Valley taco run: I finally eat the lengua

The sign said tortillas hechos a mano but my tortillas were store bought, dry, and wilted. I ordered al pastor but they were out of al pastor so I ordered suadero, carnitas, and asada but got two carnitas, and one dreadful, fatty, tougher than wild monkey in borneo cut of carne asada.


carnitas, carnitas, asada

There were too many niño's running to and fro, too many flies landing on my arm and trying to land on my tacos and too many cars in the parking lot for tacos this bad.
But Daniels tacos comes highly recommended. I have heard of the late night taco fiestas that stay open past 2am. The crowds that fill the parking lot, the taco wagon they wheel out at night with the al pastor spit over open flame with pineapple on top.



Walking back to my car I saw a taco wagon in the distance and the words tacos al vapor. It was like an oasis in the dessert. So far tacos al vapor had escaped me on this hunt. The authentic slow cooked meat only came to me in dreams and in emails from fellow taco hunters wanting to know where the elusive tacos al vapor could be found.

Tacos al vapor are steamed tacos. Meat,typically cabeza and lengua are pressure cooked for hours . The slow cooking process makes the meat incredibly tender and moist. Often as was the case here, the corn tortillas are steamed also.



My tacos (cabeza and lengua) came con todo, with onions and cilantro. The taquero placed two squirt bottles of salsa next to my plate and I doused verde on the cabeza and roja on the lengua and dug in.

The cabeza was excellent. The beefyness was toned down allowing the more subtle flavors of the meat to come out. A squirt of lemon(i prefer lime) and some salsa provided the perfect balance.

lengua taco

The lengua I wasn't so sure of but after a few bites I adjusted to the slightly gamey flavor and with some extra salsa roja and lemon got through it. It was my first lengua taco since starting this taco hunt. I need to order the lengua more often



Five tacos in and I was starting to hit my limit but I promised a certain taquero after trying his burrito I would return for the tacos. It had been a couple weeks since I was at Taqueria Emanual in Van Nuys. I walked up to the taquero looked him in the eye and threw him a curveball " burrito de carnitas con todo"

He paused at first, making note of my homemade I love tacos t shirt but I nodded in affirmation.

"I will try your tacos next time my friend"

And that was that, my new friend went about preparing my burrito.

Over the next 10 minutes I was to be transported to burrito heaven, with each bite a mouthful of creamy refried frijoles, soft rice, salsa roja and juicy, salty carnitas. A masterful wrap, the perfect amount of rice to beans to meat ratio and quite possibly the best burrito I've ever had.


carnitas, pastor, asada

So it was on this day I returned to keep my promise. I ordered the trifecta:carnitas, al pastor, asada and sat outside with plate in hand devouring my tacos. The carnitas was just as I remembered it, full of flavor and juice. The al pastor was sweet and charred, the carne asada nice and tender with the spice from the chile salsa stinging my tongue and the coca cola adding that refreshing finish.

I got back into my car and got on the 405 heading south when I heard a strange sound coming from my stomach. (A sound I had never heard before then again I had never downed 8 tacos and three sodas in such a short span of time). It sounded like a mutiny, as if my body was trying to stage a coup to end my taco extravagance. I could here the little pansavistas uniting with their anti-taco chants. I had become too decadent, pushed the limit too far, too many jalepenos, too much chile, too many tacos. But then all was quiet and a feeling of conquest came over me . My immune system was triumphant. The years of vodka swirling, jalapeño popping, and outlaw truck eating had paid off and the pansavista uprising was silenced.

Daniels Tacos
Sun Valley
7956 Vineland Ave
Sun Valley, CA 91352
Tacos $1.25


Taqueria Zapotlanejo (tacos al vapor)
corner of Vineland and Strathern(in front of autozone)
Tacos $1


Taqueria Emanuel
6350 Van Nuys Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Tacos $1.25

Super Tacos Michoacan

Have you ever been driving around with some friends when one of you says "hey..where can we get 20 tacos for 10 bucks?" Well if you have the answer to that question would be Super Tacos Michoacan, a taco stand at the corner of Vineland and Chandler in North Hollywood.



I joked with the girl behind the counter that if I could eat 20 tacos all by myself if they would be free. "Like that movie with John Candy" I said.

She had no idea what I was talking about and neither did I frankly.

"You can eat 20 tacos?" she laughed "Not you,not 20 tacos"

I guess I don't look like a twenty taco eating guy. I went with the four taco and drink special for $4.99 (al pastor, carne asada, carnitas, birria)



They have a nice salsa bar with verde and roja and grilled jalapeno peppers. When my tacos were ready I ladled some salsa roja over them and plopped one of the grilled jalapenos on my plate. I have a rule that if a taquero places a grilled jalapeno on my plate I must eat it (I'm actually obsessive compulsive about it..if I don't eat it it alters the taco universe). When I am the one putting the jalapeno on my plate I don't always stick to the ritual. Somehow when the taquero does it I feel that it is dishonorable not to eat it. Especially after they've gone to the trouble of grilling it.

These beauties all went down easy except for the birria, which was a little gamey. The carnitas and al pastor were excellent. The salted pork of the carnitas went well with the spicy roja as did the sweetness of the al pastor.After one bite of the asada taco I got a little adventurous and cut the stem from the jalepeno and wrapped it inside the asada taco. The flavor and heat from the grilled pepper paired perfectly with the juicy flank steak and corn tortillas. Sabroso!

Now if only I can drag some of my compañeros to Noho.



Super Tacos Michoacan
5342 Vineland Ave
North Hollywood

Technorati Tags:Tacos,North hollywood,

Wahoo's Fish Taco

It was time to hit the corporate taco again. I drive past Wahoo's fish taco from time to time and I had yet to try their fish tacos.Wahoo's is a west coast chain that originated in Hawaii. They don't claim to be authentic mexican, more of a Hawaiian-mex hybrid I think. There are a lot of stickers on the walls which gives the impression that Wahoo's is a local hang out for "bros"

I went to the West LA location on Wilshire blvd and ordered a fish taco, asada taco combo.



I opened my box and everything looked good. The rice serving was soft and nicely packed ,the beans as well. The tacos were neatly rolled up individually in tin foil paper. Then it all went downhill.



I opened the fish taco first. The fish was tender with some flavor but very forgettable. Overall just really bland, bland salsa as well. Just not the kind of fish taco that one would think could spawn hundreds of successful restaurants.

I unwrapped my carne asada taco and I saw this.


WTF????

At first I was kind of mad. It's a natural reaction for anyone who gets lettuce on their taco. But then I started laughing uncontrollably. I laughed so hard it started to hurt.



After I calmed down I brushed off the lettuce and noticed that some bits of steak had melted cheese on them. Another mini WTF moment but after the lettuce bombardment I wasn't surprised. Lettuce and cheese not withstanding, this taco was totally disgusting.

Wahoo's is really popular with people on Yelp so maybe it's me. Maybe one too many habaneros on my tongue damaged my taste buds. Nahhhh.



11911 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025



Technorati Tags:Tacos,Wahoo's, Fish taco,Los Angeles

Taco News

Pink Taco is coming to LA.

I didn't really know what Pink Taco was all about so I looked them up on wikipedia

Pink Taco is a Mexican restaurant chain that has earned notoriety[1] for its name, which is the same as a slang term for a human vagina. The president and CEO, Harry Morton, contends it comes from a menu item[2] and claims that if the restaurant were truly "vagina-themed" there would be "vaginas all over the walls."

vagina on the menu!? con todo por favor!


Eating L.A. has the scoop on Yuca's taking over Casa Diaz on Hollywood blvd. The new restaurant will be called Yuca's on Hollywood. I'll miss Casa Diaz's tasty carnitas tacos with guacamole salsa but two Yuca's is better than one.



Someone crashed a car into a Tacos Mexico in Las Vegas. Tacos Mexico drive through stays open anyway. (Via Las Vegas Daily Photo)

Tacos Texcoco

At the corner of Laurel canyon and Vanowen st in North Hollywood parks Tacos Texcoco.

Texcoco is a municipality located in the valley of Mexico east of Mexico City. Lake Texcoco was originally one of the five lakes contained in the Valley of Mexico. The mural on this wagon is interesting. In the background is Lake Texcoco and the Valley of Mexico. The woman looks a bit overwhelmed. But what is the man holding?

The front of the wagon had no list of meats or prices so when the taquero looked at me as if to say que quieres? I responded with "pastor y asada..one of each" hoping that I hadn't stumbled on a truck that served only borrego or barbacoa.

I was afraid he would respond with "esto es un lonchera barbacoa! baboso! Mira el gabacho....ello dice "dame carne asada hahaha!" but my fears were quelled when the taquero smiled and said "$1.60 my friend" . I pushed two dollars through the window of the taco wagon and made note of the excellent deal "You could have really embarrassed me my friend, keep the change."



My tacos came garnished with onions, cilantro and a spicy salsa verde to which I added some roja from one of the salsa containers. The sweetness from the salsa verde blending with the rustic dark red chile flavor of the salsa roja gave a slight piquant flavor followed by a spicy heat that stings the tongue and lingers.



Overall these were excellent tacos. The tortillas soft and oiled, the meat juicy and flavorful and the chile salsas adding that extra punch. One thing these hombres need though is to advertise the 80 cent taco price and to put a menu on their truck. Most gabachos are intimidated by taco trucks that don't have the words carne asada on them.

Rate Tacos Texcoco

Tacos Texcoco Laurel Canyon and Vanowen St(nights only), tacos 80c

Tacos Celaya

There's a parking lot at the corner of Washington and Union in Pico Union. By day it's an unassuming parking lot, sometimes filled with cars sometimes not. Mostly not. Come twilight(sometimes earliar) a taco truck named Tacos Celaya rolls in serving mariscos and tacos to locals and all comers.

I first noticed her driving west out of downtown. The words mariscos painted across the front of the truck next to words Tacos Celaya. Celaya is a city from the state of Guanajuato in the central highlands of Mexico. Authentic tacos from the city of Celaya? I've never been to Celaya so I can't be the judge . But what I can judge is how these tacos compare to the local competition(king taco, el taurino) and they compare quite favorably.


al pastor and carne asada

The al pastor is cut right from the spit. The pork, moist and sweet in the middle , charred at the tips. The asada, greasy but oh so good, the right amount of spice and charred bits in every bite. . Both tacos topped with onions, cilantro and a salsa roja with a squeeze bottle of roja available for those that like an extra kick in their tacos.


asada

Everything is done well, no gristle on either taco, the tortillas are oiled perfectly, the salsa spicy and flavorful. Not only do they serve up excellent tacos but the mariscos and shrimp cocktails looked every bit as good.

So my friends,if you travel along Washington blvd in Pico Union you've probably seen this truck and wondered. Wonder no more , this is a truck worthy of pulling over for.



Tacos Celaya Washington and Union Ave, Pico Union. tacos $1.25

Rate Tacos Celaya

Los Cinco Puntos

Los Cinco Puntos is a neighborhood carniceria named after the five points intersection of Cesar Chavez Blvd, Lorena Blvd, and Indiana st. Everyone knows and loves it. It's an East LA institution.

During the winter holidays Los Cinco Puntos sells a lot of masa and tamales. People line up out the door and go crazy for the tamales and orders are placed weeks in advance.



You can order meats by the lb and tortillas by the dozen or you can order single items prepared such as burritos, tacos and tortas. I ordered a couple of tacos(carnitas and asada) and noticed a pig nose in one of the cases of pork. I wanted to just ask for the pig nose in my taco. It wasn't a full snout, just the end of the nose. I should have asked for carnitas con el nariz de puerco.



The tortillas at 5 puntos are homemade and made right behind the counter on a large flat grill. After your tortillas are grilled they are topped with meats and then your choice of salsa. They had a pico de gallo, a guacamole salsa, and a salsa roja as well as nopales(cactus).



The tortillas were thick but not too doughie, instead they were fluffy,soft and perfect.They had griddled marks yet folded perfectly and held all the meat, and juice and salsa and nopales together. The carnitas was salted and juicy and the asada charred and spiced. What amazing tacos!

I sat on the hood of my car and went at it taking big bites and chugging down my lime jarritos. The roja had a chile guajillo taste to it and just the right amount of kick. What made these tacos was the fresh thick gordita style tortilla and how it held in all the juices from the meats and the salsa. Sabroso!

Tacos are $1.85 and worth every penny. My only regret(aside from not asking for the pig nose) is that I didn't buy some homemade tortillas and tortilla chips to take home.



3300 E Cesar E Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90063

Don Chente

Yes my friends, I am still alive and kicking , and still eating tacos!

I was told I had blog fatigue. I had all the symptoms : no new posts, not responding to email, curling up in fetal positions and listening to the Arcade Fire.

But I'm out of it now..and I am back and I have plenty of tacos to report about. Even while i have not been blogging I have not sworn off the taco. On the contrary my friends, I have been absorbing the taco. The city has swallowed me, and I have ran through her streets naked with jubilance with each taco wagon that came into view.

So I got an email.

"Don Chente is the fastest growing taco chain in Los Angeles,10 locations and 6 more on the way!"

It sounded like an advertisement. But if it was true it could change the balance of power in the taco business in LA. Sure, King Taco is the king, they have 18 locations, they have name branding, they have the loyal following, and of course they have the hot sauce that can rip the backside off Beelzebub. They are King Taco. But who is Don Chente? And why did this email feel like a manila envelope sliding under my door?

Sixteen taquerias is nothing to sneeze at so I had to investigate. I checked the website and noticed a Long Beach location. It was time to hit the LBC.

By the time I made it to long beach it was well into the night. I figured I'd stroll into Don Chente order my tacos and relax for a bit. But inside it was a madhouse. Niños running everywhere, people dancing, and every table occupied by families. It was a fiesta.

After some initial confusion on my part( they offer traditional tacos for $1.25 as well as what they call tacos don chente which come on homemade tortillas but also contain cheese and beans on them(wtf?))
I ordered my usual- carnitas, al pastor, asada and filled up some salsa containers from the salsa bar.



All the tables were occupied so I sat on the hood of my car away from the frantic crowd and dug in. With a cold bottle of orange jarritos in hand I tore through each taco, holding them in my palm and devouring them. The meats were pilled into soft toasted corn tortillas topped with a firey salsa roja with a burnt chile aftertaste that burned at my tongue. But it was a good burning, the kind you look forward to when you have an ice cold beverage waiting to quench the heat. The sweetness of the al pastor, the juice from the asada and the salted fried pork all meshed perfectly with the chile salsa.

Don Chente is indeed LA's fasted growing taco chain but I don't think King Taco has anything to worry about just yet. The King cannot be dethroned from LA taco royalty that easily.



Tacos Don Chente
101 W. Pacific Coast Hwy.
Long Beach, CA 90806