Luche Libre Gourmet Taco Shop

For some reason, the interior of this place always has me humming:

"Those magnificent men in their flying machines,
they go up diddly up up,
they go down diddly down down....."

Now why the heck would this bright pepto-bismol pink, "luche libre"(Mexican professional wrestling) themed and decorated (I use that term loosely) restaurant have me humming that tune? Well, if you grew up in Hawaii in the late 60's and 70's you'd recognize names like as Ripper Collins(who once, when I recognized him in a parking lot, asked me "do you want to wrestle?") and Curtis "the Bull" Iaukea. Two of my favorites were Pampero Firpo (aka the Missing Link) and "Handsome Johnny Barend" whose theme song was "Those magnificent men in their flying machine". Barend always had me in stitches with his unhinged, rambling, crazy schtick. Man, those were the days..... My apologies for the somewhat obtuse digression, but the decor is just as crazy as "Handsome Johnny"........

When Luche Libre Gourmet Taco Shop first opened, I like many others in the bloggersphere went to check out what all the buzz was about. The interior itself is probably good enough reason to visit at least once. On that visit, I got a Queso Taco:

Which was dry, tough, and bland carne asada, wrapped in a fairly tasteless, overly rigid, double corn tortilla, which was saved by the crisp mildly salty griddled cheese.

Of course I got the TJ Hotdog..... A bacon wrapped hotdog, with griddled onions and peppers....seasoned with mustard and (gasp) ketchup. A bargain at a buck-fifty.

I will say that you pretty much get what you pay for. I love TJ style Hotdogs, but I really didn't care much for this version. The first two times I had this, the bun was burnt, and not good eats.

 

I also noticed, that though the dog, an all beef "perro" had good flavor(though I'd like a bit more snap), for some reason the bacon is almost a non-entity in this flavorwise.  To test this out, I once visited with an acquaintance of mine, a real fan of LL. Since I was buying lunch, I didn't think it would be really bad to play a little "joke" on him. I ordered his dog sans bacon. Our conversation got to the dog at hand, and I happened to mention how important the bacon was to this hotdog...... at which time he said something along the lines of, "yes, yes, of course this wouldn't be the same without the bacon. And this rocks!" Yeah, I guess that bacon makes this TJ Hot Dog, huh? Oh, I still haven't told him that he didn't have any bacon on his TJ dog......

Recently, after almost a year, decided to check out LL, and the TJ Hot Dog again. And I gotta say, even though the bacon is still waaaay back there in the background, this time the bun wasn't burned, and there was a good amount of peppers and onions.... and tomatoes adding a bit of tang to the whole thing.

If you'd like to read a very interesting post, one of my favorite fellow food bloggers, Masa Assassin has a fantastic post on the History of Mexico's bacon wrapped hot dogs. (MA also shares some my opinions of LL's dog....)  

Over time, I've gotten a couple of emails extolling the virtues of the Carne Asada Burrito at LL. I don't know if you've noticed, but there has been a serious lack of "CABs" (Carne Asada Burritos) in my posts. If you've been reading long enough, you may remember that Howie had a not so little event called the "battle of the Bertos", a comparison of 10 Carne Asada burritos from places ending in "'berto". I guess you could call it "PTBSS".... post traumatic burrito stress syndrome. Following the "event" I just couldn't face a CAB. Mention a CAB to me and I'd go though a series of ticks that would make a third base coach proud. But, as they say, time.... and hunger, heals all wounds. And recently, fresh off carne asada burrito rehab, I grabbed a CAB from Luche Libre ($4.85):

 

This was a good sized, two fisted burrito. And now is a good time to mention the salsa bar, with some good freshly made salsas, a la Mama Testa. My only complaint is a serious lack of "picante".

As for the burrito.... the beef in this was a total 180 from the Queso Taco. It was nice thickly cut what seemed to be flank steak, chewy, but in a good way. I still think it is a bit under-flavored, but I enjoyed the flavor of "the char".

The best thing the guacamole and the pico de gallo did was not to interfere with the beef. So perhaps I'm cured.........

A good while back, I received an email from a FOY (Friend of Yoso), who deserves an apology since I can't find his email. He recommended something called the "DDT Loaded Baked Potato"($6.25). Over six bucks for a baked potato!?!?!! And yet, I was intrigued.... And when I picked my potato up, I understood why they called this the "DDT baked potato. The only question was what version of the DDT this poor spud was exposed to?

 Was it the "elevated DDT", or perhaps the "spike DDT"? My money's on the "tornado DDT". This thing was a gooey, calorie bomb mess of a baked potato, with carne asada, grilled shrimp, mushrooms, and grilled onions and zucchini (you do need your veggies, right?), enrobed in melted cheese, and topped with a chipotle flavored sauce, much like the thousand island dressing stuff you get at mariscos shops.

Man, this was a mess.... and yet, I couldn't stop eating. I didn't want to admit it, but I kinda enjoyed this...... I did need a cold shower after, and I don't crave it, but I can't lie. This pushed all the guilty pleasure buttons.

I'm not sure I buy the "gourmet" part, as the level of refinement really isn't there. That aside, there are some novel items on the menu, the prices are reasonable, the quality of some of the ingredients is higher. At its best, LL is a notch above the usual San Diego Taco shop(thoughYMMV), and the food is "Gringo safe". And I haven't even gotten to the free chips......

Luche Libre Gourmet Taco Shop
1810 W Washington St
San Diego, CA 92103

Comments

[Elisabeth Klos]

I have always been curious about that place! I haven't looked through your blog but have you tried Rudy's in Solana Beach? My husband likes the Carne Asada burritos there and I love the tortillas and guacamole.

[kat]

gasp! I remember the Missing Link...that potato at the end looked really bad but good!

[Kirk]

Hi Elisabeth - I haven't checked out Rudy's..... now that I've recovered, perhaps I'll check it out! Thanks so much for the recommendation!

Hi Kat - Whew....I don't feel so old and creaky now! ;o) ooooohh yeah! ;o)

[caninecologne]

hi kirk
i've always wondered about LL - i can see it whenever my daughter and i are at gelato vero across the street....

sadly, i have never tried a bacon wrapped dog. are those things fried?

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, I still haven't made it there once after all this time.. I visited the spot when it was Valentine's. I think it has to do with my party night out days being long gone, haha

[joey]

In my book a salsa bar can make up for a multitude of sins. None are immune to my methodical attack. If forced to choose between a lousy burrito and a lousy salsa bar I will take that lousy burrito anytime and redeem it via my patented condiment augmentation strategies

[Kirk]

Hi CC - It's usually placed on a griddle, though I've seen versions on a grill.

Hi Dennis - Come on.... don't make yourself sound old! ;o)

Hi joey - A good salsa can help.... but a condiment is a condiment.

[Rosa]

Back in my UCSD days, there were many late night visits to Roberto's on Miramar. That "Battle of the 'Bertos" cracked me up. Apparently, I've been going to the wrong place!

Some people in LA swear by Tito's Taco but I tell them that Tito's burritos have nothing on what you get in SD. It's all about the carne asada, not the bland shredded beef mess Tito's dishes out. And a good burrito/taco should not have to rely on salsa to give it flavor! A great carne asada burrito with cheese, guac and pico de gallo is one of the best foods on earth. And it's even better with Tapatio/Cholula. :D

I think I will have to make a burrito stop when I'm in SD on Sunday.

[janfrederick]

Did you ever visit when it was Valentinos? We went once and noticed they used white beans instead of pintos, but nothing to write home about. We usually opted for Las Brazos around the corner for our CAB fix. Haven't been there since we moved out of the neighborhood though, so I don't know how it is now.

[Lynnea]

Such a funny post. Loved it. My husband and I always wonder about luche libre taco shop. It always looks just a little bit to crazy!

[Kirk]

Hi Rosa - I hope you get your CAB fix when this weekend. The "battle of the 'bertos" really fixed me for over a year!

Hi Jan - I did eat at Valentine's, which was decent, but didn't differentiate itself from a hundred other taco shops in San Diego.

Hi Lynnea - If you could hear color, this would blow your head off! ;o) You should give them a try though.

[Faye]

Wow. The queso taco looked terrible! All the items (except the burrito) looked so messily put together! Maybe that's their trademark.

I've never been a carne asada fan. Just always found it to be quite dry. I bet you can make a better version Kirk!

LL has so much hype - i think that's why I haven't gone there. Would you go back? Any other items look appetizing?

[Kirk]

Hi Faye - You sure do have a lot of faith in my cooking ability...... At it's best LL is a step above typical taco shop fare. I think I'd go back, but LL is not really a destination for me. The guy who I tricked into eating the baconless TJ Hotdog raves about the surf and turf burrito and the "tap out" grilled chicken tacos.

[Stephen]

looks interesting. Is the pepto pink a subtle hint?
The carne asada burrito looks decent. Hard to find really good ones. Will have to check out your previous post.
That potato kinda scares me, but at the same time, it intrigues me.
May give it a try

[Kirk]

Hi Stephen - Nothing subliminal about the peptobismol pink description. If all the CABs are like the one I had, I'd say it's pretty good. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

[RONW]

I haven't seen Curtis "the Bull" Iaukea for two years already, but when Curtis was operating the beach concession by the Kapahulu pier in Waikiki, he use to kick back at Kapiolani Park, and after work I use to talk story with him. As famous as the man was, he never talk down to you. Btw, he graduated Punahou high school on athletic scholarship. He told me that after Tosh Togo (Harold Sakata) became famous playing Odd Job, the henchman, in the James Bond movie, Tosh used to have a hotel room on the Seine in Paris. So, one day Curtis and Harry Fujiwara happened to be pro wrestling in Europe and they decided to phone "Odd Job", and Tosh invited them up to his place.

The two local boys, real akamai, showed up at the high class hotel wearing slippers. Tosh was so embarrassed at their appearance that he sneaked Curtis and Harry in through the back entrance. But within an hour, Tosh's personal tailor arrived to measure Curtis and Harry for new suits, then a shoe person shows up with 20 different style of shoes for the two local guys to select from, so together, they can go holo holo all dress up in style. Mind you, "Odd Job" use to walk around Paris dressed up in the same outfit he used in the movie, and he was way more famous internationally than Curtis and Harry put together. Curtis said about Tosh, "he never did forget his friends from home." And we won't forget Curtis, either.

[Kirk]

Hi RONW - I had the pleasure of meeting Harold Sakata a couple of times, he was always a gentleman. I also met Curtis Iaukea once as well. Most of these guys were really down to earth.......

[Masa Assassin]

Hi Kirk what a great post and thanks for the mention.

I applaud Luche Libre on the concept but I feel the execution is poor. I will never forget my first visit. I had the same exact experience with my Hot Dogs, the buns were burnt, the bacon was lacking, and the condiments were off. I tried various menu items and was very disappointed.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt and payed a second visit. At the time of my first visit they were relatively new and so many people I knew were raving about the place, but my second visit was not a good experience either.

It’s not really fair to compare LL to places south of the border but I believe they got some of their concepts from famed gourmet taco haven” tacos salceados” in Tijuana. One of tacos salceados signature items is a quesataco. The creation of the quesataco starts with flakes of cheese spread across the flat iron stove. Your choice of cuts are then lined down the middle and then ultimately encased in the crisp golden cheese. The stuffed crisp cheese roll is then placed in a fresh thick tortilla, and topped with house dressings and avocado. Its mind blowing.

Tacos Salceados also serves a loaded potato with most of the same trimmings but the execution is leagues above LLs . You had me laughing so hard about taking a shower after eating the loaded potato.

You will never find me comparing Mexican spots in Mexico to those over here however it’s hard to compare LL to anything else on this side of the border. I don’t know about too many gourmet taco places.

Again I applaud them for the concept but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. They seem to be doing well on business so I guess not everyone shares my opinion. Itt must be the same crowd that turns out in droves for El Indio? Or perhaps maybe the third time might be a charm for me who knows.

You have me craving the dogs, I’m going to have to make a trip to TJ this weekend. One day I would love to take you and the missus down to salceados, I think you would love it.

Sorry for rambling on.... your post was spot on.

Masa

[Kirk]

Hi MA - I think that folks love the concept, and the food, when done right is a shade above your usual 'berto's, but I really wasn't all that impressed. I do recall what Mrs Assassin said about having to de-train, then re-train the typical San Diego taco shop cooks to make proper tacos at El Poblano...... in other words, there's a whole lotta slapping stuff together going on here.

[Cherie]

I haven't had a chance to try this place yet!! A notch above the usual SD Taco Shop? I love those, so looks like I gotta give this a try sometime.