As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
Well now…..I was looking at my posts on our visits to Mexico City and noticed that I had forgotten to post on two dinners we had there! Since I consider our little blog to be a food diary of sorts, I thought I’d do a C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post on Takotl and Azul…….both places are still open. I’ll mostly do just photos….
Restaurante Takotl Roma Norte:
Takotl seemed quite a popular place, so I made reservations. It was a 20 minute walk from our accommodations in Condesa into hipster, hip, trendy Roma Norte.
The menu fashioned a sort of fusion of Mexican dishes with Asian touches and vegetarian dishes.
For example, along with tacos, they feature “takataka” where nori replaces the typical tortilla.
Including two “takataka”…..sadly, the nori really didn’t do well as it tore and fell apart easily.
The traditional Taco de Costilla, super fatty rib meat was the best item in my opinion.
Though the blue corn tortilla was quite brittle.
Overall, very hipster food and dismissive service.
Takotl Restaurante Roma Norte Medellín 116 Mexico City, 06700 Mexico
Azul Condesa:
The following evening, after our wonderful exploration of Mercado la Merced, I had made reservations at a place just a 5 minute walk away form the Red Tree House. I had read about Azul Condesa a while back and this just seemed the right time for a visit. Azul features some takes on ancestral Mexican dishes.
Again the Missus wanted salad and veggies!
I on the other hand ordered items that were a little more interesting……
Starting with some Guacamole with Chapulines (roasted grasshoppers).
Which were really minced up…..it seemed to have lost a bit of crunch with that process. Really mild in flavor as well.
The Missus really rolled Her eyes when I ordered the Escamoles (ant larvae)….asking me if I hadn’t already had enough at the Mercado earlier in the day.
Often called “Mexican Caviar”, these were on the sour side…..and the Missus had a problem with the texture as well.
Because it’s only available for a couple of months a year, I’m glad I ordered it.
Azul Condesa Nuevo Leon #68 Hipódromo Mexico City, 06100 Mexico
So there you go. I know this one is kinda late, so I thank you for stopping by!
For some reason, I’ve been wanting some Birria recently…..some decent birria. I actually had my heart set on finally heading back down to Ed Fernandez Restaurant….yes, I was actually willing to drive down to Nestor. But then, I had started hearing about a truck located off Main Street in Chula Vista that had some buzz surrounding it….I believe that the original location is in TJ and an acquaintance told me that the folks who took Anthony Bourdain around TJ on No Reservations back in 2012 have been recommending it on Social Media as well.
The name of the truck is Xolotacos and is located on Taco Truck Main Street in Chula Vista. So, I drove on down and found the truck in the parking lot of Bobar Liqour along with another truck. It was still fairly early, but the Xolotacos Truck was quite busy.
What was strange was that the carnitas truck across from it, did not have a single customer during my entire time there. All the customers eating and ordering were speaking Spanish…..for some reason, I found that comforting.
The truck has their salsas and agua frescas on a cart under the tent with the tables.
I quickly made my decision…..
And you know I wasn’t going to be having Mariscos, right?
Wanting to see how the birria itself was, I ordered a Taco de Birria ($3.75) and of course some Consome ($2). I was excited to see Taco de Birria con Nervio (tendon – $3.99)…something that I really enjoyed at Fernandez. All together about $10.50 before tip. Soon enough, my name was called and I went to pick up my order.
Man, these tacos were pretty huge!
They also come with beans, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. But the beans did add another layer of earthy-nutty flavor which I kind of enjoyed. I tasted the birria…slightly beefy-savory, very buttery in texture. Not as good as Fernandez in my opinion, but the best I’ve had in a while.
I added some of the salsa to this taco and whoa….it’s pretty spicy! The were fine held up, even after some dunks in the consome.
Which I really enjoyed.
It was richer, spicier, and more flavorful than others I’ve had. Perhaps not as beefy….but really full of onion-cilantro and spices. Great with a squeeze of lime.
But my favorite item of the day was the Taco de Birria con Nervio. Oh my goodness, so much buttery, almost creamy and soft tendon in this!
The textures were so wonderful! For some reason, the beefiness seemed to come thru a bit more with this taco. Though I still think that the beefy flavor is a bit mild here.
I was stuffed after this. I was tempted to order the Taco de Birria con Tuetano, but am glad I didn’t! It gives me a reason to return, right?
Xolotacos 3189 Main St. (In the parking lot of Bobar Liqour Store) Chula Vista, CA 91911 Current Hours: Daily 7am – 5pm
I really had only done two posts on JV’s during the last 21 years. As I noted in my first post back in 2007, JV’s was kind of a regular stop when we lived off Friars Road back in the early “aughts”. The area was quite different back then; this was before the Arrive at Mission Valley apartments were built, for us the regular stops were Mr Peabody’s, Tio Leo’s, Rose Donuts, Nico’s, and JV’s. My appetite was also quite different back then, as I could put away quite a bit more than today. Over time, I drifted away from those burritos and such, I’m more of a taco kinda person these days……
As for JV’s, well, even though I’ve only done two posts on JV’s, I’ve been there quite a few times in the last 21 years. Though, as far as I could tell, I hadn’t been back there since maybe 2024? After reading about JV’s passing, in addition to contributing a bit to the Go Fund Me (you can Google it), I decided it was time for me to head back to JV’s.
This parking lot can get quite busy and I can only imagine what seems like the eternal road work that has been going on the last couple of years on Morena (one of the other reasons I haven’t been back to here and places like Bird Rock Coffee in a while) I can imagine what effect it might have had on business. I headed over at around 1030 to beat the lunch rush and easily found parking.
I always get a kick with regards to the “menus” at JV’s….it basically covers one whole wall and then the counter and of course the menu behind the counter! All kinds of options….if you think Vietnamese Restaurants have crazy menus…well, you might want to check this out!
And the wall of the dining area is full of USD, Bay Park, and Clairemont customer and team photos. You can tell that JV’s really supports the community.
I’ve stuck to one item on my last 2 visits. In the comments of my original post on JV back in 2007 “FOY” Denny (haven’t heard from you in a while and hope you are well) who also went to USD, recommended the Roast Pork Burrito. Well, back in 2023, I finally ordered it and thought that maybe it was my favorite item on the menu. I ordered it again on my last visit. So, of course I got it again. It’s now priced at $11.80, but it’s huuuge. Of course, I have a thing about displaying relative size of objects….like I did with that “mini” croissant. I was tempted to use one of my shoes…but I didn’t want to spoil anyone’s appetite! So, I grabbed a bottle of cold brew I had just gotten the Missus from TJ’s.
For some reason, it just seems even larger than before.
And to think I only got one container of salsa for this? What was I thinking?
There’s enough carbs in this to keep you for at least a day. The roasted pork is fairly tender and quite moist. On my last visit it was kind of salty, but it was good on this day. Nice oinky porkiness. The menu says it’s cooked in green sauce, but the overall effect of the chile verde is mild. Though it’s probably due to the fact that it’s so porky. And yes, enough rice for the sumotori in you!
It’s easy to see how JV’s has endeared themselves to several generations of USD students. It’s a neighborhood staple.
To quote Junichi: “Whenever I eat as JV’s it brings me joy. Been going since high school. With todays prices I don’t go as often as before. But when I heard about the owners tragic passing a few weeks ago by a wrong way driver on the 5 I had to do a visit. The burritos were still big and full of flavor. Just as I remembered. Will miss seeing Jesse’s smile behind the counter.”
I really wasn’t sure if I was going to do a post on this visit; but after Junichi’s wonderful comment…well, I felt I just needed to.
Thank you Jesse for all the wonderful smiles, food, and full bellies you provided all these years! You will be missed. Rest in peace!
JV’s Mexican Food 1112 Morena Blvd. San Diego, CA 92110 Current Hours: Mon – Tues 9am – 10pm Wed – Sun 9am – 11pm
Thanks for the recommendation all those years ago Denny! And thanks for the inspiration Junichi!
Anyway, being quite curious, I decided to head up to Torrey Hills Center to search out Dark Horse.
Which I easily found. I noticed the Open sign and walked on over and peeked in. The place was empty…..soon enough a really friendly gentleman came over and I was seated in a booth. He introduced himself as Edgar.
And I was handed the menus……with some interesting dishes.
Of course I wasn’t interesting in the “rolls” and such; but seeing items like Anticuchos, Camaron Al Ajillo, Ahumado, Ceviche, and of course Tiradito. And well…..I love Tiradito…but with salmon? I don’t think so. Edgar came over and started explaining “Nikkei” cuisine to me…a nice gesture. Then I told him we’ve been to Peru and even to Maido and explaining the history of tiradito and things got a bit quiet. He then told me that “our dishes aren’t really Peruvian Nikkei, more of a mix of many cultures.” So, I guess Eater wasn’t quite right in their description? Not that many folks would know….
There were two dishes I was interested in and so I ordered the Mushroom Anticuchos ($14) and the Hamachi Ahumado ($24).
The texture was interesting…it was almost meat like, but perhaps on the mushier side of the scale. Some earthy mushroom flavor, but really lacking in the cumin-achiote, achiote/aji panca flavor and quite bland overall.
The presentation of the Hamachi Ahumado was very, dramatic, with the tabletop smoker cloche….which I’ve been seeing at various places over the last couple of years brought to your table.
Once the top was lifted and the smoke gone the dish was revealed.
Very nice presentation; the hamachi had not really changed in texture and was still somewhat buttery. The overall dish was much too sour, which even nullified any smokiness in the dish. The chili paste, made from morita chilies – smoked and dried red jalapenos had a bit of a kick, but was still overpowered by the sour-acidity.
While the portions seemed a bit on the small side; this was enough for a light lunch, though not cheap at nearly forty bucks. It seemed to be more about presentation-concept to me; but I felt I needed to give the place another try; so I returned.
For lunch again. The very nice and friendly Edgar greeted me once again and I was seated.
I was handed the menus again; but this time I paid attention to the lunch specials.
And no, it wasn’t the poke bowl or teri chicken that interested me. Rather, the Agedashi Tofu ($15) and looking for a more traditional dish I was going to order the ceviche; but noticed the Aguachile ($19) on the lunch special menu so I ordered that as well.
The Agedashi Tofu looked quite interesting.
This was so close to being a good dish. The batter was so light and perfectly crisp. The tofu light and creamy. I didn’t mind the creaminess of the guacamole or the crema.
The biquinho peppers added some fruity sweetness, with a hint of spice.
What was missing in this dish was a savory-umami component….you know…like what the tentsuyu provides for a traditional agedashi tofu and a pungent component like what daikon oroshi would provide.
The dish just seemed incomplete. Bummer…..
My favorite dish by far was the Aguachile.
Though I had to crack up when I saw it was served with won ton chips! I guess they had to keep something Asian in the dish?
Like the Hamachi Ahumado I’d had previously, I saw that the aguachile used the Yuzu Kosho type marinating liquid. But for reason, the bracing, acidic sauce did really good here. I’m thinking that the mild, oceany brininess of the raw shrimp and the buffering of the acidity by the avocado contributed to this dish nicely.
The slices of red jalapeno added some spice and the shrimp had hit that firm, yet tender balance.
Again, not a cheap lunch at nearly thirty-five bucks, but I was quite full when I left and thinking in terms of what a chirashi would cost. Well, this didn’t seem too bad at all.
In Luis Hara’s wonderful cookbook; Nikkei Cuisine : Japanese Food the South American Way, which I do own BTW…such is my love and respect for that type of cusine. Within the introduction is this quote regarding just throwing together flavors and the roll of various ingredients from different cultures : “without this understanding, fusion becomes confusion.” In the end; perhaps I was expecting a bit more as this seemed like “con-fusion” than fusion to me. Perhaps I was expecting a bit too much?
Edgar was very nice, warm, and friendly. Perhaps I’ll return in a couple of months?
Dark Horse Japanese Nikkei Cuisine 4639 Carmel Mountain Rd. #103 San Diego, CA 92130 Current Hours: Daily 11am – 9pm
I’ve often mentioned my “list” in posts. Places that I’ve listed to visit or revisit….it’s actually a Google Map that keeps getting more and more “crowded” on a daily basis it seems. Well, I only got one stomach so…..
Anyway, sometimes I take too long to visit and places will close before I have a chance to check them out. Case in point Voqozo. And sometimes I’m in for a surprise. Last year an acquaintance recommended a taco stand that opened off of Park named Tacos el Flaco. So, I put it on my map and read that since it’s a trailer set-up with outdoor seating; well, JJ could hang with me.
Recently, I took JJ to Old Trolley Barn Park for a little change of pace. And when things started getting a bit on the warmer side I thought it would be nice to grab some lunch. I initially thought of heading to BFD, since I hadn’t been there since they moved. But, in the end, I thought I’d try Tacos el Flaco. I lucked out and found parking on Park, then went looking for the taco trailer.
Finding this “clue” along the way.
Even though the address listed is for Park Avenue; the place is located on Lincoln Avenue. And even more to my surprise, it’s not Tacos el Flaco, but Tacos Minali!
Hmmm……well now I wasn’t too sure, but then I spied the trompo! Sorry about the terrible photo!
So, I knew I had to try this place out. Next, the prices gave me pause…….the Tripa Tacos were $4.85. The birria and adobado $4.25! Ouch!
Anyway, I ordered and JJ and I had a seat.
And soon enough my tacos were ready. They looked quite good.
I started with the Adobada, which turned out to be the best of the three.
I did find that mashed avocado to be a bit odd, but quickly got past that. I enjoyed the nice crisp and charred edges; really good caramelization. Savory-smoky, a touch of spiciness, I did miss the hint of acidic sweetness….if I ever have this again, I’ll do what the guy who came by as I was finishing up did and make sure to get some pineapple on the taco.
That salsa had some good heat and the tortilla was nice and maizey and held together well.
The tripas was my second favorite.
I loved the crisp and charred pieces, such good texture. The flavor was earthy-savory, not overwhelmingly “offalish”. The onions, cilantro, and other toppings went well with this.
I was not impressed with the birria. I did appreciate the fact that the double tortillas were crisped up; almost like vampiros, thus it held up well.
The beef was a bit too fatty, the seasoning on the milder side, and for some reason, it was a bit weak in the beefiness department.
Overall, two out of three ain’t bad. And JJ enjoyed himself.
Kind of pricey for tacos; especially from a trailer, but I’m glad to have tried it. The 9am opening time might also get me back here…though I’m sticking to Birrieria Enriquez in area for birria.
Tacos Minali 4005 Park Blvd. (actually on Lincoln) San Diego, CA 92103 Current Hours: Daily 9am – 11pm
A couple of things I’ve noticed while doing my “rounds” recently.
Coco Bomb is now replacing Juewei:
Well, while doing a recent takeout revisit to Eastern Dynasty, I noticed that the “coming soon” sign over what used to be Juewei had changed. Back in March, I noted that LA Hot Duck was replacing Juewei, but I guess that’s gone awry. Now it says that Coco Bomb….which I believe has a location in Linda Vista is replacing Juewei.
On my most recent shopping trip to Nijiya, I noticed a “Under New Ownership” sign over what was….for a short time Super Mario’s…and for what was for a longer time Palomino’s. Kind of a bummer….
So, it looks like the La Perla empire is expanding. We’ll see how this goes; because it seems, at least to me that La Perla has been quick to open….then suddenly close their shops….
3860 Convoy St. Suite 10 San Diego, CA 92111
Gourmet Artisan has closed:
It had been a while since I’d been to Gourmet Artisan…so I thought I’d order a sandwich; but strangely, their website wasn’t working. So, I thought I’d drive past to see what was up….well…it seems that they have closed.
I guess I shouldn’t be overly surprised as the last time I visited, they were using their location as a pseudo commercial kitchen of sorts. Still, it’s a place that I had visited on a regular basis before….but I guess just not often enough.
I’m still kinda “feeling it” from all the recent driving so just a quick post on some recent takeout revisits.
Roast Duck from Noble Chef:
I was in Balboa Crest Shopping Center checking on something, when I decided to pop into Noble Chef to see what roast duck prices were like. It had been a while since we’d been to Noble Chef. The prices and our visits to Eastern Dynasty have basically kept us away. The last time I’d had roast duck from Noble Chef it was a whopping $28 for a half duck! What the “duck” is going on? I was curious so I popped my head in…..
And to my surprise; on this day the half roast duck was $20.95. Like the same price as Eastern Dynasty. Hmmm……I’m wondering if there’s some competitive pricing going on now?
So, here’s what it looked like.
The skin was nice and firm and most of the fat had been rendered off nicely.
The meat was toothsome and moist-juicy. It did seem a bit short in flavor, really lacking in the five-spice/anise tones, sweetness, though it was nice and savory. Also, the duck seemed a bit leaner then on previous visits.
Still, perhaps our favorite roast duck in San Diego……I guess I’ll keep popping in and doing price checks for duck. The other dishes here just seem over-priced still.
The Noble Chef 6159 Balboa Avenue San Diego, CA 92111
I’m always up to try some roast duck if anyone has a current favorite!
The Tacos La Chorreada Truck:
On a recent hot afternoon; the Missus just wanted a light dinner and figured three tacos from the La Chorreada Truck would fit the bill. I actually had not visited since the truck moved two lots over back in November. So, JJ and I walked on over. I ordered my tacos “para lleva” and JJ and I went to have a cerveza at BHT. We then returned for my tacos.
They actually have a pretty nice sitting area set-up now.
Anyway, here’s our taco threesome…..
From left to right. Lengua…nice and waxy, fatty-beefiness. The cabeza…the best of the bunch on this day, very beefy, great with the salsa verde. And the smoky-savory-lightly spicy chorizo and the “neba-neba” of the nopales.
This was a nice and light dinner for us. It fit the bill since we weren’t hungry in the least on this day.
The Tacos La Chorreada Truck 3040 Clairemont Dr San Diego, CA 92117
Every Saturday, as I’m walking to the Little Italy Farmers Market, I’d past the little shop in progress at the corner of India and West Hawthorne. The one that used to be Swagyu. It seems that Tijuanero, which was to be the second taco shop opened in San Diego by the folks running Tijuanazo in Hillcrest was taking forever to open. It’s such a tiny space, that I was wondering if it would even open this year? Then the Hillcrest shop closed…and suddenly there seemed to be some activity on this corner, which by that time I saw was going to be named Tijuanero. In fact, JJ and I walked past on a Saturday several weeks ago and I saw a gentleman working on getting tables set-up, so I stopped and said hello. I asked a few questions and he nicely responded. The shop was going to be open at 11am, I was kinda bummed because I knew that Tijuanazo opened at 8am and I was hoping to stop by on the way back to the car from the Farmers Market. But whatever, I was looking forward to some decent Adobada. I’m glad I mentioned that to the gentleman as he told me that Adobada was only served on weekends!
Well, I decided to see if we could find parking in the area on a Sunday morning and we were in luck as I found a spot on Ivy Street where I usually park on Saturday mornings. It was just past 11 when we walked over. Unfortunately, they weren’t open yet and I was told to come back at 1145. Sigh…..
So JJ got to stroll thru Little Italy and down to Santa Fe Depot and back. And the place was indeed open when we returned.
We walked over and were asked if we were doing takeout or dining in. After saying we’d be eating there we had a seat at one of the tables.
I’m used to tacos in the four dollar range these days, plus, this was Little Italy, so prices didn’t surprise me. I placed my order…and then was told that they weren’t serving adobada on this day…..but it was a weekend, right? Ohh-kay. I decided on a taco de asada and chorizo ($4.15 each), and a birria vampiros ($3.95). I asked if they had water; tap or bottled, cause you know, I’d share it with JJ and they had neither…..
Some lime and cucumber was provided.
And after a short wait, my tacos were delivered.
You could tell the tortillas were made inhouse, though they did not hold up real well. Nice maizeyness though. Loved the generous amount of guacamole as well.
I enjoyed the chorizo more than the asada. The chorizo was slightly spicy, nice smokiness, nicely seasoned.
The carne asada was really tough and chewy. It was also too sour.
It really needed more seasoning, that wasn’t puckery-sour!
The Vampiros was interesting.
Loved the crisp vampiro; think of it as a nice crispy mini-quesadilla of sorts. The birria was quite chewy and like the asada lacked seasoning….not a good thing for birria! The one thing that got my attention was the salsa roja….my goodness…Muy (with a capital “M”) caliente! In fact, it completely nullified whatever flavor the birria had! I did need more napkins to wipe my brow than to wipe my hands!
I’m thinking that the chorizo would probably stand up nicely to that salsa.
As for if I return? Well, with telling me to come on a weekend for the adobada and not having any on a weekend! Then telling me you open at 11, but when I arrive, you didn’t open until 1145….and then not having agua? Yes, this place has recently opened and I expect there to be hiccups, but man this was like chronic singultus! And they also operated in Hillcrest for over a year as well so you would think they’d have their systems down. Perhaps if they did open at an earlier hour or actually served adobada when they claimed to…… Kind of sad since the Tijuanazo brand has a bunch of taquerias in TJ. As things stand; I’m in no rush to return.
Tijuanero By Tijuanazo 2102 India St. San Diego, CA 92101 Current Hours (Supposedly): Sun – Thurs 11am – 10pm Fri – Sat 11am – 11pm
Also, please note that the parking around the shop is actually a pay lot, Tijuanero does not validate parking.
Just a quick, rather sad post for today. At around 10am this morning, “FOY” Mar sent me an Instagram message of a post mentioning that El Borrego was closing. Needless to say, I didn’t see this one coming. And in the comments of that post El Borrego confirmed this.
Recently, I revisited a couple of places I hadn’t been to in years. All the visits kind of just happened by accident. Like my recent revisit to El Borrego, which I hadn’t been to in over 9 years! And it was just by happenstance. You see, I was craving some Bun Mang Vit from Tu Thanh so I headed on over….I understand that the place opens at 9, so I dropped by at 930…and they were closed! Looking for another place….I drove west on ECB….but places were either too busy, or I just wasn’t feeling like it…you know what I mean, right? Anyway, I was just going to head up to the 15 and onward home. But, when I passed Fairmont I noticed that there was an open parking space close to El Borrego! What are the chances of that? Plus, it had been so long since I’d had the barbacoa de borrego from the place…it just seemed like fate.
So, I walked on over and had a moment of analysis paralysis looking over the menu board.
Man, remember when those quesadillas were $2.75? Anyway, I was kind of hungry so I went full on borrego…”ewe know what I mean” right? (sorry, couldn’t help that) I ordered the Mixiote ($18.99).
I noticed that El Borrego now had outdoor seating, taking the space of the former lot next door and in the rear of the place. I asked Rodnia, whom I still remember from those past visits when they started having outdoor seating and she told me “over 8 years ago”! Sigh…..yes, it’s been forever since my last visit.
I also asked if they were dog friendly and was told that they used to be; but ended up having a dog attack a customer and two dogs getting into a fight, so no longer allow it. Bummer!
Soon enough my food was delivered to my table.
First thing I notice was that the meat is no longer wrapped in parchment, though I don’t think it makes that much of a difference? The meat was falling apart tender, though after having the same dish at El Hidalguense in CDMX and Aqui es Texcoco, I find it quite mild in the smokey, chile-aromatics department.
Still, it pleasantly gamey, the corn tortillas were adequately “maizey” and held up well, even after skimming thru the mixiote sauce/drippings. Of course, lime is a must, along with onion and cilantro.
I preferred the salsa roja, it added more zip and spice; than the salsa verde.
And it made for quite a filling meal; with leftovers.
It was nice to reconnect with an favorite from days gone by. Though I do think El Borrego has been surpassed with regards to barbacoa….I beileve I’ll get those quesadillas next time!
El Borrego Restaurant 4280 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA 92105 Current Hours: Tues 10am – 4pm Wed – Sun 8am – 4pm Closed on Monday
Now I gotta figure out what is going on with Tu Thanh!
