taco

Once again, it is Taco Tuesday! It is impossible for me to choose my favorite taco joint. ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE! However, I can help you narrow down your choices. This week, I wanted to talk about Mexicali Taco & Co. in Los Angeles. What started as a taco cart on 1st and Beaudry, has turned into a small restaurant near Dodgers Stadium. Edras Ochoa and Javier Fregoso have brought flavors from their childhood in Calexico to LA, and in doing so, have landed on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. Impressive? Yes. Well deserved? Hell yes!

Our tacos of choice were the Shrimp Taco, the Chorizo Taco, and the Al Pastor Taco. The Shrimp Taco was served on a cheesy corn tortilla garnished with fresh cilantro. Unfortunately, I am allergic to shrimp, so I have to take my boyfriend’s opinion to be true. He said it was to die for. Obviously, I cried because I can never have it. The Chorizo taco was tender and delicious. Finally, the Al Pastor Taco was my favorite! Due to the multiple signs on the menu and Yelp reviews stating that there are “limited quantities available,” I’m assuming that this is the most popular meat choice. I see why; it was so juicy! You could tell that it was marinated and slowly cooked for a very long time. If you choose one taco, choose this taco.

If you read the title of this post correctly, you were waiting for me to talk about the “more.” The tacos here are amazing, but the fact that they serve several other delicious dishes, is just the icing on the cake. The Vampiro is a crispy quesadilla that we chose to fill with Asada and their special garlic sauce. This was beyond an ordinary quesadilla. It surpassed any quesadilla I have ever had. The Asada paired with the garlic sauce was divine. We also enjoyed the Cachetada. The Cachetada is Mexicali Taco & Co.’s version of a tostada on crack. It is served with meat, melted cheese, and a chipotle aioli sauce and we chose to have it Ranchero style, in other words, topped with a fried egg. Everything is better with an egg on top. This stands right up there with the tacos. Do yourself a favor and drive yourself to Mexicali Taco & Co., order the Shrimp and Al Pastor tacos, and the Cachetada Ranchera style. Go. Now.

For more information, on Mexicali Taco & Co. visit their website at http://mexicalitaco.com/.

In honor of Taco Tuesday, I wanted to talk about my amazing experience at LA Weekly‘s Tacolandia 2014 this past Saturday! Curated by Bill Esparza, this is the second Tacolandia and the only event of its kind. For me, it was heaven. With more than 40 taco vendors, free Jarritos, and mariachi music set in the historic El Pueblo de Los Angeles, it was a true taco festival. The sold out event drew quite the crowd, but due to the amount of vendors, a Tequila Garden, and a sprawling venue, the lines never got to be too out of hand. Some of my favorites included bites from Corazon y Miel, Loteria Grill, Eggslut, and George’s at the Cove. In addition to all of the tacos, I loved the Jarritos truck handing out free bottles of my favorite sodas as well as Almond Kulture with their creative take on Horchata. It was close to impossible to sample every vendor without having to be rolled down Alameda Street.

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Chef Eduardo Ruiz of Corazon y Miel was serving a delicious whole smelt taco with fresh avocado, baby tomatoes, salsa roja, and crema. The beautiful presentation along with the fresh ingredients made this taco one of my favorites.

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Cielto Lindo Taquito was serving perfectly crunchy taquitos with their famous avocado sauce.

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Loteria Grill chose to appeal to the adventurous foodies. They served a small tostada topped with grasshopper, guacamole, and salsa.

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George’s at the Cove came all the way from La Jolla to serve a variety of choices. My favorite was the pork taco with marinated pork tail, crispy ear, and cabbage slaw.

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Another favorite of mine was Chef Wes Avila’s porcini mushroom and black truffle taco. I have been wanting to try Guerilla Tacos for awhile now, and my expectations were definitely met. I was surprised at his choice of taco to feature, but it was just as good, if not better, than any meaty taco at the festival.

Last, but certainly not least, Eggslut boasted one of the longer lines of the day. It is debatable as to whether the name was responsible for the crowd or if the fried quail eggs that topped each bacon taco was responsible for the wait. Either way, it was definitely worth it. The salsa roja provided the perfect spicy to breakfast themed taco.

I am so glad that I attended and I can’t wait to see what next year has in store.
For more photos and information, check out LA Weekly’s recap and #Tacolandia on Instagram.

Tag: taco

Tacos and More at Mexicali Taco & Co.

Tacolandia 2014