The Meaning of Guisados Style Tacos in Mexico City and Your Gold Teeth

I've always wonder what that word means... 'guisado'. Now I know! It means stew, or stewed meats, veggies, etc. But that's not what I had! I had pastor of course. SHEESH. 5 tacos for about $2 on the streets after midnight.

That's right. TWO DOLLARS. The tortillas were small, about the size of my palm, but loaded with grilled meat, pineapple and hot salsa. Both salsas were above average hot. The green one is avocado and serrano chiles. DIOS MIO!

Before the tacos we went to a place called Diente de Oro (gold tooth). It's a whiskey bar and likes to play American music. Of course I had tequila shots and sangrita!

Iztaccihuatl #36-B, Cuauhtémoc, Hipódromo, 06170 Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico

Salud!

Visiting Baja California at Xmas Time. Can you say Roadtrippin'?

Having a ball! Eating up a taco storm.

Made it from Tijuana to Todos Santos in 20 hours over 2 days.

Did some great eating! It really is so beautiful. It never gets old.

Tinga Taqueria on La Brea Ave. Los Angeles

Newish trendyish taco place on La Brea. I'm still unclear exactly what is going on there... but I get the feeling it's Indian infused which does NOT interest me. OK. Maybe it's not Indian... but... now I see on YELP that people are comparing it to La Super Rica in Santa Barbara! That is just not possibile and seems WRONG.

Based on this short audio review by J. Gold, sounds like the only yummy thing is the corn.

Here is also a longer review from the LA WEEKLY.

My friend went and was at first entranced by the hip slick vibe and variety, but afterwards, she was in some SERIOUS intestinal distress.

I don't know... I'm not feelin' it. I'm just sayin'..... but that's really not fair. I should try it, and I will!

Here's the link.

http://www.tingabuena.com/

UPDATE - I just got around to eating at this place July 2016 and the menu has seriously changed since they began. Adapt and survive. Everything was tasty if not a little large and overkill. Fabulous service and their house salsa is SO ADDICTIVE I'm thinking of driving 20 miles just to buy some to take home and put on my taco.

High marks for really thick delicious tortilla chips and killer Pineapple Lime agua fria.

The Xmas Tamale Tradition and Where to Get Them in Los Angeles

I had the privilege for many years of sharing Christmas with a family where the Mom was raised in Texas. She had a very Western Xmas sensibility. She always made enchiladas on Xmas Eve and Tamales on Xmas Day.

I have come to think of this as a tradition, one I have since utilized for myself and other families.

Tamales are just plain fun, especially when paired with a simple salad made of jicama, avocado, tangerines and a light dressing. So easy and delicious.

Two great places to order and pick up some gourmet complex tamales are....

WESTSIDE :: http://www.tamarastamales.com/

EASTSIDE :: http://www.cacaodeli.com/

You can also find them at markets and even on street corners this time of year. They aren't the easiest thing to make, so unless you are really ambitious, support your local tamale makers.

BE MERRY!

Top 5 Fish And/Or Shrimp Tacos in Los Angeles

I'm going to include shrimp here too... where applicable! The fish taco is all about the batter, the freshness of the oil, the chewiness and structural soundness of the tortilla and of course the salsa.

Baja style! Is there any other?

Numero Uno ::  MARISCOS JALISCO TRUCK Crispy Shrimp Taco (Olympic near Soto)

Numero Dos :: TACOS BAJA ENSENADA Battered Fish Taco (Whittier and Atlantic)

Numero Tres :: RICKY'S FISH TACO STAND Battered Fish Taco (Virgil and Sunset)

Numero Cuatro :: MEXICALI TACO CO Insane Grilled Shrimp Taco (DTLA)

Numero Cinco :: LA ESCUELA  White Fish Taco (Hollywood)

Top 5 Crispy Tacos in Los Angeles

Top 5 with regards to things like... would I drive 20 miles for this baby? Do I dream about this taco when I am hungry? Would most people I served it to LOVE it?

That's the criteria. According to the poll we have running, most of you don't even really LOVE crispy tacos. What's a Taco Maven to do? Keep on crunchin' I guess!

Numero Uno :: MALO (DTLA & Hollywood) Crispy Ground Beef Pickle Taco w/ Red Salsa

Numero Dos :: VIVA FRESH (Westchester LAX) Crispy Chicken Taco with Jalapeno Salsa

Numero Tres :: LAS ANITAS (Olvera Street) Soy Crispy Taco with Green Salsa

Numero Cuatro :: TACOMIENDO (WLA) Crispy Potato Taco w/ Salsa Casera

Numero Cinco :: HOUSE OF TACOS (Inglewood) Crispy Ground Turkey Taco w/ Salsa Casera

The Perfect Pomegranate Margarita

Last Saturday, down on Olvera Street I had a delightful Pomegranate Margarita. It was blended and the most beautiful pink color. Normally I prefer my margs on the rocks, but this was so pretty. It had about 15 pomegranate seeds as garnish too.

Below is my darn good marg recipe. To it you could add a splash of POM or use a combo of reg. silver tequila and some of the really fun Pomegranate infused tequila made by LA PINTA.

Festive!

1 shot of silver tequila (Patron or Siete Leguas) or 1/2 and 1/2 La Pinta
1/2 shot of Grand Marnier
1 shot of frozen lime-aid (Minute Made or any other)
1 shot of chilled water

*** if you like it strong you can add 1/4 shot of La Pinta (rather than doing half and half) also in that case you might not need the Grand Marinier. Experiment!

Shake, Stir, Mix. Blend if you like. If you blend, make enough for at least two and used crushed ice so you have enough volume for the blender.

YUM

Las Glorias de Buen Comer in Silverlake for Great Mexican and Vegetarian Food

Hidden under the freeway in Silverlake, this tiny garden shack serves up delicious homemade Mexican Food. I was driving by, and I really liked their sign. I convinced a local Silverlakian to join me and we fell in love.

Not with each other, but with the food! Then I told a few other locals about it and they still thank me. We all muse how iwe drove by a million times and missed it. Now we're mostly just glad we found it!

I think the name translates into some like... Gloria's place for good eating!

One thing they are known for is their variety of vegetarian menu options. It's quite extensive, down to a vegan meat substitute that really does look like carne asada.

Their only tiny flaw is that it takes a while to get food there. The reason? I'm gonna go with 'fresh takes longer'. Better to call it in and come pick it up which I noticed a lot of people were doing.

If you choose to eat in, leave plenty of time and enjoy all the plants and the fountain on the covered patio.

A Tribute to La Serenata de Garabaldi, Boyle Heights

Enrique and I ate here over a month ago, at the WLA Location, and reviewed it on our show. Normally I post the videos right away on the blog for E-Z viewing, but because Enrique wasn't a fan, out of respect for this wonderful place, I didn't post.

Last week, the amazing owner of this restaurant passed away. You can read a great article about him in the LA Times HERE.

I loved learning that the name came from a place in Mexico City where all the Mariachi gather to sing. It's called Garabaldi Square, hence the name 'Song of Garabaldi'. I kept wondering how their dove logo fit into the name. Was a 'Garabaldi' a type of bird? Was the owner's name Garabaldi and his 'song' was his incredible food? 15 years later, mystery solved!

There was also a recent review by S. Irene that did acknowledge that although the quality and consistency may be down somewhat, it's still worth going. I feel quite certain, that every foodie in this town (who has been here for 20 years) has a life changing memory about the first time they ate at this place. Read her recent review HERE.

I think it's still good. You just have to order the right thing. You probably have a better chance of getting the best chef at dinner time. I still like the downtown place though I always felt their massive remodel (It took 2 years and involved Roman columns) took away all the cozy colorful charm of the original, smaller, humbler, layout.

I will always remember my first meal there. Only my ex-husband and 2 best friends would come because everyone else thought it was 'too dangerous'. From the parmesan cheese-flecked chips to the empanada style fish quesadilla and garlic salmon. Every bite. Every last bit of sauce scraped off the plate was divine.

Thank you Jose Rodriguez for your passion, dedication and your recipes! I'm still waiting for that recipe book!!!!!!