LA City Election: The taco factor

There is a Los Angeles City election on March 6th. If you are a taco lover and a practitioner of the taco lifestyle it is your duty to vote. (It is your civic duty to vote anyway)

Several seats are up for the LA City Council. As reported on these pages the current LA City Council is anti-taco. Back in may of 2006 the city council passed a draconian anti-taco truck ordinance, one that put undue hardship on legally licensed LA street vendors. The ordinance mandates that catering trucks must move location every hour or face a fine. To add insult to injury Councilwoman Janice Hahn raised fines from $95 to $310 for third time offenders.




So I decided to find out which challengers if any were pro-taco and anti taco and if any of the incumbents still held their anti taco views. Not surprisingly the incumbent council members did not respond to any of my inquiries.


LA city council, you're still on notice


I was hoping someone from the Monica Rodriguez camp would respond. She's in a tough fight for district 7 seat with that degenerate swine Richard Alarcon and maybe the taco vote could push her over the top. You see back in November Alarcon campaigned and won a state assembly seat but a funny thing happened on the way to the state capitol. When Alarcon realized due to a rule change he was still eligible to hold a LA city council seat and that the LA city council paid 50k more a year than the state assembly Alarcon suddenly realized he wanted to spend more time with his family in Los Angeles.

Several challengers responded to my inquires though. Merv Evans a write in candidate for City Council district 8 said "A food truck offers service to people in a hurry" " I support the rights of all street vendors to sell their products" Robert D. Serrano a write in candidate for City Council District 10 is against the ordinance as well."I would have voted no. I will ask to repeal this vote and have the community behind me to get other members of the council to change this vote and change the ordinance."

But write in candidates only win when the incumbent is a pederast. I wanted to see if someone on the actual ballot had the cojenes to be pro-taco in todays anti-taco climate.

The next morning I got a reply from the Juan "Johnny Jay" Jimenez campaign. Mr Jimenez is on the ballot for the 14th district seat. He's running against Jose Huizar who voted for the ordinance.

The email read.

"Mr. Jimenez called a meeting with us volunteers to discuss this issue and I was assigned to reply to your questions" "City Council members are quick to make decisions without first investigating the issues in depth" "Mr Jimenez would come up with an alternative solution that doesn't create hardship for legally licensed street vendors."

Things were starting to happen. I called the Huizar campaign. "Hey this is Bandini, I'm a taco reporter from the interwebs"

Silence.

"The Jimenez campaign has gone on the record, they support the taco lifestyle"

I waited for the Huizar campaign to call me back. Maybe some back room deal could be worked out. Huizar could promise to rescind his anti-taco vote and I would call off the taco mob.

Another email came through. This time from Eric Rothaney, a candidate running for City Council district 6.

"I believe I would have voted against such ordinance if it would make it
impossible or unreasonable to conduct a vendor type business under legal
spectrum of the law."

I yelled to a co-worker "Rothaney is in"

"Who? What?"

"Never mind, lets go get some tacos"

You could sense the change in the political air. There's a new wave of politicos that see the taco not as a nuisance but as the binding force that brings the city together.

"Where to?" Pete said

"The taco mecca"

I don't remember who coined the term taco mecca to describe the taco scene at East Olympic where the 710 and the 5 meet. It might have been me but I can't be sure. What makes this area of LA a taco mecca is not only the amount of taco establishments but the competition. The best of the best come here. A weak taco will not survive in this competitive atmosphere. During the day the taco stands and King Taco pull in the crowds but when the sun goes down the taquerias close and the taco trucks dominate the scene. They line the blvd like a fleet of ships, one after another. Some fire up the roasting al pastor spit, some specialize in cemitas poblanas, others make mariscos and shrimp cocktails. It is the home of the famed Tacos El Korita and countless other taco wagons.



We took the Olympic exit off the 710 and pulled over at the first taco truck we saw. Tacos Sahuayo, a truck that parks in front of a taqueria with the same name.




al pastor


carne asada

Asada and al pastor all around. Tacos came wrapped in thin paper and were the size of small burritos each packed with meat, onions, and salsa.These were beauties.

The al pastor, a tender sweet glaze entwined with caramalized onions and a jalapeno tomato salsa and the asada juicy and tender and charred at the edges. I chased both with the jalapeno and bottle of mexican coke.

When I got back to the office Lisa Martello Palmer a candidate running for City Council District 6 wanted to meet me for coffee to discuss the taco issue. Things were starting to roll. The issue had legs and was spreading through the political grapevine. Politicians would soon be asked if they were pro or anti taco. They would have to go on record and explain their anti-taco vote. I could see Huizar backpedaling already. I could see them all now looking for a taco photo op.

But it would be too late. Their vote is already on record.

And maybe it is too late for the taco to influence this election but the tide is turning my friends. The next election the taco will speak loudly and one of these days the taco will take down a politician and he or she will only have to look back to that fateful day in May 2006 when they voted to ban the taco lifestyle.

Tacos Sahuayo one block east of 710/5 on East Olympic. Tacos $1.30

2007 Great Taco Hunt endorsements
District 14- Juan "Johnny Jay" Jimenez
District 6 - Eric Dwight Rothaney
District 8 - Merv Evans (write in candidate)
District 10 - Robert D Serreno (write in candidate)
District 2- David Glenn Cain (write in candidate)

Related Links:
Ordinance 177620
LA City Council mobile truck ordinance vote

Taqueria Chihuahua now open

Taqueria Chihuahua on Venice blvd in Mar Vista is now open. Many will remember the Taqueria Chihuahua on Olympic and 20th in Santa Monica which had a reputation as one of the Westside's best taquerias. They lost their lease last year and have now relocated to the Mar Vista area.

Anyone hoping to find the old Taqueria Chihuahua will be disappointed. The menu at the new location is much more condensed. Gone are the nachos , the enchiladas, the chile colorado burrito, tacos dorados and one of the best bean and cheese burritos known to mankind.

The new location is a stripped down taco hut with a menu consisting of burritos, tacos, tortas and quesadillas and meat choices of asada, carnitas, al pastor, lengua, buche, cabeza, chicharron. Possibly a more in tune menu with the immigrant neighborhoods of Mar Vista. Only time will tell.


carnitas, asada, al pastor

The pricing is different as well. Tacos are $1.37 each and they are the small tacos. I love the small tacos but generally these are $1 a pop at most taco stands . King Taco can get away charging $1.15 because they are King Taco. Three tacos hits you in the wallet at $4.11 and with a soda for $1.50 your total is 5.61. At the Santa Monica location you could get a 3 taco combo with rice, beans and soda for the same price.


carne asada

Having said all that, the carne asada and carnitas tacos I had were very good. They were classic small taqueria tacos topped with onions, cilantro and a flavorful salsa roja.

It's hard to compare the new taqueria to anything else but it's previous namesake. That may be unfair but it's just how it is. Long time Taqueria Chihuahua fans may not be happy to find half of the menu gone but newcomers may welcome another classic taqueria to the neighborhood.



Taqueria Chihuahua 12034 Venice Blvd, Mar Vista. 10am to 10pm (9pm on sundays) Tacos $1.37 each

Technorati Tags: tacos

Taco News

yeah those are whole pineapples on top

A group of businessmen in mexico have broken the guiness world record for largest "skewer of kebab meat" with an al pastor slab big enough for 24,000 tacos(pictured above) . More at Burro Hall

Atwater village Al Pastor cart @ Good goings

TACO find religion at Tacos El Tito

LA Taco Review has a new top taco.

El Super Taco @ Foodie Universe

Duck tacos @ My Husband Cooks (wow those look good)

Faro Viejo- tacos de barbacoa. mmm dame dos blanditos y un torta ahogada.

The Surfer Taco

Driving west out of downtown LA on 6th street the shadows from the high rises give way to open air and the great wide open of the city. It is here where the taco truck culture thrives,where the taqueros depend on neighborhood loyalties,word of mouth and a bond with the community where they become that dependable food source.



And that is where I found The Surfer Taco, a taco truck that parks at 6th and Columbia ave. A truck that serves everything from mariscos and cemitas poblanas to tacos, sopes, burritos, and tortas.

The creative mural displayed a worst case scenerio of global warming. Will 6th and colombia be the new shoreline? Holy smokes I hope not. Then again...I wouldn't mind surfing to work.

Upon arrival I noticed the the rotating al pastor spit, a sight that makes every taco eater salivate. A hunk of pork topped with a pineapple rotated next to a heating aparatus, while other meats sizzled on the flattop grill.On the counter containers of salsas(roja, verde), limes, radishes, onions and cilantro awaited the taco faithful.





The al pastor is tender, sweet and succulent,charred at the tips and moist in the middle. Very well prepared. And these are meaty tacos, not the small tacos that fit in your palm(although i love those too). The medium sized tortillas hold up well packed with meat and topped with onions, cilantro and salsa roja.



The asada is lean and complimented by the peppery salsa roja . The salsa is similiar to the famed king taco roja in that it has the burn but there's also a complex flavor that makes it more than just a shot of heat.

I ordered two more tacos al pastor,one got the full roja treatment, the other a shot of lime. After devouring them it was clear that there was some magic between the sweet pork and the rustic firey roja.The sweetness of the pork and the pep of the salsa are the ying to the others yang and with the cold orange soda it was one of those perfect taco moments where the flavors, heat and soda fizz all came together.

The Surfer Taco reigns supreme over the local competition. The al pastor alone will bring me back again and again. But I think next time I will have to try the huarache. Why you ask? Because I have never had a huarache.

And I'm not really worried about 6th and colombia becoming the new shoreline anytime soon but it's good to know if it does that a gallon of gasoline will only be $3.49

3.5/5

The Surfer Taco 6th St and Colombia Ave(west of downtown LA. Tacos $1.25 . 4pm-late night

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Taco Idol 1.0

Are you the owner of a mariscos/taco truck or do you know someone who is?

A Malibu proprietor is looking for a good mariscos/taco truck for their oceanfront parking location and I'm assisting in the search. Yeah that's right,I've just added taco consultant to my bio.

This is a prime location especially with the surf crowd, fisherman and beach goers.

Requirements? Good tacos! good mariscos!(shrimp cocktail, shrimp tostada etc)

Hours- weekday and weekends morning, lunch, afternoons (ultimately up the vendor when they want to arrive and leave )

Already have a weekday spot you are loyal to but interested in a weekend daylight gig? Or maybe you have a loyal following at night and are looking for a daytime spot.

So if you are a taco truck operator and are interested in the weekday spot, weekend spot or both e-mail me your details.

Rambo's Tacos

Rambo's tacos in Eagle Rock is one of LA's most well known taco trucks. I always thought that John Rambo would have made a great taquero. Thank god I'm not the only one.

The mural on the side of the truck rocks. Rambo is holding a plate of tacos while being shot by a sniper in a helicopter. Does Rambo drop the tacos? Hell no.And who is the babe in the camouflage hotpants? Wah wah wee wah

The tacos are small and tasty. Each come with a dollop of salsa roja. The roja is peppery, not too spicy but there is enough chile flavor to warrant having a beverage handy.


al pastor and carne asada

If you order the carne asada you won't have to worry about any fatty bits, these tacos are lean and tender. The pastor leaves alot to be desired though, while the pork isn't fatty there really isn't anything al pastor-ish about it and even the salsa can't save the dryness of the pork.


carnitas and carne asada

The carnitas has subtle flavor to it and it first I thought that it was too subtle..that the lack of flavor was a negative but it actually really works and the texture of the pork and onions and cilantro goes great with the dominant flavors of the salsa roja.

But my money is with the carne asada. These tacos will quench any taco fix you may have. Ask for some extra salsa on the side, squirt some lemon over your plate of tacos and have at it.

Rambo's nearest competition is Leo's Taco truck which parks a few blocks away. Some locals prefer Leo's, some prefer Rambo's. If it's monday Rambo is the only game in town, Leo doesn't like mondays. I heard monday was the night Leo goes dancing but the person that told me that likes to make up stories.



Rambo's Tacos parks on Eagle Rock blvd 2 blocks south of York. Tacos $1

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Taco News

Korean-mexican fusion tacos?(pictured above) Has Dylan at Eat,drink&bemerry crossed the streams or is he on to something?

TACO takes the taco lifestyle to Pomona for fish tacos.

Sarah from The Delicious Life lifts her ban on The Grove for Loteria Grill.

What's in the king taco salsa roja and verde? That's what an Angeleno living in China who misses his King Taco fix recently asked me. I told him I didn't know but that I'd put forth the question to my readers. So has anyone tried to emulate either? If you have the King Taco salsa recipes spill the beans!

Tacos Carrillo

No matter where you are in LA you're really only five minutes from a carne asada taco and a bottle of sangria.Even if you find yourself in the neighborhoods of the rich and famous you shouldn't worry . The rich and famous hire full time gardeners, housekeepers, and maintenance workers and they need their authentic antojitos too.

In fact Mulholland Dr is pretty much a taco truck commune during the day. There are three between Beverly Glenn and Coldwater and further west Bel Air even has a taco truck to call it's own.

I only had a few bucks cash in my pocket and I lucked out with Tacos Carrillo. Tacos were only $1 each. I ordered two (asada and carnitas) and a can of root beer.

I waited for what felt like days as construction workers,gardeners, and housekeepers all came and went hauling off plates, sometimes bag fulls of food. It wasn't until I heard "dos tacos!!!" that I actually thought I would get me tacos. I was quite worried my friends.


These were beauties..two tortillas packed with lean flavorful meats, a flavorful salsa roja and well oiled tortillas. I would have asked for an extra cup of salsa but I was too eager to get started.


My tacos and root beer were gone but I have this rule that if the taquero puts a jalapeño on my plate I feel it is my duty as a taco reporter to eat it. Especially if it a fresh grilled jalapeño. And if it is cut in half? Well all the more reason to just chomp the bugger.

So without any water I just chomped it and for the love of baby jesus if it wasn't the hottest jalapeño pepper I've ever had.

I took Mulholland to Sepulveda and the whole time my eyes were sweating and my vision was blurred and the back of my neck started to cramp and for a moment I thought I might not make it. "This is the end of me" I thought. "The jalapeño has defeated me". I knew this would come but I didn't expect it like this. I expected a bad fish taco from a seafood truck would one day take me out or maybe an errant piece of mad cow infected sesos (cow brains) making it's way into my carnitas taco. But not like this. Not from a jalapeño and not even a whole one at that.I could see the headline now - Local taco reporter eats half a jalapeño, given last rites.

But I made it. I'm a taco reporter not little red riding hood. I've got a chile pepper immune system. Once that kicked in I could have chomped a half dozen of the buggers. They would have been like sweeties in my mouth and I the glorious chile pepper impaler.



Tacos Carrillo, mullholland and(east of) beverly glenn. tacos $1 each