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| Bienvenidos a Tacos El Gavilan |
| Saturday, December 23, 2006 |
It's South Central Los Angeles and I'm on the taco hunt. I get a vague description via email with vague coordinates. All hell could break loose at any moment.
I'm looking for the neon lights, the flashing taco signs but the streets look cold and dark and when I see a pitbull chase a car down Florence Ave I give up and get back on the 110. On the radio it's Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and I feel like Napoleon's La Grande Armée retreating out of Russia. The cannons fire and my stomach rumbles.
Back on the surface streets I turn on to Central Ave and see a familiar sign,Tacos El Gavilan. My last visit to Tacos El Gavilan was at the beginning of my taco journey. Back then I thought I could get by with some bullshit camera my friend Kiwi Simmons gave me. It was such a piece of shit I think I just tossed it out the window. But Kiwi thinks it's the camera I currently use and credits herself with helping to jump start my taco blogging. I don't have it in me to tell her that her camera is probably at the bottom of some freeway underpass.
El Gavilan was happening this night. A full parking lot and two lines two order as well as a line at the salsa "bar".
"Three of your best tacos!" I said to the girl at the window.
"What kind you want?"
"Carnitas, al pastor, asada..one of each..I'm a taco reporter, a taco critic"
"Yeah ok whateva,anything to drink?"
"Your finest tamarindo!"
By this time she was rolling her eyes at me and said something to a taquero.I paid and was handed my ticket. Order #92.
When an order is ready it is announced over a speaker system by the taquero that has prepared your order.The first time the order goes over the speaker it's usually in spanish and if noone answers then it goes over in english. Sometimes people are just oblivious and they have kids with them that are distracting or they are just being stupid and they aren't paying attention. If noone has claimed the order it goes over in spanish and english again and then just in english until eventually someone picks up their order or the taquero gives up and moves on to preparing another order. That process can take a few minutes though and it's valuable time for the taquero because the longer he has to wait for the unclaimed order the longer it takes him to getting to the next order.
Basically if you don't pay attention and pick up your order in a timely fashion you are fucking it up for the next guy.
I was prepared though. When noventa y dos went over the speaker I would get up for my order . I wouldn't wait for the english translation. I would get up to show the taquero that I understood and that I wasn't some desperate gabacho out for some taco kicks. I was a serious taco reporter. What kind of swine would report on tacos but not understand how to count to one hundred in spanish ?
Something odd happened though. When my order was ready the taquero just looked at me and motioned the plate to me and didn't announce my order number over the speaker system! hah! what is this? I was caught off guard but then I realized that she probably told him that I was a taco reporter.
There is a good selection of salsas at el gavilan. I didn't take photos of these tins because,well for one ,there's a line where you load up your tacos and if you take too long you disrupt the flow and also noone wants to see someone take pictures of all the tins. They will probably think you work with the health department or something worse, that you're part of the media.
I took my tacos to a table on the back side of the restaurant but everytime I turned around there was the same guy leaning up against a pole looking at me. I didn't say anything to him though cuz he may have just been one of those guys that likes to lean up against poles...but I wanted to say "hey...did she tell you I'm a taco reporter too?" I didn't say anything though.
The tortillas at El Gavilan are done very well. They glisten. And the meats surprised me. The al pastor has a cinnamon flavor..very different and very good. The asada and carnitas are rustic and lean.Oh and the salsa roja has that firey kick..better have yourself a cold beverage handy.
Walking back to my car I heard it " numero ciento y uno, 101" "numero ciento y uno " number 101! your order ready" "numero ciento y uno, ciento y uno 101! 101! 101! " and the longer it went on I could hear in the taquero's voice the fatigue, desperation, and the utter disgust for the son of a bitch that wouldn't claim his order because he knew as did I that somewhere in the crowd there was some degenerate with that #101 ticket.
TACOS EL GAVILAN 1900 S Central Ave Los Angeles. Tacos #1 |
posted by Bandini @ 4:06 AM   |
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| 19 Comments: |
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Yummmm...sounds muy sabroso.
Feliz Navidad to El Rey de Tacos de Los Angeles!
Elena de Mid-City
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Never seen you use such "spicy" language.
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what kind of camera do you use bandini? i hope its not some clunky dslr... that would get awkward trying to enjoy a juicy taco and keeping the lens/camera clean.
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Tasty and entertaining...
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hey, 'dini--
I've liked the way your writing style's been evolving...after first getting maybe a little too subjective, you've pulled back a little, and it feels better. (sorry. I'm an old English major. I critique *everything*.)
...a question both for you and all of your readers--how does one find a long-lost taco truck? back in the early 80's, I used to live downtown-ish (3rd and Lucas, just west of the 110) and my all-time favorite truck was there...it would be in front of the local market at 3rd and Witmer every night, but moved on when a mariscos place opened behind it. but anyway, their carne asada was just a thing of beauty; charbroiled just right for the perfect amount of smoke in the flavor...mmm!
is there an old tacotruck aficionado in the house with ANY clue where they moved on to? or helpful suggestions as to how to find out? thanks in advance!
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Bandini...
It was sort of off the taco point I guess, but couldn't you have mentioned that Tacos El Gavilan used to be a McDonald's? No, one of the REALLY OLD McDonald's with the two separate golden arches? Just like the only other remaining one, in Downey. Maybe a picture of it?
Okay, again, nothing to do with tacos, so I guess you were justified in ignoring it. I'll have to get there soon since I live downtown...
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ASDF, if you socals are ever up in norcal, check out Cactus Taqueria on College Ave. in Oakland or Solano Ave. in Berkeley. Best crisy tacos ever.
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anna
thanks :)
a long lost taco truck hmm...well if you have a name you can call the many commissary's used by taco trucks as a mailing address. Without a name it's gonna be difficult.
scott,
I mentioned the mcdonalds connection in my first review of tacos el gavilan which can be accessed through the sidebar.
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classic entry. you are cracking me up.
if memory serves we tried to send someone down to gavilan last summer, but something went horribly wrong along the way.
(link here)
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I just wanted to mention that being born and raised in L.A., I am very familiar with many of the spots mentioned and have to say I am happy to see that no one mentioned Tito's tacos!
My comment was aimed more towards the habanero sauce pictured. I know only one way to rid of the painful habanero burn....milk. Or any milk/dairy based product. Dairy neutralizes the chemicals that hurt. So, FYI don't use bread or water, water only spreads it!
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may i eat your taco sexy gabacha?
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I like Tacos El Gavilan on Gage/Main in South Central. They have the best tacos out of all 3 locations. My fave tacos! Good stuff.
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Tacos El Gavilan wants to thank everyone for the positive feedback about the tasty tacos and the other items on the menu. I am the public relations contact and would not mind answering all curious questions any of you may have about anything that has to do with the food, history, and the current and future locations.
Thank you J J Tavares
email: josetavares2000@yahoo.com
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Sandy,
Love them they are the best! I heard that, there is a new location some where on Broadway? Can I get that location?
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术+术：可能是唯一有可能冲上2300的同职业组合，天赋一般选用双恶魔法+贼：控制+爆发型，法师的爆发力略胜术士，不过容错性非常小，游戏相似组合还有法+野D，法+暗牧法+法：双冰法控制，综合来说还不错，续战力也存活能力也很强。双奥法的秒杀流一经提出就被喷的面目全非，我本人其实尝试过这个组合，可惜装备只有S2，法伤最多也只能撑到102X（现在能高不少），魔兽队友情况也差不多。这样的组合容错性低的离谱，虽然有10000+HP 400+韧性，但是感觉一被打就瞬间死，而且跑还跑不掉，所以这个打法还是更适合高端副本装，反正一样死很快。组合上还是克死战士队，别和我提盾反，网络游戏那么明显的动画效果能吸到个火冲不错了。网游基本上能够硬顶过我们5秒的职业只有骑士，冰法，盗贼和恶魔SS了。打盗贼队伍，如果是盗贼+看的见，一律先把看的见的OOXX了，双盗贼很难打，2斗篷我们免费网络游戏直接去一人。最后被一个队恶魔SS+骑士卡住了，因为奥法的后续爆发几乎没有，开局秒恶魔SS和骑士都不成功。感觉装备足够猛的话，2000是没问题的，2000以后看能否连好沉默来秒SS了。法伤最好是NOBUFF 1200+以上，最新网游保证秒杀的成功率，可以不用考虑血和韧性，建议装备牛B的法师们平时娱乐使用，非常畅快的战斗贼+暗牧：爆发力非常强的组合，而且他们的视频里很不厚道的最新免费网络游戏吃了金童3场贼+野D：第一赛季闷+盲+消失补闷+飓风的完美控制秒杀型队伍，不过在徽章能解所有控制技能之后容错性大大降低了。
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Yummmm...sounds muy sabroso.
Feliz Navidad to El Rey de Tacos de Los Angeles!
Elena de Mid-City