Taqueria El Fogon ~ Playa Del Carmen

We arrived in Playa around the middle of the afternoon, tired from walking to and from a cenote, driving in a Collectivo (public transportion via a van), hauling our bags, finding a hostel, and finally dropping our clothes off at a lavanderia.  

Tired and hungry.  What a combo.  We find this spot on our way back from the laundry mat, and decided to get a little snack.  

TAQUERIA EL FOGON

This place was smokin hot (literally, smoke was permeating through this open air, no walled restaurant).  We decided to grab a table on the outside, away from the hustle and bustle of tourists and servers.  Spot White Godzilla in the picture??

"Puedo tomar una foto?"

Homeboy was cool about it.  

No chips?  This was already on our table when we sat down.  And no, we didn't get chips.  It was nice to have a little salsa bar on our table for our tacos though.  Oh, that green sauce = incendiary.

Matt and I split 4 pastor and 2 chorizo tacos.  The pastor was first up.  

Let me start out by saying the pastor came in super thin slices, probably because of how homebody slices from the spit.  On each taco they add a slice of the pineapple that is on top of the pastor while cooking.  Flavor?  It's hard to tell because the portions we received weren't that significant.  I was able to kill each taco in two bites, so add small tacos with small portions of pastor and really, I can't tell you if it was good or bad?  But I do remember being satisfied...and that's what really matters.  Not to mention I was tired and hungry, so I didn't really think about the flavor while om nom nom om om'ing.  

Would you just look at that?  Oh man that thing is making me salivate!!  We split an order of two chorizo's...one being good enough.  This taco was well portioned, and at one point I was eating droppings on the plate with my fingers.  The cheese had the texture of crumbled blue cheese, but it was a mild white ...similar to mozza or monterey jack.  The chorizo was super greasy and flavorful...like, really flavorful.  I've had some good chorizo...and this right here is one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.  

One more thing, take a look at the juicy running off that tortilla.  WOW.  If that doesn't make you chorizo lovers salivate,  I don't know what will.  

Overall, I'd come back just for that chorizo and cheese goodness.  And if I did order pastor, I'd probably get a burrito or a plate, so I could get a better portion.  Those tacos were just mini.

Pro's

-Pastor on spit

-Big menu

-Open air restaurant

-Salsa on table

Con's

-Shitty portion of pastor on taco

-Loud and rambunctious:  I was tired

-Gets really busy

-Slow service...it was really busy

Tacos ~ Pastor:  $14 pesos / $1.00 usd;  Chorizo and Cheese:  $24 pesos / $1.75 usd

Taqueria El Fogon ~ 8th and 35th  Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Los Compadres ~ Downtown Los Angeles

I've caught a couple observations over the past couple years about Spanish speaking people's in the service industry.  Whether it be at a restaurant, a bar, a trainstation or among new faces, speaking their language automatically bumps you up in the respect and friendliness scale.   

I have a million and one stories to validate my point, but I remember one specific time while in Playa Del Carmen.  I went to find a fellow American in our hostel, and found him out in the veranda attempting to speak to our roommates, who happened to be Argentinean.  He was glad to see me because we could actually have a full conversation.  So we went at it full force with the metaphors, heavy american slang, and shit talk...basically about what was gonna go down that night out at the bars.  Outta nowhere one of the Argentineans I met earlier said to me, "I like you better when you speak spanish."

hahahaah, he was just fuckin around, but I could tell he loosened up the second I responded in spanish about what my fellow american and I were speaking about.

Another instance I caught a shift in attitude was here...at Los Compadres.  Literally, "The Godfathers." But with the service I received, I'd say it means, "The Friends."

LOS COMPADRES

I came into this place freshly back from Mexico (literally had gotten off the plane late the night before) and with a Spanish speaking tongue ready for the unleashing.  I went the normal, most obvious route...

"Hola! Coma Esta?"

"Bien! Y tu?"

"Muy bien, muy bien!"

I followed by ordering my taco's in spanish, as well as asking her about the pastor(which I ordered) that was advertised as on a spit, or "trompo," out on their sign.  She could tell I was a baby rookie in spanish, so I explained that I had just come off the airplane the night before from Cancun, and how I mobbed deep to Isla Mujeres, Tulum and Playa Del Carmen.  I told her the reason I'm speaking spanish is because I want to be able to order taco's better :)  She smiled and went on about how she's learning English at the adult school up the street, so she could serve taco's better.  hahah, good times.  

She must have liked me because I straight up got the VIP treatment.  How you say?  Let's just say she didn't give me the pastor that had been cooked earlier in the morning and was sitting in a heat pan.  She went straight for a little fridge and pulled out freshly marinated pastor that was sitting in a little tupperware and threw it on the grill.  

Did you hear what I said?? I said she straight up got the REAL shit outta the VIP SECTION and cooked my food FRESH TO ORDER.  Hot off the fucking grill, straight into my buddha belly. 

She even brought the plate to my table with two different salsas.  What a sweetheart. 

I think she marinated this pastor in some magical sauce and kept it cold in some sort of wizards fridge, then cooked it on a sorcerers stove, because everything about these taco's were magic. 

Seriously, I love this.  I've said it before, but this right here is what this blogs all about people.  Finding a spot in the middle of nowhere, a random place that totally takes you by surprise and when you come out of it you feel ....happy.  

Pro's

-Friendly mom's and pop's service

-Pastor on spit in the AM thru lunchtime

-If you're friendly enough, she might give you the VIP treat

Con's

-Ninguno (none)

Taco's ~ $1.25

Los Compadres ~ 633 N. Spring St. Ste 8  Los Angeles, CA  90012

Manhole Cover ~ Venice Beach Walk

LaRoccos Pizza ~ Culver City

Somebody please explain to me what the big deal is about NY slice pizza.  Seriously, I hear it all the fuckin time from random people I meet, to random food sites on the net, "Pizza in California just can't compare to the real deal in NY," "NY pizza is the best, period," "I haven't found a decent slice of pizza in LA yet, not like in NY."  

GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT SHIT.  NO ONE CARES.  IF ITS SO MUCH BETTER THERE THEN GO BACK.  PLEASE.

I'm gonna start complaining to people from NY that I can't find decent tacos there,  not like I can in LA.  

::end rant::

Wow, that was brutal huh?  With that off my chest, I did a little bit of research on the net, and asked a couple people on different message boards about what is distinctly defines an authenic NY slice.  While I received the obvious, there was one site that realy stuck out in defining what NY slice pizza is all about, and no, its not wikipedia.  

This guy Jeff Verasano is deep.  Crazy passionate deep about making pizza.  If you're really interested in reading it, click the link below

http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

To be brief, 

-Thin, charred outer crust, with an airy bubbly inside.

-to acheive this you must have high heat, like 800-900 degree heat. 

*he even breaks down how fast good pizza is cooked.   a whole pie can be done anywhere from 1:30 mins to 7 mins.  thats fast pizza*

-Lightly sauced and topped with mozzarella

And here are some random idea's from people on what they think makes a ny slice

-Able to fold

-Must use NY tap water in dough

-Also what was said above.

Ok, with all that said and done, I think I can now properly review LaRocco's pizza, owned and operated by Paul LaRocca, who "was born in Little Italy, New York City...brought up in Brooklyn, where he learned the secret to making the finest dough alive..." and "....has brought the New York secret to California..."  Check his site if you must... http://www.laroccospizzeria.com/

LAROCCO'S PIZZA

First of all, I was bummed when I didn't see Mr. LaRocco himself in the back flipping pizza's in the air.  Whatever though, I'm here for the pizza anyways.  

*Puttanesca and Cheese Slices

Looks good so far huh?

This pizza was hmmmm...  OK.  I'm basing this purely on the cheese pizza.  Because I've read from many places describing good NY pizza, that the slice should be able to stand up on its own, with out the help from random toppings and sauces.  

Let me rephrase that, the pizza was better than most places I've been to that claim NY heritage.  They reheated my slice, which I hear they do at a lot at pizza joints in LA.  It was close to perfect, a bit on the extra crunchy side, but nothing that made me displeased.  If anything, I prefered it.  It was lightly topped by the red sauce, and nice balanced with mozzarella cheese.  My only qualm with the slice was the dough didn't have much flavor.  Really, it was like the crust is soley there as a vehicle to get cheese and sauce into your mouth.  I could use a little bit of flavor.  I have heard echoes of this from other people who have been here also.  Lack of flavor from the crust seems to be a major issue for some people.

The slice folds nicely.  I went for the fold and I heard that nice crunching noise as the pizza got taco'd.  3/4 of the slice taco'd nicely, while the last 1/4 tip left dangled.  It was nice.

As far as the puttanesca goes, it was excellent.  It tasted great.  It's funny though because I've never had it before and the ONLY reason I got it is because it sounds fancy.  hahah..  Really though, it tasted great.  But again, the crust was flavorless...

I'll say that according to most true-to-the-game, die-hard, passionate-crazy-fucks from NY, they'll probably look at this pizza and say exactly what I griped about up top.  And for good reason.  This pizza is a step below.  Most likely not a Tier 2 pizza place to Mr Jeff Varasano's standards.  

But for Culver City, I'd say it's A-OK.   

Pro's

-Nice lunch specials

-Decent selection of slices

-Delivers whole pies 

Con's

-Doesn't live up to NY standard

-Parking is hard to find

-Whole pies come in only one size, 18"

-Operating hours, *they close whenever they run out of dough...so who know's when that could be?*

Slice ~ $3.00

2 slice special with free refills drink ~ $6.00

LaRocco's Pizza ~ 3819 Main St.  Culver City, CA  90232  310.837.8345  

http://www.laroccospizzeria.com/

Pepe's Tacos ~ Culver City

Plan B:  Pepe's Tacos.  

What was Plan A?  Plan A was going to a place I spotted off Venice Blvd named El Charro.  After I parked my car and made the quick walk, I get to the front, look in, confusion hits, and kept on walking like I was going somewhere else. Hahaha what a douche.

Seriously, I looked in and it looked like a hybrid barber shop and bar, but instead of taps and drinnks against the wall, there was a small little stove and mini counter for prep.  I was like, "WTF is going on in there?"  I turn around and look in, and get a bit intimitated by the place...it reminded me of a spot we walked by in Mexico, touristy part of Mexico at that, and only locals were there, straight up MEXICANS ONLY.  I definitely need to rehash my Habla Espanol before I return.  Y voy a regresar.

Until then...it was plan B tonight.

Pepe's Tacos

Early in my taco blogging career, I visited this spot and was very very disappointed.  I vowed I would give them one more chance, because in the back of my heart I knew they could do better.  Coming here, I was hopeful for something good.  They almost delivered 100 percent.  

I was bit concerned after looking at the menu and finding out these taco's come at 1.39 a pop.  It went away when homeboy dropped this plate on my face.  The chips and salsa more than made up for the 15 cent increase per taco.  

*from bottom to top:  pastor, asada, carnitas

For some odd reason, while I was waiting for my tacos, I was hoping I'd hear that pssssshhhh! the sound of meat being cooked on a grill.  Of course, it never came.  Maybe I'm getting a bit spoiled having gone to so many legit-made spots in Mexico and LA where your food is cooked to order.  Sad, ignorance is truly bliss.  

The pastor was very unremarkable.  I felt like they heavily sauced the pork.  It was like they forced their pastor flavor onto my palate.  I didn't like it.  No means NO.

The asada was definitely a step up from the pastor.  And a very big step up from the last time I was here, where I found a huge peice of fat that took up about half the size of my taco.  Though they didn't reheat the meat, it still came to me hot, not piping hot, but hot enough to enjoy.  I found a couple of charred crispy peices so that was a nice little surprise.

Now the king of the show was definitely the carnitas.  I had a feeling this taco was going to be the best.  Last time I was here I enjoyed this taco because of the texture.  This time around, they really impressed me by bringing the consistency.  The carnitas came to me just the way I like...tender and juicy from sitting in a hot stew pot for long hours.  Ohh man that shit taste bomb.  I'm telling you, sometimes things just are better over time.  And slow cooked pork is one of those things.  

Overall, this place redeemed itself from the very low point I had them in my head.  Not "great" mexican food.  But definitely the type that keeps customers coming back for more.  I think if I ever find myself back here though, I'm gonna try something else..their menu is huge and I've read on Yelp.com that they have some serious Torta action.

Pro's

-Chips and Salsa included

-Friendly service

Con's

-No salsa bar

-They use already cooked meat.  They don't even reheat.... (I know, I'm getting picky now.  But hey, I've seen the other side, and I like it.)

Taco's ~ $1.39 ea.

Pepe's Tacos ~ 4582 S. Centinela Ave.  Culver City, CA  90066  310.391.8667

http://www.pepestacosla.com/

Taqueria Don Beto ~ Tulum

This little gem is a stones throw from our hostel while in Tulum.  I'm a bit sad we didn't take advantage of this spot more often, but it's hard to stick to only a couple joints in a place where good food is everywhere.  But we did take advantage of their specialty,  cochinita pibil, a dish that originated in the Yucatan area.  Tulum being a part of Yucatan, you can imagine how stoked I was to have an authentic dish straight from the source.  

TAQUERIA DON BETO

Funny story, I actually met Don Beto.  Walking to and from our hostel, I would wave and say, "Hola Don Beto!  Como Esta?!"  It was great.  I wasn't able to get a picture with him (he must have been off on our last day in Tulum) but I did get a picture of White Godzilla with an old lady working the spot.  Perhaps Don Beto's wife?  

We ordered the torta, of course.  What was special, maybe a bit gross, was she would literally pull the pork with her own hands and stuff it into the homemade bread.  That's trust.  It all turned out fine though, we didn't get sick.  

They prepare the cochinita pibil properly, buried underground, wrapped in banana leaves.  And this is the result of the long hours while cooking.   So fucking good.

The purple looking things in the torta are onions.  The are milder than normal white onions, and on top of that they sit in a vinegar with herbs and seasoning...creating a very contrasting flavor to the savory juice the cochinita provides.  Speaking of juice, I enjoyed the homemade bread's airyness.  Because of this, it soaked up all that juice like a sponge.  Oh so good.  Seriously, it was like eating perfection.

To top things off, we spent a whopping 15 pesos per torta.  That's a dollar.

Pro's

-Friendly staff

-Location:  right next to the highway, by the entrance to the Tulum Ruins.

Con's

-Nope.

Torta's ~ 15 pesos/1 dollar

Taqueria Don Beto ~ Off highway 307 Ruins exit.

La Playita ~ Santa Monica

It doesn't get much better than dominating at beer pong, then walking to a local favorite for a victory meal.  The tourney took place during the day time, but night soon took over, as well as our hunger.  I was told that La Playita was close to where we were at, not any longer than a 5 min walk.  Stoked?  Hell yes.  I'm so used to driving drunk to get food that this was a nice welcoming back to California from Mexico, where I walked EVERYWHERE.  

LA PLAYITA

You gotta love little mexican stands like these.  You walk up, order your food, there's no tables so you basically stand and eat your meal with the rest of the patrons to the stand.  It's a no fuss, straight to the point food experience.  THE PERFECT "fast food" when you're drunk.  

I wish I would've known before hand that this place's specialty are their mariscos (seafood), because I wasn't so impressed by the quality of their meat's.  The pastor was seasoned in proper style, with a tender texture, but nothing I would talk twice about.  

I could say the same about their asada, which came to me a bit flavorless.  Maybe it was because my taco came drenched in their salsa roja.  On top of that, they barely added any onions and cilantro for complimentary flavor.  

This brings me to an important point about how I personally like my taco's.  If you've read my reviews before, you know I absolutely love it when taqueria's serve you your taco's bare, only the tortilla and meat.  The next, and VERY IMPORTANT part to the equation, is having a fully stocked salsa bar at your disposal.  You add these two peices and what you get is a customizable taco that you yourself build to personal liking.  

But hey, I was drunk and this food was great at the time.  If I really think about it, of course I'm going to be able to find things here and there to down the place.  To stay on this wave of positivity, I was able to get a bite of their shrimp quesadilla from Cori, which was excellent.  Also, Nikki ordered their mixed ceviche, and it was well received..."sooo good" to be exact.  

Speaking of Nikki, do you always order like this?  

Nikki Pays for Dinner from Rick Blanca on Vimeo.

Pro's

-Marisco's

-Quick preparation

-Big portions

Con's

-Not good if you're looking for a relaxing sit down

-No salsa bar

-Taco's are not their specialty

*click to enlarge menu

La Playita ~ 3306 Lincoln Blvd.  Santa Monica, CA  90405  310.452.0090

Brisa Mexicana ~ Isla Mujeres

This fucking place.  God, I could turn this post into one fat rant about how bad mexico can be when it comes to taking advantage of tourists.  But I'm not going to do that here.  I'll stick to the food.  But I will add this.  FUCK BRISA MEXICANA!  If I could drop a bomb on you, I would.  Everyone there can suck my fat hairy balls.  

ps- The host was cool though, he came thru with a late night smoke out at our hostel's beach bar.  

BRISA MEXICANA

Located at one of the busiest intersections in downtown, this spot has the location bit in the bag. At night the downtown area comes alive with tourists walking the streets and hosts hounding everybody and their mom about coming into their restaurant to eat.  That's pretty much how this place got Matt and I.  I should have known better though, what happened to my criteria about eating at non fancy, hole in the wall spots?  Ugghhh sometimes I never learn.

While Matt felt like a burger and fries, I of course ordered three taco's de carne asada.  It seemed like a good idea in retrospect, but I should have followed suit with Matt and gotten the burger.  I heard many a praise about the burger throughout our meal, while all I could think about my taco's were, "Fuck, could they have cooked this meat any worse?"  Besides the poor cooking, I noticed something I've experienced before with other mediocre restaurants.  They tend to put a shit load of whatever on the taco to make up for how bad the food really is.  Brisa put way to much cabbage on top, the tomato was thick cut and big, and they overloaded the taco with that poor excuse of what they call "asada" on top of a single store bought quality tortilla.  

This place kills me.  I thought I would never run into a place of this calibur EVER while in Mexico.  Well, I guess I was wrong.  Thanks Brisa...for making me realize that even mediocre mexican food does exist in a country where good food is around every corner.  

Pro's

-Location

Con's

-Service

-They will take advantage of you if they can

-FUCK YOU BRISA

Three Carne Asada Taco's ~ $67 pesos / $4.50 usd

Brisa Mexicana ~ Isla Mujeres

Rica Comida ~ Isla Mujeres

After a long day at the beach, we decided to do a little food tour through downtown.  Our stomachs only allowed us two spots...this place being one of them.  Our criteria for selection was simple, nothing fancy, more on the cheap side and must have taco's.  From experience, we noticed going to spots that don't seem so touristy or fancy usually provides the best food and service.

RICA COMIDA

You'd walk right by this place if you weren't on the lookout.  The decision to come here was simple.  Look at this place.  It screams authentic.  

*Click to enlarge.  It's all about simplicity people.  Easy menu..good food.

These taco's were good.  I wouldn't say the best...or anywhere close to that...but definitely dependable.   What really stood out was their pollo taco.  It tasted so fresh...I wouldn't doubt that they killed the chicken yesterday and had it ready for cooking that day.  The grilled onions added a nice flavor to the taco, while the tortilla was fresh, homemade and a bit crunchy...a first for me when it comes to "soft" taco's.  

My only drawback to this place was they only provided salsa verde.  A little tidbit about salsa verde in mexico...if you see any salsa thats green, it's going to be HOT.AS.SHIT.  Spicy spicy spicy ass salsa.  I only put a dab on my taco to taste, and that was enough for me to keep the taco salsa-less.

Pro's

-Cooked to order

-Friendly service

Con's

-Only comes with spicy salsa verde

Taco's ~ $12 pesos / .80 cents

Rica Comida ~ Isla Mujeres 

Aqui Estoy ~ Isla Mujeres

As much as I love me taco's, this pizza was a welcoming break from the constant barrage of mexican food my stomach received.  Aqui Estoy translated means, "Here I Am," which is perfect because when we arrived on Isla Mujeres (a little island 20 km off the coast of Cancun) I was thinking of all the food I would be eating within the next 3 days.  There was a bit of foreshadowing with this place.  As we were exiting off the ferry I saw a man on the dock wearing an "Aqui Estoy" shirt.  At first I thought he was some kind of worker on the ferry letting visitors now, "Here I am if you need any help!"  Ya right.  The service in Mexico is something else...but that's a whole different topic all together.

AQUI ESTOY

*Note the cost for the cuadrada piece:  $20 pesos! That's like $1.50 us!

I ordered the pepperoni cuadrada...which is the square piece.  

The pizza was surprisingly really good.  I had a feeling it would be after numerous times walking passed this place going to and leaving our hostel, with each pass the smells wafting from the place piquing our interest.  

Despite having to reheat the pizza since it had been sitting in that glass case, the square had a great fresh taste.  It was perfectly toasted and the dough had a nice flavor to it.  The cheese and sauce were proportioned perfectly and the pepperoni was just icing on the cake.  After eating just one of these slices, I more than satisfied my hunger.  *side note, I tend to not eat as much as I would normally when out of the country.  I don't know what it is...but you really don't think about food that much when you're having a good time.  And that say's a lot coming from this fat ass.

All in all, this place gets my stamp of approval.  On top of the great pizza, the guy's who run the joint are super nice and were more than happy to let me take pictures of the pizza, as well as them in action.

PS - Did I mention a square piece cost 20 pesos?!  Come on now!

Pro's

-Friendly service

-Multi-lingual workers - Spanish, French, Italian, English, and I'm sure some others...

-Nice variety of toppings on the "ready made" slices.

Con's

-Hmmmm....???

cuadrada/square ~ $20 pesos/$1.50 usd; redonda/round ~ $35 pesos/$2.50 usd.

Aqui Estoy ~ Downtown Isla Mujeres

Taco Inn ~ Benito Juarez International Airport, Mexico City

So I am finally back on the wagon, as far as food blogging goes.  I've been goneskies for a couple weeks "living life" in Mexico, or to be more exact, area de Cancun...though we spent the least amount of time in Cancun itself.  I was gone for about 10 days, which went slow at times...and fast at times.  I was thinking about dedicating a whole post with pictures about the whole trip, but I'll leave that for notepad on personal usage.  

However it may be, I was able to muster up some energy and take a couple a' flickas for the blog.  A "couple" being the operative word.  We ate really good food at almost every meal, so I'm a bit sad I wasn't able to get more pics.  Seriously, it's hard to take pictures when you're having such a good time just "being."  

Ok, enough of the existential bit...time for the food pics.

TACO INN

After a short two hour flight which only served us a small tamal for a snack, I was excited to see the calibur of taco at mexico city's own international airport.  I ran into this place right after we landed for our 1 1/2 hour layover.  

Let me start out by saying it is a really REALLY good idea to, at the least, be able to speak and understand a little bit of spanish in this country.  Don't let the talk about how everyone here "speaks english" make you lazy.  It may be true to an extent, but you will be able to do a lot more just by having a basic understanding and speaking ability of the language.  

With that said, my first encounter of spanish interactivity happened here at Taco Inn.  Straight up, I felt STUPID.  I was barely able to order what I wanted, barely able to respond to the following questions about what I wanted, and to top that off, I payed with a pinche twenty dollar bill!  hahaha, what a gringo tourist, I thought to myself.  The problem about using the twenty was it took them 30 mins to get change for my twenty into pesos.  Good thing we had enough time till our connecting flight departure, or I would've had to bail on my cambio.  

*2 al Pastor y 3 Pollo taco's

Finally I get my food and this is what I see.  I was a bit displeased on the serving amount of pastor on my tacos, but I felt it was deserved after the fiasco that was me ordering food and getting change.  

I don't have much praise for this place, but I will say the taco's were satisfactory and what impressed me most about Taco Inn was their salsa bar and al Pastor that was cooked on a spit right in front where you order.  Once again, I'm a bit pissed at myself for not taking more pictures.  

Overall, this place is great as snack food in between flights.  Don't let the pictures fool you, the 5 taco's I ate left me a bit hungry still.  They are deceivingly smaller than what I'm used to here in the states.  

Pro's

-Pastor on spit

-Good salsa bar

-Easy menu to understand if you only know english

Con's

-Hard to order if you only speak English

-Small serving

-Using USD can be a bad idea.

Meal #2 :  2 pastor taco's, 3 pollo taco's and soda ~$ 89 Pesos = $6.50 USD

Taco Inn ~ Benito Juarez International Airport, Mexico City