Tacos y Ramen です

El Super Taco - 3.0/5.0 Jarritos

2010-01-10T00:51:00.001-08:00

El Super Taco used to be one block from my place. That was before I moved from the Westside. And that was before El Super Taco burned to the ground.

Actually, that’s not true. El Super Taco did not burn to the ground. I believe the complex caught on fire and then El Super Taco moved to a different location.

El Super Taco is nothing special – it’s purely your average neighborhood taqueria. And for being your neighborhood taqueria, it’s quite delicious. But since it’s no longer my neighborhood taqueria, it’s quite unlikely I’ll be coming back to this place unless I want to relive the glorious memories of living near Santa Monica Blvd. and Bundy.

After burning to the ground, El Super Taco moved to Pico and Sawtelle, south of Best Buy. It’s kitty-corner to the billboard that always advertises for 4-Play. Umm, not that I’ve ever been to 4-Play, or know what that fine establishment is.

El Super Taco is right across the street from the migrant worker nightclub. Just kidding, it’s not a nightclub. If you’ve ever been in that area on Exposition under the 10 freeway, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re not familiar with this area, it’s basically where a ton of day-laborers hang out.

A couple of years ago when I was moving out of Westwood, I rented a moving truck from Public Storage. I made the mistake of turning onto Exposition. About 20 guys suddenly jumped out of nowhere and started whistling at me, trying to waive me down. I had to steer with one hand, shake my head the entire block, and use my other free hand to tell people “sorry, I don’t need your help.” In case you were wondering I don’t know sign language, but I’m fairly certain there’s no sign for “sorry, I don’t need your help.”

I honestly thought about driving around the block and then drive down Exposition again. But then I realized that my moving truck would’ve been struck by lightning.

The great thing about El Super Taco is that you always know what you’re getting: good, greasy tacos. El Super Taco offers things other than tacos such as tortas. This should come as no surprise, but I’ve never ordered anything other than their tacos. And yes, I’ve been to El Super Taco probably more than 50 times.

The new digs are pretty nice for a taqueria. It’s got that “new car” smell. Who am I kidding, I can’t smell anything to begin with. The tacos are simply meat and two tortillas and they come with a serving of slow-grilled onions. There’s a decent salsa bar with various types of salsa, including avocado salsa, as well as the onions/cilantro mix.

As you fill your tacos with the toppings of your choice and walk to your seat, you’ll start to notice why El Super Taco serves their tacos on not one, but two paper plates. There’s a trifecta of grease-producing greatness on those two paper plates: (1) meat, (2) tortillas, and (3) grilled onions. Some would be turned off by such a sight. But when you’ve worked a long day and/or had a great workout, the sight of your paper plate getting soaked in grease just makes your mouth water. Needless to say, if you’re on a diet, you should probably go somewhere else. Then again, if you’re on a diet, this website is probably not for you.

The problem with El Super Taco is that the quality of their meat seems slightly below average. Their al pastor is crispy and lacks flavor. The carne asada is salty (surprise, surprise), but passable. But if you’re coming to El Super Taco, you’re not coming to eat high-end tacos – you’re coming here to fill your belly with tacos and leave satisfied.

And that’s what I like most about El Super Taco: they’re not pretending to be a high-end taqueria, yet they’re trying to make their place more than just a run-down taco shop. How have they spruced up the place? Notice the flat-screen television blasting the nightly Mexican soap opera.

One final thought about El Super Taco. The service I’ve received from El Super Taco’s employees has always been excellent. Even though the above-mentioned service simply involves taking my order and then calling me over when it’s ready, I’ve never received attitude. I attribute this to the fact that El Super Taco serves a ton of college kids, so they’ve probably developed patience after serving people who come in and stare at the menu for 7 minutes before finally ordering.

Yet the question remains: Would I recommend this place? Sadly, I would only recommend El Super Taco if you are in the Westside, put in a long day at work, and want to quickly stuff your face with tacos. If you’re looking for the best tacos in the Westside, you’re better off going elsewhere. That said, there have been countless occasions where I’ve been in West LA, didn’t feel like going somewhere for dinner that involved a giant production, and immediately drove to El Super Taco. And every single time I’ve left El Super Taco, I’ve felt incredibly satisfied.

Much love till my next post.

El Super Taco – 3.0/5.0 Jarritos.

El Super Taco
11300 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (On Pico, west of Sawtelle)
Google Maps: Link

Tarascos Mexican Restaurant – 4.0/5.0

2009-09-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

When you’re driving home after a decent workout, what’s the greatest five-letter word you can see on the road? T-A-C-O-S.

Yes, I know “ramen” also has five letters, but it’s not exactly the best meal to eat after working out. Some would also argue that eating tacos after working out is not the best thing either, but those people would be wrong.

Tonight for dinner I had three tacos at Tarascos Mexican Restaurant. The tacos were excellent. Actually, to be specific, the carnitas and carne asada tacos were excellent. The al pastor was so-so.

Tarascos is located 6 doors down from my fiancee’s favorite cupcake shop, Lark. I’ve probably been to Lark about 10 times, and yet I’ve never noticed the enormous “TACOS” sign above Tarascos. Either I’m blind (huge possibility) or I’m losing my edge for tacos (shuddering just thinking about it). (Or they just put up those signs in an effort to attract more business – mission accomplished.) Regardless, the brightly lit “TACOS” sign above Tarascos was a saving grace for my growling stomach. While cruising Sunset after working out, I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to venture into Los Feliz, or double-back and head south of Wilshire.

Actually, let me be honest. It was dark (around 8:15 p.m.) and I originally wanted to go to King Taco to complete my long overdue review of the Los Angeles stalwart. (Review coming soon, I promise.) But admit it – King Taco (the one on Pico, and perhaps the other locations as well) ain’t exactly in the nicest part of town. I was driving home with some valuables in my trunk (read: objects worth probably $30, but with a sentimental value of $502,784, a.k.a., my dirty laundry) and didn’t want to take the chance parking my dirty car in the neighborhood.

I know, some of you might be thinking that Silver Lake ain’t the nicest neighborhood either. But after “living” here for almost two years, the neighborhood has grown on me considerably. Mostly thanks to the website “Look at this fucking hipster” which makes venturing the streets of Silver Lake an adventure of comical sorts.

Back to Tarascos. Apparently, they’ve got a parking lot which I completely ignored simply because I was speeding on Sunset. The interior of the shop is divided into two sections: (1) the kitchen and (2) the area where you stand and order your food. The first area is extremely large. The second area is the exact opposite.

Thankfully, Tarascos has a large outdoor covered seating area, complete with Christmas tree lights and music that sounds like they took a French jazz nightclub singer and put him in a Mexican polka band. At first, the covered patio reminded me of my trip to Taco House in downtown L.A. Thankfully, Tarascos is much much better.

First, I should note that Tarascos serves a lot of other food besides tacos. Unfortunately, for me, I will probably never try that other food. The tacos were $1.50 each and you could choose from the usual suspects of meat. They also had Jarritos(!), but only in orange and some other color/flavor that I’ve already managed to forget.

As I was sitting outside waiting for my order, the lady came out and brought me a platter of chips and salsa. Since my stomach was already starting to devour the thick layer of fat between my rock hard abs and the skin on my stomach, these chips and salsa tasted like the greatest thing in the world. Thus, I can’t really be objective in my assessment of the chips and salsa. Actually, now that I think about it, I had a steak burrito from La Salsa today and the chips and salsa that came with my lunch were nowhere near as good as the chips and salsa from Tarascos.

Random side note: Guess what food I missed the most when I spent my two years in Japan? Guess what food Japanese people cannot seem to cook right? Hint: Both answers are identical.

As I was sitting at Tarascos waiting for my food (and taking pictures entitled “Still Life of Jarritos at Night”), I started to think that the three tacos I ordered were taking just a little more time than necessary. But then I started to think “What if it’s taking longer than usual because they’re making it fresh?” I immediately wrote off that thought since I’m extremely superstitious and did not want to jinx my upcoming taco experience.

When the nice lady delivered my three tacos, I could immediately tell that I was going to be eating above-average tacos. How could I tell? It’s all in the preparation and presentation. The tacos were perfectly lined up next to each other. There was a little container for the habanero salsa. The left side of the plastic tray was lined with ample slices of radishes and cucumbers. The onions and cilantro were chopped finely and sprinkled lightly on top of the taco meat. The carnitas was (were?) pulled in small shreds, as opposed to a lazy person pulling them in large chunks. Everything looked just right.

Hold on, I told myself. In the words of The Wolf from Pulp Fiction, “Let’s not start sucking each others’ dic……” Uh, nevermind.

When I ordered my food, I couldn’t help but notice the three types of salsa that were already prepared and stored near the cash register. Before I took a single bite of my tacos, I walked back to the cash register and asked for some salsa verde, since the “regular” salsa was served with my chips and the habanero salsa came with my tacos. The guy gave me what I needed and I quickly hurried back to my seat to enjoy the tacos.

The result? I became very pleased with Tarascos.

The carnitas were very soft, delicate, and melted in my mouth. Unfortunately, and maybe it’s because I view this with pretty much all food, the carnitas were just a little too salty for my liking. In spite of this, I thought the meat was well cooked and the taco was absolutely delicious.

The carne asada taco was also quite tasty. Within the first bite, you could tell that it was grilled minutes prior to arriving at my table. This meat didn’t have as much of an overpowering lime taste that most taquerias like to do (when compensating for using poor quality meat). Yet, the meat at Tarascos was well seasoned and no extra flavor overpowered the natural taste of the asada.

I should also mention that the double tortillas that held the tacos were slightly grilled which gave the outer tortilla a “mildly firm” shell, while refusing to be totally crunchy. The tortillas tasted like they were store-bought, but because of the proper grilling method just described, they didn’t detract from the overall taco-eating experience.

As for the al pastor, unfortunately it did not live up to the standards set by the carnitas and asada. The pastor was a little too blackened for my liking, which marred the taste. Although the meat was cut into larger than normal chunks, it was a little too chewy than what I was expecting. I guess chewy is a lot better than dry (or is it?), which the meat thankfully was not. Despite the negative remarks I just made, the al pastor was definitely passable. Perhaps I just got a few scraps which blackened easily on the grill (note: the al pastor did not taste like it was cooked on a rotating spit), so next time might be a better pastor experience.

As I mentioned earlier, the tacos came with a generous dose of sliced radishes and cucumbers. After eating my tacos, I devoured my cucumbers and suddenly felt like I just ate a healthy bowl of vegetables for dinner. I then patted myself on the back for making that healthy decision. In no way did my brain register the fact that I just ate meat and starches that were probably soaked in animal lard while washing it all down with orange sugar water.

[Flexing biceps right now]

Would I recommend Tarasacos to you? Absolutely. Ample parking, good steak and carnitas tacos, decent prices, and a pleasant experience. Next time I go back to Tarascos, I’ll be ordering two carnitas and two asada tacos. For now, I’ll just have to be content with pulling up my shirt and shaking my head in front of the mirror in disappointment at how slowly my soon-to-be-six-pack is coming along.

Tarascos Mexican Restaurant – 4.0/5.0 Jarritos

Address: 3319 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Tacos Arizas – 3.0/5.0

2009-07-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

Every time I’ve been to Tacos Arizas, it’s always after a brutal “Camp 24” workout at 24hr Fitness. “Camp 24” is basically “jazzercise” and every class is pretty much like this: CLICK HERE. Needless to say, I go every Wednesday from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. (See you all in about 17 hours.) Since I’m coming from an exhausting workout, that usually means I’m starving for food and pretty much anything will do. Despite eating on an empty stomach after a grueling workout, the tacos at Tacos Arizas are only average at best.

Tacos Arizas (“Arizas”) is located in Echo Park, just off Sunset Boulevard. On any given day, the taco truck will be located on Logan Street, either north or south of Sunset. Thankfully, they purchased a bright neon sign to help guide their potential customers to the correct destination.

If you’re starting from downtown and traveling west on Sunset, you’ll eventually run into a restaurant with a huge sign that says “PESCADO MOJADO.” That’s Logan Street.

The tacos go for $1.25 each and Arizas has got every kind of meat you’d normally associate with a taqueria.

My main gripe about Arizas is with the poor quality meat they use for their tacos. Nonetheless, I really can’t complain when I just paid $5.00 for dinner.

Unfortunately, Arizas does not have a rotating spit and thus the al pastor is simply re-fried on a grill and served hot. Arizas uses store-bought tortillas, but thankfully places them on the grill to heat them up which gives them a decent texture. Double unfortunately, re-frying the meat is also what leads me to give Arizas only a 3.0 Jarritos rating. The asada and al pastor in my tacos came out slightly overcooked. The juicy meat that is regularly found at Kike’s is missing at Arizas. I kept trying to convince myself that the tacos at Arizas were something special. In the end, the tacos were nothing new and purely average.

Despite this, one thing Arizas does have that Kike’s does not is the great tasting lime Jarritos!

I’ve claimed in the past that taquerias selling Jarritos (specifically, lime Jarritos) will earn “bonus points.” In actuality, I only use this as a “tipping point” when giving my final rating. In other words, the fact that Arizas sells lime Jarritos doesn’t automatically earn it an extra Jarritos on the Jarritos rating scale. It simply nudges me one way or the other when determining my final rating.

So, how do the tacos taste? A bit salty. I’m not sure if the cook threw on some salt when he was re-frying my taco meat, but that’s how it tasted. I must admit that I’m overly sensitive to salty things since I try to cook my meals with as little (if any) salt as possible. I seriously shudder when I think back to my childhood days when I used to eat my white rice by pouring a little bit of soy sauce on top. I’ve reached that point where every meal at a nice/fancy restaurant tastes too salty, so I’ll end up gulping down 8 glasses of water and the waiter gets cranky because he has to come fill my glass every 3 minutes.

Ever wonder how some people can live past 40? As I was eating my tacos and staring at Arizas’ menu, I couldn’t help but notice another patron and his eating habits. This guy was a Hispanic dude who must’ve been in his late 40’s. I called him a “regular” because when I ordered from the Arizas lady, I couldn’t help but notice a large can of Monster energy drink next to the cash register. Odd, I thought, since Arizas would be the first taqueria to offer ridiculous energy drinks in addition to the usual beverages. Turns out, the lady at Arizas was just holding the Monster energy drink for the “regular,” since he came back from his errand, grabbed his tacos and the Monster energy drink and proceeded to eat.

So, this regular cracks open his Monster energy drink, proceeds to the “salsa bar,” puts his tacos on the counter, cracks open a salt packet and then pours the salt all over his tacos. (Note: I use the term “salsa bar” in quotations since it’s not really a bar but rather a counter that contains salsa verde and roja in clear plastic ketchup bottles, along with sliced radish, lemons and onions/cilantro mix.) As I mentioned before, I thought the tacos at Arizas were on the salty side. I CANNOT IMAGINE what they’d taste like after dumping a packet of salt on them. In fact, just watching this regular pour salt on his tacos made my heart contract in fear. I had to calm myself down by drinking another swig of my lime Jarritos and contemplate whether that was enough and that maybe I should order another lime Jarritos to make sure my heart would be able to calm itself down to have a good night’s sleep.

Then I was reminded of my buddy from high school, Steve Miksis. (Note: If anyone knows Steve Miksis, please give me his email. Thanks.) My buddy was a starter on the high school volleyball team and was therefore in pretty good shape. However, he would regularly salt his pizza. To explain, he would get a slice of pizza, then he would grab the salt shaker and proceed to add salt to his pizza before eating it. Frankly, that’s fucking disgusting. One time, we ate at Jack in the Box and he ordered that burger that I used to call the “heart explosion.” I forgot what the exact name of the burger was called, but it had FOUR hamburger patties and EIGHT strips of bacon. My buddy then proceeded to rip off the top bun, grab two salt packets, empty them both into the burger, put the bun back on, and eat the entire thing. I was so disgusted that I never went back to Jack in the Box for at least 4 years. (And the only reason I’d go back now is to claim my two free tacos, courtesy of the Lakers beating Orlando in Game 1 of the 2009 Finals.)

What does this have to do with Tacos Arizas? Absolutely nothing. Just kidding. I just wish that the tacos at Arizas were a tad less salty. I mainly wish that the tacos were made with better quality meat, with just a little more “punch” from the seasoning. Then again, as stated earlier, I’m complaining about dinner that cost me $5.00. The tacos at Arizas are decent and there’s always a small crowd of people surrounding the truck.

But it’s missing that extra ingredient that pushes it beyond an “average taco” into a “Wow, I cannot wait to have these tacos again” feeling. Rather, “I cannot wait to completely ruin my workout with tacos again” feeling.

Tacos Arizas – 3.0/5.0 Jarritos
Address: Logan Street and Sunset Boulevard
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Note to my loyal readers who visit Tacos Arizas:

If you’re going to eat your tacos at Arizas, make sure you stay to the left of the taco stand, unless you like eating your tacos while listening to the noise of a generator and getting high off gasoline fumes.

Orochon Ramen – 3.0/5.0 Negi

2009-06-24T23:48:00.001-07:00

When I had my first bowl of ramen at Orochon Ramen back in 2004, I was the only customer in the restaurant. Recently, if you want to have dinner at Orochon Ramen, you’ll probably have to wait in line. Why anyone would wait in line for a bowl of ramen at this place baffles me.

Orochon Ramen prides themselves in presenting ramen that is loaded with spices. As the menu indicates, you can order EIGHT different grades of spicy in addition to a regular bowl of ramen.

In fact, if you take the Orochon Challenge and order the “Special 2” ($0.50 extra) and finish it within 30 minutes, you’ll have your picture taken and posted on the “Orochon Wall of Bravery.”

Ramen aside, this is actually a pretty funny concept since I would like to one day chill out at Orochon and wait for the late-night drunks to come pouring in and daring each other to do the Orochon Challenge. And yes, other people’s pain greatly amuses me. (And yes, I’m the guy who roots for the figure skaters to fall. Uhh, I mean, I don’t watch figure skating – I only watch hockey during the Winter Olympics…)

After eating at Orochon countless times over the past 5 years, I decided it was time to give it a proper review. My guests included Erai, Hugh-chan, and A# (“A-sharp”) [all aliases, in case you didn’t figure that out].

Anyone who knows of my love affair with ramen knows that my favorite ramen dish is “tonkotsu ramen with kimchi,” which is a huge difference from “kimchi ramen,” the latter being a spice-infused broth with added kimchi, as opposed to the former which is regular tonkotsu broth with kimchi added as a side dish. A spicy broth is far inferior to a regular tonkotsu broth with kimchee added, if that makes any sense. Just trust me. Seeing as how this was a JET Program reunion, I decided to ask the Orochon waiter if I could get a side of kimchi. His response, “Sorry, no kimchi. Go to Koreatown for that.”

No joke, that was his response.

The table immediately burst into laughter as I suddenly realized that this guy was telling me to go to Koreatown for kimchi, as if implying that this was a Japanese restaurant and Japanese restaurants don’t serve Korean items. And yet, of all the hundreds of ramen shops I ate at in Japan NOT ONE ever served a ridiculously spicy bowl of ramen, something that my Korean buddy told me occurred literally everywhere in Korea. Ha ha. Whatever. Not funny. I get it. Just give me the regular stuff, guy.

As you can probably tell, Orochon is not exactly an impressive ramen shop, so let’s start with the positives. Orochon serves water in these giant plastic cups, a welcome relief from the usual 2 oz. glasses you’ll get at every other ramen shop. Okay, maybe the usual glasses aren’t 2 ounces, but it seriously feels that way.

Orochon also serves beer on tap, however we had just watched the Lakers defeat Orlando at Weiland’s Brewery (with Derek Fisher hitting a game-tying 3 pointer and a monster 3 in overtime to put the Lakers up 3-1 – right after Kobe threw a Barkley-esque elbow), so we were a little beered out.

It’s also a big enough place so they can seat a bit more people than you would expect at an ordinary ramen shop.

And that’s about it. Unfortunately, Orochon fails to deliver a stellar bowl of ramen.

Let’s start from the little things and end with the big things. First, the “shinachiku” (bamboo shoots) are way too big and thick to belong in a bowl of ramen. Second, Orochon doesn’t include chashu pork, but instead thinly sliced cooked pieces of pork more akin to bacon (but without the delicious bacon flavor). Instead of biting into a nice piece of barbequed pork while eating your ramen, you’re left searching for tiny flakes of tasteless pork to eat. Not satisfying at all.

Third, Orochon drops a few slices of green bell pepper into the soup. I’m still not sure how I feel about this. Again, out of the hundreds of shops I visited in Japan, not one was daring enough to put slices of green peppers with their ramen. (That’s probably because Japanese green peppers, or “pee-man” [not joking at all, they literally call green peppers “p-man” and it’s pronounced “pee-mahn”], are completely different to their American counterpart, with the Japanese kind having a very thin and thicker skin but also a slightly bitter (yet delicious) taste.) If a gun was pointed at my head, I’d never include slices of green peppers in my ramen. However, I must applaud Orochon for doing so, since it actually mixes up the flavors a bit and provides a nice contrast to the usual ingredients found in a regular bowl of ramen.

Additionally, Orochon drops in about 3-4 nice big pieces of seaweed. But we’re not talking about the paper-thin slices of seaweed. I’m talking about the big thick “kombu” kind, which looks like mini bowtie pasta, but replace pasta with seaweed. Again, I must applaud Orochon for including such thick pieces of seaweed in contrast to the usual paper-thin slices we find at regular ramen shops.

But the two most important things in a bowl of ramen are completely unsatisfactory at Orochon: (1) the “men” (noodles) and (2) the soup.

The noodles at Orochon taste weak and on the border of being labeled flavorless. The noodles taste flat and there’s just no kick, no spark, no burst of flavor. Instead of gulping down the bowl of ramen, I found my pace starting to slow as I was eating, not from my stomach getting too full (which would be impossible), but because the noodles slowly started to detract from the experience with each bite.

The same goes for the soup: there’s only one layer of flavor, and once you get past that you start wondering why you’re even bothering to eat this bowl of ramen. The first 4-6 slurps of Orochon’s ramen is not bad, even bordering on fairly decent. However, as your move your way down towards the middle and the end of your ramen-eating experience, the soup slowly gets worse up until the point when you start questioning whether you can really eat another bite simply because you’ve now gone from having a decent experience to being stuck with a bowl of ramen that is truly nothing special.

And that’s my main problem with Orochon, besides the spicy gimmick: the closer you get to finishing the bowl, the worse it gets. After eating about 70% of my bowl, I just couldn’t take it. Trust me, there was plenty of room for ramen in my stomach, but just not Orochon’s.

Would I recommend people try Orochon? Absolutely. It’s definitely worth checking out once, especially if there’s an enormous line outside Daikokuya and there’s no line at Orochon (which is hardly the case these days, since both shops are typically jam-packed). Would I wait more than 5 minutes to eat at Orochon? I’d actually be hard pressed to climb the three flights of stairs just to eat at Orochon, so I doubt I’d have the patience to wait five minutes.

And what did my company think about Orochon?

Hugh-chan:

[Thumbs down...]

A#:

[Over it...]

Erai:

[Thumbs down...]

Your faithful narrator:

[Meh... Average...]

Final Rating: 3.0/5.0 Negi

Orochon Ramen
Address: 123 S. Onizuka Street, Los Angeles, CA (3rd Floor)
Google Map: Link

Much love till my next post.

Kintarō Ramen (Vancooover) – 3.0/5.0 Negi

2009-06-12T01:28:00.000-07:00

This year, the lady and I took a mini-vacation to Vancooover, Canada. Apparently, the most popular ramen spot in Vancooover is this place called Kintarō Ramen, located on Denman Street. We walked by it a few times and there was always a huge line outside. Naturally, I HAD to check it out.

The result? Severely disappointed.

Kintarō Ramen had all the makings of a truly amazing ramen shop: Japanese clientele, authentic wood spoons (instead of that plastic stuff), bare bones décor, efficient cooks, and (allegedly) tonkotsu broth. Yet the main problem with Kintarō Ramen is that the soup lacked any depth. It lacked soul. After getting over the initial taste of the soup, I kept waiting for the depth to explode and unlock these complex and rich flavors. Instead, I kept waiting and staring at the ceiling like an idiot.

Located in the West End of Vancooover, Kintarō Ramen occupies a prime location. According to our gracious hosts in Vancooover, the location where Denman Street and Robson Street intersect is a place where most foreign exchange students congregate. Our hotel was conveniently located about 5 minutes away from this place. In all honesty (and considering how the weather in Vancooover was sunny and clear the weekend we were there), if I were to live in Vancooover (don’t tempt me!), I’d definitely live in the West End, simply because of the fine selection of restaurants located in the area. In fact, and don’t tell my bosses, as soon as I got back from Vancooover, I immediately started looking at condo prices online. People in Canada are some of the nicest English-speaking people I’ve ever come across, yet they seem to bitch about how expensive Vancooover is. I didn’t find it to be that bad. It’s much like L.A., except cheaper thanks to the favorable currency exchange rate.

Back to the ramen.

Remember Spreewell’s guide to waiting? Well, if I had to wait more than 10 minutes for Kintarō Ramen, I would be PISSED. Speaking of my guide to waiting, I’m considering re-vamping my ramen rating system. I’m wondering if I should skip the “negi” rating and just rate places by how long I would wait before snapping and bashing my head through a glass window. Of course, Mujyaki in Jiyūgaoka (in Tokyo) would get the “indefinite wait” and Mr. Ramen would get the “Sorry, but I have to wash my hair” rating.

At first glance, Kintarō Ramen is very bare bones. But that’s usually a good thing. Shops that try to dress it up tend to spend more time on décor and less time on their ramen.

Kintarō Ramen also passes the “ethnicity test,” meaning that (1) the menu is not entirely in English, and (2) the clientele is mostly the same type of ethnicity as the type of food. Within 1 minute of getting seated at Kintarō Ramen, I was feeling pretty damn good about this place.

What really got my hopes up was how you could pick the richness of your broth, something I haven’t seen at all in L.A., but something I would see all the time in Japan. Kintarō Ramen gives you the option of a light, regular, or fatty (kotteri) broth. Guess which one I took.

Moreover, Kintarō Ramen gives you the choice of chashu (bbq pork): lean or fatty. Again, guess which one I chose.

By the way, if any ramen shop offers you the choice of lean or fatty pork, you ALWAYS take the fatty pork. It’s like choosing between having your steak cooked “well done” or “medium rare.”

What else about Kintarō Ramen got my hopes up? The efficiency of the cooks. Just two guys, one maintaining the soup, and the other one boiling the men (noodles). Both would throw in the condiments one right after the other, as if they were a mochi-making team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsuiBVOVg1c&feature=related

(Note: mochi is basically rice that’s been pounded into a thick paste/bar and is damn delicious. It’s basically the Japanese version of Lembas Bread: “One small bite is enough to fill a grown man.” Okay, I’m done nerding out.)

Yet despite all these positive characteristics of Kintarō Ramen, the final product was flat-out disappointing. I wanted so much more from Kintarō Ramen, and yet all I got was average ramen. The men (noodles) was plainly average, nothing special. Thankfully it didn’t detract from the experience, but it certainly didn’t enhance it. What I wanted was soup that would take me straight back to the finest ramen shops in Japan. Instead, all I got was the mediocre run-of-the-mill ramen shop you’d find on every corner in Japan. The best I can describe the soup is that it lacked depth.

As always, I judge every ramen shop by how good/bad their soup is – the sign of an excellent ramen shop is when you can ignore the men and the condiments and simply drink the soup by itself. At Kintarō Ramen, I couldn’t even finish my soup – a sign of disrespect to the cooks. Whatever, I won’t be back for a while, if ever.

After eating this disappointing bowl of ramen, I suddenly remembered that there were at least two ramen shops within 5 minutes of Kintarō Ramen. Instantly it hit me – what if these other ramen shops took one taste of a bowl at Kintarō Ramen and thought to themselves “Hey, this ain’t that good. I bet I could do better!” When I make it to Vancooover again (bachelor party in 2010 anyone?!), I will most definitely make it my mission to hit up these two other ramen shops. Part of me wants to believe that these other shops have developed better ramen than Kintarō.

Ugh, just thinking about how truly authentic Kintarō Ramen was makes me even more depressed. It had everything going for it – it feels as if it was actually taken straight from Japan and transplanted smack in the middle of Vancooover. Everything from the wooden ladles to the choose-your-own-soup-broth got my hopes up for a truly amazing experience. Even the employees said their “irashaimase” with vigor.

(Culture Note: When walking into a Japanese restaurant or general shop, you should hear the employees say “irashaimase!” which loosely translates to “welcome.” I say “loosely” because there is really no English equivalent to “irashaimase” – imagine walking into Eddie Bauer and having all the employees shout “Welcome! Thank you for coming! We are honored!”)

(This brings up a funny story. What the hell do you say when the employees shout out “irashaimase!” to you? When I was in Japan (Hakodate) for summer school, a visiting professor, Akira Miura [who wrote the textbook we used: “An Integrated Approach To Intermediate Japanese”], came to give a guest lecture. When he opened up the floor to questions, a brave soul asked him “What the hell do you say when store employees shout out ‘irashaimase’?!” The entire class laughed, not because of the ridiculous question but rather because EVERYONE was thinking the same thing but just never thought about asking a native what to do. His response [which is the response I’ve adopted ever since] was to just simply smile and nod, to acknowledge that you heard their greeting, and go about your business. After the lecture, I asked him to autograph my textbook and he looked at me like I was a total idiot. He signed it anyway. That’s what happens when you win a blinking contest.)

Final thoughts about Kintarō Ramen? I wanted so much more from this tiny little shop. It had so much going for it, and yet the final product just couldn’t deliver. It’s like the LeBron James of ramen shops – great stats and appearance, but just can’t deliver in the end. (By the way, how awesome was tonight’s win over the Magic?!)

Would I recommend Kintarō Ramen to those who visit Vancooover? Yes, but only if you didn’t have to wait more than 5-10 minutes. Anything longer than that, and you might as well walk down the street and get a gyro.

Final Rating: 3.0/5.0 Negi

Kintarō Ramen

Address: 788 Denman Street, Vancouver, B.C.

Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Daikokuya Ramen – 4.0/5.0 Negi

2009-05-22T03:28:00.000-07:00

Daikokuya used to be my favorite ramen shop in all of Los Angeles. Now, I just say that Daikokuya is the best ramen shop in Little Tokyo.

When I got back to Los Angeles in 2003 from my two-year stint in Japan, I was on a mission to find the best ramen in L.A. The first ramen shop I tried within a week of moving back to L.A. was Asahi Ramen (review coming soon!), and let me just say now that I was thoroughly disappointed. I was skeptical if I would ever find decent ramen here in L.A.

While working at the federal courthouse in the summer of 2004, I took a stroll down Little Tokyo after work to find some dinner. In case you forgot, back in 2004 Little Tokyo was absolutely DEAD in the evenings. No Pink Berry, no Yogurtland, no Edison Bar, no nothing. I saw this yellow awning indicating a ramen shop named Daikokuya and went inside. Twenty minutes later, I left the shop satisfied that I had just eaten the best ramen in all of Los Angeles.

What’s so special about Daikokuya? Two words: It’s Authentic. (Does the contraction count as one word or two? Whatever.)

Daikokuya serves tonkotsu ramen, broth that’s been made from boiling pork bones and is incredibly thick and delicious. Again, want to know the best way to judge if a bowl of ramen is good or not? If you feel like you can drink the soup without touching the accoutrements, that’s a very good sign.

What else makes Daikokuya authentic? Every time I step inside, I feel like I’ve been transported back to Japan in the 1950’s (uhh, because I totally know what Japan was like in the 1950’s…).

Seriously. The walls are covered with artwork that was probably created shortly after WW2. The whole place (aside from the tables and counters) looks like it was never cleaned since the 1950’s (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – unless you’re a Los Angeles Health Inspector, in which case Daikokuya receiving a “B” rating is proof that miracles exist). They even have the old-school Japanese post-war music playing in the shop speakers.

For those of you who have been to Harajuku, Japan and love ramen, you know what Daikokuya reminds me of? It reminds me of a less obnoxious stepchild of Kyūshū Jangara Ramen in Harajuku. For those of you who haven’t been to this place in Harajuku, imagine the following:
(1) You go to Johnny Rockets to grab some dinner;
(2) You hear the 50’s music constantly playing in the background;
(3) Instead of the regular 50’s music that you may be used to, imagine Johnny Rockets decided to play the type of 50’s music that was directed towards kids, kind of like the intro song to the Howdy Doody Show;
(4) Now imagine this type of kids music was being BLASTED at full volume over the loudspeakers.

That’s what going to Kyūshū Jyangara Ramen was like. Thankfully, describing Daikokuya as the “less obnoxious” stepchild means that the music is not that offensive and is definitely not playing at obnoxious eardrum-splitting levels.

On a ridiculous tangent, if you worked at Johnny Rockets, at what point would you say to yourself “I HATE THIS FUCKING MUSIC”? I once worked at Eddie Bauer and the music would repeat itself every 4 hours. Seeing as how Eddie Bauer changed the music every two months, I got to know “All I Need Is A Miracle” by Mike & The Mechanics very well. If I worked at Johnny Rockets, not only would I refuse to wear those ridiculous paper hats and skinny black bowties, but I would probably jump off the nearest ledge after the third or fourth time hearing “Rockin’ Robin” by Bobby Day.

In 2004, Daikokuya was my dirty little secret, since I never had to wait more than 2-3 minutes to get seated and enjoy some of the best ramen outside of Japan. Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for Daikokuya and the rest of the shops in Little Tokyo, I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have to wait more than 10-15 minutes before getting seated. (Sorry, I’ll stop with the double negatives.)

Some of you who may remember my post about Kogi Taco Truck will immediately think of the same question that I’m about to address. The answer is no. Sadly, Daikokuya is not one of the things I would wait over an hour for. Nonetheless, if you want the best ramen in Little Tokyo, Daikokuya is your answer.

In addition to the usual suspects, Daikokuya’s ramen comes with a soy sauce flavored soft-boiled egg. (By the way, has anyone else noticed that Daikokuya has been skimping on their chashu (barbequed pork) portions?) If you have an overly large stomach, I highly recommend getting the ramen combination that comes with a small side of fried rice. For inexplicable reasons, I absolutely love Daikokuya’s fried rice. Actually, it’s not really “inexplicable” since I think I can explain why – I’m pretty sure they use msg, which makes everything taste fantastical. There’s no way Daikokuya’s fried rice can taste that good whilst looking so plain.

Another reason for my inexplicable love for Daikokuya’s fried rice is that I love topping the fried rice with pickled ginger (“benishōga”). Thankfully, Daikokuya puts its pickled ginger in little containers for you to use and abuse at your leisure. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m kind of obsessed with ginger.

For whatever reason, I generally like to keep my ramen free of pickled ginger, even though tonkotsu ramen shops (especially those hailing from Kyūshū) will sprinkle some on top of their ramen. I’m a purist and like to keep my ramen broth au natural. This means not eating the egg until the very end, since I don’t want that filthy egg yolk ruining my broth. “Obsessed much?” you might ask? See this video from Tampopo, a.k.a., the Holy Bible of Ramen Movies. I rest my case.

Is there anything wrong with Daikokuya, aside from the ridiculous wait these days? DO NOT order the gyoza. For truly inexplicable reasons, Daikokuya’s gyoza looks as if a first grader with ham for hands made it with his eyes closed. Seriously, I don’t understand how Daikokuya’s ramen can be so good, but their gyoza be so incredibly sloppy. Do yourself a favor and order the fried rice instead. (Okay, I think I’ve built up the fried rice WAY too much. It’s fried rice, people. It’s pretty hard to create out-of-this-world fried rice unless you sprinkle it with crack cocaine, so don’t expect too much from Daikokuya’s fried rice since it’s only sprinkled with msg.)

Final thoughts? You simply cannot find a better bowl of ramen in Little Tokyo. Granted, if you’re confronted with an enormous line outside Daikokuya, do yourself a favor and visit Orochon Ramen or San Sui Tei Ramen (reviews coming soon!) which are located about 3 minutes away from Daikokuya. Still, there’s something about eating ramen that could hold its own in Japan. I’m not saying Daikokuya would have an hour long queue in Japan, but rather that Daikokuya would have its frequent visitors and do a decent amount of business. In Little Tokyo, however, Daikokuya reigns supreme.

Note: Daikokuya has opened up another branch in Monterey Park. For some reason, yelpers have been treating it not so favorably. I will do my best to update my faithful readers accordingly.

Negi rating? If you would've asked me back in 2004, I wouldn't have hestitated to give Daikokuya a perfect 5.0 Negi. Unfortunately, something happened between then and now. As of today, I'm giving it a 4.0 Negi.

Daikokuya Ramen
Address: 327 E. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Tacos and Swine Flu

2009-05-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

Apparently there’s this hip new drug out there called Swine Flu. I think I had swine flu three weeks ago. Usually it takes me three days to get over the flu, but this time it took me one full week. That’s why I’m convinced I contracted swine flu three weeks ago.

Regardless of this new disease thing, I think I’ll take a slight break from tacos and focus more on the ramen aspect of this blog. At least until this swine flu thing goes away.

Part of me wants to double-up my taco eating schedule and inform my loyal readers of “Swine-Flu-Safe Taco Zones.”

However, it’s time to return to ramen. Stay tuned.

Much love till my next post.

El Coche – 1.5/5.0 Jarritos

2009-05-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

Want to go to a taco stand that simply mails it in? Check out El Coche in downtown Los Angeles.

If La Taquiza stands on one end of the Tacos & Ramen spectrum, guess where El Coche would stand? It’s as if El Coche doesn’t even try to produce a good taco. El Coche represents the walking dead.

My friend, Seamus McCallahan (alias), invited me to check out El Coche, located in downtown L.A. in the basement of the Paul Hastings building. He warned me (and seemed genuinely proud of informing me) that this place might receive the first ever 1 Jarritos rating. Thanks to my generosity and the self-serving salsa bar, El Coche will instead receive 1.5 Jarritos.

The setting? Clean, wide open, and containing tables made from milk crates.

I tried sitting at these tables. Tried. Apparently, El Coche forgot to measure the height of these tables and the accompanying chairs. The tables are way too high for the seats they chose. I know, I know. Such a little thing in the grand scheme of things. However, people tend to forget – it’s these little things that piss me off in life.

I should’ve known right then and there that El Coche was going to fail miserably.

No al pastor at El Coche, so I ordered one asada and one pork. The tacos are quite large, so I was originally glad that my combo came with only two tacos and a soda.

Unfortunately (for El Coche), I was unable to finish the second taco.

The asada? Imagine buying a piece of flank steak at Ralphs, taking the plastic wrapper off, and then slapping it on a frying pan. I think the concept of marinating the meat with spices is a foreign concept to El Coche.

Putting unseasoned meat in your tacos is a pretty damn bold move. In my mind, the only possible way you could break the 3 Jarritos barrier with unseasoned meat is by having cilantro coated in stardust and onions soaked in pure heroin. Ooh, and maybe a tortilla made from ground unicorn horns.

[The best ad I've ever seen.]

The carnitas? I couldn’t finish it.

I'm not sure if it’s because the carne asada was so awful, or if it’s because the carnitas was so awful. Probably both. It didn’t help that the onions were cut into dice-sized chunks. It didn’t help that the tortillas were plain. It should’ve helped that I was downing soda to wash the awfulness down the pipes. But the fact remains – in the year that I’ve been eating tacos for this blog, I’ve NEVER not finished my tacos.

In all honesty, just thinking about El Coche’s tacos has simply sapped my creativity. I literally cannot come up with anything to say about these tacos, good or bad. I feel like I’ve regressed to 1st grade:

El Coche.
I ate two tacos.
One taco was beef.
One taco was pork.
They were both bad.
Very bad.
But they had free salsa.
I like free salsa.
1.5 Jarritos.

Sometimes, simple is the way to go. Simplest? Crap, whatever.

El Coche
Address: 505 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071 (Located in the food court in the basement of the Paul Hastings building, across from GNC and Starbucks)
Google Maps: link

Much love till my next post.

Tacos and Ramen and Twitter

2009-04-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

In a sign of the changing times, Tacos & Ramen has just joined Twitter.

http://twitter.com/tacosandramen

Joining Twitter was done not out of my desire to let the world know how delicious tacos and ramen are, but more because I didn't want anyone taking the "/tacosandramen" domain name.

So, uh, feel free to Twitter me or Twit me or Twit away.

New review coming early next week.

Much love till my next post.

Mariela’s Tacos #2 – 3.5/5.0 Jarritos

2009-04-23T02:00:00.001-07:00

Mariela’s Tacos #2 would probably receive a 5.0 Jarritos rating if: (1) the tacos didn’t take so long to prepare, (2) they had a self-serving salsa bar, and (3) the place wasn’t filled with Mexican people who looked like they were two seconds away from beating the shit out of me.

When you walk into Mariela’s, the first thing you’ll notice is that there’s just a lot of stuff in the place. Need some cash on the spot? Not to worry, there’s an ATM machine present. Have some extra quarters and some kids who want small toys? Rest assured, there’s a toy vending machine. Feel like playing “Crazy Catch” for the chance at winning stuffed animals? Look no further.

On a completely unrelated note, I just used the words “ATM machine” even though the “M” in “ATM” stands for “machine.” Therefore, I just called it an Automated Teller Machine machine. I know it’s wrong and yet I’ll still continue to use the phrase “ATM machine.” It’s kind of like using the phrase “I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers.”

The second thing you’ll notice when you walk into Mariela’s is that they really like Jesus. Like, a lot. There are signs everywhere reminding you that “JESUS IS GOD READ THE BIBLE.”

The third thing you’ll notice is that Mariela’s is filled with Mexican people who look like they spent the last 20 hours doing hard labor and would like nothing more than to pummel your face in.

Hey, maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s just the two nights I ate tacos there. Nobody actually even came within 10 feet of me. In fact, nobody said anything to me. But they all just had this look like I interrupted their peaceful world. It was as if they were guardians of a sacred oasis in the desert and I just strolled out of nowhere to order a gin and tonic.

Maybe it didn’t help that the television inside Mariela’s was blasting some Mexican soap opera at full volume.

[In case you needed a visual explanation of that last sentence]

Regardless, I had a job to do so I ordered my four tacos, two asada and two al pastor.

Want to know how I could tell the tacos at Mariela’s were going to be better than average? The repetitive sound of a cleaver striking a wood cutting board. Generally, taco places will grill their meat whole, chop it up, then store it in a heated container. That way, when the customer orders the tacos, they simple grill up the tortillas, throw on the already chopped meat and fixings, and voila. Mariela’s is like the Jack in the Box of taco shops, minus the speedy “fast-foodness.” At Mariela’s your food is not made until you order it. Therefore, the meat gets thrown on the grill, then gets chopped into pieces courtesy of the cleaver, the fixings (cilantro, diced onions and salsa roja/verde) are thrown on top and the taco is done.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this process takes A LOT longer than it should. Both times I visited Mariela’s, my four tacos took over ten minutes to arrive. The place had some customers ahead of me, but was by no means packed. As you all know from my Kogi BBQ Taco Truck review, the food better be delicious if I’m going to be subjected to a long wait.

Aha, you say – the cook must wait for your order and then he/she grills the meat which is why it takes so long! Wrong. We’re not talking about an inch-thick porterhouse. We’re talking about thin slices of asada that take no more than 45 seconds to grill. We’re talking about 10-15 strikes of the cleaver to chop that up. I think the real problem is that they go in order of first come, first served – regardless if the person ahead of you ordered a five-course meal.

And yet, despite the acrimonious vibe from the locals and the long wait (and the lack of a salsa bar), the tacos were unquestionably fantastic. The carne asada is only slightly above average, but the al pastor is something special. Although it’s not quite as good as the al pastor from La Taquiza, it’s different and good in its own way. Instead of giving off the essence of possessing that “grilled” flavor, the al pastor at Mariela’s tastes like it was marinated heavily and then slowly cooked over a small flame. It tastes more akin to pulled pork than “rotisserated” pork, if that makes any sense (the concept, not the spelling). Topped with the diced onions, cilantro and the salsa roja, the al pastor tacos at Mariela’s are top-notch.

Do I highly recommend the tacos? As long as you don’t mind the wait, absolutely. But to tell you the truth, I had the chance to get tacos at Mariela’s tonight, but passed for another taco place [review coming soon] simply because I didn’t want to take the chance and wait another 10-15 minutes before getting my four tacos.

Mariela’s Tacos #2
Address: 2501 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Taqueria El Tapatio #2 - 2.5/5.0 Jarritos

2009-04-18T01:21:00.000-07:00

Nacho cheese belongs on only one thing. Take a wild guess. That’s right – nachos. Guess where nacho cheese does not belong. Take another wild guess. That’s right – my tacos.

If every taqueria has its own “specialty” or a way of making a mark on the taco world here in Los Angeles, Taqueria El Tapatio (#2) has decided to make its mark by coupling nacho cheese with tacos. The result? Me never going back there again.

As you can see from the sign, Taqueria El Tapatio (#2) is the second of its kind. Allegedly. I won’t know for certain since I most likely will not be visiting the first branch, unless zombies start attacking mankind and I just happen to be right next to El Tap #1, and the only way to save humanity is to eat their tacos.

In all seriousness, I’m making out their tacos to be much worse than they actually are. I just hate when honest tacos are ruined by someone’s desire to be new and creative. Or maybe I’m just angry at humans who enjoy nacho cheese on foods other than chips. Right now I’m trying to think about which is worse: nacho cheese on tacos or nacho cheese on hot dogs. Actually, I think I have the winner: nacho cheese IN hot dogs.

You ever hear about how those hot dog “purists” out in Chicago that get pissed off when people put ketchup on their hot dogs? Would those purported purists get more angry at people ladling nacho cheese on their hot dogs?

[Ahhh, Wiener's Circle - The finest customer service one can receive in Chicago]

And where the hell are the Germans in this equation? Would they refuse to answer the question since we’re talking about “hot dogs” and not “sausages”? Do Germans view hot dogs the same way Chinese people view Panda Express – i.e., it’s not Chinese food but it’s tasty food in its own way.

Do we have any nacho cheese purists, who believe that nacho cheese will taste good on pretty much anything? Do they honestly think ramen would taste good with some freshly squeezed nacho cheese? If you are a purist and you are my friend (on Facebook), do me a favor and please de-friend me immediately.

But I digress. Back to the review. As you can see from the following pictures, there’s some mysterious nacho-cheese sandwiched between two tortillas, topped with asada, onions, cilantro, and salsa verde.

I felt like I was eating a grilled cheese sandwich that was left out on the counter for the past three days. At some point, I thought to myself “Am I really eating tacos?” Rubber kept getting squeezed out of the tortillas with every bite. It didn’t help that the meat (asada and al pastor) was bland, the onions were not finely chopped, and it was windy outside. It also didn’t help that Frederick Bottoms and I were located in the taco armpit of the world, a.k.a. Glendale. To be partial to all walks of life, at least Glendale has taquerias in the neighborhood. I can’t say the same about El Segundo.

Final rating: 2.5 Jarritos

Taqueria El Tapatio #2
Address: 1266 S. Glendale Ave., Glendale, CA
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Kogi Taco Truck - 3.5/5 Jarritos

2009-01-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

There are only two things I would voluntarily stand in line for over an hour: (1) sex; and (2) Din Tai Fung. Kogi BBQ Taco Truck (“Kogi”) is not on that list and therefore I will not voluntarily wait in line for over an hour to eat their tacos.

That said, if you have the chance to eat Kogi’s tacos without standing in line for more than 10 minutes, DO IT!

I consider myself to be an extremely patient person. I’ve waited over an hour for some of the so-called “best” ramen shops in Tokyo. I stood in line for over an hour to see Star Wars: The Phantom Menace on opening night at Mann’s Chinese Theater. (Actually, my friend was the trooper since he camped out for 25 hours to buy the tickets, while his twin brother and I drove down from Santa Barbara and only had to wait a couple of hours before they started letting people in. And yes, we saw Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corolla when they walked away and said they'd be first in line for the next movie.) I stood in line for over two hours in order to eat dim sum at Koi Palace in Daly City, supposedly the “best dim sum” in all of the San Francisco area. The dim sum was maybe above average and nowhere near worth the effort of sitting in a sea of Chinese people who were getting into fistfights with the maitre d’ as they called our name to be seated. (Not joking.)

In all of those cases, the end product was not even close to the amount of time spent waiting. As I stood in a line full of hipsters waiting to try the newest “thing” to hit L.A., Korean-style tacos, I thought to myself “I already know that it will be next-to-impossible for Kogi to create tacos so unbelievable that it’ll make this wait worthwhile.” And yet I stood in line anyway, probably because Frederick Bottoms was accompanying me on this trip and we really had nothing better to do on a Wednesday night.

“Kogi: Korean BBQ-To-Go” is basically a taco truck that serves tacos filled with Korean bbq-flavored meat. It’s as if the owner of a Korean bbq restaurant said “I’m sick and tired of sitting in the same old restaurant, making the same old marinade, serving the same old people – and then decided to rent a taco truck and create an incredibly unique menu combining traditional tacos and other Mexican-inspired foods and filling them with Korean-style ingredients. Although such combination immediately startles one’s imagination, the blend of Korean and Mexican flavors is actually quite successful.

[Side menu not pictured]

The menu consists of tacos and burritos, filled with your choice of meat: short ribs, spicy pork, or chicken. You can also get your tacos filled with tofu if you want, but I’m not about to pay hard-earned money to eat tofu tacos. Additionally, they also have a side menu that changes daily, including such items as a Kogi Korean hot dog, kimchee quesadilla, vegetable torta, Korean bbq sliders, and other interesting items. The first time I ate at Kogi, I shied away from the rotating menu and instead went for the gut – tacos only. The second time, I branched out and ate their kimchee quesadilla and Korean hot dog.

Let’s start with the good. The short rib tacos were fantastic. The short rib meat was by far and away the best of the three types. The Korean hot dog was amazing. It’s as if they put on that ridiculous outfit from Hot Dog On A Stick, dipped the hot dog in a bubbly vat of Korean awesomeness and magically pulled out a marinated hot dog and put it on a bun surrounded with Korean lettuce/cabbage and spices. To put it another way, if I’m coming out of a club wasted beyond belief, I’ll take Kogi’s Korean hot dog ANY DAY over the bacon-wrapped hot dogs from the other street vendors. And I can bet that the Kogi hot dog will feel less painful exiting my body than the bacon-wrapped hot dog. Science needs to prove such a phenomenon.

[Resting those tacos on top of trash cans. Stay Classy, TacosAndRamen.]

Okay, who am I kidding. If I’m wasted, there’s a pretty good chance that the smell of grilled bacon would be overwhelming and cause me to pull out my wallet and immediately start throwing dollar bills at people until I got what I wanted.

Now, let’s move to the mediocre. The spicy pork and chicken tacos were average. Unfortunately, the Korean-flavored “greens” that accompany the tacos have a very intense flavor that simply overwhelms the flavor of these meats. Ever eat a taco that has too much cilantro, onion, and salsa? The same thing goes for the spicy pork and chicken tacos. The meat simply does not carry as much flavor as the short rib tacos and therefore the lettuce/cabbage “greens” overpower the taco. When I bite into a taco, I want the meat to be the dominant part of the experience, with the green stuff (and salsa) complimenting and enhancing the flavor of the taco. Unfortunately, the spicy pork and chicken taste like they were marinated only minutes before being cooked on the grill. They simply do not have enough presence to be the starring role in this taco movie.

Now, for the unimpressed. The kimchi quesadilla was a severe disappointment. I really don’t know what I was thinking when I heard the words “kimchi” and “quesadilla,” but I think I imagined floating on a cloud of pure energy while sprouting angel wings and ridding myself of the troubles of the world such as mortgage payments and billable hours. Instead, it looked like this:

Okay, I know. The picture was taken at night and obviously does not do it justice. At all. But seriously, I thought I’d get more for my five dollars than a crusty tortilla sparsely filled with Cosmos kimchi. Take warning.

Let’s end on something good. The people who work at Kogi are unbelievably nice and friendly human beings. I generally hate all human beings and would be perfectly happy if I could limit my daily interactions to about 2 people per day. Maybe 3 people on weekends. I can also spot the people who pretend to be friendly, especially if they want your business.

Without a doubt, the people who work at Kogi are genuinely friendly and are really striving to put out a great product that people will keep coming back for. There is no doubt in my mind that these people have struck something solid. By constantly moving their location, they’re keeping their product limited and exclusive. They’ve also brought together two completely different types of food and cultures that seemingly could never be combined. They primarily sell their product in Silver Lake and Venice, two neighborhoods comprised of people who thrive on telling their friends about the latest “new thing” in L.A. I believe they’ve also recently set up shop in downtown LA, near the Golden Gopher and also in J-Town, near the Japanese American National Museum.

However, my ladyfriend made a good point. What if this is the taco truck version of Pink Berry? When Pink Berry first came out, they had lines out the door. Everyone was talking about Pink Berry and asking their friends if they tried it yet. But it’s not like they had the recipe for KFC or Coca Cola. Their product wasn’t that difficult to imitate, and sure enough copycats arose and now Yogurtland is quickly making every Pink Berry obsolete. Yogurtland has found a way to take everything great about Pink Berry and make it ten times better.

I fear for the day when Kogi copycats are driving the streets, filling tacos with their own version of short ribs, pork, and chicken. As much as I’d like to say that I enjoy the nostalgia of eating at Pink Berry, I can tell you that I went to Yogurtland two days ago and can’t remember the last time I gave my business to Pink Berry.

But until the day that the copycats come, I’ll be giving my business to Kogi every week or two – assuming the wait isn’t that long.

Much love till my next post.

Kogi Taco Truck
Address: Venice, Silver Lake, Downtown L.A., Westwood (Check website for location)

La Taquiza - 5.0 (and 4.5)/5 Jarritos

2008-12-28T23:11:00.000-08:00

It’s been over 5 months since I last posted a review of a taco or ramen stand, so it’s only appropriate that I announce my stellar return to the taco/ramen-blogging community with a review of the taco stand that started my gross and unhealthy infatuation with L.A. street tacos: La Taquiza.

First off, La Taquiza has a lot of negatives going for it, the biggest one being that it’s located right next to USC. Actually, the biggest negative is that not only is it located in the heart of USC, but it also has its walls painted trojan (refuse to capitalize) red and pays homage to that school with random pictures and trojan stuff, banners, whatever.

I can seriously spend the entire post (as well as the next 200 posts) knocking USC and everyone who goes there, but instead I’ll hold back and simply say that everyone needs to give La Taquiza a shot, if you haven’t already. That’s how good the tacos are, in my humble opinion.

If you thought for one second that I’d write “IMHO,” then you were grossly mistaken. I may be a nerd, but I’m not a dork.

I was introduced to La Taquiza by a former coworker. In fact, were it not for her insistence that this place was legit, I would’ve never set foot inside La Taquiza. Little did she know that bringing me (and my fellow coworkers) to La Taquiza for lunch would thereby start an obsession with tacos that would eventually lead to the purchasing of a domain name and a server/host/computer-thingy to publish opinions about tacos and ramen.

In other words, thank you Shana.

Making a lunch run to La Taquiza will usually take at least an hour. Therefore, we only reserve La Taquiza runs for very special occasions, usually when “HWSNBN” is not around.

[I don't care how you pronounce his name, I'm still calling him RALPH]

The first thing (besides the “B” rating) you’ll notice (besides the sketchy neighborhood) about La Taquiza (besides the cramped parking lot) is the al pastor spit, just begging you to reach over and cut a slice for yourself.

For newcomers to this blog (and the taco world), al pastor is essentially pork that has been marinated with different spices and slow-roasted on a vertical rotisserie. In my opinion, the al pastor at La Taquiza is THE BEST in Los Angeles.

Let me repeat that: The al pastor at La Taquiza is the best in the city.

If you disagree with me, PLEASE send me an email recommending me another taco stand/restaurant with better al pastor. Don’t forget to include your name (or alias – but only if the alias actually makes me laugh or let’s me recognize you, or both) so that if you’re wrong then I can make fun of you on this blog.

In fact, I love the al pastor tacos at La Taquiza so much that I’m going to give it a 5.0/5 Jarritos rating. For those of you keeping score at home, this is the first time that I’ve given a place a 5/5 Jarritos rating. Some might call it favoritism, but then I’d point you down the block to USC and say no more.

Actually, let me qualify this rating. I give La Taquiza a 5.0/5 Jarritos rating during lunch hours. I’ve been here for dinner many times and it’s not nearly as good as it is for lunch. In fact, I’m going to give La Taquiza a 5.0/5 Jarritos rating for lunch and a 4.5/5 Jarritos rating for dinner.

For those of you ready to call me a moron/idiot, I calmly ask you to sample the al pastor during lunch and dinner hours. For those of you who know anything about tacos, you’ll know that al pastor tastes the best when it’s been freshly “shaven” off the rotating spit. During lunch hours, the crowd at La Taquiza is borderline horrendous. The La Taquiza workers constantly shave the al pastor from the spit into those little metal containers from which they draw the meat with tongs and put it on the tacos. At night, when the crowd is miniscule, the al pastor has been rotating on that spit all day and chances are the meat inside that metal container has been sitting there for more than 10 minutes. Hence, the al pastor is not quite as tasty at dinner as it is at lunch. Hence the difference in ratings.

But seriously, what makes La Taquiza a 5.0 Jarritos taco restaurant?

Besides the al pastor, the thing that sets La Taquiza apart from the other taco stands/restaurants is that they make their own tortillas. I’ve frequently commented on how the tortillas at some taco stands take away from the overall flavor of the taco, while some taco stands’ tortillas simply “hover” and don’t distract the overall taco experience. It’s very rare for a taco place to make their own tortillas.

La Taquiza’s hand-made tortillas are incredible. The tortillas bring their own unique flavor to the tacos and enhance the overall experience. The “American” equivalent to these delicious hand-made tortillas is the sandwich. For example, an Italian sandwich (the “godmother”) at Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica is extremely delicious. But what sets Bay Cities Deli apart from other deli sandwiches is that Bay Cities bakes their own bread. When you sit down to take a bite of your sandwich, the bread is still warm from the oven/warmer. The overall experience is enhanced and leaves your stomach very satisfied.

Just how good are these tacos? Ask my coworker, Frederick Bottoms {alias}, who decided to break the firm record by eating eight (8) tacos during lunch.

The (third) thing I like best about La Taquiza is that you can pretty much create your taco to conform to your belief of what a perfect taco should look and taste like. What do I mean by that? If you want cheese on that taco, go ahead and ask for it. If you want pico de gallo salsa on your taco, head over to the self-serving salsa bar. (Again, for those of you keeping score at home, La Taquiza’s self-serving salsa bar is a big factor in its superior Jarritos rating.) If you’re old school and simply want cilantro and onions on your taco, they’ve got that too at the salsa bar.

What is my version of the perfect L.A. taco? Hand-made warm tortilla [check!], delicious al pastor [check!], fresh guacamole [check!], pico de gallo salsa [check!], and avocado salsa [check!]. I’ll frequently throw in some salsa roja to spice it up a bit [also, check!].

If I could describe the al pastor tacos at La Taquiza, I’d describe them as “perfect.” If I could use one word besides “perfect” to describe the tacos, I'd use “extremely perfecto.” Again, I welcome anyone to recommend me a place that serves a better al pastor taco. This time, I’m talking about the entire experience – tortillas, salsa, meat, extras, etc.

How would Mr. Frederick Bottoms describe his eight tacos? He’d probably say something along the lines of “They were delicious and now I’m going to take a nap.”

Now it’s time to warn my faithful readers of the potential traps at La Taquiza. First, unless you’ve got some time to spare, do not order the “taco plate” or anything that comes on a plate served with rice and beans. Ordinarily, you walk up to the front, tell the guy your order (the only question being how many al pastor tacos to get, four or five?), and wait a maximum of 15 seconds as he prepares your tacos and personally hands them to you.

However, ordering a “plate” will take a minimum of 5-10 minutes as they use a broiler to make your plate hot (and, also, to melt cheese over the rice and beans). Save yourself some time and money and go straight for the tacos.

La Taquiza calls itself the home of the Mulitas, a creation involving two grilled hand-made tortillas with melted cheese, guacamole, and your choice of meat in between. It’s very good, but like I just said – go straight for the tacos.

The other warning about La Taquiza is that you never know what your total is going to be. Due to the economic recession, carne asada is slightly more expensive than al pastor. Guacamole on your tacos will cost you slightly more than getting cheese. Whether the cashier will ring your order of 5 tacos, 3 with carne asada, 2 with al pastor, 2 with cheese, and 4 with guacamole consistently is a coin toss. Lately, seeing as how I only get 4 or 5 al pastor tacos with guacamole, my total has been coming out to $10.83. I say “lately,” because I know that the next time I go there, my total will be slightly higher or slightly less.

Oh, and I’ve never gotten a taco at La Taquiza with cheese, but if you REQUIRE your cheese to be melted on your tacos, then this is definitely not the place for you. Some might consider this to be the only chink in the armor, as La Taquiza merely sprinkles grated cheese on your tacos which do not melt by the time you sit down to eat them. Seeing as how I don’t order my tacos with cheese, this is a non-issue with me. Take warning.

Overall, I cannot say enough great things about this place. If you’ve never tried al pastor (cough, cough, Cahill), you must give La Taquiza a shot. There is simply no excuse for not trying the al pastor at La Taquiza (with the qualifier that you try it during lunch hours). I’ve seen Orthodox Jews wolf down their al pastor tacos and line up for seconds. Okay, that’s not true, but seriously it’s that good.

Lunch: 5.0/5.0 Jarritos
Dinner: 4.5/5.0 Jarritos

La Taquiza
Address: 3009 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Tacos and Real Estate

2008-07-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Fear not, faithful readers. Tacos & Ramen will provide you with some fresh reviews of recently visited taco and ramen shops.

Unfortunately, your humble narrator has recently undertaken a major real estate transaction that will most definitely leave him in a dire financial condition, only further necessitating the neverending pursuit of cheap dinner options via tacos and ramen (but not at the same time, of course).

Updates will be forthcoming!

Much love till my next post.

Taco House – 2.0/5 Jarritos

2008-07-16T10:38:00.001-07:00

I don’t know what’s more disappointing: discovering naked pictures of a movie star only to find out she looks better with her clothes on, or discovering a taco stand that is six blocks from your office only to find out it’s absolutely disgusting.

After a purchasing a suit from L.A.’s fashion district, I was walking back to my office on a quest to find some random taco shop. I passed by some “probables” on my way to the fashion district, but nothing really caught my eye. Just when I was ready to give up and head over to Panda Express (delicious!), I saw the Taco House.

Random side note: there is NOTHING “fashionable” about L.A.’s “fashion” district. In fact, it’s absolutely disgusting. The sidewalks look like they haven’t been cleaned since the Great Depression, the small clothing stores are filled with either undershirts or pimp suits, and I didn’t see one single “fashionable” person except a poster of Steve Harvey. The only thing the fashion district is good for is if you have a Pimps and Ho’s party and you need a purple pimp suit with matching hat, gloves, cane, ascot, cufflinks, and shoes. In fact, I’m beginning to question whether I can get cheaper-but-decent-quality suits at the sales rack at Macy’s rather than my usual shop of Academy Award Clothes, Inc.

Back to the Taco House.

Even though I knew deep down that the chances of the Taco House being better than any of the taco joints I’ve previously reviewed were slim to non-existent, I was nonetheless excited to try their offerings. I got my usual order of 2 asada and 2 al pastor tacos along with a lime Jarritos. I can tell you right now, if it wasn’t for that lime Jarritos and the friendly service, Taco House would’ve been the first stand to hit that 1-Jarritos rating here at T&R.

It probably doesn’t help that the lady eating her tacos next to me was “black-bagging” a 40oz. I’m hereby proclaiming that “brown-bagging” means wrapping a brown paper bag over your 40oz., but “black-bagging” means wrapping a black plastic bag over your 40oz. Both will serve its intended purpose of shielding your alcoholism from the police. However, and feel free to call me crazy, but I believe that “black-bagging” your 40oz. tends to indicate that you’re slightly more desperate for alcohol rather than “brown-bagging.” Maybe it’s because the cost of a brown paper bag is slightly higher than a black plastic bag, so therefore it’s kind of like the difference between driving a Kia and a Hyundai. Both are wrong, but one is slightly more recognized than the other.

So, what went wrong with the tacos?

The al pastor was passable. Definitely nothing special, but definitely not horrible either. The pastor reminded me of Kike’s, but imagine if that pastor was sitting in a refrigerator for 24 hours and then re-heated and put into a metal bin. That’s what the pastor tasted like at Taco House.
The carne asada, on the other hand, was absolutely disgusting. I’ve never tried dog meat, but I’m guessing that’s what I just ate at the Taco House. It smelled funny, and it looked like the meat had been boiling in water for hours and then placed in a metal pot with more water. I knew it wasn’t going to be a good day at the Taco House when the cook gave me the plate of four tacos and the juices from the tacos were hovering all over the plate, ruining those tortillas. I wonder if I should buy the cook at the Taco House a slotted spoon for Christmas?

The store-bought tortillas also detracted from my taco experience. They literally disintegrated upon contact with my hands. In fact, the outer tortilla would turn into mush upon contact with my thumb and forefinger. Thank god they use two tortillas for their tacos, or else I would’ve had taco soup for lunch.

I’m a guy who always tries to look at the positive side of situations. In this case, the cook and the cashier were incredibly nice and friendly. The lime Jarritos was delicious and refreshing. The dining area was covered by a tarp that provided a nice shade from the hot downtown sun. The onions were diced up very nicely.

But I cannot recommend the Taco House to anyone. It’s such a shame, because I would’ve given them a lot of business, considering its location to my office. (Well, as much business as four to five tacos at lunch would give.) But the positives of the Taco House barely put it over the 2-Jarritos rating. If I wasn’t such a nice guy (editor’s note: I’m not), the Taco House would’ve been the proud recipient of Tacos & Ramen’s first-ever 1.5-Jarritos rating.

Taco House
Address: 215 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 (Or somewhere around there)
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Best Fish Taco in Ensenada – 3.5/5.0 Jarritos

2008-07-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

In all honesty, Best Fish Taco in Ensenada (hereinafter “BFT”) is probably closer to a 4.0 Jarritos rating. However, similar to the LSAT, Tacos & Ramen does not round up.

It takes a lot of guts to call your shop “Best” anything, but BFT is pretty damn close. Having never been to Ensenada, I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the fish and shrimp tacos. However, as a taco shop in Los Angeles, BFT has one of the best (if not the best) fish tacos in town.

Due to the destruction of billions of brain cells thanks to a UCSB education, I can’t remember where I heard this, but someone described the concept of BFT in a very succinct and accurate manner: “He put two things on the menu and learned how to make them very well.” “He,” of course, is Joseph, the owner and manager of BFT. I guess he’s also the cashier and distributor of the occasional tequila shot. The “two things” on the menu are the two types of tacos they serve: fish and shrimp. “Very well” describes how you will feel after eating these tacos.

Although you can’t miss the white sign while cruising north on Hillhurst, you might initially mistake BFT as an auto repair shop, which is located next door. In fact, the large black iron fence combined with the plants and trinkets surrounding the very small shop give the aura that you’ve been transported to an auto mechanic’s workplace that doubles as the mechanic’s sleeping quarters. But once you enter, the shop is quite clean and filled with local art and tropical accents. Or, whatever the hell you call it.

Joseph, who will probably be sitting on a stool behind the cash register, and who looks like he just woke up from a twelve-week bender in Baja, will immediately flash a smile and calmly take your order. You’ll also notice the huge circular deep fryer filled with oil that remarkably looks cleaner than the water I surfed in on Sunday (Redondo Beach, for your information).

Your taco will come with one tortilla and the various pieces of deep-fried fish or shrimp. Then you proceed to the self-serving salsa/topping bar. Have I mentioned before how incredibly awesome self-serving salsa bars are? [Here and here.] Technically speaking, BFT has a “topping” bar which includes shredded cabbage, some sort of diced pickled radish, and some sort of man-juice-looking white sauce.

[Not pictured: Man-juice]

But for me, the best part is the variety of salsa BFT offers. There’s a delicious avocado salsa that is supposedly incredibly spicy. For whatever reason, this particular salsa doesn’t affect me nearly as much as regular salsa roja, thank goodness. I always appreciate being able to eat tacos without fear of another Kuato being born. In addition to the spicy avocado salsa, BFT has at least three other salsas to perfectly compliment their fish tacos. Top off your taco with some pickled radish, some man-juice-looking white sauce, and you’re good to go.

[Don't skimp on the man-juice]

My only gripe with BFT is their tortillas. Or, I guess I should say tortilla. Within two bites, my tortilla completely falls apart and I’m left eating the taco from the palm of my hand. It’s a good thing I have OCD and germ-o-phobia or whatever the hell it’s called, so that my hands are totally clean and hand-sanitized before entering. (Although my germ-o-phobia is not to the level of Howard Hughes where I’ll wait for someone to enter/exit in order to not touch the door handles… although, that’s something I might have to start doing…)

Methinks the problem would be solved if BFT used two tortillas instead of one, but I suspect the flavor of the fish would be drowned from the extra tortilla. Mealsothinks the problem would be solved if I didn’t put so much salsa on my taco, but that’s impossible since I always put the perfect amount of salsa on each taco. [See above paragraph re: OCD.]

I should also mention that BFT will pretty much hold a special place in my black heart since it was the first taco place my lady took me to when we first started dating. Actually, it was probably before we started dating, as Joseph asked my lady “Are you two dating?” to which I said something along the lines of “Well,…” and then Joseph immediately turned to me and said “I wasn’t asking you, I was asking her. Are you two dating?” and then I think my lady said something along the lines of us being just good friends. In any case, the dialogue was pure awesomeness. I’m pretty sure that’s when Joseph offered us some tequila shots and we all drank to love, or something of the sort.

The funny thing is that when I went there recently with my lady, Joseph made another remark about how awesome it must be to be in love. Either my lady and I ooze sensations of love from every movement we take (we do), or I’m starting to sense a recurring theme about Joseph.

In any case, you probably won’t be able to escape the all-knowing eye of Joseph without some sort of inquiry – which normally would piss me off since I absolutely hate talking to strangers/humans – but fear not, he’s incredibly nice and you’ll leave BFT thinking you’ve just magically taken a trip to Ensenada and have somehow reappeared back in Silver Lake. In short, BFT is worth the trip.

Best Fish Taco in Ensenada
Address: 1650 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Tacos Por Favor – 4.0/5 Jarritos

2008-07-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

If you’ve never been to Tacos Por Favor, it’s probably due to one of two reasons: (1) you stopped by but they were closed, or (2) you thought “Any place named ‘Tacos Please’ cannot seriously taste better than Taco Bell.”

[Image taken from The Great Taco Hunt]

Honestly, would you ever try a burger from a restaurant named “Burger Please”? I know that I would never try ramen from a shop called “Ramen Kudasai,” unless I had a friend strongly recommend it…

…which is how I first became acquainted with Tacos Por Favor. A friend who goes by the alias of Ken Yamamoto works in Santa Monica and knows the surrounding lunch areas very well. I believe one day I said something along the lines of “Have you ever been to Tacos Por Favor? Seriously, what the hell kind of name is that?!” upon which Ken Yamamoto immediately corrected me and said I should check it out.

Is it just me or did Tacos Por Favor recently extend their opening hours? Back when I first tried it, I swear they weren’t open on Sundays and they weren’t open on weekdays past something like 5 or 6pm. Luckily for all of us taco-obsessors, Tacos Por Favor is open on Sundays and they’re open on weekdays until 8pm. Or so says Yelp.

Their main specialty, according to the book of Spreewell, is the chorizo & cheese tacos. I’ve had all of their tacos and I can firmly say that nothing comes close to their chorizo & cheese tacos. Their carne asada is decent, but I haven’t ordered anything else besides the chorizo & cheese since day one.

I know what you’re thinking – Hey, Spreewell, get a decent camera! You make bundles of money and yet you can’t afford a camera to take pictures with three billion more megapixels than your shitty camera phone?! – to which I say, The essence of Tacos & Ramen is not to find the most exquisite and luxurious restaurants that are highly touted in magazines and television shows, but instead to find the best tasting food (namely tacos and ramen) in the dark corners and seedy strip-mall-esque underbelly of Los Angeles. In other words, you’ll view my cell phone camera pictures and you’ll like it.

But seeing as how Rex Banner had his new camera out, here’s a nice picture of the delicious tacos at Tacos Por Favor.

[The tacos come with tortilla chips. Sadly, they do not come with Andy the Ankylosaurus.]

Added bonus of Tacos Por Favor: they’ve got a self-serving salsa bar. Sound familiar? Double-added bonus of Tacos Por Favor: they serve Jarritos!!!

I feel like I’m a cheap date [Ed. note: I am]. Include a self-serving salsa bar and Jarritos and you’ve got a recipe for a minimum 3-Jarritos taco stand. Include homemade tortillas and you’re looking to break the 4-Jarritos barrier. Personal preferences notwithstanding, the tacos at Tacos Por Favor are delicious. The tortillas do not detract from the flavor of the tacos, nor do they crumble after the first bite. The meat is perfectly cooked and tastes fantastically amazing. My only two complaints with Tacos Por Favor, which prevent it from breaking the 4-Jarritos barrier, is that (1) sometimes the cheese isn’t completely melted, and (2) the chorizo & cheese tacos border on the salty side of things.

Although I have a natural aversion to very salty things, thanks to my refusal to add any salt to anything I cook unless absolutely necessary (and probably thanks to my somewhat faulty family genetics which will cause me to have high blood pressure in the near future [and the possible existence of a “Ginger Gene” which I hope to eradicate in the near future {my Ginger Gene, not the actual race of Gingers}]) (Calling all math nerds: Did I use my ellipses correctly?), the chorizo & cheese tacos at Tacos Por Favor are manageable. People who complain about the saltiness of the chorizo & cheese tacos probably don’t complain about how salty everything is at any restaurant charging more than $30.00 for an entrée.

Triple added bonus: I didn’t get salmonella [knocking on wood] despite eating their tomato salsa.
Bottom line: If you’re on the Westside and you crave some delicious tacos containing meat other than the usual suspects (carne asada, al pastor, etc.), you cannot go wrong with Tacos Por Favor. In fact, you can’t go wrong with Tacos Por Favor at all. Except maybe the name could use some tweaking.

Tacos Por Favor
Address: 1406 Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90404
Google Maps: Link

Much love till my next post.

Kike’s Tacos – 4.0/5 Jarritos

2008-07-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

It’s official: Kike’s Tacos is the first taco stand to reach the coveted T&R four-Jarritos rating!

[To clear any confusion, and to alleviate the concerns of one of my coworkers, Kike's Tacos is pronounced "Kee-kay's" and not something else. ]

I previously wrote about Kike’s Tacos back in April as the mysterious place that was never there when I drove by 2nd and Beaudry. Upon finding it, I felt as if I was Lawrence reaching that oasis after crossing the Nefud Desert [don’t worry, I had to look that up]. Or, if 1990’s film is more your specialty, I felt as if I was Pauly Shore in "In the Army Now" when he accidentally discovered water after traversing the desert. Pick your poison. (Did you know that “In the Army Now” starred both Andy Dick and Lori Petty? How did this movie not automatically win an Oscar?!)

There’s nothing fancy about Kike’s Tacos – it’s simply two portable cookers and a table filled with condiments. And a van. And some lights. And lots of people. And delicious tacos.

I’m not really sure what time he sets up shop. It doesn’t really matter considering how he’s usually there when I get off work, so that’s convenient enough for me. Although I was originally told the shop is not open on Sundays and Thursdays, my coworker told me that Kike’s is available on Thursday nights as well. Actually, when I say that Kike’s is “not open,” I guess I should really say “if you drive by 2nd and Beaudry, you’ll see an empty parking lot.” Kike’s reminds me of those “Pikeys” from the movie “Snatch” – when they want to leave, they just pack up camp and you’ll never know they were there in the first place.

["Ah fuckin' heyt Pikeys!"]

I know some of my faithful readers would have problems eating meat that is grilled on a portable cooking contraption in the middle of a parking lot. Rest assured – of the countless times I’ve visited Kike’s over the past two months, I have only had one occasion where my stomach wanted to have a Kuato burst out of me. [Warning! Video link may not be suitable to sensitive eyes!]

Using my stellar medical background, I calmly deduced that it was because I used way too much salsa roja on my tacos and consequently paid the price. For those of you who don’t know me very well, my stomach simply cannot tolerate spicy foods – once again, drawing the inevitable comparison to Ben Stiller’s character in “Along Came Polly.”

I keep telling taco shop owners in Los Angeles: the quickest way up the Jarritos rating system is to have a self-service salsa bar. As for Kike’s Tacos? You guessed it – they’ve got a self-serving salsa bar, complete with roja, verde, onions, cilantro, jalapenos, napkins, silverware, something that resembles a fish tackle box, a thermostat full of mystery stuff that I’ve never bothered to check, and so forth.

And the tacos? Absolutely heaven-tastic. Actually, let me qualify that. The carne asada is pretty good. I’ve had better (See El Parian post). But for a buck a piece, you can’t go wrong with Kike’s. And the al pastor? I’ve also had better (See upcoming La Taquiza post). But, again, for a buck a piece, you can’t go wrong. Me, I prefer Kike’s al pastor tacos. They are heavily seasoned and dripping with flavor. For those of you who like your al pastor dry (SAVAGES!), this isn’t the place for you.

After you get your tacos, dress them up with onions, cilantro, and salsa, you’re immediately presented with four options: (1) take a seat on a metal folding chair before a folding table; (2) take a seat on a tailgating-appropriate folding chair; (3) stand and eat your tacos; or (4) go back to your car and eat your tacos.

Personally, there’s nothing better than taking a seat on those cloth folding chairs and soaking in the nighttime breeze of downtown L.A. Added bonus – the view of the downtown skyscrapers in all their glory at nights.

To summarize:
Kike’s is fantastically delicious. There’s always a small crowd of people coming from all walks of life. When I first came here, there was some dude who looked like he just crawled out of a coal mine in West Virginia. Last time I was there, two guards driving an armored truck stopped and got tacos. There’s always the requisite family standing in line at Kike’s, as well as the downtown professional stopping by before heading home.

You won’t be disappointed with Kike’s Tacos – as long as you can get over its almost certain failure to meet stringent L.A. health code requirements.

Kike’s Tacos
Address: 2nd and Beaudry, Downtown Los Angeles
Google Maps: Link
Tacos: $1.00 each

Much love till my next post.

More Officialness!

2008-06-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Tacos & Ramen now has its own website! (In addition to the website you're currently reading...)

http://www.tacosandramen.com/

Unfortunately, I think I know more about the Spanish language than I do about web designing.

In other words, Tacos & Ramen will most likely be staying on Blogspot for at least another month until I can sort out this computer nerd stuff.

Much love till my next post.

Tacos & Ramen: Unofficial Sponsor of "Food on Foot"

2008-06-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Every decade, I like to do something charitable. Usually that means I donate stuff I don't need to the local Goodwill and deduct it from my income taxes.

["...and just thinking about it was the most rewarding experience I've ever had."]

I've decided that the time has come for me to utilize my Eagle Scout training and uphold the Boy Scout slogan: Do a Good Turn Daily. (This is not the same as the Boy Scout motto, which is Be Prepared. Boy Scout nerds, UNITE!)

I am now proclaiming Tacos & Ramen to be the unofficial sponsor of Food on Foot, a local charitable organization that passes out food to needy and homeless people, along with providing jobs for the unemployed 'n stuff. [Click here for more information about Food on Foot]

I say "unofficial" because Food on Foot probably has no idea that this blog exists. But they will. Hopefully. Sooner rather than later.

Although my budget for 2008 won't let me be a member of the "$84 Dollar Club," I plan on volunteering every now and then to help pass out food to the L.A. needy. At first, I can predict my volunteering to be sporadic at best. But I hope to eventually make this a monthly event and then progress from there.

Added bonus: Neil Patrick Harris (a.k.a. "NPH") is on the board of directors.

Unfortunately, I don't think tacos or ramen are on the menu for the L.A. needy. Hopefully that will change.

For all you do-gooders, here's the link to Food on Foot's donation page. Time for me to do my good turn and break out the AmEx.

["Speaking of reasonable - only $570."]

(Although, I'll probably end up getting reward points for my donation and receive a tax deduction when I itemize next year - thus begging the question whether my act is truly "charitable"... Save that thought for later.)

Much love till my next post.

[Update: Food on Foot does not take AmEx. But they do take Visa.]

El Jalapeno – 3.0/5 Jarritos

2008-06-15T01:50:00.001-07:00

What’s that line from the theme song to Cheers? “Where everybody knows your name… And they’re always glad you came.”

Well, going to El Jalapeno is pretty much the exact opposite of that.

It was a late night and I had already eaten dinner and watched the Lakers blow another game they should’ve stolen in Boston. [It also doesn’t help that I’m writing this the day after the Lakers blew their “historic” lead in Game 4. Who the hell uses the word “historic” to describe a lead in basketball, or any sport for that matter? The word should be “suicidal,” because that’s what the players and fans will feel like if they ever blow that kind of lead.] I was on my way to check out Casa Diaz when I drove by El Jalapeno on Hollywood Blvd. The reaction time between my retinas seeing the al pastor spit and my brain processing the information must’ve been instantaneous, since before I knew what was happening, I had already stopped my car and was looking for nearby parking. I guess Casa Diaz will have to wait. [Actually, Yelp lists Casa Diaz as closed. Can someone confirm this?]

Want to know how to win my taco heart? Make a taco stuffed with delicious al pastor cut from a rotating spit.

Want to know how to win my other heart? Put guacamole on the taco.

El Jalapeno is located on the northeast corner of Beverly and Normandie. It’s not the greatest of neighborhoods to begin with. At night, I’m like a fish out of water. You know what that means? Time for me to put my Tough Guy hat on!

[That day, Caucasians only made up 99.5% of Wrigley Field.]

I’d like to think that when I put my Tough Guy hat on and walk around like a 5’11” version of Tony Soprano, people will generally tend not to mess with me. Thankfully, the friendly frequenters of El Jalapeno didn’t change my thinking. Maybe they saw through my tough guy ruse and knew that I was just some guy who watched the Lakers blow a ridiculous lead while eating an overpriced sushi appetizer from Roy’s. Or maybe it was because despite wearing jeans, I didn’t have any shoes to change into after work – thus, I was still wearing my black penny loafers. With my Tough Guy hat.

Although I’ve never driven by El Jalapeno in the daytime, I’m guessing the brick shack is where they make and serve their food. However, (again, I’m also guessing) I think at nights they bring out the portable taco stand and actually cook the tacos on the sidewalk.

In addition to having an al pastor spit and flat heated surface to grill the asada (and other meats) and tortillas, they have this dome-like contraption to help with their cooking. Imagine a small dome in the center of this portable stand, and it’s surrounded by a moat of oil. Not joking – it’s a moat. Of oil.

And inside this moat of oil, they’ve got various meats that are cooking/staying warm. On top of the dome, they’re heating up the tortillas.

As I’m standing there waiting for one of the two cooks to acknowledge my presence, my eyes cannot break away from this moat of oil. Imagine that crackling sound when something is deep frying. Imagine that sound when some of that amber oil (amber because of all the meat that has been cooking in it for probably 3 hours already) hits the dome and causes some of the tortillas to sizzle. Imagine watching one of the cooks pick up a slab of meat (lengua, I think), cut it up with a cleaver, and then skillfully place it on a small corn tortilla and throw (literally) some onions and cilantro on it.

Now imagine doing your very best to suppress the desire to vomit all over the place.

I was at a crossroads, good readers. On the one hand, even though I just had an overpriced sushi appetizer at Roy’s, there was no denying that I had room for two al pastor tacos – from the rotating spit, nonetheless. On the other hand, I wanted to puke.

Watching all that meat sit in the moat of oil was one of the most disturbing taco-related images I’ve encountered thus far.

As for my two al pastor tacos? They were predictably fantastic.

The oil in/on the tortillas was a little on the heavy side, but I’d rather have my tortillas be oily than dry. The salsa verde was decent, providing an excellent balance of “kick” and flavor. But the real star was the al pastor. Soft, succulent, and filled with taste, the al pastor was (so far) second only to La Taquiza. Some might say it’s the psychological factor of physically seeing that rotating al pastor spit, but I can confidently say that El Jalapeno’s al pastor is a great big step above the average.

At a dollar a piece, El Jalapeno’s al pastor tacos are a steal.

At this point, I think my Tough Guy hat was wearing off and people were starting to notice either (1) my black penny loafers [shiny!], or (2) me taking pictures with my cell phone, despite my best efforts to remain incognito.

You know it’s not a great neighborhood when someone is selling CDs right in front of the taco stand. We’re talking CDs that are lying on the floor on top of some rectangular carpet, comprised of artists and genres that I’ve never heard of before.

You also know it’s not a great neighborhood when someone who is dressed up in a shiny black bowling shirt and is wearing a black fedora to cover up a ponytail appears to be a customer, but is actually just hanging around the area because El Jalapeno has drawn a crowd of about 14 by now. In fact, ponytail guy catches me taking pictures with my cell phone and mutters “Yo, this guy’s taking pictures!”

Time to go!

I honestly thought someone was following me to my car, which was parked on Normandie, about ten seconds from El Jalapeno. Well, I thought, you can’t go your entire life without getting into a fight. I turned my Tough Guy hat backwards and stretched out my knuckles.

Fortunately, it was just some other guy getting to his car in the same parking lot. I think he was scared of the exact same thing.

The al pastor was fantastic, but the vomit factor brought down El Jalapeno’s score by at least one Jarritos. Too bad.

Much love till my next post.

El Jalapeno
Address: 4165 Beverly BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90004
Google Maps: Link
Tacos: $1.00 each

Gardena Ramen – 3.5/5 Negi

2008-06-12T11:36:00.001-07:00

Gardena Ramen is the ramen equivalent of the girl next door. No, not the one that’s actually a porn star trying to hide from her storied past.

The other one – the girl who’s good-looking and has a great personality. People generally wouldn’t call this girl “hot” or “a perfect 10,” but they certainly won’t call her “average” or “plain-Jane.”

Gardena Ramen is a solid ramen shop that is above-average. But the ramen certainly won’t win any top awards. For those of you who have had the pleasure of living in Japan, Gardena Ramen is that solid neighborhood ramen shop or kaiten-zushi or yakitori-ya that you would stop by after getting off the train from a hard day’s work. (Umm, okay… so, teaching English wasn’t that hard…)

It was a Saturday and I heard the place would get crowded at nights. For those of you who know me, I absolutely HATE crowds. I’m like Sean Connery in Finding Forrester, when the kid takes Sean to a Knicks game.

So, what do I end up doing? I end up being the first one there when the place opens up for dinner at 5:00 p.m.

Quick tangent: The extent of my ramen knowledge comes from two sources: (1) visiting countless ramen shops during my two years in Japan, and (2) the movie Tampopo.

Remember one of the first things Goro and Gun (played by a very young Ken Watanabe!) say when they walk into Lai-Lai? They quip about how the water isn’t boiling, an obvious indicator as to how the ramen will taste.

Seeing as how I basically got to Gardena Ramen at 5pm, I don’t think the owners were expecting customers for at least another thirty minutes. I wonder if me popping my head through their doors caused them to think one of two things: (1) Woah, this might be the start of a prosperous night!, or (2) Ugh, can’t we get some peace around here?!

["This job would be great if it wasn't for all the fucking customers."]

Regardless, the kitchen was partially shielded, so I couldn’t tell if the water for the men (noodles) was boiling or not.

After sitting down in Gardena Ramen for about thirty seconds, I immediately asked myself the following question:

If you owned a ramen shop, how would you decorate the interior?

Is it just me or did Gardena Ramen get their chairs and tables from a coffee shop?

Hey, don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with having plain digs in a ramen shop. I don’t go to ramen shops to impress clients and woo ladies. I’m there for one thing – the pursuit of excellent ramen. In fact, I almost think that a ramen shop that pays too much attention to its décor is not going to pay the same kind of attention to its soup stock. I’m waiting for a place to prove me wrong. (No, Chabu-ya [review coming soon!] wasn’t that great…)

As for the ramen at Gardena Ramen – solid, but nothing spectacular. Like I said, it’s the girl next door. The broth was clean, packing an above-average amount of flavor, but yet lacking that extra zing which brings it up another class or two. The men was average, just as you’d expect from a decent ramen shop. Overall, the ramen was pretty good – on a scale of bad/okay/not bad/pretty good/great/unbelievable.

There really isn’t much else to say about Gardena Ramen, except for my final test. I always like to judge ramen shops by the following test: If I had to wait up to an hour to eat at this place, how would I feel once I finished the ramen? Truthfully, if I had to wait more than 15 minutes for the ramen here at Gardena Ramen, I’d be pretty damn pissed off.

The ramen is pretty good – it’s not great and it’s certainly not unbelievable. That’s why this would be the perfect neighborhood restaurant, since you could come home from work, see that it’s not crowded, sit down and enjoy a nice dinner to cap off the night.

On a side note, can someone tell Gardena Ramen to change the picture on their website?

The last thing I want to see when I’m eating ramen is the broth containing meat slowly cooking in a dirty pot. Look, I know it's all going in my belly. But it’s kind of like not asking how they make McDonald’s chicken mcnuggets.

I simply don’t want to know certain things.

And can you imagine if you were a newcomer to ramen and you saw that picture on Gardena Ramen’s website? You’d probably think they were boiling chili. Or worse.

Much love till my next post.

Gardena Ramen
Address: 1840 W. 182nd St., Torrance, CA 90504
Google Maps: Link
Shōyu Ramen: $6.50

Burrito King – [To Be Announced]/5 Jarritos

2008-06-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

If you want a delicious burrito, DO NOT go to Burrito King. In the words of Sick Boy from the movie Trainspotting: “What a total fuckin’ misnomer!”

I have no idea what compelled me to suggest Burrito King while driving home with the lady. Maybe it was because I was a little “taco-d out,” which is hard to believe, yet happens occasionally. Seriously, when you’re driving down Sunset Boulevard and you have a mild craving for Mexican food, doesn’t “Burrito King” sound like the holiest of holies?

As much as I love tacos, I really don’t proclaim to be an expert on burritos. I have no idea what an “official” or “authentic” burrito is supposed to contain. All I know is that if you have a lot of meat and a lot of guacamole in that burrito, there’s a really good chance that I’ll give you a thumbs up. For example, my local late-night drunk Mexican food place: Benito’s. They have a fantastic carne asada burrito for $6.48 (including tax) which contains a lot of asada, lots of pico de gallo, and lots of guacamole. I seriously can’t ask for anything else. I guess technically there’s some other stuff inside that burrito, but it really doesn’t matter that much.

And if you think I only go to Benito’s when I’m drunk, then you obviously don’t know me very well.

So, I guess I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I ordered an al pastor burrito from Burrito King. Oh wait, maybe I was expecting (1) delicious al pastor, (2) a slightly heated flour tortilla, (3) minimal “filler” materials such as rice and beans [note: the way you can tell if a burrito place is going to be cheap is by how much they stuff it with rice and beans], and (4) guacamole. One out of four is what I got. I am not a happy camper.

The food would really have to be completely god-awful for me to not finish a small meal when I’m starving. At Burrito King, I could barely finish half of my burrito.

Yet, did you think I could hit up a Mexican place and not order a taco?

For those of you who don’t know me very well, about 50-75% of the time I’m like Ben Stiller’s character from Along Came Polly. It was either my sense for adventure and experimentation or my sense that there's a high probability that this burrito is going to be disgusting – something inside my head told me to order a carne asada taco. So I did.

I don’t know if it was because the burrito was so awful, but that carne asada taco was at least a 4 Jarritos taco, if not a 4.5 Jarritos taco. The asada was freshly grilled (or perhaps freshly re-grilled) and tasted unbelievable. The corn tortilla was slightly over-oiled, yet toasty and occasionally crispy on certain edges. The onions were fresh and diced into the perfect size (i.e., a small enough size so that you won’t be reeking of onion breath too much). The experience was amazing. Unfortunately, the mess of al pastor combined with too much rice and beans (and no guacamole) was sitting heavy at the bottom of my stomach, so I didn’t have the strength to order two more tacos.

And so, I must give a “TBA” rating to Burrito King for their carne asada tacos. I’ll be back, there’s no question about that. I’m hesitant for them to suggest calling themselves “Taco King,” especially when King Taco rules central L.A. However, I would like them to think of calling themselves something other than Burrito King, since I’d rather watch dead babies on the ceiling spin their heads 360 degrees while sweating out a heroin addiction than eat another burrito from Burrito King.

Much love till my next post.

Burrito King
Address: 2109 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
Google Maps: Link
Tacos: Forgot the price. Whatever.

Kōraku Los Angeles Post – [Probably a 2.5]/5 Negi

2008-06-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Apparently there’s more than one Kōraku Ramen. When I was growing up, my family would frequently dine at the Kōraku in Torrance. Ever since I’ve discovered my obscene obsession with ramen, I’ve basically only ordered one thing from Kōraku’s menu: the Kyūshū ramen.

This night was probably the first time in maybe 6-7 years that I decided to try something else at Kōraku. Don’t get me wrong – I was completely prepared to order the Kyūshū ramen when we sat down in the booth. Then I looked at the walls and saw a beautiful thing: their advertisement for hiyashi chūka!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with me, there are probably three Japanese dishes that rank in my Top 5 Favorite Dishes in the entire world. Ramen is one of them. Hiyashi chūka is another. [Tenzaru soba [cold] is the third.]

What is hiyashi chūka? It’s basically cold ramen noodles topped with julienned meats and vegetables, hovering over a soy sauce-based sauce that is typically only served in the summertime.

It’s a very cool and refreshing dish that Japanese people like to eat during those disgustingly humid months, rather than get even more sweaty by sipping on steaming hot ramen. As for the toppings, usually they consist of julienned ham, fried eggs, cucumbers, and seaweed, with some very hot Japanese mustard and pickled ginger. Kōraku served theirs with cha-shū [barbequed pork], krab [not crab] meat, two kinds of seaweed, cucumbers, eggs, and the usual mustard and ginger.

Everyone (I assume) has certain foods that automatically transport you to another world when you eat them. For me, ramen is not one of those foods – usually because the ramen out here is nowhere near as good as the average shop in Japan. But hiyashi chūka is definitely one of those foods where I can just look at it, close my eyes, and suddenly I think I’m back in Japan again.

Needless to say, when the waitress confirmed they were selling hiyashi chūka [note: I can’t count the number of times I’ve asked for hiyashi chūka in places only to find out it’s not quite “summertime” by their calendars], I was extremely excited to re-live the summer of 2000 and July 2001-2003. Kōraku did not let me down.

Okay, I’ll be honest – it’s not that hard to screw up hiyashi chūka. Although the men (noodles) were a little rubbery than I like, and there was a little too much sauce in the bowl, I ate up every last bit like I was a recently eliminated challenger on The Biggest Loser.

I’m not sure if it was because the hiyashi chūka was that good, or if it was because it was my first hiyashi chūka of 2008. Or both.

But that’s exactly why I can’t give Kōraku a final rating – I was unable to be completely objective with the food I was eating. But I can give you a very close estimate, seeing as how my lady ordered some kimchee ramen. I had a taste of her ramen and it was downright terrible. The men was completely soft and tasteless, the soup lacked any kind of depth and noticeable flavor, and there wasn’t enough kick to the kimchee. My cell phone camera almost shattered from absolute disgust:

In fact, it was so bad that I would probably give Kōraku a 2 negi rating, but for the fact that the hiyashi chūka made me smile like a kid on Christmas. Therefore, I’m temporarily giving it a 2.5 negi rating. When I make my way back, I’ll let everyone know just how good their ramen really is. Oh, and I hope you like Kyūshū ramen, because that’s what I’ll be ordering.

Much love till my next post.

Kōraku
Address: 314 E 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Google Maps: Link
Hiyashi Chūka: Totally forgot the price. Probably somewhere around $7.00 to $8.00. You’d be getting ripped off if you paid anything more than $9.00 for hiyashi chūka, unless you got insane amounts of fresh seafood as toppings, like this one time I went to a restaurant in Fujisawa with my Obaachan. Good times!

Tacos & Ramen: The Official Sponsor of Kelly Hrudey and Dustin Brown

2008-05-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

[Note: This post has nothing to do with tacos or ramen.]

It's official!!!

Tacos & Ramen is the official sponsor of Kelly Hrudey and Dustin Brown!

(For those of you who don't follow hockey, feel free to ignore this post.)

Kelly Hrudey is probably one of my all-time favorite hockey players. Growing up, I always thought being a hockey goalie was the coolest thing in the entire world. I think that feeling started when I first saw Mike Vernon of the Calgary Flames make a glove save while doing the splits. (Vernon at 0:30 seconds; Hrudey at 0:11 seconds.) I thought Kelly Hrudey's blue headband was so damn cool that whenever I played hockey, I always wore a headband underneath my mask. [Proof:]

When I heard yesterday that HockeyReference.com was allowing people to sponsor individual players, I immediately grabbed Kelly Hrudey. Oh, and I also sponsored Luc Robitaille for my hermana's birthday. Oh, and after I grabbed two L.A. Kings who are both retired, I decided to go with my favorite current Kings player, Dustin Brown. (Here is the most awesome video of Dustin Brown. DO NOT miss the 2:40 mark.)

So there you have it. Tacos & Ramen is the proud, official sponsor of Kelly Hrudey and Dustin Brown.

Taco Plus - 3/5 Jarritos

2008-05-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

I’ll be honest and upfront: Taco Plus would be a fantastic place if the taco meat was grilled immediately after placing your order. Then again, I’m pretty sure that every taco stand’s tacos would taste better if the meat was freshly grilled.

Remember that Jack in the Box commercial when the customer is standing in line, looking up at the menu and can’t decide what to order, while the employees are paused, diligently waiting by their stations? Once the customer places her order, the employees sprint to quickly make her food, first by grilling up the meat. Well, I wish Taco Plus operated in a similar fashion, even if that Jack in the Box commercial was a gross exaggeration.

I’ll start with the meat. It’s basically sitting there in a metal container, warmed by the steam that rises from the hot water below. What’s actually nice is that you can see the meat through this glass display, which means you can see exactly how much meat the employee is scooping on your tacos. In this case, A LOT.

The reason why I’m so disappointed with Taco Plus is that the meat is actually pretty good. In other words, if they had grilled the meat as soon as I placed my order, I guarantee this place would be close to a 5-Jarritos rating. But since the already-cooked meat is just sitting there, I’m going to have to give it an average 3-Jarritos rating.

The tacos are topped with some large chunks of onions. I prefer to have my onions chopped a little smaller, but it’s really not that big of a deal. Unless your girlfriend immediately whips out a comment like “Woah, you’ve got onion breath!” After eating tacos at Taco Plus, you’ll definitely be hearing comments like that from your significant other.

As for the tortillas, not much flavor but it certainly didn’t detract from the tacos. Again, strictly average.

And the salsa? I think they might need some work. The salsa verde lacked flavor, while the salsa roja was not hot enough. Hey, maybe I just caught Taco Plus on an off night, but something tells me I didn’t. On the plus side, it’s a self-serving salsa bar which means I get to control exactly how much [non]flavor and [non]spice I want.

Finally, probably one of the biggest knocks on Taco Plus is the cost of their tacos: $2.35 for each taco. On the “glass half full” side, there is a lot of meat in each taco. Again, maybe I caught the Taco Plus employee on a good night. But for $2.35, there’d better be something special about your tacos. In the case of Taco Plus, that "something special" was on holiday.

Normally when I visit taco stands, I get two carne asada tacos and two al pastor tacos. Assuming their portions continue to be consistently generous, you would be all right ordering three tacos from Taco Plus.

It’s a shame I don’t like Taco Plus more. It’s very close to my home, the facilities are mildly clean, and they seem like a decent bunch of people. But with average meat, tasteless salsa, and high prices, it will be a while before I go back.

Taco Plus
Address: 1525 S Bundy Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (The same complex as the 7-11)
Google Maps: Link
Tacos: $2.35 each

2nd and Beaudry - [To Be Announced]/5 Jarritos

2008-04-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

You know the feeling when you’ve heard about something for so long, but never actually seen it? And then when you actually find what you’re looking for, it becomes the greatest experience ever?

Pick your reference:
1. [Ashamed to admit]: When Harry Potter gets all these letters telling him that he’s been accepted to Hogwarts, but yet his fat uncle and aunt won’t let him out of the house/room/stairwell dungeon – and then Harry gets out and sees Hogwarts for the first time.

2. [Nerdy]: When Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi hear Han Solo talk about how fast and awesome his ship, the Millennium Falcon, is and how he can take them to Alderaan – and then when Luke first sees the Millennium Falcon and says “WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK!!!”

3. [Totally Manly]: When General Maximus (a.k.a., the Spaniard) hears Proximo describe the Colosseum – and then Maximus enters Rome and sees the structure for the first time.

Well, whatever reference you picked, the feeling I had when I saw that taco stand finally open at the corner of 2nd and Beaudry was sensational. I heard about this taco stand from Ladyfriend’s friend almost four months ago. I’ve been occasionally obsessing over it ever since. Every time I would drive by the place, it would either be (1) totally vacant, or (2) filled with movie trucks and cops who closed the entire intersection.

Friday, April 18, 2008 – a day that will forever live in my taco memory. I finally checked out the 2nd and Beaudry location.

Now, I must say that I was so incredibly excited to try these tacos that my perspective might have been a little warped. Therefore, before I give out a final rating, I must go back and try it again with an objective stance. Otherwise, I’ll give this place a 5/5 Jarritos rating with tons of exclamation points and maybe even a few “OMG” or “!!1!!!1!!!!!”

For whatever reason, I always assumed the 2nd & Beaudry (hereinafter “2nd&B”) taco stand would actually be a taco truck. Instead, it’s just some dude who has set up a couple of portable grills, some tables for condiments, and some folding chairs. One of the first things I noticed, besides my enormous (and probably ridiculous-looking) smile, was the table filled with various condiments.

Side Note: Taco stands/restaurants/trucks with self-serve condiments are always going gain extra Jarritos points in my book. There’s nothing like tailoring your tacos to suit your specific needs and palate. That’s why places like La Taquiza will always rater higher on the Jarritos scale compared to places like King Taco and El Taurino. Some days, I feel like loading up on the onions and cilantro. But other days, I feel I need to add extra salsa. Therefore, when I saw the 2nd&B stand had a table full of various condiments, I immediately knew I was in for a treat.

My friends back in law school had a test for ethnic food: If the restaurant contained at least 90% of the people with the same ethnicity as the particular restaurant’s cuisine, it was a legitimate place. Although there wasn’t a huge line in front of the 2nd&B stand, there was a very diverse crowd eating the tacos. For example, you had Your Faithful Narrator, his Ladyfriend, a Mexican family, a couple eating their tacos in the car with the doors open (couldn’t determine their ethnicity), a group of college kids, and three Mexican dudes – one who looked like he literally crawled out of a sewer:

[Scene from the movie Tampopo, when the homeless foodies send off their great sensei.]

Charming!

Considering how my Ladyfriend and I had already eaten a gigantic meal with other friends, I wasn’t up to my usual order of four tacos. So, I opted for one carne asada and one al pastor taco. Store-bought tortillas, but I didn’t really expect anything else considering how we’re talking about a taco stand in a parking lot on the corner of a quiet intersection.

The asada and al pastor tacos were delicious. I spiced them up with my usual concoction of onions, cilantro, and salsa. No need to squeeze lemon or limes on these tacos, as both meats packed surprising amounts of flavor.

However, like I said earlier, my final review will be reserved for my second trip here – when I’m in more of an objective mood.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention – these delicious tacos were only $1.00 each. Unless you’re wearing shorts on a cold downtown night (and have to catch the bus afterwards), it’s pretty hard not to like these tacos. I think I just found my dinner for the rest of the month.

Much love till my next post.

Machos Tacos - 2.0/5 Jarritos

2008-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night, April 16, 2008. I just finished taking my first tennis lesson at the YMCA and, of course, the only thing I could think about afterwards was eating tacos. For the next six weeks, I’ll be taking beginner’s tennis lessons at the Y – which means that for the next six weeks, I’ll be eating tacos for dinner on Wednesdays.

A thought popped immediately to my head: Since I’m downtown, I’ll have to check out that 2nd and Beaudry taco stand that has been eluding me ever since I heard about it.

Background: After discussing tacos and finding out that I worked downtown, Ladyfriend’s friend asked if I had ever been to the taco stand on 2nd and Beaudry. My answer was that I had never heard about it, but that I was definitely excited to check it out. Since hearing about it, every single time I’ve driven by 2nd and Beaudry, I’ve seen nothing. NOTHING.
Then I heard they’re closed on Thursdays and Sundays. So, I went on Wednesday night after tennis, determined to try out these tacos. NOTHING. In fact, not only was there nothing, but I couldn’t even turn on Beaudry to get to 2nd street. I guess they were shooting some movie/tv show/commercial and the cops blocked off the street.

I’m beginning to think this place doesn’t even exist.

Frustrated, I reaffirm my dedication to tacos and decide that I’m going to drive aimlessly and stop at the first taco stand I see. Make the turn on to Sunset, heading west. Wait, isn’t there that taco stand across the street from that gelato place in Silver Lake? That taco stand becomes my new destination.

Pass Micheltorena, pass Griffith Park, look to the left-hand side…

CLOSED.

I’m beginning to think that the Taco Gods have preordained me to eat at Taco Bell tonight. [Though, normally that wouldn’t be so bad. But when you’ve had your entire mind set on delicious L.A. street tacos, the crunchy tacos at Taco Bell just won’t cut it. And yes, that’s the only thing I get at Taco Bell.]

Okay fine. I’m just going to drive and let the road be my guide. I’m positive that my good karma will lead me to a taco stand that is open and mildly delicious. [Nerd Warning: Nerd reference!] At this point, I’m like Luke in Episode 4 when he turns off his targeting computer and decides to use the force to launch those proton torpedoes and destroy the Death Star.

Let’s stay on Sunset for a bit. Hmmm, no taco stands here. Let’s merge onto Hollywood Blvd. for a bit. Stopped at Vermont. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a bright red sign and the first word is blocked by some trees or signs. But the second word says “TACOS.”

Knowing that the Taco Gods have led me here for a reason, I make a right on Vermont and head north to this mysterious taco stand. Machos Tacos.

First impression: The Starbucks across the street is PACKED. The rather large outdoor seating is entirely filled with people and it’s probably 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night.

Second impression: The huge menu has a “Damn Good Chicken” taco for $1.50. Not a big fan of pollo tacos, so unfortunately/fortunately I won’t be trying that.

Third impression: A sign on the window that says something like “If you want extra, then you pay extra.”

I order my usual: 2 carne asada, 2 al pastor tacos. They ask me if I want anything to drink. It’s a slightly chilly night, so I ask if they have any atole. They don’t. I ask if they have any Jarritos. They don’t. I tell them that I don’t want anything to drink. I think I catch a look from the salesperson/cook that seems to convey “Oh, I guess this isn’t the typical local gringo.” I might be getting all “Larry David” on the situation, but I swear that was the look.

Store-bought corn tortillas. Right away, this place won’t be getting the 5-Jarritos rating.

Machos Tacos is basically a small concrete shack that has two areas for outdoor seating. The first is the usual bench and table combination with tarp or tarp-like material acting as the roof and harsh fluorescent lights overhead. The second is this “romantic” veranda-esque seating area complete with soft Christmas lights, ivy, heavy iron chairs and stone tabletops. Since no one was sitting in either area, I chose to sit in the latter.

As for the tacos themselves: meh.

The asada was not good. Not horrible, but definitely nowhere near good. This is even considering the fact that they put guacamole on the tacos – which, as everyone should know, is the quickest way to shoot up the T&R Jarritos rating system. What a shame.

The al pastor was better. Is it just me or did the al pastor looked a little too perfectly cubed? Nonetheless, it was a lot better than the asada. Although the pastor was a little on the dry side, it definitely packed more flavor than I expected.

I tried dripping some of the salsa they gave me to spice things up and add some more flavor to the tacos, but that didn’t help much at all.

Final thoughts: Machos Tacos really hits the spot for a “I’ve been shut out from two taco stands that I’ve been meaning to try for a long time and I found this spot randomly and am very very hungry” sort of mood. Other than that, I’d rather try something else. I hear this place has a very loyal following, but it can’t be because of the tacos. On the strength of popular opinion, I’ll probably come back and give Machos Tacos another try – but I’ll order a burrito next time.

Rating: 2.0 Jarritos
(When I go back, I’ll order an al pastor burrito – and if the al pastor is as decent as it was on Wednesday, then I’ll bump the final rating a 0.5 Jarritos.)

Much love until my next post.

El Parian - 3.5/5 Jarritos

2008-04-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of starting my first taco-related post with the restaurant that started my irrational love of tacos, La Taquiza. But the never-dying taste of onions in my mouth right now is making me think otherwise.

Taco Stand: El Parian
Location: 1528 W. Pico Blvd. (south side, east of Union Ave.), Los Angeles, CA 90015
Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1528+W+Pico+Blvd,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90015&jsv=107&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.681389,80.244141&ie=UTF8&ll=34.044232,-118.273101&spn=0.010419,0.019591&z=16&iwloc=addr

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I heard of El Parian thanks to Bandito at The Great Taco hunt (http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/2005/09/el-parian-paraso-asada-la-parrilla.html). At first, before Google Maps "Street View" was invented, I basically drove by it all the time, thinking it was on the north side of Pico, when in fact it was on the opposite side. After countless times of not finding the place (and subsequently going to King Taco on Pico and Hoover), I finally came to realize that it was on the south side of Pico. One of the downsides of being a lawyer is that you often work late, and thus become mentally incapable of using your brain (other than to drive home) for the first 15 minutes of leaving work. But if you're like me, you're completely incapable of forming any rational thought for the first 48 hours after leaving work.

Today, after realizing that the film crew is still occupying that parking lot that supposedly has the 2nd and Beaudry Taco Truck [the subject of a future post], I decided to try El Parian for the first time. Parking wasn't too tricky, since I used the mini parking lot in the shopping complex just west of El Parian on Pico. Not a very nice neighborhood!

I love it when people try to prove how "ghetto" and tough they are by vehemently denying how a certain part of town or a certain area is "not that bad." For example, Skid Row is absolutely disgusting. I love when people (especially people from San Francisco) drive through Skid Row, they're always like "Oh, this ain't that bad. You should see the Tenderloin." Okay, I'll admit that the Tenderloin is probably worse, but still. Saying Skid Row "ain't that bad" is like saying getting punched in the nose (without actually breaking the nose) "doesn't hurt that much."

Well, I will be upfront and honest with my readers: El Parian is not exactly located in a very nice neighborhood. Luckily, the mini parking lot was only about 20 seconds away from the caged front door of El Parian. But if it was pitch-black outside and past midnight, chances are I would not be making that 20 second run. [Note to self: Have a good laugh when people write "Are you kidding? That neighborhood is not that bad!"]

As for the restaurant itself, not bad! Lots of open space, friendly waitresses, and very fast service. Well, it was probably fast for me since I only ordered three tacos - two asada, one carnitas.

The asada was pretty damn good. Lacked a hint of lime, but very fresh. I wouldn't go out and say it's the best asada around town, though. However, now that I think about it, I'm not sure which taco stand would claim those honors. The carnitas was very good. A little on the dry side, but it really packed a lot of flavor. Usually, the carnitas tacos I get at other places are dry bits of rubber band. El Parian has definitely paid special attention to their carnitas to inject it with some great flavor.

Unfortunately, that's about it for El Parian. The tortillas were most likely homemade - but very dry and lacking any kind of flavor. That is, assuming you don't consider cardboard to be a flavor. I was very disappointed with the tortillas, since El Parian really had a good thing going with the meat. The hot sauce that I stole from a party of three Mexican ladies who left was pretty interesting. Enough kick to the sauce, but not too much. The interesting thing about that sauce was that it had a heavy presence of vinegar. Didn't expect that at all. Nonetheless, the sauce complimented the tacos very nicely.

Overall, I would probably not come back to El Parian - unless I wanted to take an extended lunch and didn't feel like going to La Taquiza. The meat was good and I really want to give those tacos a second chance. However, there are simply too many taco stands to try here in L.A. Maybe in about six months I'll come back to El Parian.

[Another note to self: The pineapple jarritos sucks. What the hell were you thinking?!]

Final rating: 3.5/5 jarritos.
I really enjoyed the meat, but the tortillas brought down the score.

Introduction

2008-04-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

My name is Andrew and among the many things I love, tacos and ramen are my favorite. Not necessarily in that order.

This website will feature me writing exclusively about tacos and ramen.

Enjoy.