Tacos El Grullo ~ Hanford

I need a job.  BAD.

I'm at the point where I'm looking for work back in Visalia, my hometown.  If any of you know about Visalia, then you know my hesitations.  It's hot in the summer, cold in the winter and a wasteland of drunk high schoolers, pregnant girls, and old conservatives hell bent on keeping any form of liberalism outta their city.  

Ok, I'm over exaggerating, but seriously, it's not my beloved City of Angels, where Mexican's crap delicious tacos for all us gringos to enjoy.  Where loving Obama makes you hip, not retarded.  Where people of different race and lifestyle are commonplace, not unusual.  

So, I made the trek, did the interview (hungover btw, a whole story on its own) and took a train back home to LA.  

But not without stopping at a taco shop first :)

Tacos El Grullo

Despite having a big breakfast and lunch, I forced myself to make a stop here before I got onto the train.  I did a review on the Tacos El Grullo in Visalia, which was not well received by this taco lover.  I made it a point to stop here at this Grullo since it is the first of the three restaurant chain.  Maybe this parent station is what it's all about.  

*two carne asada, one pastor, one pollo

"Where's the carnitas, Jason?  What's up with the trio?"  

Yeah, they were out.  Bastards...

I went straight for the carne asada taco.  I took the first bite and it brought me back to the Grullo in Visalia, and the initial problem I had with this place.  The meat was nice and tender, cooked perfectly with crispy edges but again, the marinade was a bit salty.  "Damn them! They did it again," I think to myself.  It's sad because everything else is so proper, but that saltines was just a bit too much for me, and I usually enjoy salty!  You know its bad when someone who likes salty, thinks food is too salty.  

The pastor was cooked proper and came nice and hot, but they over sauced the pork.  It's like eating a rib that's been marinated properly, but then basted with the marinade, and served to you with bbq sauce plastered on it.  They just plain out over did it.  Overkill.  Too much.  Take it ez, Grullo, I'd like some pastor with my sauce please.  

My dad ate the pollo, kinda pissed because I have a feeling it might have been the best of the four tacos.  

Again, a mediocre taco experience that left me wondering, "Why?"  They have everything going for them:  proper tortillas, proper cooking methods, good salsa, but terrible meat prep.  Over salted asada and over sauced pastor.  Terrible...(en espanol).

Tacos ~ 1.30

Tacos El Grullo ~ 314 W. Lacey Blvd  Handford, CA 93230  559.584.8436