Category: Taco Shops

Xolotacos Food Truck (Chula Vista)

Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

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

Revisiting JV’s Mexican Food in the Memory of Jesse Verduzco (JV)

Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

As “FOY” Junichi mentioned in the comments of my revisit of Izakaya Sakura post, on May 29th Jesse Verduzco, owner of JV’s Mexican Food passed on after a tragic accident on the I-5 freeway on May 29th. Junichi, had some amazing timing, because I had read about the tragic accident and felt I needed to go there and had just revisited JV’s that day before!

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!

Fish Guts

Seafood, Taco Shops

So here’s one that I’d been trying to get to for…like maybe over two years? Perhaps, I hadn’t been trying very hard? But Fish Guts had one very strong advocate; Tommy Gomes…..it’s like whenever I’d head on over to Tunaville (which I should be visiting more often), he’s ask me if I’d been to Fish Guts yet. So, I did try a couple of times. The place is a tiny shop on the corner of Logan and Sampson. Fish Guts is basically open Wednesdays thru Sundays from noon. The first two times I couldn’t find parking within like four blocks and I really wasn’t into parking near Mercado del Barrio or Chicano Park and walking. The third time I found parking, but man was the line waiting to get in super long. Fish Guts seems quite hipster-trendy. So, okay….I waited like over a year to finally see if the hype had worn down. And I did find parking and walked over to the tiny shop.

Because of my circling around looking for parking I’d arrived at about 1215……and the place was packed, but the line wasn’t very long to get in. Plus, I was dining alone so I could perhaps snag a seat at the bar. Things moved quickly and it was only a half hour wait for a seat at the bar.

Not to many photos of the interior as it’s tight quarters and I didn’t want to perhaps bother other folks while they were eating. So, the best you can get out of me is some of the decor.

Man, the young man doing front of house and the young lady behind the bar were really nice and super busy….I mean, they were busy….but seemed so organized, and most of all, very nice. I was handed a menu; even though I kinda knew what I was going to order.

Yep, at $12 for two tacos…it ain’t cheap, but the chef here sources all the seafood locally. The gal behind the bar saw I was ready to order and came on over. I got the Smoked Fish Dip ($13) and the Estilo Baja ($12)….basically Baja style fish tacos.

First up was the Smoked Fish Dip. I love that it was served with Ritz crackers….just like Mom would do, right?

Man, this was so ono! Nice balanced smokiness, great, but not overpowering savory tones….that is to say, it wasn’t fishy. Enjoyed the touch of heat in this. Not overly salty, it went well with the Ritz crackers, which also added a textural contrast. The fish, the Pico de Gallo added a hint of acidity as well as what I think is some lime. Not overly dressed, this was super good. I asked what type of fish this was and the friendly bartender told me it was Yellowtail. Don’t know if I can ever have the smoked fish stack at Bay Park Fish anymore….even though it’s in my ‘hood!

As for the Baja Estilo.

The tortillas were good, they held up well, and were on the thicker side. But for some reason I thought the maize-y flavor was on the milder side. No complaints about the fish, nicely crisp, though it went soggy fairly quickly, very moist and tender, almost melt-in-your mouth. I would have preferred less slaw on this. While it was nice and spicy, there was just too much and it interfered with any flavor the fish could depart. Lots of crispness on this though. I read that Modelo is used for the batter, but again, all of that slaw…..

I did take the time to actually taste the fish by itself, which was quite mild with no off flavors. I’d have preferred a light squirt of the typical white; mayo based sauce, less shredded cabbage…just enough to appreciate the texture and some sharp and acidic pico de gallo as I thought that slaw was a bit over-the-top. Though based on the crowds, I’m guessing folks are all over this!

I took this photo as I was leaving….the line outside had reformed and was going down the street!

I will return, especially for that Smoked Fish Dip, hopefully during a slower period.

And now I can go back to Tunaville…since the last time there Tommy told me “hey, don’t come back until you go to Fish Guts”. I know he was kidding…..I think!

Fish Guts
2222 Logan Ave.
San Diego, CA 92113
Current Hours:
Wed – Fri 12pm – 9pm (or until they run out of food)
Sat – Sun 12pm – 6pm (or until they run out of food)
Closed Mon – Tues

Tacos Minali

Dog Friendly, Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

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

Roast Duck from Noble Chef and Tacos from the Tacos La Chorreada Truck

Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

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

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Tijuanero By Tijuanazo (Little Italy)

Dog Friendly, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

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.

Crack Taco Shop

Taco Shops

Recently, I had to take my car in for servicing and decided to wait. I was a bit hungry and wanted a bit more than the usual coffee shop fare I’ve usually gotten in the area. I headed on out and this time walked in the opposite direction of my usual path to the corner of Fairmount and Camino del Rio North. And I then recalled a taco shop that Cathy had posted on in that strip mall. Having noted that other than Stabucks, it was the only place open at 8 in the morning in the mall.

Named Crack Taco Shop.

Cathy had noted that this shop had been opened by the owners of Seaside Market in Cardiff, which was noted for their tri-tip. So, I headed on over.

The place was empty during my entire visit….but the lovely smoke and fragrance of meat permeated the place. You could see the smoke floating above the tables…..I’m surprised the smoke alarms weren’t triggered!

The woman working was very friendly and sweet.

And I decided to try the Al Pastor (of course) and the Tri-tip (double of course) tacos, $4.95 each.

I took a seat at one of the tables; hoping I wouldn’t walk back to pick up my car smelling like I’d just eaten at a Korean BBQ……

And soon enough, the woman came by with my tacos and some fairly picante salsa roja.

The tacos were quite hefty; though I’m not sold on paying over four bucks a piece for these.

The tortillas were interesting, on the fluffy side, though decently maizey, and held up well.

The guacamole was creamy and nicely flavored, and almost refreshing. Sadly, that’s where all the positive vibes ended.

The Al Pastor had obviously been reheated on the flat top and was very tough.

More like a gringo adobada, quite bland in flavor, missing the smokiness and sweet-tangy touches….this was just plain bland.

As for the so called Tri-tip…man this was also on the tougher side, though more tender than the Al Pastor.

The tri-tip, other than being salty, was so bland. Really lacking in beefiness, smokiness, or other basic flavoring. It was nice and greasy though.

I think this place might have gone downhill since Cathy ate here a bit over three years ago and during Soo’s visit over four years ago.. Personally, I think your friendly neighborhood taco shop might do better than this!

Bummer….

Crack Taco Shop
4242 Camino Del Rio North
San Diego, CA 92108
Current Hours:
Daily 7am – Midnight

Well, I need to find places to grab a morning bite round these parts……..

Road Trip – Tacos Los Hermanos (Lone Pine), Old New York Deli and Bakery, and Shelter Distilling (Mammoth Lakes)

American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Distilleries, Dog Friendly, Food Trucks, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Sierra Nevada, California, Taco Shops, Travel

Just about a month after we returned from our two week road trip up to Mendicino, we were back on the road again. This time to where the Missus wanted to go, Mammoth Lakes. One great thing I found out was that The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth Lakes is dog friendly. And it was right across the street from the Village at Mammoth, which had a variety of restaurants. We’d been to the area around Old Mammoth Road before and really hadn’t enjoyed ourselves.

We decided to make an overnight stop in Lone Pine to rest up before heading to Mammoth. So, I got us a night at the Dow Villa Hotel. This was back in June, so it was pretty darn hot already in Lone Pine. We checked in and basically just stayed in air conditioned comfort. When dinner time rolled around we just wanted to eat in the back garden area of the motel. It was too hot for JJ, so I walked the four blocks up to the Tacos Los Hermanos Truck. I was in a rush so I didn’t take photos of the truck which is on the corner of North Main and Willow Streets. I hustled back to the Dow Villa and we had dinner in the shaded public area behind the offices.

I got us four tacos, Adobada, CArne Asada, Buche, and Cachete. The Adobada wasn’t too bad, some good smokiness, sweet tones, and not too tough. The worst was the Carne Asada which was quite tough.

The Buche was pretty chewy, but the Cachete, beef cheek was nice and beefy. The tortillas were no big deal, but the salsas pretty good and spicy.

Not too much variety in Lone Pine, so this was a decent meal.

Tacos Los Hermanos
120 E Willow St.
Lone Pine, CA 93545

This is what Lone Pine looked like when I took JJ out for his 430am potty break…..

In the morning I took JJ for a short walk before things got too hot…..

And then we headed out….stopping in Bishop at Erick Schat’s Bakery which I’ve posted on twice before. The Missus ran in and got us some stuffs and we ate at the park across the street, under the trees. JJ needed the shade!

We then headed up the 395. We knew we were going to be early, so we decided to take a detour to Convict Lake and did the easy loop trail.

JJ got to try out his “boots” which we would later find that he really didn’t need.

He even saw horses for the first time and did well when they passed by!

We then headed up to Mammoth Lakes. We were still too early to check in, so we got our parking pass and headed across the road to the Village.

We walked around Village Plaza and found this sandwich and bakery along the side facing Minaret Road.

And as you might know, I’m a sucker for a club sandwich ($18.99) which seemed kinda pricy, but I added sweet potato fries (+ $1.89) which ended up being a good move.

The Missus enjoyed the sweet potato fries, which while not crisp, was quite creamy with a nice sweet and earthy flavor. The sandwich was pretty massive and this was enough for the both of us for lunch! The sourdough was fine, the turkey thinly sliced and quite moist…….. Good crisp bacon.

This would end up being our “go-to” lunch during our visits to Mammoth Lakes.

Old New York Deli & Bakery
6201 Minaret Rd. Suite 105
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

Soon enough we got to check in at the Westin. We enjoyed the service there…in fact, one of the Bell men is from San Diego….Bay Park! He was so nice to JJ. To get an idea of how closed we were to the Village; this is the view from our room.

And there was a lot of space for JJ to do “his thing” as well.

When dinner time came along er headed down and across the street. It was interesting to see folks who didn’t want to walk down the steps actually drive their cars around the block! We came across Shelter Distilling, they actually make many of their own spirits, have outdoor dining, and serve food. So, we thought, why not?

Of course we started with some cocktails and man were we hooked!

I think the favorite was the “Crib” which was made with Jalapeno infused Blue Agave.

So good! We actually ordered another one!

We also tried the Beet It, made with Bourbon, honey, lemon, and of course beets! It was a bit sweeter.

We liked the fact that you could actually taste the spirits and it wasn’t overly watered down or overly sweet.

As for the food…well, we weren’t impressed. The Mandarin Orange Salad ingredients were good, but the Ginger-Soy dressing didn’t have enough savory-salty-tangy tones.

Like PF Chang’s lite…..

The Crispy Confit Pork Belly Tacos was fine, but one was served on a pita? The Harissa Shrimp Taco didn’t have much of a kick.

The pork was more chewy than crisp. The pico de gallo was too mild. The Harissa Shrimp was at least served on a tortilla…which fell to pieces quickly. The shrimp was overcooked and rubbery.

On a good note, we’d found a place to have cocktails each night we were here. And I also noticed a back outdoor dining area which we enjoyed the next evening. We’d be looking to dine elsewhere…..

Shelter Distilling
100 Canyon Blvd. #217
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

And the Missus and JJ both were really enjoying Mammoth….

Super Mario’s Mexican Food

Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Super Mario’s has closed and been replaced by a location of La Perla

Back in 2022, I noticed that Palomino’s “#3” was going thru a “management change” on one of my shopping trips to Nijiya. Then around September, I noticed that the name of the place had changed to something like “Super Mario’s”? I wasn’t the biggest fan of this location of Palomino’s…in fact the last time I visited was in my pre-blogging days.

And yet, something about the place caught my attention. Perhaps it was the hours. The place opens at 6am during the week! But mostly, I think I got caught up in the signage.

Not the birria….but the menudo. For some reason, I was craving Menudo and thought it would work for a nice pre-Nijiya shopping breakfast. So, on a Saturday I arrived before Nijiya opened and decied to try the Menudo.

The place looks about the same as it did when it was Palomino’s. Except for the prices. Menudo was $15.86. Anyway, the woman working was quite nice and I placed my order.

And then headed over to the salsa bar for some salsa roja. The woman kindly warned me that it was “muy picante”.

I had a seat and the woman nicely brought my Menudo to the table instead of calling me to pick up my tray! It came with the usual fixins’.

Man, those corn tortillas were hefty and held up nicely to the Menudo; I could only finish two of them.

As for the Menudo.

While not as rich and “funky” as the version at Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara, this was better than what we last had at Talavera Azul. Nice kick with some salsa added; acidity from the lime. It could have used a dose of Mexican Oregano in my opinion.

Decent offaly tones and my goodness all the lovely tripe! Prepared nicely, slightly toothsome…varying textures.

With some large chunks of tendon as well.

I wasn’t able to finish all of it and ended up taking about half home with me.

I wanted to have the Missus try it….but She had Her doubts. She finally gave in and thought it was pretty good. I told Her about the other menu items and She wanted to try the Albondigas. So, on my next shopping excursion to Nijiya, I placed a takeout order of the Albondigas ($15.98) and decided to try some tacos, going with the regular size (they have mini tacos for $3.34) Lengua ($6.50) and Al Pastor ($5.98). I did find the prices of the tacos to be on the higher end in my opinion.

Once shopping was done, I got some salsa and carrots, picked up my rather hefty bag and headed home.

Like the Menudo, the portion size for the Albondigas was pretty large.

It filled up the soup bowl with a lonely meatball waiting for attention. This time, the Missus wasn’t able to finish the tortillas. The arroz wasn’t very good, quite dry, and too mild in flavor.

The Missus loved the pickled carrots and those peppers. She made good use of the limes as well.

She thought that the soup was decent, lighter on the tomato side of things than She’s used to, but decent savory and pungent tones. Not as rich as other versions, but passable. And those giant meatballs were good as well. The meatballs had some binder, but were quite tender, with nice savory tones.

She even enjoyed the slices of zucchini.

As for the tacos. Well, they were quite large and full of meat.

Sadly, I didn’t care for them….neither did the Missus. Other than the tortillas, it missed the mark.

The Lengua was strangely bland; missing that rich, bovine flavor.

And because the flavor was very mild; all that cilantro basically took over the taco.

The Al Pastor was actually an Adobada. The pork was really tough.

It lacked that touch of savory – sweetness and depth of flavor and was really in need of a bit more spice and the light smokiness of a decent Al Pastor. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting what we get in CDMX, but this just didn’t do it for us.

All in all; we’ll stick with the Menudo and Albondigas, which, to be perfectly honest, was better than expected. Good thing too, since my recent visits to newer places has been kinda depressing.

I’m glad to have a place to grab a bite to eat before Nijiya opens. Now…we gotta get back to Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara!

Super Mario’s Mexican Food
3860 Convoy St. Suite 10
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 6am – 8pm
Sunday 7am – 8pm

Common Table (North Park)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Taco Shops

**** Common Table has moved to Coin-Op and is now known as 86’d

I had to head to North Park to do some shopping and found parking on Illinois Street and was walking west on University when I noticed some new signage on what was Rising Sun Collective. Looks like the place is named Common Table.

Well, looks like Rising Sun didn’t last for even a year? Look, I’m not going to belabor the point….but being from Hawai’i, I do believe in “Bachi“. And I can’t help but think that having a place named Rising Sun and determining that your Grand Opening is on December 7th….well, you get it, yeah?

Anyway, I decided to have a look and quickly noticed this sign out front.

Hmmm….Katsu Sando, huh? The place looked like it was open so I took a step inside. And the place pretty much looks the same. Well, I decided to give that Katsu Sando a try. The place is one of those order at one of the kiosks, get a number, grab your utensils, and have a seat. The menu, which is very Asian-“Fusiony”, think Adobo Tacos, Bossam Spring Rolls, Longanisa Burger, is quite limited right now and they were out of several items as well.

There a list of beers on tap; but heck, this was lunch, you know?

Soon enough, the very friendly young man brough my Katsu Sando ($16) over. He introduced himself as Nate and was super nice. As for the sandwich.

This was an interesting; “two fisted” sandwich. The chicken was super moist and the crunchy-crispness held up thru the entire meal. The seasoning was good, not overly salty, and in fact would have just been great without that “Nanban” Ketchup, which was gloppy and overly sweet. Nate later told me that it is based on what he had with tori nanban in Osaka. Of course, to me, it wasn’t even close to being the tartar sauce like versions I’ve had here, in Japan, and other places around the globe.

There was just too much sauce and the light, brioche like roll, which goes well with this type of sandwich, didn’t stand a chance. I did enjoy the pickled cucumbers, thinly sliced, it had a nice vinegar flavor, with a hint of sweetness, sort of like Asazuke. The cabbage was great, but again way over-dressed for my taste.

This ended up being a hot mess.

I will say that I’d gladly have this again; but would probably want the place to go easy on that overly sweet nanban ketchup. I need to figure out how to do that from the order kiosk.

That sandwich wasn’t bad, so I decided to head on back. Again, I arrived right after opening time. They were still out of several items, but I decided to try a couple of things.

No Adobo Tacos, so I went with a Chashu Taco ($5).

I needed something else to go with this, so I noticed they has Shishitos on the menu….I did crack up when I saw how they spelled “shishitos”.

Nate saw me and remembered me, thanking me for returning. Like I said, such a nice guy. We had a short chat and he told me he used to work at Koubou and Animae.

There was one other young lady sitting at the counter; busy taking photos with her phone in various angles and poses. Could it be that I’ve just seen an “influencer in the wild”!

First up was the Chashu Taco. Now this was made with beef, not pork. It was fairly mild in flavor and I really would have wanted more of the meat to really make a statement.

I really like pickled onions, but here it made too large of a “statement” as it over-powered the beef. I do think that pork would be better in this. The Queso Oaxaca was nicely melted, protecting the tortilla, mild in flavor, but great texture. I couldn’t make out the wasabi crema. The tortilla was nicely griddled and was almost crisp.

I do want to try the Adobo version of this.

As for the Shishitous Shishitos.

I like my Shishitos to be a bit more charred; but the peppers were very tender. And as bonus; I got to play “shishito roulette” as every once in a while I’d get a spicy one. The fried shallots were a nice touch, crisp and almost sweet. I really like the sour and acidic sauce, which had a touch of spice. Nate told me it was Calamansi Ponzu. Now this is some “fusion” I can get behind.

As I always say; coming from the home of Pacific Rim cuisine; there’s a fine line between “fusion” and “con-fusion”. For now, it seems that Common Table is trying to honestly meld the culinary styles, products, and flavors. So, hopefully they’ll have more of a complete menu when I return. Nate did ask me if I had anything I wished for and I said……”sisig tacos”!

What do you think?

Common Table
3914 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Tues – Sat 12pm – 8pm
Sunday 12pm – 6pm
Closed on Monday