Viewing entries tagged
tacos

West Coast Fish - Costa Mesa

May 8, 2017

There's been a lot of gourmet food brought down to the fast food hype and I am definitely digging it. After seeing the menu and a few photos from local eaters, I wonder what can be so great with grilled fish, "simple" sides/appetizers. From the items I've tried, the first bite was all it took.

I was blown away by how amazingly delicious everything was. With a mouthful, oh my god was the only thing I kept blurping out.

Salmon over brown rice with veggies. (broccolini, pickled shishito and fresno chilis.) Salmon, cooked to perfection. Also, they cure the salmon in house making the skin extra crispy when grilling. Will order this again... will be hard to want someth… — Salmon over brown rice with veggies. (broccolini, pickled shishito and fresno chilis.) Salmon, cooked to perfection. Also, they cure the salmon in house making the skin extra crispy when grilling. Will order this again... will be hard to want something else after having this.

“West Coast Fish desires to simplify what it means to have good seafood. Utilizing organic non-GMO herbs, original sauces and wild fish, our produce is hand-picked fresh from farmer’s markets as well as The CAMP’s community garden.”

You'll be surprised with the level of expertise at West Coast Fish when preparing the food. Some inspirations they've adapted to is Japanese techniques. Cooking with binchotan charcoals for example, gives a nice smokey aroma that doesn't overpower the food. Why I love yakitori so much.

Quite possibly one of the best cauliflower dishes I've had. I can't express enough how good this was. Oh, I know, Oh My God.

It's easy to mess up brussel sprouts. But, not here. Deliciously crispy. Extremely addicting and difficult to share. The same with the cauliflower. That's 2 veggie dishes I just raved about. Says a lot.

The shrimp tacos were ON POINT. Giant and Extremely plump (please, no that's what she said jokes. Even though I just pointed that out...) No skimping here. And what's AMAZING was how well that tortilla held up. As a food blogger, you can imagine the extra minutes I take to capture a photo. But, with that said, it was one tortilla (standard street tacos has 2) that held up the beast. So fresh. Each bite was just decadence.

I WILL BE BACK.

2981 BRISTOL ST. #B5 COSTA MESA, CA 92626

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Nook Bistro - Los Angeles/Sawtelle

September 5, 2016

Nook Bistro is the perfect neighborhood spot to get your grub on. When we arrived, it immediately felt like a place you would need to be in the know to find. The restaurant is tucked away in a plaza and extremely easy to miss. So make apple maps or google maps your best friend.

Yes, they have a full bar with a big list of cocktails for you to try. I've decided to switch it up tonight by sipping a Manhattan instead of my usual Old Fashion. It was perfect for the evening. And I honestly just wanted the Luxardo cherry. It's a great treat to have once the drink is finished.

This was new on the Happy Hour Menu. Generous sized meatballs in a delicious marinara sauce.

Lightly fried tortilla filled with blackened shrimp, cabbage, roasted poblano pepper, avocado crema. The shrimp had a lot of flavor and packed a lot more wow than how it looks. This item is also in their happy hour.

The New Zealand Green Lip Mussel is cooked with andouile sausage, oven-dried tomato, garlic, herbs and white wine saffron broth. My favorite part was dipping that bread into that saffron white wine broth.

This calamari is fried then tossed in a citrus-soy vinaigrette and served with a wasabi dipping sauce. Fried Calamari is always a go to in my book no matter how overdone it is on menus.

The prime rib eye is seared to a perfect medium rare served with brandy sauteed apples, mushroom demi-glace, and crispy buttermilk onion rings. Every post workout meal should look like this. Pair this with a glass of wine(s) for the ultimate satisfaction.

These Spicy Gulf shrimp is prepared with Logan's Turnpike Stone ground grits and linguisa sausage. The sausage was nice and smokey which went really well with the creamy grits. The shrimps were plump and cooked perfectly. If everyone had shrimp and grits, the world would be a better place.

These large dayboat scallops are pan seared and served on top of a shiitake and english pea risotto, slow dried tomato, and shellfish broth. It's fantastic when scallops get a beautiful caramelized sear like this, makes them that much sweeter.

Silky Key lime pie with a blueberry compote and whipped cream. Goes great with a cup of black coffee.

I recommend making reservations.

11628 Santa Monica Blvd Ste 9, Los Angeles, CA 90025

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Tacos Ensenada - East Los Angeles

August 15, 2016

A lot of people won't even know where East LA is. To some people, this area may be extremely foreign. And it's true. East LA is known to have crime from time to time so I'm not surprised people don't pick this as their destination. But there are also a lot of love. A lot of families. And a lot of hungry people wanting good food at an affordable price. East LA is heavily populated with Hispanics, but with that said, there are some great mom and pop joints out here that I consider some of my top go-tos. That's when I stumbled upon Tacos Ensenada. And if it wasn't for taking a trip on the Metro Gold Line, this place would probably still be incognito on my radar.

5161 E Pomona Blvd
East Los Angeles, CA 90022

Here were some amazing eats:

Poppy shrimp, citrus from the lime, sharpness of the onions, sweetness of the tomatoes, herbiness of the cilantro, creaminess of the avocado, and the toasty flavors of the tostada. For around $2, why even bother making this at home.

Fish tostada is my favorite ceviche to have. I love the texture of citrus cooked fish. It really infuses the flavor and tastes that much fresher cold with fresh chopped ingredients. Another must order.

Crunchy fresh fish tacos with shredded cabbage, pico, red sauce and crema. Finger licking good so you better chomp on these quick. Large lumps of seafood around $1.75 a pop, and well worth it.

Better than some street carne asada tacos. Meat was juicy, flavorful, and tons of umami in my mouth. I hope it's not lard... but a part of me loves that it might be.

Unlimited condiments. Be mindful, not wasteful.

Total for 1 bottle of coke, 4 fish tacos, 1 shrimp taco, 1 asada taco, and 2 tostadas... $20.ish dollars. Yeah you bet it was good. And guess what? They also accept credit cards, Double that what now.

5161 E Pomona BlvdEast Los Angeles, CA 90022

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Ixtaco Taqueria - El Monte

April 5, 2016

John and I went to the gym before finding Ixtaco Taqueria. We were hungry. Needed food, but it wasn't quite time for dinner yet. Don't you just hate that? What's a good post workout meal that is satisfying, fills up, but not too much, between 3-6? It's pretty hard. Because when I eat, I mentally get ready for it. I kick the protein shakes to the curb. Don't swing no snack bar in my face either. I want meat and greasy food that I can get my hands on. My hair was a mess, but I didn't care. No one complains when there's tacos. No one.

We stumbled upon Ixtaco when we were headed for a quick fix at Mitsuwa Marketplace. Luckily, John read my mind and rerouted to this joint a few miles down from where we were at the moment. Nothing a quick U-turn can't fix. Have you seen how I drive? There's no playing games when tacos are involved. I tell people this all the time when they get nervous, just close your eyes.

10021 Valley Blvd, El Monte, CA 91731

As you can see, they do have a decent selections of tacos to choose from. I would definitely need to be back to try out the other menu items.

This was their coconut and mango. Both refreshing on a hot-supposed-to-be-spring day. Handcrafted to suit natures best produce. My coconut drink was nice and subtle. The mango had a sweeter bolder kick which always pairs great with tacos.

I ordered 2 Asada and 1 Roasted Duck.

I was probably 9 the first time I had tacos from a truck. There was one where I used to live in Glassell Park called Gorditas Lupitas. The tortillas at Ixtaco reminds me of Lupitas. In other words, comforting. My mom and my dad used to stroll down the street. I would remember what a treat it was to eat tacos. The delicious chewy tortillas with the spicy salsas. These totally brings back memories.

Their roast duck taco was my favorite. If you are familiar with Chinese roast duck, this is exactly what it is in a taco.. with cilantro and onions.. and salsa verde. I am not complaining. It totally makes sense. If you think about how Chinese would use steamed buns or thin flour pancakes to wrap roast duck, this is no different. I'm not sure how consistent the duck is prepared here in a taco, but if it's served with tons of skin, I am happy with that. So much flavor and super moist. They also serve this in a burrito as an option as well as a quesadilla, torta, sope. I'm telling you, they have options.

I love sopes because it's fried. They make their own here like their tortillas. What I love about this is the slight crispy edges with the hot steamy chew you get. You won't find the same texture from store bought sope shells. It's just not the same as to when it's handmade. I would order this a little more extra crispy next time.

Yummy grilled elote. Corn that's been charred, buttered, slathered with mayonnaise, cheese, lime juice, and to what I believe was a chipotle style mayonnaise. It make look like a lot of mayonnaise, but trust me, that's the best part. Comes piping hot in a plastic container. Great to carry on in the car when you are on the go.

Langostinas burrito! Loaded up with rice, beans, and a layer of purple cabbage. Squeeze as much lime as possible then douse with some spicy salsa. Lick your fingers after. Napkins are only used at the end of the meal.

10021 Valley Blvd, El Monte, CA 91731

I know El Monte isn't very local to a lot of you folks, but it's always fun to explore. I love places like this, because it creates an experience I wouldn't expect to find. I don't always need to be in Los Angeles. Getting away, driving to a different city, and finding a totally random restaurant is the best part of being a true foodie. So go and explore.

Happy taco hunting.

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Tacos Tu Madre - Westwood

March 13, 2016

LA has definitely been a taco staple exploding into different counties. What I find is there are more contemporary fusion tacos than what you would find the past decade. Tacos Tu Madre not only offer your fusion tacos like Korean BBQ or Duck Mole, but also stays within your comfort zones by offering Asada, Carnitas, Al Pastor, Lengua, and Chorizo Egg which I HIGHLY recommend.

Tacos Tu Madre - 1945 1/2 Westwood BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90025

This menu was taken a few months ago when I first visited the restaurant. This menu is located outside their take out window, but they also have one to look through for more in depth options. I've included their most recent menu to the left.

As you see, besides the tacos being more sophisticated, so are the prices. But, there are also more component to each taco that you order here. I brought John with me. Like myself and many of you who grew up with $1 tacos, find it blasphemy when a taco costs $1.25.

But as the economy is growing, so is everything else. That's right, a bundle of cilantro can cost 99 cents. Avocados are expensive as hell. And lemons are only used if it's a special occasion. You catch my drift.

This is my favorite from everything I've had. For $4.75, this is totally worth it. Served on a crispy tortilla shell, the ahi tuna is cut in chunks and mixed with avocados, spicy citrus yuzu ponzu sauce, chives, sesame seeds and seaweed flakes.

The only thing I can say, is I can't extract the yuzu flavor. For some reason, I tasted a lot of ginger. Maybe I have poor taste buds. Maybe they don't even have any ginger in house. But it's extremely fresh and something I would never complain about. I would definitely order 2 of these and be content.

There are options to order this in a Burrito or a Bowl for additional charges. A burrito or bowl will supplement as a meal.

In other words, the Darth Maul version. How can you not think about that just by looking at these colors. Or maybe even Deadpool. Each chip has a helpful amount of salt, but not too much. Just enough to balance the guac. I couldn't help but dive back into this from time to time. Avocados are the good types of fat, and I will keep telling myself that everything it touches will become just that.

In the platter above, there's Duck Mole, Korean BBQ, Crispy Fish, Carnitas, and Lengua. The tortillas is not your standard 2 sheets, but one presumably hand made. You gotta eat these fast because the tortillas does break apart if it sits for a while. All the tacos were packed with flavor. I ate these tacos not keeping in mind with what I've grown up eating, but to keep an unbiased opinion based solely on flavors. So yes. I will pay over $3 bucks for a taco.

Street corn is my thing and something I love to make at home. This is not your elote you would find on the streets. Mayonnaise was missed, and it seems they use red chili flakes instead of cayenne. This does make eating a lot easier, and less messier than it would be on a cob.

They have desserts like red velvet churros and frozen horchatas to help you move on with your day. The red churros were interesting and definitely had no resemblance from a traditional churro. These are much more dense. I would love the cream cheese frosting to be sweeter as well has the roll out of the cinnamon sugar that is coated.

Putting everything in thought, I would be back. Space is extremely limited, but tables turning over is fairly quick. It does help there are 2 Starbucks within a 1 mile radius. They do have street parking with meters, a lot where you need to pay, or residential which is just around the corner which is what we did. Trust me, after these tacos, you should take the walk.

Tacos Tu Madre is snuck away, but has a giant colorful mural. If you are lost, but close, it's in between to 2 Starbucks I mentioned.

Good luck.

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Wine & Dine

West Coast Fish - Costa Mesa

Nook Bistro - Los Angeles/Sawtelle

Tacos Ensenada - East Los Angeles

Ixtaco Taqueria - El Monte

Tacos Tu Madre - Westwood