mmm-yoso!!!

Mexico City (2022) - Taco Crawl - El Pescadito, Tacos Hola, La Guerrerense, and El Califa. And a Return to Panadería Almuerzos

Before our trip to CDMX, I had read a really nice cookbook named Made in Mexico by Chef Danny Mena. The cookbook featured based on the Chef's (who is from CDMX) favorite dishes from various restaurants and stands in Mexico City. I loved that there was a separate restaurant index in the back of the cookbook with all the locations. There were a couple that were rather close to where we were staying (Colonia Condesa) and I thought it would be nice to do a sort of taco crawl like we had done in the days before Covid.

We were a bit hungry after visiting the Museo Nacional de Antropologia. And El Pescadito was on the way back to the hotel, so we decided to stop there. I'd seen El Pescadito before as it is right across the street from Tacos Don Juan which we visited before.

Man, this place was quite busy; but they had a pretty awesome system. Order, get a number, find a table, pick up your food when called, and pay before leaving. It seemed like half the customers were non-locals here.

According to what I had read; this place specializes in Tacos de Marlin - smoked fish tacos, here it is smoked tuna. Something I really love. I ordered (left to right), a Tacochango (MarlinTun/Shrimp), MarlinTun, and the item in the book, the Chile Relleno Taco (MalinTun stuff in a Chile).

    So, first the good; man were things fried here good! The batter on the shrimp was crisp and light; the shrimp plump, moist, and tasty. The poblano chile likewise. Sadly, the MarlinTun was dry, fishy, and not very smoky in terms of flavor. The tortillas were decent and up to the task at hand.

    Sadly, I'd have to say I've had better tacos de marlyn here in San Diego!

And while the tacos may have been borderline disappointing; that "dude" to the right was not!

Remember that I've mentioned the amazing dog walkers of Mexico City before? Well this guy was "going for the gold". He had 9 pooches in tow...nine! He saw us jaw agape and even stopped for a photo. Take a look and count 'em.....9. And they were all pretty well behaved. 

El Pescadito
Calle Atlixco 38
06140 Ciudad de México

We headed back to our hotel and relaxed for a bit; then headed back out. We got to Avenida Amsterdam and found what we thought was the correct address, but nope....we asked at a nearby shop and the nice gentleman pointed us in the right direction; to Tacos Hola; a tiny shop which was doing good business.

The Missus got the little table with the two kiddie stools, shades of Hanoi! I went inside to order and found that a bunch of items were sold out!

Luckily, the recommended item; the Tacos de Bistec en Pasilla was still available. And I thought the Missus would enjoy the Tacos Acelgas (Chard).

  Tacos Hola specializes in Tacos Guisados, braised and stewed ingredients for tacos. So, even though it says bistec; it's actually braised beef; really tasty braised beef, with a very bright pasilla chile-tomato based sauce. The Missus really loved the beans here...She still mentions those beans, as in "why can't you make beans like those." The chard was quite tender, but quite mild in flavor....man, I could imagine this with collards! The tortillas were excellent.

I really want to return here.

Tacos Hola El Güero
Amsterdam 135
06100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

Our next stop was in a familiar locale; the Parian Condesa Food Hall. Pasillo de Humo is located on the second floor. We've walked past La Guerrerense before.

Here it's the Tacos de Pescado and the Tacos de Camaron that are recommended, so that's what we ordered.

We didn't care for these very much. The fish in the Taco de Pescado was the width of my pinky and not even as long. It's the batter that is supposed to be special; it's made with vodka which is supposed make a delicate, crisp crust. We couldn't make out much.

The shrimp was the better of the two, more flavor, better texture. The tortillas broke apart while eating our tacos.

It was strange; we were the only customers in the place.

La Guerrerense
Avenida Nuevo León 107
06100 Cuauhtemoc, CDMX, Mexico

For our last stop, we decided to go with a favorite from our previous taco crawl, El Califa. 

We enjoyed the Al Pastor here on our previous visit, so we had two each. It did not disappoint.

The Al Pastor had that nice balance of sweet and salty; nice savory tones, the meat had a crispness to it as well. The onions added pungency and that pineapple was icing on the cake! 

Still a favorite of ours.

Taquería El Califa
Altata 22
06170 Ciudad de México

We were tempted to do an Al Pastor comparison and head on over to El Farolito across the street, but we were full and that comparison will have to wait for another day. We were pooped; it was time to hit the hay.

The next morning we hit up our favorite croissant stop, Panadería Almuerzos. Man, there was a line! We'd never seen this before. Word must have gotten out!

It was interesting; the two guys in front of us just spoke English and didn't even try to speak Spanish, as did the woman behind us. Like I mentioned in my previous post; we saw many more ex-pat/tourists than we had seen before. Panadería Almuerzos had also spiffed things up. It used to just look like a garage before, now they had a bakery case and everything.

And then I got my croissant and was crestfallen.

It wasn't crisp and flakey enough, lacked butter, was too doughy. 

Here's what it used to look like.

Man, this used to be my favorite croissant outside of France. What happened here? Have they lowered their standards? 

I'm not sure, but I sure was disappointed.

Panadería Almuerzos
Av. Vicente Suárez 64A
Colonia Condesa, CDMX, Mexico

I truly hope this was just a bad day.....but I'm thinking it wasn't. 

Well, I didn't have too much time to dwell on this, we had an Uber on the way and had to get to the airport.

Next stop, Oaxaca!

Midweek Meanderings - Sunmerry, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa, Palomino's #3 and Matador Mexican Grill "Under New Management"

It's amazing what you can find during one short drive. Here's what I noticed when I went to get some groceries and lunch from Nijiya. I took the "long way"; which meant starting on Clairemont Mesa, then down Convoy, then all the way down Linda Vista to Morena.

Here's what I saw.

Sunmerry, The Great Greek, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Even though I haven't done a post on Sunmerry; a bakery chain from Taiwan, it's a must stop on our road trips North and during visits to Bistro Na's. We'll also stop in at the Rowland Heights location as well. For some reason, this past week, I mentioned that Sunmerry was opening somewhere near Convoy to the Missus, so She'd be able to get Her Pineapple Cake fix locally. I was thus instructed to find out the location. Finding the location was simple using our friend......Google. 

In the same strip mall as Costco Business and Target I saw three structures and this sign:

So, I got three for the price of one here.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a small chain out of Nevada and Sunmerry will occupy one building.

7951 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai which according to Eater, originated in Fukushima in another.

8001 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like I got a "three for one" here.....

Palomino's #3 "Under New Management":

I go to Nijiya so frequently that I usually just head on in and then back to my car without a glance; but today I noticed that the Taco Shop in the strip mall had a "Under New Management" sign. Which I believe means new ownership.

Cathy has done several posts on Palomino's #2, but not on this location. I last visited in the days BB ("before blogging").

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

So maybe.....and no, I haven't tried Two Hands Corn Dog yet either.....

Matador Mexican Grill Reopening:

On my way back, heading down Linda Vista, I took a look at the spot that used to house Matador Mexican Grill which closed several months back and noticed they were reopening. Of course; it's under the ubiquitous "under new management".

I'd never been; though an ex-coworker of mine used to like the place.

5201 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92110

And under the you never know what you'll see label......

I noticed a bit of a crowd on the Convoy side of Jasmine as I stopped at the light. There were news teams and bit of a hubbub. While sitting at the light, I noticed someone holding a freeway sign. And then it became clear. I know that there was an effort to raise money for six "Convoy Asian Cultural District" signs and it looks like they've raised the money and the signs are done.

Good for them!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

El Zarape 10 (!!!) Years Later and a Walk Around University Heights

Recently I was thinking about areas that I hadn't been to in a while and University Heights came to mind. I couldn't recall the last time I was in the area.....at least not since Covid. So, on a recent weekend morning I decided to drop by and take a nice stroll.

I parked across from Trolley Barn Park and crossed the street.

In case you're wondering why this is called Trolley Barn Park.

This was the actual site of the Trolley Car Barn from 1913 - 1949.

While crossing the street, I realized that over the years I've driven by the park many times; but had never walked through the park. Well, this morning was as good a time as ever to do so!

I actually entered the park from Panorama Drive.

It was mid-morning and all the "activities" were just getting started......yoga...

Soccer for little "kiddies"....

The sidewalk has markings of the streets along the old trolley route.

There's an interesting marker that details the route of the trolley.

And there's also a very nice view of Mission Valley at the south end of the park.

    I'm sure you've noticed all the signage and artwork with ostriches in the University Heights area.

Do you know why?

Well, the area at the southern end of Park Boulevard was W. H. “Harvey” Bentley's Ostrich Farm; yes, for real! According to the University Heights Historical Society:

"In 1904, John D. Spreckels invited Harvey Bentley to relocate his ostrich farm from Coronado."

There's this gate which was the entrance to the ostrich farm.

And there's this sign, which I didn't recall seeing before. According to this post, the sign just went up in May of this year.

I also noticed the mention of "William Hilton's Silk Mill". It turns out that the structure that now houses Meraki Café was once the location of a silk mill!

Around this time, I decided to grab a bite. Over the last couple of months, I'd been wondering how some of the "old time" (to me) places that I hadn't visited in years were doing. So I decided to head on over to El Zarape. Now I knew that I hadn't been to El Zarape in a while; but man, it had been a decade since I last visited. And before that visit was a seven year gap! I knew that El Zarape currently opens at 10 in the morning on weekends, so I was fairly certain that I wouldn't have a problem placing a takeout order.

The layout and design looks basically the same as it did a decade ago......

As did the menu....with the hipster additions of "Beyond Meat"...and the other stuffs that I would never try like the "Aloha/Wasabi/Soy" burritos.

For old time's sake I ordered two of my "standards" from the old days; a Fish Taco and a Shrimp Taco. The gentleman working was very friendly and it was a short wait....I sat outside for my order. I then made the short walk back to Trolley Park to eat.

Opening things up....well, the tacos didn't look too promising.

Though I will say that the avocado sauce and salsa rojo taste exactly the same. Though I'm guessing that due to Covid precautions the old salsa bar is gone and now the sauces are served in containers.

The shrimp taco ($4.25) was less than pleasing.

   The shrimp was rubbery, the tortilla didn't hold up and fell to pieces after my second bite, even with a protective layer of cheese. This was just so very bland, I didn't expect the sweet-richness of wild caught shrimp, but this just had so little "shrimpiness"....take a look at what the shrimp taco looked like before.

It doesn't even look like it's from the same restaurant....though I guess a lot can change in a decade. 

It used to be that the Fish Taco at EZ was sort of a loss leader....it was still 99 cents in 2012! Now it's $2.50 which I think is a good price in this day and age. But the main question that came to mind when I looked at my taco was where's the fish????

It was just covered with a ton of cabbage, which was much more thickly sliced than before. As you can tell by the color, the fish had been fried too long; the batter had really darkened and the fish was dry.....though the crema and the avocado sauce helped things out a bit; the sliver of fish  made this more a cabbage taco with a garnish of fish.

I really didn't expect too much from EZ, but it seems that time hasn't been too kind to the tacos at El Zarape. It's kind of sad really, since there was a time when I thought the fish tacos here were delici-yoso, of course that was a very long time ago.

Still, I was quite sad.....

El Zarape
4642 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 11am - 10pm
Fri - Sun 10am - 11pm

On the bright side of things, I did learn a bit about the history of University Heights.

Sunday Stuffs, Is It Getting Hot Around Here Edition - Mike's Red Tacos Brick and Mortar Coming to Clairemont, Yin Tang Hot Pot Replacing A-Bowl, and Jomaru Korean Hot Pot Coming to Kearny Mesa.

Is it getting "hot" around here or what? I went and did my morning shopping this past weekend and decided to take a bit more time to see what was up in the Clairemont and Kearny Mesa area. And by coincidence all three places I noticed have a bit of "heat or spice" to them......

Mike's Red Tacos Brick and Mortar Coming to Clairemont:

I noticed the sign while driving up Genesee, so I took a short detour into the parking lot where Kroran is located.

This is where I believe Wings Republic was located. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the food truck, I'll probably check out the brick and mortar location when they open. I have a feeling they'll be pretty busy.

4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Driving down Convoy, I went into the parking lot of Convoy Pointe Plaza to see what was up with the rebuilding of China Max (actually not much). And saw this......

Yin Tang Hot Pot Replacing A-Bowl:

In the former location of A-Bowl.

Bummer.....

4690 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Jomaru Korean Hot Pot Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Drove past the strip mall that houses Tajima, Song Hak, and Steamy Piggy. I noticed a sign saying "Jomaru Korean Hot Pot". 

The name sounded familiar....and reading this post jogged my memory. We saw Jomaru Gamjatang locations in Seoul. Never got to try them though.

4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Stay safe!

Tuetano Taqueria and Mar Rustico - Old Town

I was quite excited to hear the news that Michelin recognized Tacos Tuetano was opening in Old Town. For me, this marks what could possibly be a long overdue revitalization of Old Town eateries for locals. I had visited the location in San Ysidro once, but hadn't returned in ages before they moved and shuttered.

I/we have visited Tuetano about a dozen times since they've opened in Old Town and this post is long overdue.

I guess that one of the reasons I've taken so long on this post is that every couple of visits there's something new.

First was the addition of Mar Rustico; a Mariscos Place.

Then the shops in the back; of which we haven't partaken yet.

 During the last two visits; the wine shop next door has opened, but were closed during our visits.

Also, the ordering can be confusing....on certain days you would have to go down the side of the dining area to order the birria and tuetano, then to Mar Rustica counter to get Mariscos, then off to the drink station to order drinks. The last couple of times we've gone on slow days (i.e. Monday) and at off hours and would then order from the drinks counter. You get a one of those buzzer things and sometimes you pick up your order and sometimes they'll bring it to you......

It's interesting when you do order from all three places and try to get things in a cohesive manner.

 We love the al fresco dining when the weather is pleasant....though it's not as much fun when it is chilly or windy. Of course this is San Diego.......

I think the one thing that really got my attention having been to the San Ysidro location were the prices; at the old location a birria taco + bone marrow was $6.75. Here...well, it's $11....call it the Old Town mark-up if you will.

Since we've tried a bunch of items here; I thought I'd list out our picks and pans.....

Favorites:

  During the recent cooler weather, I would usually order the consomme with birria ($9) with a side of bone marrow ($7).  This is not your side order-after thought birria consomme as there's a good amount of birria in the nicely flavored broth. Also a good quantity of onions and cilantro and the broth is well seasoned with a pleasant amount of acidity. My drill consists of picking out the bone marrow and using that to top the tacos I make with the nicely soaked birria and then pouring all the rendered beef fat/marrow liquid into the soup. Be still my heart...literally. I will say the on one occasion I had a bone with less than a teaspoon of marrow in it and when Tuetano first opened the birria had a tendency to be on the tough side. But not on recent visits.

The Missus loves the Smoked Marlin Burrito ($16), though they've often out of it.

    The wonderfully smoked fish is moist and seasoned nicely and we've never experienced any "off flavors". The Missus loves that the tortillas have been nicely griddled on the comal. As you can tell; these aren't huge, but they are mighty tasty with a squeeze of lime.

And of course the reason most people come here....the Birria Tuetano ($11).

   Yes, $11 is pretty steep, but when it's good, it's very good. I will say, I've had this a few times when the birria was too tough, but recently it seems they've got things right. A nice bit of spice, onions and cilantro to cut the richness, and bone marrow to add that decadent beefy-richness back in...a squeeze of lime. The Missus likes the simple chili de arbol "salsa", but it detracts from the enjoyment to me.

It doesn't get much better than this....

Decent:

If I'm hungry I'll get the Birria Torta.....the price differs depending on the day; I've had it for $18 and for $16......

  The bollilo roll on both occasions was toasted perfectly and held up for the entire meal. That griddled queso, while being a bit mild in flavor was a nice touch. The birria in the torta is on the drier and chewier side. The pickled onions adds pungency and there's always a ton of cilantro to add even more citrusy-pungent tones to the torta. On one occasion, I added in a side of bone marrow a rich - buttery addition to the torta.

We tried the Quesa-Taco once and thought it was ok.

The birria was dry and too chewy on this visit; though we loved the griddled tortilla with the cheese to protect it from getting soggy. I guess we missed the bone marrow? Or maybe we just should have ordered a side of it with this?

Pans:

The two items we didn't care for came from Mar Rustica. We tried both twice.

The Ceviche ($21) was very inconsistent. While it always looked good; once it was super salty and had too much lime juice; the fish was over marinated and rubbery. And once it lacked enough lime and was really bland.

The Fish Tacos were even more disappointing. For $16 for two tacos de pescado we expect perfection. On both occasions the fish was over-fried. As you see below.

The fish had dried out on both visits. Not sure what fish they were using on one of the visits but it tasted fairly muddy. Not very good and you can get better elsewhere for half the price or less.

As you can tell; there are items we keep coming back for at Tuetano. Though there can be some "unevenness" at times and you're paying the "Old Town premium", when it's good it is quite good. And though we've had better Tuetano in Mexico....that consomme with a side of marrow is quite nice on a chilly day.

   And we hope that this is just the beginning for Old Town.

Parking can be a bit of a challenge, though because of that and since we don't want crowds were usually go during the week and at off hours.

Tuetano Taqueria/Mar Rustico
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Sun - Wed 11am - 7pm
Thurs - Sat 11am - 8pm

Mexico City (Before Covid) - The Two Day Taco Crawl and Other "Stuffs"

**** Just summing up our last trip before the pandemic to CDMX.

It was quite apparent that during our visits to CDMX we hadn't addressed one important "food group".....tacos! And so, before our trip I set about trying to create a nice "taco crawl" of sorts...which ended up stretching into two days. So here's a brief summary.

We started off at the farthest stretches from where we were staying....to an interesting (at that time) concept called El Auténtico Pato Manila.

The place was quite busy....though we were both amused and confused by the name and what was on the menu.

On one hand you had the name..."Manila"...on the other hand; you had a statue of Chairman Mao.....

And the place was known for their "pato" - duck tacos served in a flour tortilla, in place of the usual pancake....

With hoisin sauce to say the least......not quite sure.....but this really didn't hit the spot. The proteins were dry....not sure what I expected; but it wasn't this.

El Auténtico Pato Manila
Culiacan 91
06100 Ciudad de México

Next we moved up a couple of blocks and got an outside table at Taquería El Califa. 

Which seemed quite popular.

This would end up being our favorite for the evening...great service and heck, they don't mess around when you order a side of avocado.

The Al Pastor was crisp and flavorful and I ordered the bistek "campechano" which came topped with chicharrons......

Our favorite place by far.

Taquería El Califa
Altata 22
06170 Ciudad de México

The next stop I picked because of it supposed "historical" significance....you see; El Tizoncito claims to have invented Tacos Al Pastor....it sure is quite busy to say the least.

We sat next to an amazing young man (like 6 years old) and his dad.....the kid was game for anything and I admired him....for he was from the Midwest US but was just willing to try it all!

The Al Pastor was disappointing though; tough and lacking in caramelization and quite bland overall.

El Tizoncito
Tamaulipas 122
06140 Ciudad de México

Our last stop was one that I'd read much about, Taqueria el Greco.....which served what they call "Arab-style" tacos. It's quite popular as you can see in the photos, though we did fins a table inside the small restaurant.

The Missus went with a typical taco of grilled steak...i.e. carne asada; while I went with a "Doneraky" (spit roasted) style taco in Arabian Bread (sort of like a pita).

 The Missus's taco fared better than mine; which I thought was quite bland, overshadowed by the cheese and avocado.

Taqueria El Greco
Michoacán 54
06100 Ciudad de México

From here we headed back to our hotel and called it a night.

The next morning we headed out to stretch our legs...coming across a "bike day" on Avenida Mazatlan.

After taking care of a couple of things; we headed off to a taco shop a couple of blocks from where we were staying......Tacos Don Juan

 We had passed this place during one of our walks in the area and I wanted to check them out.

Both the Arrachera-Tocino and the Chuleta Ahumada were quite good. Very solid, delicious tacos.

A solid no frills neighborhood spot - we'll be back.

Tacos Don Juan
Calle Juan Escutia 35
06140 Ciudad de México

From here we walked on over to Parque Mexico....it's always a fun walk and on this day they had a dog adoption program going on.

After which we stopped at Volador Café for a caffeine fix.

They sure love their pooches in CDMX.

Volador Café
Amsterdam 135
06100 Ciudad de México

As I often have said; there's something about his area in CDMX that reminds me of Europe.

When dinner time arrived; I had yet another taco shop in mind....but first we returned to a place close by; Temporal, for a Suerte de Dragon (Lucky Dragon) and some Gulf Crab Sopes.....just so we'd have enough energy to make it to dinner...right?

Restaurante Temporal
Saltillo 1
06140 Ciudad de México

It was a bit of a walk to to El Farolito, which I had seen the night before.

The place seemed quite popular with the locals.....

Maybe because the Al Pastor is roasting right in the dining area?

We sat at the counter and had some cerveza and al pastor and buche tacos......which were quite good.,

El Farolito
Altata 19
06100 Ciudad de México

Funny thing is.....El Califa is right across the street....hmmm....maybe next time....

And then we had a nice stroll back to our room....we had an early flight the next day. We thought we'd be back to CDMX in no time at all and then the pandemic hit.....so, until we're back again!

Thanks for hanging in there for this rather onerous post!

Sunday "Stuffs" - Lalo's Closes, JJ Chicken Coming to Towne Center, Taco Stand on Convoy, Nijiya's Hokkaido Festival, and Other "Stuffs"

Here's some odds and ends for a nice Sunday.

Lalo's Tacos Al Pastor Closes:

 I noticed that Lalo's had closed when I recently had to drop by Penzy's. I have to say I was a bit surprised since they've been in this spot since we moved to San Diego over 20 years ago. I was never a big fan; but folks I worked with when my office was in Hillcrest enjoyed Lalo's.

I guess maybe the pandemic did them in.

1266 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

JJ Chicken Coming to To Renaissance Towne Centre:

Well, at least that's what the sign says.

 Since I'm back in the office I dropped by one of my usual stops in this strip mall to see how they were doing (they were quite busy). And noticed the sign in the photo to the right in the window of what I think used to be Edo Sushi?

Doing some quick searches, I wasn't able to find much. Perhaps the next time I stop by they'll be more info.....

8895 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

Work on the Taco Stand on Convoy:

Driving down Convoy, headed to Nijiya this past morning, I noticed work on the Taco Stand was going on (read more about it on Eater). So, I took a quick drive into the parking lot from hell....which thankfully was quite empty at 850 on a Saturday morning.

According to the post on Eater, they were "Slated to open in early 2021"........but of course with the pandemic, difficulty in finding staff, etc, etc, etc....

4646 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

The Hokkaido Fair at Nijiya - Until 09/22:

I dropped by Nijiya last Friday on my way home from work and was amazed at how busy they were! I waited over 20 minutes in line to get to the cashier, who happened to be a young lady that also works at Bay Park Coffee. I mentioned how busy they were and she told me it was because of the Hokkaido Fair......Hokkaido Fair? How the heck did I miss that memo?

Anyway, I went home and mentioned this to the Missus and guess what? Well, we headed back down to Nijiya later that evening. Luckily; even though the parking lot was packed, Nijiya wasn't overly busy. Even though there seemed to be less items then I recalled from previous "fairs" we had a blast. And things were selling fast! 

I think that perhaps folks are missing the travel, the variety, the fun and comfort these days. I know I felt a wonderful nostalgia seeing labels and items I recalled from our trip to Hokkaido. And the Missus just enjoyed Her puddings and cheesecake....oh, and those chocolate covered strawberries so much; guess who had to head back the next morning? Which I how I noticed the construction on the Taco Stand.

Anyway, here's some of what we got.

For some strange reason; I have an affinity to Hokkaido cheese.....

Anyway, things seem to be selling fast, so head on down if anything pictured above interests you.

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

And speaking of cheese - well, since I won't be riding the metro in Paris anytime soon:

Talking about the feeling of happiness and nostalgia. I had a surge of joy when I saw this at Bristol Farms.

At that point, the Missus and I decided to do charcuterie and cheese for dinner. 

And since, due to the pandemic, I don't think we'll be travelling to France this year, where Epoisses is supposedly banned on public transport, this would have to do. We're really missing international travel and I guess anytime we're able to travel with our tastebuds....well, for now that will have to do. 

Take care everyone; be safe, have compassion and empathy during these times!

Taco Kings-where birria is the thing

mmm-yoso!!!, this blog about food, hopefully is a respite in your online browsing. Cathy is writing today while Kirk is busy with several assignments at work.

A 'new' place for The Mister and I to stop (in addition to our 'usual', K-n-B lunch) before shopping at Windmill Farms opened only six weeks ago.  Taco Kings is at the opposite end of the storefronts in the neighborhood shopping center.   

 It used to be several different taco shops, so we didn't expect much.  The dark wood interior with metal seating and accents is very modern.  
 The tacos here are 'street' size and enough for a light bite.  The quesataco ($4) includes the layer of cheese in addition to the beef stew meat, cilantro and onion.  It is a good beef birria, even though we do prefer goat or lamb, which are not a choice here.  
 We went on a Thursday and the 'birria ramen' was $6-regular $12.  A very large styrofoam cup with ramen, broth/consomme and large amount of beef birria along with cilantro, onion and sliced radish.  We really liked this version.  I'll speak about other versions in another post. 

We looked at the menu and noticed other 'daily' specials and returned on a Monday.  

Birria Pizza-$12 (regular $16)
  The fork is for scale. There is a tremendous amount of beef birria sandwiched between two large tortillas, easily enough meat to make three large burritos. It was our lunch and dinner.A pretty thick layer of cheese on one of the tortillas to accompany the non-brothy birria.  You need a fork and knife to eat this.  The three (very well made) salsas, along with limes and radish add a nice variety to the flavor to the beef. (If you've not read my prior posts; I tend to eat items as served for the first half, then try the rest with condiments at the end of the meal, which makes it a whole new meal.)

We have had other items here and those are good, too.  These were just different items than most taco shops offer.  It's nice to find a surprise new place.

The other daily specials are: Tuesday: two street tacos $5, one fish taco $1.  Wednesday:  one adobada taco $1.50 Friday: Michelada $6

Taco Kings 6358 Del Cerro Blvd San Diego, CA 92120 (619)287-8541 Open daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 

Mike's Red Tacos Truck

**** Mike's now has a Brick and Mortar location. You can read an updated post here

I've been reading how birria has been one of the latest food "fads" over the last year or so. Of course, it isn't Birria de Chivo (goat) being mentioned, but Birria de Res, the beef version. Folks who've been reading our little blog for a while know that I really enjoy birria and over the last 7-8 years, I've found my favorite birria de res....from Fernandez Restaurant in Nestor, which has become a favorite of mine. The birria de res is so flavorful, tender, the consommé is so well seasoned that you can just squeeze in a bit of lime, add onions and cilantro and make a meal of by itself. The tortillas have been dipped in the comsomme and placed on the comal, but are always still pliable and up to the task of handling the well flavored, tender birria (must get the tacos "nervio" - topped with buttery tenson).......you get the point, right? 

The popularity of birria tacos hit home when I read about Mike's Red Tacos in Eater. You see, the food truck was going to be stationed in Bay Park! I guess birria really has hit the mainstream now. The truck was scheduled to be in the parking lot of the long running, but now closed Old Trieste restaurant on Fridays, from 4pm. My good buddy Candice was also kind enough to inform me of the opening as well since it's in my 'hood. I was working from home on the first day of business and since I normally start around 530-6 and with no late meetings, I could call "pau hana time" by 330 and headed on down to Morena. I got there at 345....and oh my.....

Man, check out that line!

 In some ways it was quite heartening. It showed me that folks in the area really want more variety and (hopefully) quality.

On the other hand; it was 40 minutes in line and then the wait. Another 40 minutes later, I got my tacos. I really felt for folks as the line kept getting longer. The girl taking orders and working the register was very friendly, though of course this was "opening day" and I'm not sure they expected this kind of reception. I know I didn't.

So, two birria tacos and consomme......

 So, first off; the tortillas did well, they held up to the  barrage of sauce and meat juices quite well. I liked the fact that they were dunked in the "consomme"....however....

The consomme was so bland and devoid of flavor that the only leg to stand on was mouthfeel.....and at this point it just felt like I was drinking and dunking my tacos into a vat of grease. The actual beef in the tacos was a bit on the dry and stringy side....and the flavor was quite mild, though it had a bit of beefiness to it. I had hopes for some nice savory-smokey flavors. So.....this was closer to "food not too offend" then birria de res to me. I had requested salsas, but with all the customers and such it had been left out.

And so, because this food truck is in my neighborhood, I decided to wait a month before revisiting. By this time, the hours had changed to Saturdays from noon until they ran out of product. They were still quite busy at noon on Saturday when I arrived.

The service was still smiling and friendly and the wait much shorter than before. Things I expected after that initial grand opening surge.

This time around I ordered a birria taco....with queso, a mulita, and of course some consomme.

   The first thing I tasted when I got home was the consomme. It was still very bland which left me with a greasy mouthfeel....I'm thinking that Mike believes that the consomme is just for dipping and should not be consumed on its own.

The taco with queso was better than on my last visit. A bit more flavor, the meat more tender....the cilantro, onions, and a squeeze of lime helped things, but it was the cheese....which added a nice textural addition as well as some milkiness that did help. It was still really mild for my palate. I think the tortilla could have spent a bit more time on the comal, which would have added more crispness and a bit of caramelization. But that's just me.

As for the Mulita......well, it was a bit too much for me.

 A lot of cheese as both sides were coated.....think of this a sort of a quesadilla if you will. Again, if the tortillas, which were quite good had been a bit charred adding some crispness and caramelization....perhaps it would be a different story. This was just a bit too rich for me and the beefiness seemed a bit lost here.

As for the salsas....I enjoyed the salsa verde the most. The acidity really helped to cut the richness. And yes, lime is your best friend here.

 In then end; well, like I always say, I'm not happy "just to have something". And yet, I'm pleased to see folks out to support this business. And hope it's a bellwether of things to come.

On my first visit to Mike's, while waiting for my tacos, a nice, friendly gentleman walked over to me and asked me if I'd ever had Birria before.......I'm thinking that he's used to the more "hip" folks...I named off a couple of places and then mentioned Fernandez and also how much I enjoy birria de chivo.....which led to an interesting surprised look and an "ok....I hope you enjoy yourself" as he walked away.......

Mike's Red Tacos - Currently in the parking lot of Old Trieste
2335 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Saturday - Noon - 7pm

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Orale and Mt. Olive Organic Farm (Paso Robles)

We slept well after our wonderful dinner at Aubergine and when we woke the next morning, the Missus was ready to go. So, we grabbed some coffee to go from our accommodation and headed out to our next stop; Paso Robles. We made pretty good time; getting into Paso Robles in a bit less than two hours. We went to the hotel to see about early check in and left my mobile number for them to contact me when our room was ready then headed into town. 

There was a craft fair going on when we arrived downtown that was pretty sparsely attended. There was quite a bit of street parking available, even though it was a Saturday (at the beginning of November 2020).

The Missus just loved the area around the Downtown City Park, spending a good amount of time at the General Store....we also bought some cookies for Frankie's favorite Auntie at the Brown Butter Cookie Company. If you've read some of our earlier posts, you know that the Missus just loves Olive Oil. So we ended up spending some time at the Pasolivo Olive Oil Tasting Room. The woman there was so knowledgeable and we ended up purchasing two bottles ($40 each!). The Missus really enjoys the olive oil from Pasolivo.

Pasolivo Olive Oil
1229 Park St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

There also seems to be a pretty active arts and crafts scene in Paso Robles; we spent some time in the Studios on the Park.

As we left the shop, the Missus mentioned being a little hungry, it was around 1030, so I searched around for something to eat. We didn't want anything too heavy and on the way back to the car we picked out Orale, a Taco Shop.

There was both a parklet and patio seating available, there were folks eating in the parklet, so the Missus and I decided on the patio.

I ordered two Al Pastor Tacos ( 2 "street tacos" with beans and rice $11) and the Missus decided on the Veggie Tacos with Beans and Rice ($11). I was surprised that our order came with chips and salsa.

The chips were nice and crisp, the salsas standard issue, but no complaints here.

Of the tacos; the Missus' choice was better. I was pretty surprised......

 The pasilla peppers, onions, and black beans made for a nice combo. The zucchini was basically filler, but there was a nice mild smokiness to this and the queso fresco added a mild milkly-acidity to the tacos. The tacos were served with double corn tortillas, standard issue, but it held up well. Speaking of standard issue, the beans and rice defined that to a "t". The Al Pastor was nicely charred, but mushy in texture and lacking in enough sweetness-tanginess-salt-smokiness. As a matter of fact; I really enjoyed the nicely charred onions and cilantro more.

Still, this was enough for lunch, and we weren't stuffed which was good since our room wasn't ready yet.

Órale Taqueria
834 11th St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

I hadn't received a call that our room was ready as we returned to our car. The Missus didn't feel like doing a wine tasting, so I had to figure something else out. I checked my "list" and found that since it was Saturday, the Mt. Olive Organic Farm Store was open. So, we headed on out of the town, past several wineries and found the shop.

It was such a charming place with goats and alpacas hanging out in a pen in back of the building.

We got a kick watching them hanging out.

We did some shopping, the young lady working was very sweet. Along with produce, dried fruits, there were a nice variety of items.....including olive oil, which we ended up purchasing.

We really enjoyed this stop. Just as we were paying for our olive oil, my phone went off and I received a text from our hotel, letting me know our room was ready. Perfect timing.

Mt. Olive Organic Farm
3445 Adelaida Rd.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

   We headed back into town and really enjoyed the scenery along the way. It sure is beautiful here.

We made it to the hotel, got to our room with enough time to take a short nap before having head out for our evening reservations for a Sensorio.

There was something about Paso Robles which we really enjoyed, the pace, the friendly people, the vibe. It was too bad that we would have only one evening in the town.