Last week, NYC pastry chef extraordinaire Pichet Ong was a guest judge on Top Chef Just Desserts (aired September 22).  As he was introduced, some of my photos of his desserts were shown on the episode: Foie Gras Taco and Warm Date Cake (see below). I shot the desserts in his restaurants P*ong and The Village Tart in Manhattan. Those restaurants are now closed unfortunately, but you can still find him, and his desserts, at his newest NYC projects, Qi and Coppelia.

Pichet is so talented and makes the most beautiful dishes that are equally delicious.

photos by Erin Gleeson

“To live and eat in LA, it’s the place to be;
You’ve got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna eat”
- Tupac

Alright, alright, Tupac didn’t say “eat”. But instead of talking about hoes and tricks, he should have rapped more importantly about the bounty of food to be found in LA. Cause damn it, it is a damn fine place for eating. Here are a few of the stops I made on my recent trip to the City of Angels.

BEST FISH TACO IN ENSENADA
1650 North Hillhurst Avenue (Los Feliz)

I try to stop by Best Fish Taco whenever I’m in town. At $1 per taco, it should not be missed. They also have shrimp, for $2. I had one of each. The fried batter is light and airy, and keeps the fish moist, and the crisp of the cabbage makes each bite a piece of crunch heaven.

PHO 87
1019 North Broadway (Chinatown)

As soon as I landed, Brother took me here. The spring rolls were some of the best I’d ever tasted–instead of the usually flavorless pork, Pho 87 adds a sweetly marinated grilled pork. So delish.

As Yamahomo has suggested, always order your rare beef on the side. Dunk like shabu.

Brother

RED CAR BAR @ COLE’S
118 East 6th Street (Downtown)

Cole’s is historically known for their french dip sandwiches, but we stopped by their bar, called the Red Car Bar, for cocktail hour instead.

I was supremely impressed by the care they took in building each classic cocktail–down to their attention to hand-carved ice.

Old Fashioned

A fashionable history

Sazerac

Red Car Named Desire: Rye, Cynar, Luxardo, Maurin

A magical nook of amaros, mezcal and tequila. Oh my!


Martini

Yup, still light out.

“To live and eat in LA, it’s the place to be;
You’ve got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna eat”
- Tupac

Coming Up: Takao restaurant in Beverly Hills, and Robata Jinya in West Hollywood!

Photos by Thomas L. Young

One dollar street tacos at a busy intersection in downtown Los Angeles is about as old school as you can get. On the corner of Mateo and 7th street, in front of the Mexican restaurant La Reyna (Est. 1974), is a taco stand run by one guy on the grill and a lady who handles the cash.

Simple meat tacos get complicated quickly once you start to add the buffet style accouterments.

Grilled onions, whole grilled Serrano peppers, radishes, white onions and cilantro, avocado lime sauce and your pick of hot and/or mild salsas are a few of the available options to dress up the otherwise naked tacos.

We ordered carne asada, carnitas, chorizo and al pastor tacos. Each meat carried a unique, requisite flavor, while remaining completely different from each other. There was no way to mistake the al pastor for the carne asada or the carnitas from the chorizo.

I wish I could curate each taco to maintain a balance of flavors, but I can’t. Each taco got theirs–”theirs” being onions, peppers, avocado sauce, lime and hot sauce. And despite my efforts to drown out the natural flavors, the meat surprisingly stood up to the bold tastes of peppers, onions and hot sauce.

The chorizo satiated both my breakfast and salty urges and the radishes and hot sauce compliment the meaty, season-y amalgam of flavors.

The carne asada was not gristly or over cooked and tasted like fresh marinated beef, which is often not the case.

Robust and hearty are typically words associated with a carne asada, a “go-to” meat of substance, however, I would describe the al pastor as both.

The centerpiece of the operation is the al pastor, which could easily be mistaken for Gyro meat, and by my account is the most popular item on the non-existent menu. While each taco was delicious and satisfying, nothing rivaled the awesomeness of the al pastor. The meat had clearly been marinating for a couple of days so it was tender, rich and the flavors complex–probably due to the slow cooking next to its own fat over the course of a few hours.

After demolishing two al pastor tacos, I wanted more. Many more. Had I not ran out of crisp dollar bills, I would have ordered another dozen.

I’m not positive about whether the taco shop is a part of La Reyna or whether they’ve worked out some deal with the establishment, but either way, it’s worth the trip downtown. And for those not in the area, for what you waste in gas money you’ll save in food costs.

Get some!

While it’s no Musso & Frank or Mateo’s, Umami Burger is quickly becoming a fixture in the LA culinary world. Seriously. Six locations have popped up since the original La Brea location opened in 2009 and the popularity doesn’t appear to be losing steam. Though it embraces the similar rapid expansion model that made the American Apparel empire so successful, Umami Burger has touched on something that is not only Californian, but authentically Los Angelean. This combination of hipness with total comfort contributes to the easygoing and inviting atmosphere.

The thesis of their menu is fundamentally umami causing one to stumble when asked to describe the precise flavor of what they are eating.

I’ve been trying to get someone to split the Carnitas Burger with me for a few months now, and finally my dining partner acquiesced. A TACO BURGER!!!

Between the buttery, U-branded bun, sat a pile of marinated pork. The pork is squished into a burger patty and garnished with guacamole, whipped sour cream, and cheddar. Though definitely not my go-to order, it was still satisfying and delicious.

We also ordered the Manly Burger, which is my favorite burger on the menu. It’s a full beef patty, topped with crispy grilled onions, cheese and bacon lardons, which adds a richness to the burger in a way regular strips of bacon do not.

This burger embodies the umaminess of the place for me. Is the meat the best part–attributed to the kitchen doing their own meat grinding? Or is it the bacon lardons? It can’t be, I eat bacon often enough to know it can’t be just that. It must be the harmonious combination of ingredients that creates one of the most satisfying burger sandwiches I’ve ever had.

In regards to fries, there are three types of potatoes to chose from: the Sweet Potato Fries, the regular house Thin Fries and the Smushed Potatoes. The Thin Fries are just the right size to dip in a variety of house made sauces.

These are the same fries they douse with truffle butter and often feature as a  menu special. The texure of each fry is perfectly crisp, never greasy–an optimal vessel for getting the umami ketchup, jalapeño ranch and homemade roasted garlic aioli into my mouth.

Next came the House Pickles. Once the pickles arrived it was glaringly obvious that the only mistake we made that night was not separating the pickle plate from the rest of the order. In retrospect it would have been best enjoyed as an appetizer instead of arriving with the burgers and fries, which overshadowed the plate. It’s a shame too, because the spicy caperberries are really delicious.

I’m generally pretty stuffed when I finish a burger, and this night was no exception. Suffice it to say, I never order dessert at Umami, but for those who are wondering, the menu ends and begins with local bakery Cake Monkey’s Apple Pie a la Mode.

I went to bed full and woke up hungry, not exactly sure what I was craving. Was it the bacon? Or the bun? Or the burger? I couldn’t decide, but I’m pretty sure it was all of that umami.

Located in Studio City or Toluca Lake (depending on who you’re talking to) since 1961, Henry’s Tacos has served ground beef tacos served in a hard corn shell. They’ve marginally expanded their menu since then, now offering soft tacos, burritos and the quasi-famous taco burger, but the ground beef remains as basically the only option you have.

The ground beef is seasoned with familiar dashes of this and that (please don’t ask me what “this or that” is because I don’t know. However, the taste reminds me of something in between a sloppy joe and Lawry’s meat seasoning).

I ordered light, opting for one traditional hard taco and the anglo-fied taco burger.

The taco is served in a hard shell filled with a generous portion of meat mixed with minced, grilled onions, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and topped with cheddar cheese.

The combination of the warm meat, chilled lettuce, and hard crunch of the taco shell is deliciously satisfying.

The taco was refreshingly different than the food truck-style tacos we are currently inundated with–don’t get me wrong, those are great too, but this was a nice change.

My favorite thing at Henry’s though, is the taco burger. The ground beef combined with the fluffy white bread bun, speaks to a wider audience of gluttonists than the taco does (it really is taking the best of both tacos and hamburgers and combines those elements in to one simple dish).

The taco burger gets better with each bite as the bun soaks up the meat juice the longer you let it sit. Don’t forget to order the hand-packaged Henry’s hot sauce because it makes every available food item more delicious.

Henry’s made-to-order meals are cash only so don’t forget to stop at an ATM before you get to the window.

Although I admit my reason for choosing Henry’s Tacos was purely an economic one, rather than the insatiable craving of a taco burger (oh fine, that too), my lunch left me full, happy and only partially-comatose.

I should also mention that Henry’s Tacos shares a parking lot with one of LA’s finest watering holes, the Starlight Room.

These are probably the best Baja/Ensenada-style fish tacos I’ve had since the epic Fish Taco Crawl in San Diego last year (Umamiventure #21). The FISH TACOS neon sign just kept screaming out at me whenever I drove past this little joint, on a busy strip where Berkeley and Oakland meet.

I always order the fish tacos. Two if I’m ultra hungry. They’re pretty HUGE (they needn’t be, but I suppose it’s more bang for your buck, at about $3 a taco).

Two corn tortillas, filled with the requisite sliced cabbage, pico de gallo, cilantro and crema. What adds volume is that they add rice.

Fish taco in your face.

Fish taco in your face with flash and salsa verde.

I admit, the rice is unneccessary– it turns out that I’m a Baja fish taco purist! But they fry the fish to order and everything is super fresh thanks to the mamas behind the counter who lovingly watch over and assemble their babies. They’ve got specials on the menu everyday for $5, and all sorts of other housemade dishes like mole y enchiladas.

Their shrimp tacos are amazing too– again, the shrimp are grilled to order! But I think the fish tacos, as the neon sign testifies, is the true belle of the ball.

Also, don’t forget to get a fresh horchata or agua fresca. And a Corona. On second thought, why not all three?

Met up with fellow Umamimartians last week at The Trappist, a Belgian beer bar in “Old” Oakland, downtown. I made SF folks come out to the East Bay– and they actually did! On a school night! Such trickery.

The thing is, The Trappist is so much more than just a specialty beer bar. Oh, so much more. The kitchen serves up some dishes that really need to be taken seriously in the Bay Area food community. I had heard about their Taco Tuesdays from @serooo, who had Twittered the cute little piggy flyer. Belgian beer carnitas, could it be true???

The Trappist has nearly 30 beers on tap (Belgian, European, local microbreweries), and another 100 in bottles. If that ain’t the ultimate beer bar, well, you’re trippin’.  Among all 15 of us throughout the evening, I’m sure we ordered one of each from the tap. There’s the front bar, the Main Pub, with bar seating, which houses about half the beers listed on tap.

The rest of the beers are in the Back Bar, which is essentially the bigger back room. The beer menu is divided up between Front and Back Bar.

Yup, I ordered about four out of 12 on the list (my memory is a bit fuzzy, you’ll have to excuse me). All served in the correct glass, at the designated temperature. The Allegash Curieux was my favorite– probably because it’s aged in Jim Beam barrels for eight months. They had just run out of Green Flash Le Freak which totally bummed me out!

Ok, on to the carnitas. The Tamarindo (and newer taqueria La Calle) restaurant folks from next door set up shop in the back outdoor area of The Trappist to serve these tacos starting at 5pm. The actual carnitas are also prepared in the Tamarindo kitchen.

These tacos are delicious. Carnitas on soft corn tortillas, doused in house-made salsa verde with a squeeze of lime. Perfection. The carnitas are flavorful, with a hint of sweetness, not dried out, yet not overly fatty.

I was lucky enough to get an email this morning from Aaron Porter, co-owner of The Trappist, explaining the preparation of the carnitas:

The carnitas are basically a confit. The pork is cooked in its own fat and then beer (St. Bernardus Abt 12) is added along with some spices (orange, etc.). It’s left to cook for several hours like this. Everything else you see on the food menu at Trappist is made and prepared by the Trappist.

This is CRAZY!!!  Pork, slow-cooked in St. Bernardus?? INSANITY! Not only is this over-the-top luxurious, but it is basically GENIUS.

Packaging for Abt 12.

They stop serving the tacos around 8pm, or whenever they run out, so be sure to get there on the early side. Yoko sadly missed them.

Other awesomeness coming out of the kitchen: the housemade sausage sandwich.

This sausage was so taut and perfectly (er, fallically) shaped, that talking about the Great Weiner was quite possibly the highlight of the night. It’s seriously so beautiful though, so light in color!

Here’s how big the sausage is, to get a sense of proportion.

Served on a crisp roll with sauteed onions and housemade mustard. OUT OF CONTROL. The sausage is very crumbly once you bite into it, and just sort of falls apart in your mouth. It’s so ridiculously good.

JADE
To add to the (much anticipated) documentation and commentary on the sausage sandwich, one of the true highlights for me was getting my “pork and beer pairing” knowledge on. The gentile bartender at the back bar let me sample three beers, explaining that sausage generally pairs well with sweeter, maltier beers. It was great to try all three samples side-by-side–easier for my untrained taste buds to make a clear distinction. I chose the St. Feuillien Triple. More aromatic and fruity than sweet, the taste was impressive alone, but even better when paired with the equally impressive(-looking) sausage.

YOKO
Quite possibly one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, the Trappist’s Salmon Sandwich was a perfect mash-up of salmon, chèvre, arugula and crispy baguette. I really don’t like beer, and I was really sad to show up too late for the tacos, but this situation allowed me to fully savor this sandwich. And for $10, the sandwich was very reasonably priced.

MICHELLE
I thought the tacos were great and the prosciutto and fig panini was excellent (well-balanced combination of salty and sweet flavors, good bread).

YOKO
I will definitely be going back to the Trappist for their awesome Harry Potter-esque interior and this amazing salmon sandwich.  I love the Trappist even though I don’t love beer.

Thanks to everyone for coming out! A special shout out to Gail, Travis’ mama, who came out for this– and who even bought Travis a beer. How awesome is that? Our very first Umamiventure UMAMIMAMA!

And of course, thanks to The Trappist for their impressive selection of beers, fantastic eats, and knowledgeable, helpful staff. We truly had a great time! We’ll be back for sure.

Next Umamiventure will be a beer tour through Sonoma County, hosted by UM’s very own beer guru, CJ. Stay tuned!

All photos by Travis LoDolce and myself.

*Umamiventures are organized monthly, traveling far and wide to find awesome, cheap grub off the beaten path.

Past Umamiventures include:
1.) Ocean Jewel Restaurant – Flushing, NYC; June 2007
2.) Red Hook Ball Fields - NYC; June 2007
3.) Taste of Jackson Heights – NYC; October, 2007
4.) Sripraphai Restaurant – Woodside, NYC; November 2007
5.) WINTERMARKET – South St. Seaport; December 2007
6.) Jackson Diner- Jackson Heights, NYC; January 2008
7.) Pacificana – Sunset Park, NYC; February 2008
8.) Puerto Alegre – The Mission, SF; March 2008
9.) Dinosaur BBQ – Harlem, NYC; April 2008
10.) Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden – Astoria, NYC; May 2008
11.) Brooklyn Banh Mi Crawl – Sunset Park, NYC; August 2008
12.) Sheapshead Bay Lobster Crawl – NYC; September 2008
13.) Flushing Food Circuit – NYC; October 2008
14.) Strong Beer Month – SF; March 2009
15.) Loisaida Throwback Crawl – NYC; April 2009
16.) Harley Farms Goat Dairy – Pescadero, CA; June 2009
17.) Tomales Bay Oyster Farm – Marshall, CA; August 2009
18.) Din Tai Fung – LA; September 2009
19.) Din Tai Fung – Tokyo; September 2009
20.) Schroeder’s Oktoberfest – SF; October 2009
21.) Fish Taco Crawl – San Diego; November 2009
22.) St. George Spirits & Hangar One Vodka -  Alameda; January 2010
22.5) Everett & Jones – OAK; January 2010
23.) Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse – NYC; February 2010
24.) Guerilla Ramen Night – SF; April 2010
25.) Knife Sharpening Workshop at Hida Tool & Hardware – Berkeley, May 2010
26.) San Pedro Fish Market - LA, June 2010
26.5.) Candytown – LA, June 2010

PREFACE
Stop #1: South Beach Bar & Grille (Ocean Beach)
Stop #2: Tin Fish (Gaslamp Quarter)
Stop #3: Mariscos German Taco Truck (Normal Heights)
Stop #4: El Zarape (University Heights)

There’s something about walking into a bar and having a dozen beer taps against a wall that excites me. It’s doubly thrilling when I’ve never heard of half the beers.

Am I easily amused?

Which is why ending the fish taco crawl at Small Bar, just three doors down from El Zarape, was the perfect way to end the day. Look at all the taps!

Beer list- WOOHOO! From what I gather, San Diego has become a hotspot for microbreweries and artisan beer makers in the last ten or so years. Notable breweries (says Nate) include Green Flash, Port Brewing, Alesmith, Ballast Point and Stone.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous. I heart the Stone logo.

I love me a good neighborhood bar– it’s just as necessary as a laundromat, corner store and greasy Chinese take-out joint. I guess this makes me easily amused, afterall!

Thanks everyone for coming out for the 21st Umamiventure!!! Hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did– supreme gluttony and all.

SMALL BAR
4628 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA
T: 619.795.7998

AFTERWORD
Dear San Diegans, please don’t take your fish tacos for granted- there’s nothing like it anywhere else in the California (maybe the entire USA??). Baja-style fish tacos FTW!

*Umamiventures are organized monthly, traveling far and wide to find good, cheap grub off the beaten path. We’re gonna take a holiday hiatus in December, but expect a trip in the Bay Area at the top of 2010! I’ve been dying to go to St. George distillery– stay tuned for details.

**Become a Facebook Fan of UM to stay updated on all future trips!

Past Umamiventures include:
1.) Ocean Jewel Restaurant – Flushing, NYC; June 2007
2.) Red Hook Ball Fields - NYC; June 2007
3.) Taste of Jackson Heights – NYC; October, 2007
4.) Sripraphai Restaurant – Woodside, NYC; November 2007
5.) WINTERMARKET – South St. Seaport; December 2007
6.) Jackson Diner- Jackson Heights, NYC; January 2008
7.) Pacificana – Sunset Park, NYC; February 2008
8.) Puerto Alegre – The Mission, SF; March 2008
9.) Dinosaur BBQ – Harlem, NYC; April 2008
10.) Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden – Astoria, NYC; May 2008
11.) Brooklyn Banh Mi Crawl – Sunset Park, NYC; August 2008
12.) Sheapshead Bay Lobster Crawl – NYC; September 2008
13.) Flushing Food Circuit – NYC; October 2008
14.) Strong Beer Month – SF; March 2009
15.) Loisaida Throwback Crawl – NYC; April 2009
16.) Harley Farms Goat Dairy – Pescadero, CA; June 2009
17.) Tomales Bay Oyster Farm – Marshall, CA; August 2009
18.) Din Tai Fung – LA; September 2009
19.) Din Tai Fung – Tokyo; September 2009
20.) Schroeder’s Oktoberfest – SF; October 2009

PRELUDE
Stop #1: South Beach Bar & Grille (Ocean Beach)
Stop #2: Tin Fish (Gaslamp Quarter)
Stop #3: Mariscos German (Normal Heights)

Our last and final stop was El Zarape, in University Heights. Let’s be real: by this point, we’re all fucking stuffed. Passing-out-behind-the-wheel, stuffed. Take-me-home-so-I-can-take-a-crap-then-nap stuffed. What started out at South Beach all giggles has slowly (but surely) turned into unanimous groans.

Oh, but we WILL finish this!!

There’s a sign out front that simply says, “Scallop Tacos.” You think I’m too full to order one? Don’t challenge me.

One thing about this place is the menu is HUGE. Here is HALF of it written in very small letters on the chalkboard wall. I get anxiety attacks when places have such big menus. Definite nightmare for indecisive folks, no matter how full we may be.

Our last tacos of the day! Nate’s a trooper and had a scallop taco with me (two on the right). My fish taco on the left. Def love the styrofoam plates. Yes, bad for the environment, but I love the simplicity in the logic.

KAYOKO
The fish tacos are only 99 cents! Can’t top that. This one takes a close second to Mariscos German’s fish taco– although honestly, I shouldn’t really rate them since I was so stuffed to enjoy this to its full potential. But again, here, like Mariscos German: corn tortilla, fluffy battered fish, good cabbage to tomato to sauce ratios.

NATE
I was too full to enjoy El Z, but I’ve been here 100 times before so I’m not worried. The lobster taco and burrito are my faves.

Scallop taco also a standout. Creamy white sauce, fresh flour tortilla, pour some tangy green salsa from the salsa bar on top, squeeze of lime and you are all set.

KAYOKO
The scallop taco is definitely the real deal here and was well worth my miserable state of over-eating for the rest of the evening. The second I bit into it, I understood why they would bother putting it up on the sign outside. The little scallops are grilled, creating that irresistible bouncy texture. Muy excellente in a taco!!!

ANNA
I initially ordered a lobster quesadilla, but upon the sight of watery, maroonish-colored sauce, I knew I ordered the wrong dish. But the crawl is all about new experiences, new places, and new food, right?

Based on a few bites, the lobster was cooked well, not overcooked or chewy. However, everything else was overpowered by the enchilada sauce which I wasn’t a fan of. I didn’t think a red sauce seemed right for seafood. Perhaps a suiza, cream-style sauce would have been a better compliment, but since I have never had a lobster enchilada before, I’m not sure if their interpretation is a standard, traditional recipe or not. After a few bites, I wasn’t impressed and and boxed it up for my roommate. Sure enough, he devoured it within minutes.

The enchilada was a slight disappointment, but I’m not holding it against them. I’ll come back for that actual lobster quesadilla, even for the tacos and burritos. Knowing that they have potato rolled tacos will lure me back there for sure. Only a few Mexican places in SD offer this and I’m sure they do it right.

KAYOKO
When I saw the golden-custard-in-a-cup in the refrigerator behind the counter when I was ordering, I knew I had to have it.

One of the best cups o’flan ever. Creamy custardy goodness. Nate wasn’t havin’ it though– he wasn’t a fan.

To each his own.

EL ZARAPE
4642 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA
T: 619.692.1652

*We ended the crawl at the awesome beer bar next door, Small Bar. Coming up next!

PREFACE
Stop #1: South Beach Bar & Grille (Ocean Beach)
Stop #2: Tin Fish (Gaslamp Quarter)

After Tin Fish, we started losing steam– I was about five tacos and three beers in, and god, that San Diego sun is so intense! I was getting sleeeepy, and I knew I needed to slow down. Two more stops to go!

The Mariscos German taco truck in Normal Heights was a last-minute addition to the crawl. I decided that we NEEDED a taco truck stop to mix it up a little. I had a few people recommend Mariscos German to me, which is also an actual brick and mortar taqueria in Logan Heights. They have a couple of trucks dotted around the city, and this one fit perfectly into the route of our crawl.

Let’s do this.

The truck is literally stationed in a dirt lot of a liquor store. Do you see this? 99 CENT FISH TACOS! I wanted to steal that sign so I could put it up on my bedroom wall.

The line for ordering. It was 4pm and bumpin!

Vivian had told me to get the ceviche, and when I got to the window, I started to order the entire menu, as usual. Nate heard me and said, “Kayoko, this is a FISH TACO crawl. Focus.” Fine, fine. But come on, look at this menu! You’d want to order everything too!!!

Folding tables and chairs are set up in front of the truck. It was not easy snagging this table, let me tell you.

Alright so that all that focusing that went on when I was ordering? Amounted to this:

Left: Fish taco. Middle: Octopus. Right: the Gobernador.

Exhibit A: Fish taco.

KAYOKO
WAAAAA!!! This was my favorite fish taco! See the fish? That’s what I’m talking about when I mentioned pasty flour batter in my last post. It’s golden deliciousness that you so know is not good for you, but love it anyway.

I’m really obsessed with proportions and balance when I eat anything– so in something like the fish taco, the cabbage:salsa:crema:fish:tortilla ratio is a delicate balance and hard to get right. Like at South Beach Bar, there was just way too much salsa. But this was perfect.

And corn tortillas!!!! This was the first stop to have the fish taco come out on a corn tortilla. Although don’t get me wrong, the flour tortilla is satisfying in its own way. But the corn tortilla is OG.

Nate does not agree…

NATE
Fish taco for $.99, not bad if you are on a budget, but it was too much breading, not enough fish for me. I bit into a crunch of breading without any white fish. But for $.99 at a taco truck I didn’t expect much more.

KAYOKO
I think it was @fauxbrizio who had told me to get the octopus taco. Can we meditate on this for a moment? It’s an OCTOPUS TACO, people!

KAYOKO
It came piping hot, right off the grill, with celery, red peppers and onions. At first glance, I won’t lie, I was a bit turned off cause I am ashamed to say I don’t like celery. But dude… the crunch from the celery with the octopus was GENIUS!

NATE
This place came alive with the shrimp tacos.

Camaron ajo taco (spicy garlic shrimp):

KRISTI
I was too full to eat but tried the spicy shrimp taco and it was delicious!

KAYOKO
I’m embarassed to say that the star of the Mariscos German show, the Gobernador taco was gobbled down so fast that I neglected to take a picture. BAD FOOD BLOGGER. When I forget to take a picture– that’s when you know it was the best ever. Here it is again on the very right. Not a great pic, but it’s all I got!

NATE
I had the spicy shrimp taco and it was my fave of the day…until I bit into Kayoko’s Gobernador taco. It blew my mind. I’ve never had a seafood taco quite like this before. Celery? Melted white cheese? Spicy, crunchy, gooey and juicy all at the same time. I’ll be back.

KAYOKO
Told ya! The only reason why I ordered this shrimp taco was because of the name- the GOVERNOR taco. It’s so mafioso I couldn’t resist. It was, besides the added cheese, almost exactly like the octopus taco but with shrimp. I’m reading that the Gobernador originated in Sinaloa, Mexico in honor of its governor. Masa Assassin seems to be an expert on the subject of this awesome creation.

The damage. So shameless.

KAYOKO
Washed down the entire meal with this skeptical sangria in a bottle, “Sin Alcohol” (without alcohol). It was actually really good though.

ANNA
I’ve been raving to co-workers about Mariscos German, pretty much the hidden gem of San Diego fish tacos right now, in my book.

KRISTI
This truck had mad street cred (literally and figuratively).

MARISCOS GERMAN TACO TRUCK 3
3504 University Avenue (@35th Street)
San Diego, CA
T: 619.392.2351

Stay tuned for El Zarape next!