York Blvd. for a Taco Crawl in Highland Park

I live in Eagle Rock. Right at the top of Figueroa near Colorado. I love it out here. I especially love all the E-Z opportunities for taco tasting.

La Estrella is a Los Angeles taco institution and has 3 trucks and 2 permanent taco shops. I tried their place in a strip mall in E. Pasadena area and I thought it was really mediocre. I heard it was a husband and wife team that split up but I'm not sure how their spots are now divided or who makes the better tacos.

a different, mobile Estrella truck

I had a pastor and an asada. Both were fine. I liked the asada a bit better. For neither would I stand in line or go out of my way. The way they have the truck up on blocks, up higher than street level on the sidewalk, really makes ordering uncomfortable.  I felt like I was ordering from a mile away and having to shout over the traffic. Ok. Sure. I'm only 5ft tall, but it still bugged.

I walked a bit further down the street and went to the El Pique truck. The word 'pique' in Spanish means grudge or rivalry. Veeeeeery interesting. I didn't try their tacos but went instead for the veggie burrito which I thought was TERRIFIC. They were very nice, had a big group of teenagers hanging around and were actually friendlier than the gal at La Estrella. I also thought their truck signage art was awesome whereas the Estrella sign had totally peeled away and you could barely read it to see what they have and what it costs.

I walked literally another short block and found myself at El Huarache Azteca, one of the places Jonathan Gold says you MUST eat at before you die. The thing to get is the Huarache, a sandal-shaped masa platform loaded with either meat, mushrooms or corn fungus, your choice. It is indeed the same sandal mispronounced by the Beach Boys in 'Surfin' USA.' Of course I had to opt for the tacos. I ordered pastor and suadero but they were out of suadero and didn't say anything, they just gave me 2 pastors instead for $1 each. No prob. They were great. The place is super funky and authentic inside. Definitely felt like I was in Mexico and I was the only 'white girl' in there. Go, get cozy and get your fungus on!

On the way back to my car I noticed another place, Antojitos Guerrero. It was cool looking and they seemed super nice. I ordered a fish taco and I liked it. They have a TON of mariscos and breakfasts and other fun stuff. Not really a 'togo' place. Took a very long time for the food but if I had been chillin' in the hood with a friend I wouldn't have cared.

All in all, York Blvd. was a delight. It has other wonderful tasty treats such as the Galco's Soda Pop Stop, Johnny's Bar (pool AND foosball!!!!) and The York on York for craft beer and gastropub fare.

Las Perlas Mezcal y Tequila Bar DTLA

http://www.lasperlas.la/

What a fantastic place. Dark and moody yet mysterious and somewhat spiritual, the whole place is dedicated to style and gourmet drinks.

Super hot bartenders with a very professional attitude who seemingly never tire of answering the question... 'um... what's the difference between tequila and mezcal?' Location, location, location and smoke. Most mezcal is made in Oaxaca and is 'melted' or smoked rather than steamed.

Mezcal also often has a higher alcohol content than tequila. I find the buzz to be very stony and psychedelic as if I've eaten Peyote... although I've never eaten Peyote so I have no idea what I'm talking about!

I wish they had chips and salsa but it's ok. I absolutely LOVED my drink which was called 400 Rabbits (a myriad of ingredients including port syrup and pinot and other delights, garnished with flowers.)

Like me, they seem to love rabbits, but instead of being cuddly, their rabbits look like they took some peyote. Las Perlas means 'the pearls' so I'm not sure where the rabbits (conejos or liebres) figure in, but I LIKE it.

My friend got the Spicy Margarita which was a beautiful pale frothy green and included both jalapenos and cucumbers.

Definitely a great place for a movie premiere or private party - especially if you could bring in food to go with those fancy drinks.

Located on 6th street, just S. of Main, across the street from Cole's and Varnish.

Silk Screen Printed Tortillas for Tacos?!

First we pressed some fresh flowers into the tortillas. Now some people in St. Louis are screen printing directly onto a tortilla! Dios mio! Sounds grand. Check out the video.

This has tremendous possibilities for weddings, Hollywood premiers, etc. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind a tortilla with TACO MAVEN printed on it!

:O)))))

Taco Night at The Oaks, Beachwood Canyon, Hollywood

What an amazing place. They already made the LA Weekly's 30 burgers in 30 days. They have more gourmet food items squeezed into a tiny space than I have ever seen. One stop shopping for cheese, wine, beer, soda, sandwiches, burgers, and yes, TACOS!!!!!!!

On Friday nights starting at 6pm they bust out some serious taco moves. Different tacos every week. Last night they had pork belly tacos, shrimp, carne asada, lamb and tofu. You can pick any 2 for $8.95 or go up from there with various taco and sides combinations.



I had the lamb and the tofu. The lamb was tender, flavorful and delicious. The tofu had an amazing green cilantro sauce that I would put on everything for the rest of my life. Taco Garnish Patrol would have added mint and maybe a pinch of feta to the lamb and something green to the tofu one as well. But really those are just fine tuning comments. The tacos were great.

Super fun way to start your Hollywood bound Friday evening.

They have a nice big communal table inside and cute tables outside.

They took over what used to be the world's oldest diviest liquor store. Back in 1985, when I was a starving, wannabe actress living in Beachwood Canyon with Sean Penn and Madonna as my neighbors, I used to go there for chips.  I fell in love with the area then and it's always fun to go back.

The Oaks Gourmet Market is located on the corner of Bronson and Franklin right near Beachwood Canyon.

Taco night is every Friday. They have other fun 'food nights' as well so follow them on Twitter!

http://www.theoaksgourmet.com/

Fiesta Martin Mexican Grill, Inglewood CA

I heard about this place and I was super skeptical. Tacos in Inglewood? Is it an old divey place? How could it be THAT good. Yelpers go wild for it.

Located at 1330 N. La Brea, S. of Slauson, it's a total charmer with comfortable seating, fun decor, nice T.V.s and killer tacos.

They have only been open 10 months. I can see that they have a loyal following and they are working on their liquor license for wine & beer.

Every night is 'Taco Night' with a killer soft taco bar from 7pm to 12am. Lots of choices, lots of salsas. Good looking soups too. On Tuesday, the happy hour extends to included crispy tacos as well. I could get in trouble here with or without my friends.

Mmmmmm... so fresh and crispy and tasty. Excellent service too.

Don't be afraid to give it a try. Go straight down La Brea for about 5 miles S. of the 10 or if you are on the Westside just take Slauson straight over to La Brea and make a right. Go just a few blocks South and you will see them all cheerful and bright on the East side of the street at the corner of 64th and La Brea