4.26.2012

Taco Roundup #4 - A Frame, Joselito's and More!


Oh the tacos. LOVE the tacos. And I am not alone. Check out this LINK for a new book on the history of the taco in America. March and April were good taco months. 

I was very caught up in the LA Taco March Madness Contest which resulted in my #1 and #2 picks TYING for first place. CRAZY but at 6:59 and 59 seconds they had exactly the same amount of votes. It was a feverish frenzied battle with a confounding result. But what's not to love? In the end, everybody eats, everybody wins.

I also went to Marfa, Texas where I begged the food geniuses at the Food Shark to turn their pork sandwich into a taco!


Below is the recap of my taco travels for March and April...

A FRAME - Swordfish tacos with crispy garlic infused bread crumbs on top. Seriously? Delicious. 3 to an order, great place to eat in Culver City.


JOSELITO'S - Off the 2 freeway, near the top, in Montrose. I ate one of these crazy cheese "mountains" after spending the day cleaning out my friend's garage. I was dusty and hungry. It's a classic place. My friend Jeff, who actually has very elevated tastes, said it was his FAVORITE of all the tacos I've hipped him to. WTF? Really? It was good, but I had a tummyache the next day which means the "lard factor" was high.


LA FUENTE - Hidden in a strip mall in Ojai, on the main drag behind the frozen yogurt place, this place is worth stopping at, especially for their tamales. They are open late, a rarity in sleepy Ojai. They are willing to humor you as well. They made me this crispy potato taco folded instead of rolled. Thank you! Also loved their carne asada taco. Tender, perfectly grilled meat.



AVILA'S EL RANCHITO - Huntington Beach location is the one we visited, but they are ALL OVER the place. Made a trip to the awesome dog beach down there and wanted a bite afterwards. They have a cute outdoor mall and this place looked fun so we went in. Very nice service and this taco was decent. But you could feel the "chain" vibe, which is always a turn-off for me personally.


EL BURRITO JR. - Way down in Redondo, S. of the Pier, locals call it LBJ's. No presidential references intended. It's a fun little place. People are willing to wait in line, and yes they have a ground beef taco, but the texture of the meat is a little funky. You are probably better off with an enchilada here or the "special" all the kids were snapping up - 2 bean/cheese burritos and a drink for $5.99. Salsa not too great either. They only have one kind and it's a bit like ketchup.


So that's the "roundup." Keep on eatin' and let me know if you have a favorite place you would like me to try!

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