What’s My Craving? The Mariscos el Pescador Truck

I readily admit, I got kinda tired of Hipster Tacos after the fourth place (post coming up one of these days). One morning, I just wanted some good tacos; places like El Gordo (which I haven't been to in a couple of years and haven't posted on in ages), La Fachada, El Poblano, and even Fernandez, But I had been wondering how the Mariscos el Pescador Truck was doing. It had been a couple of years since I last visited.

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I shouldn't have worried about how business was…..the place was pretty busy even at 1030 in the morning!

I went with two old favorites of mine; the Gobernador and a Tacos de Marlyn.

IMG_3604 IMG_3605Which came with the free cup of consommé. My experience with the broth is a mixed bag. On days when it's on, it's tangy, rich, full of shrimp-seafood flavor. It truly has the "aaah" factor. On other days, it's weak, with flavors not balancing out. On this day, it was spot on. Just plain delicious with a squeeze of lime to cut the brininess.

The Gobernador was a bit of a disappointment.

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It had a nice amount of plump shrimp, but was missing the right complement of griddled onions and peppers which add flavor and balance to the taco. There also wasn't enough cheese melted on the tortilla, an important touch which keeps it from breaking apart. It wasn't bad, just not at the level I'd expect from El Pescador. Overall, I still prefer the versions with tomato in it as it adds a nice touch of acid.

The Taco de Marlyn on the other hand was almost a work of art.

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The smoked fish was moist, just tender enough, with a ton of flavor. Adding cilantro and a squeeze of lime brings all the saltiness into line. This was a much larger portion than I recalled and not fishy like other versions I've had.

I was tempted to head on over to El Gallito across the parking lot but I was stuffed. There's a reason that all these locheras change hands so much and El Pescador doesn't. A loyal clientele and good tacos.

Mariscos El Pescador (In the parking lot pf RTA/Toys R Us)
1008 Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911 

2 Yuma Trucks: Mariscos Güero and Taqueria San Pedro

mmm-yoso!!! is a foodblog focusing on San Diego and the world. Kirk posts most, Cathy posts often, and today Ed (from Yuma) posts this.

Every year the Yuman food truck culture spawns more spots. Here's a couple:

Mariscos Güero

Angie, Tina's manager at work, was raving about a fantastic seafood molcajete at a place on Ave B, just a little south of 8th Street. So a couple of weeks later Tina and I found the place, Mariscos Güero, tucked behind another truck on the east side of B: IMG_1430

There are a few tables and folding chairs sheltered under canvas with windbreaks on all sides. On the truck there’s a menu with no prices (though prices are fair): IMG_1281

On our first visit, in the evening, there were few customers (and the nice folks at the truck said they would be closing evenings once the main season was over). At weekday lunch, the place can be quite busy: IMG_1307

On our first visit, Tina and I had a molcajete: IMG_1284

It was packed with cooked shrimp, octopus, and surimi. The seafood was mixed with large slices of red onion and cucumber pieces, all topped with generous wedges of avocado. The sauce was exceptional –flavors of seafood, lime, chili spice, and even a touch of soy sauce. Overall very good.

We also ordered a ceviche tostada: IMG_1286

Also very good. The sweetness of the fresh raw and cooked shrimp came through the lime. The fresh chopped onions and cucumbers and crunchy tortilla gave textural balance.

On my next visit, I ordered two fish and one shrimp taco: IMG_1310

Here's a close-up of a fish taco: IMG_1311

The tortilla, cabbage, and tomato were fresh and fine, but the crema was awfully thin and lacking in flavor. While the breading on the seafoods was not crunchy, neither the fish nor shrimp were overcooked so they tasted fresh and moist.

On my last visit, it was time for a campechana: IMG_1432

That's huge. And it is filled with a lot of good stuff: IMG_1433

When I ordered the mixed seafood cocktail, I was asked if I wanted it with "blood clam." "Sure," I answered, "con todo." I hadn't run across a campechana with blood clam (also known as concha negra, black clam) since Tio Juan’s disappeared from 8th Street. Here is one of them: IMG_1435

I did not know that some websites list blood clam as one of the most dangerous foods in the whole world. Of course, my old seafood purveyors in Monterey sell them, so maybe not all that deadly.

In any case, I am still alive and feeling good, so I guess I dodged another bullet (picture smiley face of your choice here). I also had the joy of consuming a really wonderful campechana. The octopus and shrimp were not overcooked. The surimi had a pleasant sweetness that I liked. But the mollusks were the stars: the abundant octopus had a perfect chewiness and octopus flavor; the clams had a different chew and were distinctly clammy; and the few fresh bay scallops were tender and lightly flavored. The cocktail juice tasted of cooking water, tomato sauce, (Clamoto?), lime juice, and a hint of soy. With a little bit of salsa it was perfect for my palate.

Taqueria San Pedro

This taco stand on 8th Street has long been a favorite of Tina and me. Though they quit serving hotdogs, their carne asada and other tacos, as well as the attractive ramada area, made it a good place for a quick dinner.

We had noticed, however, that the place seemed to be deteriorating slowly – the leather seats becoming ragged and torn. Then one evening San Pedro was not open. No sign and no sign of life. Oh well, we shrugged, that's the world of taco trucks.

A couple of months ago, we were cruising 8th Street and saw billows of fragrant looking smoke rising from the back of a lot. "Oh My God," Tina exclaimed, "it's San Pedro!" And so it was: IMG_1264

Pedro himself was still there being grillmaster. But the interior had been renovated – now more closed off and refurnished: IMG_1265

Wow. Fancy tables and chairs, a tiled floor, even a heater. The menu, still very small, is on every napkin dispenser: IMG_1267

After we ordered, the first thing brought over was a cup of frijoles: IMG_1268

Good, simple pinto beans in a light broth. Good by themselves, but made even better by adding some of the condiments: IMG_1269

Notice the spicy and the roasted salsa. The guacamole sauce was thinner than eight years ago, and many of the other items were nothing special. However, we really enjoyed the mild and fresh pico de gallo: IMG_1270

and loved the roasted jalapenos, mellowed and sweetened by the grill: IMG_1271

Then came volcanes: IMG_1272

Basically, a volcan is just a vampira except that the cheese goes atop the carne asada rather than between the meat and the desiccated corn tortilla. This was excellent, crunchy and toothsome with meaty asada.

The taco San Pedro is another Sonoran specialty, matching cheese, roasted green chile pepper, and quality asada: IMG_1273

This night, the cabeza was decent but nothing special: IMG_1275

What was  our favorite? The tripa: IMG_1276

Tripa is difficult to get right. Sometimes too musty, often too rubbery, and usually too flavorless. This one, however, was perfect. Crunchy in places with a little char, and what was not crunchy was tender chewy. Porky good. Yum.

Tina and I are happy that San Pedro lives again.

Tacos Perla

**** This location of Tacos Perla has closed

Our third stop in the Hipster Taco tour. Over the last few months, I made a couple of stops at Tacos Perla. I'm kind of late to the show here, so you may want to just check out Kirbie's or CC's posts instead. Located near the hipster ramen haven, Underbelly, Tacos Perla occupies a nice spot on the corner of 30th and Upas.

Tacos Perla 01

Tacos Perla 02

Being an old fart, I love the black and white movies projected on the rear of the small dining room.

Tacos Perla 03 a

On one of my visits they were showing Fun in Acapulco….my late Mom was a big Elvis fan, though not as big as my best friends mother who went To Elvis's Aloha from Hawaii concert in 1973. I still kid that tough talking cigarette smoking "Tita" about going all goo-goo and gaga and crying because she loved Elvis so much. Anyway, I grew up listening to Elvis, and "No Room to Rhumba in a Sports Car" was a big favorite along with Wooden Heart. Which I got to sing when I was in a oldies band waaaay back when…..waaaay back when. But that's another story.

Tacos Perla 09 Tacos Perla 09aOne of the draws to Tacos Perla is the short, but quite interesting collection of salsas. It's nice that they have a pairing list as well.

On my first visit I went with three tacos that interested me. At that time it was a pretty pricy proposition, $4.95 for "non-traditional" tacos and $3.95 for "traditional" style tacos. Not a huge list of items to choose from, but that's not important if everything is well prepared and flavors to match.

Tacos Perla 04 Tacos Perla 05As you can tell, I also added a side of Chapulines (crickets) for 75 cents. It had been a while since I'd had chapulines, which really have little flavor (when prepped well), but adds a nice crunch to things.

I really enjoy a good Al Pastor/Adobada, so I started with that.

Tacos Perla 06 Tacos Perla 06aI found the adobada to be a bit gummy and tough. So I decided to add the crickets to this. Not my favorite version of adobada as I found the flavors lacking, especially in sweet and savory tones.

The tortillas struck me as well. Liked the rather rustic homemade feel, but it was a bit too crumbly and there was a tad of sweetness that I could detect as well.

The Ocho ($4.95) was no-brainer for me since I love most edible Cephalopods.

Tacos Perla 07

Loved the texture of the octopus, was less enamored with the rather weak flavorings, which did just enough to mask any brininess provided by the octopus, but didn't bring much else to the table. I've had everything from sannakji to pulpo zarandeado, to wonderful versions in Greece and smoked tako back home in Hawaii. This was a bit of a disappointment in the "what could have been" kind of way.

The best of the bunch was the Del Mar (Shrimp).

Tacos Perla 08

The achiote based seasoning didn't interfere with the pure flavor of the shrimp. The jack cheese added just the right amount of  milkiness and salt to this for me. The recommended "pico de gallo" was a perfect match, good acid-tangy-pungent flavors that didn't mess about with this.

I did return two more times, I'll spare you the second visit, which was kind of basically the same to see if I held the same opinion, with the addition of a carne asada taco, which ended up having quite a bit more gristle that I anticipated. That Del Mar still came out on top.

Tacos Perla 14

I decided to drop by one more time after I heard that Tacos Perla had dropped their prices……great news since I thought almost fifteen bucks for three tacos was kind of pushing it for this type of ingredients put together in this manner, with this portion size.

So, I dropped by once again. This time things were a bit cheaper.

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The Missus really enjoys the Portobello con Vegetales at City Tacos. So I thought I'd try the version here.

Tacos Perla 10

This left a bit to be desired in terms of flavor as it was very bland. Too many underseasoned components. The salsa, advertised as fire roasted pepper and papaya really lacked smokiness, heat, or even enough sweetness to really matter. Strange thing, the main thing I recall with this is how much I could mainly taste the tortilla…..

Tacos Perla 11

I tried the Carne Asada yet again. In terms of flavor it was much better; I swear, there's some soy sauce here?

Tacos Perla 12

It was still a bit to "gristlely" for my taste.

The surprise was the Taco de Pescado. Folks who've read this blog long enough know because of having to deal with quite a bit of mahimahi in a previous life, I'm a bit hesitant about ordering it as it attains a rather "sour" taste beyond 48 hours.

Tacos Perla 13

This was quite decent, perhaps edging on a bit too salty, but tempered by the mango salsa. I do prefer a more crisp batter for my fish tacos though.

Tacos Perla 15So, in the end, I think the Missus is going to stick with City Tacos, though I'll keep tabs on Tacos Perla….I'm sure I'll visit again the future.

Tacos Perla
3000 Upas St
San Diego, CA 92104

 

City Tacos

Over the last year, I went ahead and checked out several of our "hipster" taco shops. I've already posted on ¡Salud! and will probably get around to the rest eventually. Of these taco shops, the only one I took the Missus to was City Tacos; I think Salud has better tortillas, Perla is definitely tops in the salsa department, but I think City Tacos, which I recall first hearing about from Candice and then "CC" was the overall best of the lot. It's a small, cramped space, you order at the counter, pay, are given a placard with a number…..

City Tacos 01

The salsa bar is nice in that they encourage you to try the various salsas, though not quite inspiring on jicama first. I usually just go for the rojo, though there's one that's basically chili oil…..the Missus, She needs no salsa for the tacos She enjoys.

City Tacos 02

What's quite fascinating is that the Missus treats City Tacos as an alternative to Tiger! Tiger! when She wants to grab a beer at Toronado. So I'll let you know what the Missus enjoys here first.

Numero Uno would be the Puerco Agri Dulce….basically chunks of pork tenderloin with pineapple.

City Tacos 08  City Tacos 09Disregarding the rather strange fried noodle thingy; which I guess is added for texture, the Missus loves the "sweet-sour" flavors of this taco. It's one of Her favorites. The tortilla on this is perfect as it just adds a bit of "breadiness".

As is the Chorizo Asado, which to me is pretty plain, but the Missus loves Her chorizo and also the milkiness of the cheese.

City Tacos 06

Number three, which could have easily have been numero uno (for the Missus, not me) is the Portobello con Vegetales.

City Tacos 04 City Tacos 05The main reason is that we've never had it the same way twice…..once there wasn't any greens on it, the next time it was amazingly good (photo above), the cheese had been griddled to a wonderful crispy texture, the next time it was just melted. Personally, I'm not sold on veggie tacos, but give me something with that cheese crisp from the comal with black beans and corn….

I usually order the "Borrego", though those tacos have wildly varied as well.

City Tacos 07

I once got it ice cold, the last time I ordered it, there were some delicious fried veggies on top. The lamb is very tasty….I just wish for some consistency.

We also like the Carnitas when they have it.

City Tacos 12

Nicely porky….In spite of questioning the addition of mangos to this……it was tasty, even with the Missus's edict of "no salsa". The corn tortilla was perfect for this.

As a whole, we're not big fans of the seafood offerings here; I had the tacos de pescado (no photo) which was really fishy and not very tasty. The El Especial really wasn't much better.

City Tacos 10

Tough and rubbery octopus and squid, overly fishy flavors, just didn't do it for us.

The Mahi Adobo wasn't much more pleasant either….

City Tacos 11

It could be that in a "previous life" I had to deal with a ton of Mahimahi and understand how quickly it "sours"……but to me, this was too fishy and "sour". You can easily get a good tacos de marlyn from a Mariscos truck that would be much better than this.

City Tacos 03

Overall, we've figured out what we (the Missus) enjoys from City Tacos and it's a nice stop for us in the area when the Missus is craving some tacos. One of the women who work here is very nice. We've even taken the tacos to go….they put them in a pastry box, you know, like when you order a dozen donuts, and ate them at Poseidon.

City Tacos
3028 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

 

Tacos El Zamy – Yuma

Kirk and Cathy are really busy today, so another post by Ed (from Yuma).

When the long defunct Indian restaurant on 4th Ave. was transformed into a taco shop, the change was instantly apparent: IMG_0580

So of course I had to drop in and see what was going on. On my first visit, if memory serves, they were serving only quesadillas, or pastor, asada, or cabeza tacos, so I ordered three tacos. I was pleasantly surprised when a wheel of condiments showed up on my table: IMG_0990

The guacamole sauce was pretty standard, as was the salsa, cabbage, onion/cilantro, and lime wedges. I enjoyed the thick slices of cucumber which I dipped in the guacamole sauce and topped with a little salsa. My taco shop appetizer.

Looking around, I could tell that the new owners had painted the inside as well as the outside, cleaned the place up, and put in new furniture: IMG_0583

The tacos were decent, if nothing really special: IMG_0585

All the meats, even the very red pastor, were lightly seasoned – the basic flavors coming through.

On my next few visits, it was clear that the restaurant was thriving with customers in the front, back, and side room: IMG_1011

No longer was the young son of the family wandering around amazed at the restaurant and the customers. Many more choices were written on a whiteboard: IMG_0987

Wow, a vampira – gotta try one of those: IMG_0992

Crunchy, meaty, cheesy. Yep.

Covered with fresh chopped lettuce and tomato and sprinkled with crumbly cotija cheese, a beef and frijoles sope was tasty as well: IMG_0993

The beefy rolled tacos (topped with cabbage) had plenty of crunch: IMG_1018

And I could wash everything down with real Mexican Coca-Cola: IMG_0986

Since this is an independent family restaurant, there is some variation from visit to visit. For example, most of the time the chicken taco looks like this: IMG_0994

But one day, the chicken had lingered longer on the grill and had a more interesting crispy texture: IMG_1015

On that same visit, the cabeza was really outstanding, muy rico: IMG_1016

And of course, all of these things came with that same condiment wheel.

And Tacos El Zamy continues to get better. The whiteboard has been replaced by this electronic menu: IMG_1289

And the wheel of condiments comes with an extra spicy salsa on the side: IMG_1257

One thing that hasn't changed is the friendly and personal service. I have always been well treated. For example, when I recently ordered three tacos, my friendly server reminded me that at El Zamy 4 tacos are only $5. I couldn't resist what was basically a $.50 taco, so this platter soon showed up at my table: IMG_1259

The cabeza, chicken, and pastor were pretty much the same as before, but the birria (de res) was wonderful – rich and savory.

I couldn't quit thinking about that birria, so on my most recent visit I ordered the birria plate (after all, this post wouldn't be complete without trying one of the plates, right?): IMG_1292

The wheel of condiments and the warm corn tortillas on the side were fine. And even though the rice was subpar and the beans a bit runny, the birria was really great. I left happy and satisfied.

In many ways, El Zamy is like a taco truck in a building, featuring many of the basic taco truck favorites done well. Unlike a taco truck, the restaurant offers protection from wind and weather. The ambience – such as it is – makes this the kind of place where a Yuman could give Cousin Fred and his wife Nancy from Nebraska a good quality authentic Yuma taco experience without subjecting them to plastic chairs, a dirt parking lot, and inclement weather. And the food is good and prepared with love.

Tacos El Zamy, 2071 S. 4th Ave, (928) 366-3269 or (928) 817-2461

Maritza’s Mexican Food (and carnitas Wednesdays)

Thanks for stopping to see which food ethnicity mmm-yoso!!!  is writing about today.   Our blog posts are a sort of ongoing diary of where and what we eat.  Cathy is writing; Kirk is enjoying nice weather and Ed (from Yuma) is busy with other things (in Yuma).

When The Mister and I first moved to San Diego, we lived near this small nondescript strip mall, in the middle of a neighborhood.  There was a great little market on the far end, 'Green Grocer', where we regularly shopped.  After moving out, we still came back to shop at Green Grocer and noticed Maritza's moved in (around 1987).  This was the same time that small taco shop (run by their in-laws) had opened across the street from (presently under reconstruction) K Sandwiches.  Maritza and her husband still own and run this wonderful little shop.IMG_6886Nondescript was the word I used. There's a Liquor Store on the other end of this strip and some other shops in between.IMG_6867IMG_6860IMG_6861Walk up, order and pay and have a seat.  Marita brings the food out to you.IMG_6869When you walk up to order look at the wall to your right, not just straight ahead.  There are specials listed.  The above 'Flying Saucer'($6.75) is a good choice when you just aren't sure.  The shredded stewed beef, on top of refried beans on top of a crispy fried flour tortilla and topped with the generic lettuce, tomato, cheese, guacamole and sour cream is a good way to eat what you want…with drops of the wonderful multi flavored, spicy/medium heat house made salsa.IMG_6875The enchiladas are a similarly easy to try option…again the unique house made enchilada sauce is really good.  I just wanted to take a photo of the sauce.  These are cheese enchiladas ($3.25), my Friday standard order.IMG_6872Look at the order counter in the second photo, there's a paper taped to the beverage dispenser, in the center.  

Sopes ($2.75)…hand made circles of fried dough (crispy on the exterior and soft and kind of fluffy on the interior) (so tasty of sweet corn) topped with refried beans and, in this case, carne asada. Standard toppings of lettuce, tomato, guacamole and cheese round this out.  An order of one is very filling.  

The carne asada here is the best of anywhere.  Maritza's husband makes it himself, mixing the spices and marinating and it is just perfection.IMG_7153Here's a cross section of a carne asada burrito ($5.55).  It is really, really flavorful steak.  IMG_7151Scrolling back up to the second photo again, taped on the wall straight behind where you order is a sign: "Wednesdays Special Carnitas".  

Again, Maritza's husband makes the carnitas and it's available until sold out.  A great carnitas…fried pork, shredded and served with corn tortillas…and everything you see above, including the house made green salsa, seen on the far right in the above photo (and mentioned in my post about sauces and salsas and divorce.) The plate is $9.95 and a burrito is $4.95.

Maritza's is a local little shop and a treasure.

Maritza's Mexican Food 3582 Mount Acadia Boulevard (between Mount Burnham Drive and Mount Abbey Drive) San Diego 92111  (858)279-8866 open 11:30-8:30 Mon-Fri Closed Saturday and Sunday

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Krist Liquor & Market (Birria and Carnitas and more)

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog.  This week has been hectic for Kirk; he's multitasking, with some sort of new surprise popping up hourly.  Ed (from Yuma) has had a more or less relaxing sort of week (in Yuma) with routines guiding his day.  Cathy's week has been filled with added surprises, necessitating periodic concentration; writing this blog post is a way for her to wind down.

You've seen it and drove right past if you ever were South on Linda Vista Road, going toward the new location of Sab E Lee (which shares the same parking lot with Thuan Phat supermarket and Yum Cha Cafe), or maybe the original Sab E Lee location, which is now Thai Papaya (which Kirk may or may not like).  

On the West Side of Linda Vista Road, next to the Jack In The Box (at Fulton Street)…IMG_5749Note the signage on the building to your left …rotisserie chicken, birria, carnitas.  There is a menu on both of those open doors.  Just walk inside.IMG_5747IMG_5746Sure, there's a whole wall of liquor as well as a refrigerator of cold beer and plenty of non-alcoholic beverages.  There's also a small display case of Mexican baked sweets, as well as fruits and vegetables, a meat counter and a few aisles of various sundries.  All the way in the back, you'll see-IMG_5738IMG_5739The menus up high.IMG_5737_2IMG_5736_2IMG_9709The steam trays in front of you.IMG_9706IMG_5745_2Condiments, sides and the stove (for warming tortillas) along the side.  

Order and watch your meal being prepared.  Grab a beverage or two.  You'll pay at the cash register at the door.  There is *no* seating.IMG_5751Usually, I'll get a quart of birria to go, but on this day, I asked for it as a combination plate ($6.49).  I think it's the best birria, stewed until the beef is tender and with spicy, deep and complex flavors.  The chef is always proud when I tell him it is my favorite.IMG_5750Here's a carnitas plate ($6.49) with no rice and all the sides that come with it.  There is plenty here (you get six corn tortillas and there's always more meat than small tacos I make with the ingredients).IMG_9714The chicharrones guisados  (stewed fried pork rinds in green sauce) made here is also one of the best.  I asked for it to be made into two tacos.  It's not listed on the menu, but I was only charged $3 for these.IMG_9715Here's another plate of carnitas from Krist.  Different cooks, different results.  All good.

Krist Liquor & Market 7152 Linda Vista Road San Diego 92111 (858)292-7986 Open Mon-Tue-Wed-Th & Sat 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.-9 p.m. IMG_9710Since there is no seating at Krist, we either have to drive home to eat or head toward Mission Bay, where there is plenty of seating and a view of Fiesta Island. 

I hope your week is going well!

¡Salud!

**** Salud has closed.

I believe I first read about Salud on Mary's Food Blog, then some friends told me they really like the place. They described it as sort of hipster tacos put together by the San Diego Taco Company. I had wanted to check out Border X Brewing Company, so decided to make it a two-fer. Unnfortunately, Border X was closed…but at least Salud was open. Man, I hadn't been in this part of Barrio Logan since this location was Porkyland over 9 years ago!

Salud 01

The interior is nice and bright with high ceilings making the dining area seem wide open and airy. The folks here are very friendly. You order at the counter then have a seat with a number….

Salud 02

The menu is simple, with tacos, bowls, quesadillas, and such.

Loved this mural…..

Salud 03

Also enjoyed the salsa bar….nice variety, well made salsas, though in the end I choose the traditional Chile de Arbol Salsa.

Salud 04

I order three tacos, $2.50 each….so $7.50 for three tacos. I gotta say, they were pretty sloppy.

Salud 05

Salud 06The fried tortilla for the birria (this version is pork) was superb, light, crusty, really nice. This was basically a mes. The birria was pretty bland, really lacking any chile flavor, richness, or anything else notable. It's not even close to say; what Fernandez and even milder than Tacos Revolucion's version. Too bad, that tortilla was excellent.

The obviously hand made tortilla used for the Taco de Al Pastor was also excellent.

Salud 07

The al pastor was nice and crisp, but the flavor was really lacking……there was also a slight bitterness to the meat as well. Not my favorite thing.

I really enjoyed the Taco de Barrio, which didn't look like much, but was quite good.

Salud 08

Loved the combinations of textures, the creamy, almost too salty, but delicious frijoles, the tender stewed beef, the pieces of nopales, the nice smooth crema, and a really good hand made flour tortilla. Very nice topped off with that salsa that added the heat and the acid to harmonize all the flavors. Very nice!

Salud 09

The next weekend, I had to head down to National City for something, so decided to drop by Salud again to try some other tacos. I again got three.

Salud 10

A much nicer presentation this time. As with the previous visit, the tortillas were all excellent.

Salud 11

Salud 12The carnitas was also pretty mild in flavor, though the texture was good, I'd want something a bit more "pork forward". The avocado crema was quite nice.

I enjoyed everything but the flavor of the fish; which was on the muddy side on the fish taco.

Salud 13

The nice crunchy batter, the cabbage and pico de gallo, and of course the tortilla worked well together, though it won't make me forget about my favorite versions of fish tacos in San Diego.

Salud 14

Salud 15And of course, another Taco de Barrio, which was just as satisfying as my previous one. Really satisfying, if a tad on the salty side.

To me, not a place to go out of the way for. Though I'd gladly drop in if/when I ever make it to Border X Brewing or if for some reason I'm back in the neighborhood.

¡Salud!
2196 Logan Ave
San Diego, CA 92113

Salud 16 

So, a guy walks into a bar and asks, whose Al Pastor is better, JV’s Mexican Food or Lalo’s?

You've heard those arguments, right? You stop in a bar for a beer and two knuckleheads gentlemen at the bar are doing the "who is better" thing……Ryan or Koufax, Montana or Elway, Kikaida or Kamen Rider? Kikaida or Kamen Rider??? Believe it or not….two guys at my favorite watering hole "back home" almost came to blows over that one! So there I was, listening to these two guys go at each other over Al Pastor….interesting! It became a lot less interesting after I found out that they were comparing JV's and Lalo's. No offense, but there's a lot better to be had here. Still, it made for some fine entertainment and it had been a while since I'd been to either place, 8 years since JV's and a whopping 9 1/2 years since Lalo's. So why not? I started with…..

JV's Mexican Food:

JV Al Pastor 01I'd say this place is timeless. As in the sign has kind of faded and the prices have gone up, but the place looks basically the same as I recalled.

I've always had friendly service here and on this visit it was the same. What was different was that they have "street tacos".

JV Al Pastor 02

Three Al Pastor Tacos go for a wallet friendly $4.50.

JV Al Pastor 03

As before, the Al Pastor lacks that trompo crusted texture and is less sweet than I prefer….actually, it's a bit on the bland side. The tortillas are typical, not terrible, but nothing special. The salsas are decent and this all works together adequately. It's not terrible, JV's will never be the first that comes to mind, when it comes to Al Pastor…..but it's decent rather cheap easts.

JV's Mexican Food
1112 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Lalo's Tacos Al Pastor, Etc:

**** After many years Lalo's has closed

Lalos Al Pastor 01

It literally feels like a lifetime since I've been here.

Lalos Al Pastor 02

I think the guy here was having a bit of a bad day….he couldn't wait to get rid of me….

The same $4.50 got me this – two small Al Pastor tacos.

Lalos Al Pastor 03

Lalos Al Pastor 04Liked the guacamole, the tortillas weren't very good. The al pastor lacked color and the texture was on the mushy side and quite bland. The salsas here are pretty good, the picante is truly spicy. Yet I can't help thinking that time hasn't been real friendly to Lalo's.

Lalo’s Tacos Etc
1266 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

In the end, I really can't recommend either location for Al Pastor; though perhaps JV's might be a ahead.

So what about that Kikaida versus Kamen Rider argument? I guess in this case it would be Rainbowman. So how's that for a nostalgic walk back to "small kid time"? 

Vanessa’s Deli (Chula Vista)

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is still on vacation, as is Ed (from Yuma). Cathy is busy with people who want to be on vacation while writing a post a day…about another few meals enjoyed.

I really try to cover different foods and parts of the County each day when I keep the blog going while Kirk is on vacation and realize I skipped the South County area entirely this time. Bad me. 

Here's a post showing a few visits to one of our favorite places in Chula Vista.IMG_6325Look to the far left..the blue and red signage on the building frontage pushed back a bit.  "Manna Restaurant" Pancake House-Chinese Fast Food.  THAT's why we pulled into this parking lot.  

Manna was very crowded that first time with people waiting to get in the door. Vanessa's Deli and Water Store had two empty tables. That's how it started.  We now come to this parking lot and pick either Manna or Vanessa's for a meal.  Here is a link to a recent post about Manna from fellow blogger, cc. (My post about Manna is forthcoming.)IMG_6322Asking if we had to order and pay first, we found out there is table service (and a quite large menu with  many photos; more items than shown in the menu in above photo).IMG_6306After our orders were taken, I noticed both an ice cream area and a small freezer filled with ice cream Novelties in front of it (to the left in the above photo) and (straight ahead in the photo) at the wall was the Water Store area.IMG_6313Soon, two salsas and a small Vampiro ($4.49) were brought out.  Beet, carrot, celery, apple, orange and lime, freshly juiced, filtered and poured into the cup: no ice.  That's how it's done right.IMG_6314The #3 Combo ($10.99). This three item plate included a chile relleño, lomo enchilada and chicken sope  along with rice, beans and tortillas.  This was all very good.  The sauces, salsa and guacamole stood out with their brisk fresh flavors.  IMG_6537IMG_6540The lomo torta ($5.25) was served on a very freshly toasted, large torta roll, with a layer of beans, beef tenderloin  (very flavorful);  fresh avocado, along with lettuce and tomato made this a wonderful sandwich.  

Vanessa's serves breakfast all day and we've taken advantage of that.IMG_6317Huevos Enmola ($6.99) (eggs in mole sauce).  So wonderful and a different breakfast.  Two over easy eggs on top of two corn tortillas, covered in a (slightly sweet) fresh and smooth mole, accompanied by beans and potatoes.IMG_6543Vanes Pan France (French toast topped with strawberries and cream)($6.75) Of course, strawberries and cream are a standard item in any fruiteria…but topping French toast- so special!

Oh, that's not burned toast; squaw bread is used here (another idea I can't believe I hadn't thought of). It's heartier and still, there is a good crust formed on the edges and the inside is still light and fluffy.  Healthy decadence!IMG_6533Being a fruiteria, you know at least one order here has had to be a small pico de gallo ($6.25). Mango, orange, cucumber, jicama, watermelon, papaya, pineapple, topped with squeezed lime, chili powder and salt (homemade Tajin) brings all the flavors together.

Fresh, quality, satisfying. So glad we accidentally found it.  Hope your weekend will be good!

Vanessa's Deli and Water Store 600 F Street (at Broadway), Suites E and F Chula Vista 91910 (619) 585-8102 Mon-Sat 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sun 7:30-7:30IMG_6324