tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154677542026-04-29T00:39:06.601-07:00A guide to the Los Angeles taco sceneEl Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-75436559267388996042013-03-20T13:24:00.000-07:002013-03-20T13:24:56.764-07:00

Well my friends, I’m throwing in the tortilla. It was fun and it was new and it was all that. But I’ve realized for some time now that I don’t have it in me anymore. Taco blogging is a young man’s game. The taco scene has been changing so fast in LA and I no longer have my pulse on it (if I ever did). And I don’t have it in me for a third-act. I was driving around LA the other night and I

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-50152440650136142412012-12-29T18:19:00.001-08:002013-03-17T14:54:40.706-07:00

My taco reporting has been less than prolific this year. So, when thinking about naming the 2012 Taco of the Year, I had to look to the past. And the shrimp taco at Mariscos Jalisco immediately came to mind. On a recent trip to the legendary East LA truck I devoured a plate of shrimp tacos and was amazed at how consistently great they have been over the years. The taco hails from the

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-40562271783449883282012-12-12T13:04:00.000-08:002012-12-12T13:11:44.320-08:00

photo: LA Observed Well this is bad news. It looks like Henry's Tacos will shutter this month for good. A taco stand loved by locals and non-locals alike, Henry's has been serving some of the best "gringo" style tacos in LA for over 50 years. The googie architecture taco stand has been a fixture at the corner of Tujunga and Moorpark for half a century, yet efforts to get the building

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-55761203907661949642012-10-17T00:55:00.001-07:002012-10-18T13:08:45.454-07:00

It’s been a couple months since I’ve posted so I thought I would get back into the swing of things with a list of my top five favorite taco trucks at the moment. This list is always evolving so bear with me. And if you have your own list feel free to share it in the comments.  I’m very particular about what I like in a taco. First, I need a good chile salsa and it has to be spicy. If

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-32453854603434683342012-08-01T22:11:00.001-07:002012-08-01T22:11:53.721-07:00

As far as gringo tacos go it’s hard to beat Rick’s in Pasadena. Only, now it’s called Bobby’s Place. But the food is the same: the spuderito, the beef and bean with hot, and of course the crunchy ground beef tacos, are all still ridiculously delicious. This hybrid taco-burger stand is legendary. The taco comes with ground beef, lettuce, tomato slice, cheese, and hot sauce. The shell is

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-61761210611056233442012-07-30T00:11:00.000-07:002012-07-30T00:11:16.397-07:00

Tacos Leo's al pastor Tortilla Truimphs: 40 Knockout L.A. Tacos [Grub Street Los Angeles] Taco Thursday: Tongue Tacos [LA Times] 23rd Street Cafe: Indian-Mexican Tacos! [LA Weekly] La Otra Taquería Escuela, West Hollywood [the backyard bite] Tacos Baja Ensenada, East Los Angeles [NJinLA.com]

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-14943040576452280902012-07-15T18:24:00.002-07:002012-07-16T22:59:59.981-07:00

I pulled off the 210 freeway to look for a gas station and there she was; a taco wagon hitched to a truck, and she was calling my name. Not literally calling me over, but beckoning me, like a lighthouse, as if I was adrift out at sea and lost, and looking for some kind of sign. The sign I was looking for read “tortillas hecha a mano” and it was game on. I ordered al pastor and carne asada.

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-80394149390633869892012-07-11T22:39:00.003-07:002012-07-12T00:29:13.095-07:00

It’s hard to beat four tacos for two bucks. But sometimes you get what you pay for. And on this day, the tacos were of poor quality. Tacos El Chavito has a certain kind of legendary stature in Huntington Beach. This is partly due to the fact you get two tacos for $1. But get this; they also give away free pineapple juice. Two bucks gets you a plate of tacos and something to wash it down with.

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-7713492002528863132012-07-10T21:46:00.000-07:002012-07-10T21:46:25.392-07:00

Tacos Puebla may serve the best tacos arabes in Los Angeles. I say they may, because I haven’t had many tacos arabe, and these are the best tacos arabe I’ve had. The tacos arabes come with beef instead of pork. The beef is tender and mixed with onions and a spicy chile salsa. When you order they will ask if you want it spicy. The tacos are $3 each but well worth it. The tortillas are freshly

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-76463946806957180222012-07-09T03:23:00.000-07:002012-07-09T03:23:05.294-07:00

What a surprise. Actual burrito looks nothing like this. I thought I’d never have to blog about Taco Bell ever again. Not after I declared them dead to me for what they did to the 1980’s Taco Bell. But now Taco Bell has launched their new Cantina Bell menu, which was created by Chef Lorena Garcia. That’s okay, I’ve never heard of her either. But lots of people on the internet have and they

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-90490303220669439632012-04-23T01:50:00.003-07:002012-04-24T03:53:11.562-07:00

A few years ago if someone said that they ate some good tacos from a taco truck in West LA you would probably want to punch them in the face. Or at least call them a newb for not knowing what a good taco is. But its 2012 and I’m here to announce that the era of bad tacos on the streets of West LA is over. Well, you’ll still find bad tacos from taco trucks in West LA, just not at the corner of

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-56335315640191499242012-04-21T18:09:00.002-07:002012-04-22T17:12:54.252-07:00

tacos por favor hard shell taco $3.35 For the second installment of the Gringo Taco Showdown I decided to pit two Westside taco establishments against each other. Tacos Por Favor is pretty well known to anyone who eats tacos and lives on the Westside. Their chorizo and cheese taco with the spicy salsa roja never disappoints. The carne asada is above average as well. It’s the Westside so

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-7164585972274526392012-04-17T23:25:00.004-07:002012-04-18T01:51:06.608-07:00

Ever since I ate the horrendous dorito loco taco I have been thinking about the American hard shell taco. It is commonly referred to as the gringo taco and this is as good a name as any I can think of. For many people the gringo taco is what comes to mind when they think of tacos. I was also thinking about how once I had graduated to “real tacos” I began to disassociate myself from the gringo

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-9208827558504492282012-04-03T01:58:00.002-07:002012-04-19T02:48:45.268-07:00

If you’re under 30 you probably don’t remember how good Taco Bell tacos once were. You’re probably thinking I’m having a laugh or that I’ve finally gone mad but it's true.Now make no mistake, these weren’t the kind of tacos you’ll find on the streets of Boyle Heights or El Sereno. But they were traditional tacos in their own way; crunchy ground beef tacos that were greasy and delicious. I

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-82565535783870636182012-03-20T02:22:00.005-07:002012-03-20T03:35:04.131-07:00

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,— While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; -Keats "To Autumn" It’s the first day of spring and I’m back. I wasn’t really gone but I’ve been really lazy. It’s easy to be lazy during the winter. I know, it’s LA, we don’t really have proper seasons, but

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-35520891265647032422012-01-01T17:06:00.000-08:002012-01-01T17:06:17.303-08:00

photo: ladailynews.com I love my gringo tacos and I kinda love Henry's. But some people really love Henry's Tacos which I understand. Henry's is like the valley's version of Tito's Tacos. People who haven't grown up with them wonder what what the deal is and people who have grown up with them wonder what the deal is with people who haven't grown up with them.I'm weird because I grew up a mile

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-15123523081860718952011-12-28T15:39:00.000-08:002011-12-28T15:39:33.316-08:00

Tacos Leo busted on to the LA taco scene in 2010 slinging ridiculously good tacos al pastor. With perfectly seasoned pork that was shaved from the rotating spit then topped with a snippet of pineapple from a skilled taquero, Tacos Leo mesmerized the LA taco eating public. The euphoria however was short lived, as the city, jealous of the attention Tacos Leo was getting, decided to shut down

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-57792495902024851022011-12-05T02:06:00.000-08:002011-12-05T02:06:41.453-08:00

Normally at the end of the year I do a top 10 tacos and list the best tacos I had during the year. It was a pretty slow year on the blog for great tacos. I became obsessed with just eating off taco trucks no matter how bad they were and I was out of LA for long stretches at a time. So I’ve decided to turn this years top 10 (or top 5) over to the public. So let me know your fav taco of the year

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-76519388237733258132011-12-02T20:50:00.000-08:002011-12-02T20:50:33.247-08:00

Something is going down tomorrow at the Taco Zone. Whatever it is, the organizers say that "the Los Angeles taco scene will never be the same."

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-71733182466852197482011-11-08T01:52:00.000-08:002011-11-08T01:58:04.370-08:00

It’s a strange thing keeping a blog. Because even though you can see how many people visit your blog, you never really know how many people actually read your blog, or if anyone actually reads it at all. How many read the whole article? How many just look at the photos? How many typed in something dirty before taco and ended up here? Today I checked my blog stats and so far this month I’ve had

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-92083201587159720272011-10-29T01:11:00.000-07:002011-11-02T01:17:46.536-07:00

Sometimes all you need is a couple of tacos, a grilled jalapeno, a bottle of Mexican coke, and the sun in your face. They don’t even have to be great tacos. They just have to be good enough not put you in a bad mood for the rest of the day. And if they are good enough you may wave to the man inside the truck as you leave. If they are real good you may lay a buck on the counter. tacos

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-90232387342713265062011-10-28T10:49:00.000-07:002011-10-28T10:49:06.115-07:00

Taco Tuesday: Norma's Barbacoa de Res - [The LA Beat] Los Angeles: Rambo's Tacos Puts Up a Fight in Eagle Rock - [Serious Eats] Cochinita Pibil Taco Fight: La Cabanita vs Chichen Itza [Squid Ink] Tacos y Carnitas Sahuayo: Follow Your Nose [OC Weekly] 10 Great Tacos in Orange County [OC Weekly]

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-45259620630736176962011-10-26T01:35:00.000-07:002011-10-26T10:28:18.564-07:00

It’s late at night in East LA where it seems you can find taco trucks on every street corner. This is City Terrace, the gateway to the real east los. I think this is where Hector from Morrissey’s “First of the Gang to Die” stayed. Maybe not, but I’m sure the home for the blind is somewhere around here. I ordered chorizo, asada, and al pastor. The tacos came topped with cilantro, minced

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-62823042066985281502011-10-19T00:25:00.000-07:002011-10-19T14:06:12.625-07:00

When I look at the map of the taco trucks I have covered so far on this blog the San Fernando Valley seems to be neglected. Yeah the Eastside is where a lot of the action is but for me the SFV is totally unexplored territory. There’s no dominant player in the SFV like there is on the Eastside, which makes it all the more interesting. So I paid the SFV a visit. It was late at night and I had

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15467754.post-79255777551346610602011-10-09T20:35:00.000-07:002011-10-15T23:41:11.844-07:00

Tacos El Gallito parks at the corner of La Brea and Venice day and night. The first time I went it was daytime. I ordered three tacos and a grape soda. Then I took a few bites of my tacos and wondered what had happened to Tacos El Gallito. The tacos were terrible. The meats were dry and flavorless; the tortillas were wilted; the salsas were bland. I put off blogging about the experience.

El Bandinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03132445848776925335noreply@blogger.com4