roja, even a pico de gallo. A reddish brown salsa with a smokey flavor that packed a wallop. It was a slow heat that built up with every bite.


cabeza taco

The asada was soft with a strong beefy aftertaste. It was the kind of taco that I may have to try again to understand what I liked about it. The cabeza didn’t win me over though,the beef was too fatty and the waxy texture a turn off.


al pastor

The al pastor stole the show.Soft heavily seasoned pork in a red saucy broth swimming with carmelized onions. The dark salsa enchanced the salty pork flavor and the juice from the pork stained the soft well oiled tortillas.

As I drove north up Redondo Ave I passed the taco truck in the empty dirt lot wanting to pull over but promising myself I’ll come back to this taco enclave not only to try the taco truck I missed but to give Don Jose another go.



5212 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, 90016 Tacos $1

Tacomiendo

In a small strip mall across the street from Taqueria Sanchez on Inglewood blvd in Culver City is Tacomiendo, one of the westside's finest taquerias.It’s the westsides answer to Baja Fresh serving up fresh made to order authentic antojitos and platos that you wont find at any of the cali-mex chains.

The menu consists of everything from birria to chile verde to burritos, tacos and tortas. I ordered the plato de tacos(carne Asada and adobada) and a bottle of mexican coke. They also have aguas frescas and fruit smoothies.

The salsa bar at Tacomiendo is one of the best on the westside. A spicy dark salsa roja, a jalapeno and cilantro verde, and a pico de gallo as well as
jalapenos, carrots and a large pot of complmentary frijoles.



The plato came with a generous scoop of fresh guacamole and sour cream as well as arroz y frijoles con queso.



Both tacos came with homemade corn tortillas so fresh you can almost taste the masa. The carne asada lean, and tender with the taste of the grill seared into the beef was excellent with the dark salsa roja.



The bold flavors and spice of the marinated grilled pork were calmed by the mild guacamole with the juice from the pork soaking into the toasted corn tortilla.

Everything is made fresh to order at Tacomiendo so you may have to wait for your food but it is well worth it. If you're in the mood for something other than tacos I highly reccomend the chile verde con nopales.




4502 Inglewood Blvd.,
Culver City, CA 90230

11462 Gateway Blvd.
West Los Angeles, CA 90034

tacos $1.75 each

Burritos Sahuayo

The afternoon taco hunt is slim pickings in many parts of the LA. You can't park between 4-7 pm on most of your busy streets and your average taco truck operator doesn’t set up shop until the sun goes down. But there are some taco trucks that park on lots or in front of Supermarkets.



I found such a taco truck at the HK supermart at 6th st and Oxford. But upon further inspection I had come across my first Burrito truck.. I order tacos anyway, one carne asada, one al pastor.

Two squirt bottles of salsa, a roja and a verde were set on the counter.The salsa roja was a standard taqueria salsa. A tomatillo and chile de arbol mixture with some sweetness to it and a little spice. The verde a tomatillo and jalapeno chile mixture.



After a few bites into the pork I just wasn’t feeling it. After so many excellent al pastor tacos lately from a rotating spit it’s hard to appreciate the standard flat grill style pork.

The asada was different though. Finely cut, some fatty bits but there was alot of flavor. The juice from the beef was in every bite and quite flavorful.

The upside to these tacos was that they were huge and only a buck each. For two bucks I was full the whole day. There was enough meat in each of these tacos to fill your average burrito. Which makes me wonder how hefty is the $2.50 burrito?



Burritos Sahuayo 6th st and Oxford ave Koreatown. Tacos $1

Beto's Tacos

Along an industrial strip of Jefferson Blvd just west of La Brea Blvd parks Beto’s tacos. Pumping out tacos, burritos and tortas well into the night or until the propane runs out Beto’s is as much a neighborhood taco wagon as it is an afternoon taco stop for the working man.

Inside the truck three hombres were hard at work slicing and dicing meats while a TV mounted in the corner was turned to Telemundo.
All the signs of a great taco wagon were present: Compartments with salsas(verde, roja, avocado), cilantro, onions, radishes, jalapenos. Of course this wouldn’t mean a whole lot of the meats weren’t well prepared. But never fear, these fellas know how to please.



The asada was moist and flavorful but it’s the al pastor cut right from the roasting spit that shined.

Seeing a vertical spit with a rotating slab of seasoned pork is like blood in the water for the al pastor devotee and I became shark mouthed waiting for the impending plate of pork and carmelized onions.



I was not disapointed. The salsa roja and juice from the pork fused together into a luscious broth that soaked into the toasted corn tortillas and created a taco experience I havn’t had since the outlaw taco cart on Cesar Chavez

There’s a good vibe at Beto’s . It’s the kind of truck you can’t wait to get to at the end of the work day to pop open a cold beverage and relax with a plate of tacos.


for Al pastor

Beto's Tacos Jefferson Blvd 2 Blocks west of La Brea. Tacos $1

Rate Beto's Tacos

Taco Zone

Echo Park is a tough town.It’s also tough taco territory. Don’t even think about serving up some half assed tacos in Echo Park. Not if you want a regular clientele and some respect in the taco community. It’s not exactly a taco mecca like Highland Park or El Sereno but the folks in Echo Park know a good taco when they taste one.

Which brings us to the Taco Zone at Alvarado and Montana Ave. These ladies know how to prepare a taco. Soft toasted corn tortillas and tender meats with a smile.

It’s a farmiliar scene. A pot boils inside the truck, a cylinder grill smokes with meats, taco patrons hustle up to the counter peppering their tacos with chile salsas and onions and cilantro.



I order asada, al pastor and suadero. The asada and suadero(rib meat)soft and just greasy enough to soften the tortillas. The al pastor tender with a sweet glaze, a little crunch and alot of flavor. All the tacos doused with a red chile salsa that brought the heat.

Homemade horchatas or cans of soda from a iced bucket to wash down your tacos. Take away salsa cups available for those on the go.

Overall excellent tacos at one of Echo Park’s most well known taco wagons.

Rate Taco Zone

Taco Zone Alvarado & Montana Ave (north of sunset blvd next to Vons) Tacos $1