Taco Shops – Page 4

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

May 31, 2021 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Taco Shops, Travel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We got a kick watching them hanging out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

El Huevo Estrellado (Chula Vista)

January 20, 2020 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Here's another mmm-yoso!!! post about food, written by Cathy while Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a little vacation elsewhere.

As The Mister and I tend to do, driving and stopping and not researching ahead of time lead us to this lovely Taco Shop down the street from the bakery where we ordered our Rosca de Reyes for 2020 (photo of the Rosca at the bottom of this post). We were at the corner of Broadway and Naples and stopped at the signal light, saw the signage and turned into the parking lot.
Stepping inside the storefront at the far end, we noticed a second room of tables was available (the 'addition' is new and can accommodate about 30 people) and were told to 'sit anywhere'. A two sided menu was brought over.
Fresh chips and a good, house made, medium heat salsa was also brought out.
The Mister immediately honed in on #23, Chile Relleño with shrimp on top ($14.50). (We asked and the menu is served all day). A wonderful Oaxaca cheese filled mild poblano, dipped in egg white then fried is under the plump, large shrimp and topped with a wonderful garlic-y green salsa. Every bite of this plate was wonderful.
Since the name of this Taco Shop has 'huevos' in it, I felt the need to try an egg/breakfast dish. Chilaquiles ($10.99) just sounded right. There was an option of red, green or mole sauce with the chips and I opted for the red because The Mister had ordered green sauce.

This was a "proper" plate of chilaquiles- tortillas fried then placed in the sauce (not tortilla chips, which are thin and already fried) with the eggs on the side. So very good. The beans and rice were just so much better here than elsewhere.

We are already planning what we want to order on our next visit. Mary and Jake were here in 2017!

El Huevo Estrellado 1096 Broadway (at Naples) Chula Vista 91911 (619)498-1286 Open Daily 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Our Rosca for 2020 was purchased at Sweet bakery Mexico Lindo
The Rosca was filled with a wonderful custard/cream and much more interesting to eat this while taking down the Christmas decor on the 12th Night following the holiday.

Sweet Bakery Mexico Lindo 212 Broadway (at E Street) Chula Vista 91911 Open Sun-Thurs 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri-Sat 8-8

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Revisits to Bistro Na’s (Temple City), Tribute Pizza, and is La Catrina Closed for Good?

October 10, 2019 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Mexican Restaurants, Pizza, Road Trip, Taco Shops

Wow, several of my favorite food groups in one post….after all the really wordy posts recently, I thought I'd give you all a break.

Bistro Na's (Temple City):

Yes, again….the Missus was wondering how getting a Michelin Star would affect Bistro Na's. Well, as far as our lunch was concerned; the crowds are larger now, but the service was still top notch.

And our favorites are still our favorites.

I enjoyed the Zui Ji (Drunken Chicken), which was on the mild side in terms of flavor but super tender and moist.

The Missus enjoyed the stir fried cauliflower.

But we'll pass on the Chili Beef with Tofu in the future.

Decent numbingness, but not much else; strangely not spicy and rather plain and bland in spite of looks.

As you can tell that we've done multiple visits over the last couple of months, this place is a favorite of the Missus.

Bistro Na's
9055 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780

Tribute Pizza:

It's been a while since we last visited and our planned dinner destination was closed (see below). So we walked over. It was still Happy Hour so we got two pizzas…..seven bucks each during HH!

This was more food than we needed and had leftovers. The pizzas were better than we remembered; simple but perfectly prepared. The Missus also enjoyed a sangria….. We gotta drop by more often.

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
Happy Hour:
Tues – Fri 4pm – 6pm

Is La Catrina Closed?:

**** La Catrina has closed

The reason we went to Tribute was because our intended destination; La Catrina was closed; with this sign posted on the door.

Strange, because we'd just gone the previous week and everything was just fine. And the Missus loved the Tacos De Flor De Jamaica; jicama, mushroom, and eggplant tacos.

The Carnitas and Octopus Cazuela was a good as always.

I did express concern about this place in my previous post and it doesn't look good.

I hope I'm wrong…..

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina
3139 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

TNT (Tortilla N Taco Factory) (El Cajon)

August 6, 2019 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. On this hot day, Kirk is staying late at work…because of the air conditioning, or is he overwhelmed with work? I suspect it's the latter. Cathy is writing this post.

The Mister and I were headed to no particular destination, driving on Main Street in El Cajon, got stopped at the signal light at Mollison. The Southwest corner had a sign "TNT". I turned.
We parked in a semi-large parking lot, which has a liquor store, Middle Eastern bakery and a few other businesses. It wasn't busy at the time, filled up considerably by the time we left.
This is the menu. It is current.
Three tacos, $2.60 each. The corn tortillas were pressed from fresh masa and toasted on the grill while we ordered. Words to describe: toasty corn sweet/fresh. The best I've ever had. Magical.

Why is there so much fresh masa?
Carne asada taco. Tender, well marinated, flavorful steak. There are beans on this-and it goes together. The guacamole is fresh, not overly seasoned-it tastes like avocado, not lime, not garlic, not heat. I like it that way. Cilantro and onion round out all the flavors.
Pork adobada./al pastor. Cut from the rotisserie and grilled so each side of the seasoned pork was a bit crisp, this was a very good version. Again, the guacamole, onion and cilantro were complimentary to the meaty/mildly spicy flavors.
The chile relleno was a wonderful version. The young guero chili pepper, still sweet (gueros get hotter as they mature) with a light yellow color, with a perfect taco size (about 4 inches by 2.5 inches in size) was just wonderful; crisp, flavorful and filled with Oaxaca which was mild and gooey, the batter was crisp, light, not oily. The toppings of a mild salsa roja, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and sprinkle of Cotija were just right.

Again, each taco was $2.60. What a nice little taco shop. Such quality. Why does the menu look familiar? The prices aren't; they are more than reasonable.
We could have stopped after threee tacos-it was a nice, light meal. But the menu…a quesadilla is $1.50. Had to. Fresh flour tortilla (could have had it on a corn tortilla, but, you know, for blogging purposes). Oaxaca cheese. Melty, crisped on the edges. Perfect.
Elote asado ($3.25) We figured it would come in a cup. We had to wait. It was boiled first, then grilled then topped with Cotija and Tajin. Such attention to detail. Fresh, sweet, crisp corn.
What the heck. Churros are on the menu.($2,75), fried to order, rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with either name brand chocolate or name brand caramel or both or on the side. The toppings/dip weren't necessary; the churros are great with just the cinnamon sugar. Probably because, you know, fresh made.

We will return; the shrimp and fish tacos, another chile relleno…more of everything. Keep reading.

Tortilla N' Taco Factory 130 S Mollison Ave El Cajon, CA 92020 (619) 938-2211 Open daily 11 a.m.-4 p.m. website

Open daily 11-4. Five hours. One side of the building is blacked out; behind the open kitchen area. What happens after the restaurant closes? If you can enlarge and look at the t-shirt in the photo below…City Tacos. What?

Yes, this obscure location in El Cajon is the main kitchen for all the locations of City Tacos (which, I know has a love/hate relationship for a lot of people). Once the restaurant here closes, supplies are made and sent out or readied for pick up by the three (soon to be six) locations in the County.

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina

July 24, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

**** La Catrina has closed

La Catrina has been somewhat of an enigma for us. I first noticed this shop on the corner of University and Herman, in the former location of Tostada's while walking around the area when the Missus was getting Her hair done one day.

A few days later we dropped by for dinner and really enjoyed the tacos……

And the Missus loved the salsas as well; especially the version with chili de arbol and nuts. It was spicy and complex, really heightening the experience.

So, I was thinking we'd do a couple of more visits, then I'd do a post…..except, the menu kept changing, the Rib Eye and Bone Marrow tacos we'd enjoyed changed…..

Then the rock shrimp tacos; which were delicious on a previous visit, were suddenly not fried on one visit…..

On the next visit the shrimp were nicely battered and fried, but now came with fries…..

And then, to top things off, we went twice during hours posted on the place's website; only to find them closed. Sigh…..

So, after three actual visits and two aborted visits, I basically called it quits.

Until we recently got back from Mexico City. The Missus really wanted some tacos….actually She missed the great salsas we had. So, after checking out the hours on La Catrina's website, we returned. And so far so good.

There was one dish we've had at La Catrina on every visit. It's the Carnitas and Octopus Cazuela; a shareable portion of porky, rich carnitas, and nicely prepped octopus.

The flour tortillas served is a bit inconsistent at times; but when you get it slightly charred it just brings the flavors up to another level. I never thought the combination of carnitas and pulpo would work, it does in this case as the octopus adds a very nie texture. And yes, the Missus loves the salsas….

When things are right; there's a wonderful combination of textures, along with the richness of the pork, the acidity and slight pungency of the onions and pico de gallo, all brought together by the charred flour tortilla and picante salsas. And while it's not always been perfect, it's never been bad.

What we also did on our two recent visits is get whatever Happy Hour or special is going on.

There's usually the Rock Shrimp Tacos.

Which were 2 for $7 during our most recent visits. And the last time we had them; the layer of queso on the tortilla had been wonderfully griddled, forming the perfect, crisp, nutty-milky shield for the tortilla. The shrimp were crunchy, moist, and quite well, but not overly seasoned.

This last time the Fish Tacos were 3 for $8.

The Missus loved these. The fish was perfectly fried, crunchy exterior, the flesh moist, with a mild sweetness. It went well with the smooth and creamy guacamole and of course the salsas.

On our previous visit the Rib Eye Tacos were 2 for $7. While the portion of meat was quite generous, we didn't for these very much.

The meat was tender, but hadn't been seared properly and lacked color and the flavor a nice caramelization brings to meat. It was moist, but also seemed on the greasy side and hadn't been seasoned enough for our taste. The queso had not been griddled enough so it was soft and didn't protect the tortilla from all that juice and grease; causing the taco to lose its integrity and fall to pieces. Maybe you'll have better luck with this one.

Something we tried twice but didn't have much luck with at La Catrina is the Ceviche.

Both times we tried this; the fish had been chopped into fairly small pieces and had been overly "cooked" in the lime juice making it mushy. Also, we found the ceviche to be way to sour and salty both times. We haven't tried it on recent visits, so maybe……or maybe not.

We really enjoyed our last two visits to La Catrina; it seems we've found what works for us and what we enjoy. The staff here has always been friendly, welcoming, and quite nice. I'm hoping that all the inconsistencies we ran into are over. I'm also hoping the place survives. Perhaps it's because we eat at a rather early hour; but we've rarely seen more than one or two other tables filled during our visit. There's so much potential here.

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina
3139 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours (as of this past week):
Tues – Thurs 4pm – 10pm
Fri – Sat Noon – 1am
Sunday Noon – 9pm
Closed on Monday

Mexico City – Taqueria Orinoco and Morning in La Condesa

July 12, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Taco Shops, Travel

As we were finishing up dinner at Maximo Bistrot; I asked the Missus if She wanted dessert. She said "yes", but not from Maximo. The Missus had something else in mind for "dessert". As we walked out of the restaurant, She told me, "I want tacos for dessert"! Tacos? Well, ok then, I had a place just a few blocks away that was still open in mind. Taqueria Orinoco.

There was already a line forming when we arrived at the taco shop right on busy Avenida Insurgentes.

The line moved fairly quickly and we got up to the counter to order in like 15 minutes or so.

From here, you place your order, are given a number if you are eating in, and if the place is buzzing like on this evening, you wait until a table is ready.

And the place was definitely hopping on this evening.

The tacos here are Monterrey style; that would be Northern….so "trompo" is similar to Al Pastor. We ordered one each of the three on the menu. I think what the Missus enjoyed the most were the salsas; ranging from mild to a really nice and tangy cilantro, to a totally scalding Piquin, which I first ran into during my trip to Paredoncito. The Missus really loved it; but paid the price!

The tres tacos came on a metal tray with griddled onions and really good "smashed" potatoes, basically cooked twice…..my favorite part of the meal.

Our favorite taco was the chicharron, slightly crunchy outside, really fatty, though perhaps a bit on the dry side. The res was dry, chewy, and pretty bland. The trompo, was like Al Pastor, but not nearly as sweet. The tortillas were really good, pliable, but up to the task of enrobing the fillings without breaking. The corn flavor was good and straight-forward.

And while these are considered to be on the expensive side, with water this still came out to just over five bucks US.

As we left there was a line to the end of the block…….

Taqueria Orinoco
Avenida Insurgentes Sur 253, Roma Norte
06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Hours
Sun – Wed Noon – 1am
Thurs Noon – 3am
Fri – Sat Noon – 5am

Needless to say; we were pretty stuffed, and we rolled on back to where we were staying. I slept like a baby, at least until the birds started chirping in the morning. Still, we both fell back asleep after that.

There really wasn't any reason to get up early, the Missus had only one thing on the agenda for the day. We finally rose around 8 and left the hotel soon thereafter.

La Condesa is quite charming. I wish I took more photos. The area is known for murals; like this one across the street from where we were staying.

The neighborhood is quite charming.

And along with "people watching"; there were two things we especially loved checking out.

The squirrels doing the "tightrope walk" on powerlines to get from tree to tree.

And the dogs…..and some of the dog walkers who did a pretty amazing job.

We were really enjoying ourselves…….

Thanks for stopping by!

TJ Oyster Bar (again)

November 21, 2018 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are reading mmm-yoso!!! on Thanksgiving Eve…or Thanksgiving Day. Cathy is writing a short post about another regular stop. Kirk is busy, elsewhere, with His Missus.

There are two locations of TJ Oyster Bar in Bonita with the third in Chula Vista- all East of the 805. The Mister and I have been to all three, but we keep returning to the original location, even though it is the smallest.
There are five two top tables and about 12 bar stools of seating inside and two-four seat tables out in front. The cash register is right in front when you walk in: order, pay, find a seat.
On this visit, we decided to share a fried calamari appetizer ($9). It was nice that they did give us two forks . The batter is thin/light and the fry is correct. The squid is tender and the dipping sauce has a light amount of spice; a complimentary flavor. I did add salt at the end.
We had to get the fish tacos ($1.25 each) which are in a beer batter (slightly thicker; good crunch). The fish pieces are large, the cabbage and salsa and white sauce are just enough (not overpowering). The corn tortillas have nice light corn flavor and because they were warmed, a good chew.
The grilled fish salad ($9)is exceptional. The fish is (as you can see) lightly grilled and the salad served with an avocado half. The salad was a bed of Romaine (which had not yet been recalled; we were here last Friday) which had a great housemade salad dressing mixed in-in perfect proportions (creamy but not overpowering in any one flavor; not much garlic).

Just a nice place to stop in for quality Mexican seafood.

TJ Oyster Bar 4246 Bonita Road Bonita, 92002 (619) 267-4577 Mon-Th 11:30-9, Fri 11:30-10, Sat noon-9, Sun noon-8

Tako Factory (San Diego near La Mesa) OMG (Original Mexican Gourmet)

November 13, 2018 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Tako Factory has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing; Kirk is enjoying some time off from work and from blogging.

El Cajon Blvd at 73rd. The signal light. SouthWest corner. Since 2013. Not your average Taco Shop. A bit fancier of a menu. Much more quality. A lot of people told me about it. I should have visited sooner.

Walk up, order, pay, find a seat and your food will be brought out to your table, inside or outside.
You'll get some fresh, crispy, thin, salted chips along with three salsas in a cut bag. The green salsa- mild and lime/tomatillo based. The center is a hot salsa-a habanero finish. The salsa on the right is this traditional recipe I saw on Pati's Mexican Kitchen; Chipotle (smoked jalapeño) with sesame seeds and peanuts. Yes, the salsas-each unique, each fresh made, each wonderful.
Our shared light lunch.
The shrimp tako ($4) is very good. Four large grilled shrimp along with grilled bell pepper and onion and topped with cheese and sour cream on a fresh, warm corn tortilla.
The adovada tako ($4) is served with onions, cilantro, tomato and topped with roasted jalapeño sour cream. The marinated pork is lightly grilled and has crispy bits. The marinade has garlic in it as well as a great red chile. The flavor is a new craving.
The asada tako ($4) is served with guacamole and pico on two tortillas. Quite a lot of food. The meat is wonderful- moist with a great marinade.
All day Tuesday, the chicken, asada and adobada takos are $2 each. The chicken is grilled white meat (moist and flavorful) with onions, bell peppers, topped with cheese, pico and sour cream. {These same three choices are available during 'Happy Hour' (3-5) each weekday, also $2 each. This isn't advertised anywhere.}
The asada alambre ($10) traditionally skewered meat and vegetables (alambre means 'wire'), this version is grilled asada, bacon, green peppers and onions…along with cheese and is served with four corn tortillas. Sort of a fajita (with bacon!), sort of just wonderful, quite enough food to share for another light meal.

Way above average; quality and service.

Tako Factory 7287 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 (619)741-4502 Website Open Daily 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., Closed Sunday

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill

June 18, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Al Pastor has changed back to Aqui es Texcoco

I happened to notice this shop in one of those empty strip malls on the corner of H Street and Broadway on our way to breakfast at Talavera Azul.

I’m usually not swayed by the myriad of “Mexican Grills” and truly not by most places who use the word “authentic” in their name. Call me a cynic…..guilty as charged. But for some reason, this place hung around in my “grey matter” as we ate breakfast. I’m not sure what it was; the strange location, my love for al pastor, or whatever.

So later the same day, I headed back down to Chula Vista to see if the place was even open. And they were. Rather empty at 11 am on a Saturday, but still open.

Al Pastor Grill 02

The two women working were very friendly. The menu huge! With everything from Alambres to Tortas. And there was a strange familiar ring to several of the items on the menu.

That’s when I saw him; the owner of Aqui es Texcoco in the kitchen talking to staff. Strange. So I sent my good buddy Candice a text asking if he had opened up a new restaurant. The answer? Yes. I then asked the Server who smiled and said “yes”. Apparently, the place had just opened.

Still rather full from breakfast, I decided to get a couple of tacos which are all priced between $2.50 and $2.75.

The salsas are similar to what is served at Aqui es Texcoco; straight forward and nice and spicy.

My tres tacos.

Let’s go from right to left. The Costilla (rib meat) was fairly chewy, but not bad, but in need of a bit more seasoning. The arrachera; skirt steak, was fairly tough, but had been seasoned simply and perfectly with a nice grilled-smokey flavor. The winner was without a doubt the al pastor as it had the wonderful slightly sweet flavor along with a nice porkiness that reminds me of Char Siu. Nice crispy bits along with meatier bits were provided. I thought the toritllas were just average; they held up okay, but for some reason lacked the nice corn fragrance and flavor.

A mixed bag overall, but that al pastor was pretty good. I returned the following weekend.

I had seen a couple of items I was interested in on the menu. I started with the Huitlacoche Quesadilla and the Taco de Al Pastor (of course).

The al pastor was a bit tougher than on my previous visit; but the flavors were still good. I didn’t care too much for the quesadilla; it was quiet fragrant; the wild mushroom smell tickled my nose, but it was quite bland. But it wasn’t griddled right and the tortillas were really hard to cut and I still think it was missing something.

I also ordered the Tostada de pata de res (cow foot tostada)

This was an interesting mixed bag. The tendon had been diced quite finely….I’d have preferred a larger dice so I could enjoy and appreciate the texture a bit more. It was also a bit too acidic and sour for my taste. The beans were lovely; nutty and rich. Loved what the cotija cheese brought to the dish; a light salty-milkiness. A bit too much lettuce for my taste though. Lot’s of crisp, crunchy textures, had me wishing for something a bit more toothsome.

As I mentioned a few paragraphs up. A mixed bag, nice service, priced reasonably. I did enjoy the al pastor.

The menu is huge and I’m looking forward to trying other items like the Caldo Tlapeno or Chuleda Ahumada (smoked pork) tacos….or perhaps even Cazuelitas (sopes) Chicharron en Salsa Verde.

I’ll give them a bit of time to get settled in before revisiting though.

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill
520 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Ta’cul

May 2, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Ta'Cul has closed

Because I like to make more than one visit before doing a post, I sometimes take too long. As was the case with El Trebol, a taco shop that a couple of folks had recommended to me at what I call the "gateway to PB". By the time I went to make my second visit, a shop by the name of Ta'cul had taken its place.

The configuration has been changed around a bit and the place is looking kind of rustic. But the young lady and the guy working the kitchen are quite nice.

I liked the menu; both mariscos and what I consider a bit different for this part of town, tacos guisados are available.

Your guisados can be ordered as "street tacos" or larger tacos and run at $2.25 a pop for the smaller sizes. The prices for tacos de mariscos are four bucks and up.

Well, since I was here and fascinated by the menu, I ordered Al Pastor and Cochinita Pibil street tacos, and in typical form for me when it comes to tacos de mariscos, a Gobernador ($4.95).

Service was rather "laid back" as some of the containers on the tables were missing napkin and such. It also took a while to get my tacos.

Even though I saw the trompo in the kitchen, it was not in use. The "al pastor" was heated on the plancha and laid to rest in a mild tasting corn tortilla. It had a very strong, earthy, lightly peppery achiote flavor which kind of overwhelmed everything. It was also quite dry and tough; lacking the different textures of something off the vertical spit. The guacamole helped a bit, as did the onions, but still this really lacked the mild sweetness and balanced flavor I enjoy in a tacos al pastor.

I was quite excited to be able to try the Cochinita Pibil, which I rarely see on menus here in San Diego.

While this was also on the dry side and the achiote flavor was also quite pronounced, there was a mild porkiness to the meat, and the time on the flat top helped add some textural contrast to it. The flavor really reminded me of a milder version of my carne guisada. I did expect a bit more complexity; citrus, cinnamon, garlic, and cloves……but this was better than the previous taco.

The Gobernador looked a bit skimpy, but at least the tortilla was nicely coated with melted cheese to preserve the integrity of the taco.

Not enough onions…peppers….and the shrimp was over cooked. This was the best of the three tacos, but it's hard to get super excited about this……since I usually expect this when I order a Gobernador.

And this for an Al Pastor.

But this is PB and all……

I really did like the friendly service and this time I returned rather quickly.

And ordered the Fried Shrimp ($5.00), Pulpo ($5.95), and a Birria (de res) street taco.

The fried shrimp taco, while being a bit on the greasy side was the better of the two. The shrimp had a nice oceany-briney flavor, the onions and lime helped to cut the greasiness a bit; the batter had a lacquer like crunchiness and the shrimp were moist this time around. The octopus had a nice texture, not too chewy, but really had no flavor and was over shadowed by the peppers and even the queso.

The best was saved for last. It took a while for my taco de birria to arrive. But it was worth the wait.

While this won't make me forget Fernandez or any number of places; most of them are in the South Bay. While the meat was on the stringy side; this had a nice beefiness to it with a decent richness. Definitely the best item I'd had on my two visits.

Due to the nice, friendly atmosphere, I may return for a some more birria and perhaps something else from the menu. Though it's not very high on my list. Also, all they had on my two visits were bottled salsas.

Ta’cul
2015 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Hours
Open Daily 11am – 10pm

I wonder if this pooch was waiting for some tacos?