I love all the shops in DTLA for different things. Handsome of Lattes, Demitasse for Iced Tea. Spring for Coffee for Pourovers. Tierra Mia for Mochas. G&B for Sweet Lattes (I love flat whites with Honey and this one sets just the same tone) I love that I have so many choices in DTLA now and that some of the shops are even staying open later...

As for parking at G&B, there are couple of meters across the street that are available. There is also the Pershing Square Metro Exit right on the corner. It perhaps makes G&B the most convenient to us right now! :)

--Dommy!

When I told my parents I was doing this... they had a good laugh but then regailed me stories of their favorite tacos growing up. Mexico isn't a communist country in the least... but it has certain socialist leanings and tacos are really the food of everyone...

--Dommy!

Well… Even I had my doubts… but I made it through a Taco DotM lunch stretch for another week! Maybe its because I tend to a hopefully soul. Or maybe its because Tacos tend to make for a pretty cheap lunch… but here’s the one’s I got to this week…

Frida Taqueria at Westside Pavillion: My inherent weakness for Nordstrom double points once again brought my attention to another surprising taco spot. Frida Taqueria in itself is not surprising. The original Frida in Beverly Hills makes some really excellent tacos, especially of carnitas. But there at the Mall Food court it was, selling Cochinita Pibil. Although Cochinita is hardly as rare as it once were in Los Angeles, the places to get on the westside are still a bit far and inbetween. So ordered one taco of Carnitas and one of Cochinita. The Carnitas was completely forgettable. Pretty flavorless, not even close to the one at the restaurant. The Cochinita was surprisingly good. Not as good the one at Pink Taco (Which is actually the best one I’ve had on this side of town) but still quite complex. But what really won me over is that they added a good amount of the Cochinita juice to the taco. An essential flavor enhancer to any ‘meh’ tortilla (And believe me, they have MEH tortillas). I would TOTALLY order the Cochnita again… but probably in Torta form, which is how it is often consumed in Yucantan…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/9042793665/

Mondo Tacos: Yes, I might be a tortilla snob… but generally I’m pretty open to fusion tacos and have enjoyed several of them. However, not everything belongs in a taco (Sushi Tacos… NO!). So I was intrigued by the generally well-received Mondo Tacos in Mid-City, which has fusion tacos from around the world. I went ahead and ordered a meat, veggie and seafood taco. Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce (Good, but the peanut sauce was a bit meh), Tempura Shrimp with Avocado and Spicy Mayo (Really good, but the Tempura Batter was a bit heavier than I’d like), and Mushroom. Crispy Onion with Goat Cheese (Actually the best of the bunch… My Spanish grandfather has passed down his love for burnt onion). But what really stood out here was the tortilla. It had a pretty good corn taste, but it had this very fluffy texture with crisp edges. It was almost like a giant blini. So it worked really well with the goat cheese and rich flavors of the crisp garlic and mushrooms. Can’t wait to try more of the menu…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/9065324282/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/9063098127/

Rubio’s Fish Tacos: Don’t make that face… I went to school in San Diego State. I remember Rubios when it used to be GOOD. OMG. Their Super Nachos got me through many a killer midterm and foolish heartbreak… So since they actually are the closest taqueria at work… I take a peek every now and then. Most of it has indeed turned into dreck. But recently they tried to refresh the menu and started offering grilled tilapia tacos featuring sustainably grown Regal Springs Tilapia. I liked that they were at least making an effort, so I tried it and now it’s a regular on my must have a quick, yet delicious, yet someone healthy lunch… I get it with their blackened spice which helps a lot with an otherwise pretty bland fish. But what I really like about it is that despite it being so thin, they don’t grill it to death like most fast food grilled fish (Wahoo’s I’m looking at YOU!). So the fish is pretty tender and fresh tasting while the slaw and fresh salsa that comes standard with the taco doesn’t try to mask the fish…. But really enhances it...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/9042794993/

White Rabbit Truck: Remember what I said about not everything belongs in a taco? Well let me go a little further, a taco is not just filling and a tortilla. There needs to be some element that helps make it come together. Usually its salsa, but it can be something like the pineapple in El Pastor or the sesame seeds in a Kogi Taco. I love Filipino food and in theory… it should make GREAT tacos. And while the White Rabbit actually makes GOOD Filipino food, their tacos just didn’t hit any good points. I ordered the chicken adobo, which actually competed instead of going with the slaw they put on top. The pork tocino which was the best of the three because it was so good, but wasn’t helped one bit by that same meh slaw and industrial tortilla. And the sisig, which they didn’t even bother to put anything on. I LOVED their sisig when it came on a rice bowl (with the addition of two wonderfully fried eggs on top), but in a tortilla, none of its character actually came through because it was so rich, it overwhelmed the horrible tortilla. I just took two bites and left the rest.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/9042795395/

So week 2 definitely had some hits and some misses… but it ended on a HUGE high note, because Mom got into the DotM act and made her famous Cochinita, which I promptly made into two tacos to show the world… how its done…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu...

--Dommy!

I think we got a winner... ;)

Thanks so much for the rundown!! I had a REALLY bad taco from their truck... but a friend whose tastes I really trust really likes their storefront. He had this picture of their fish which looked divine! Will have to try that Roma!

--Dommy!

The best one I've had in recent memory was from the Pudding Truck... It's a bit more velvety than Mozzas and had wonderful buttery edge. They just hit the streets, but I scored a tub at The Curious Palate in Mar Vista...

--Dommy!

Burrito Bowl with the steak (They often cook it medium, so I give them Mega point for that!) with Guac and a side of chips... Then use the chips to eat the bowl instead of a spoon. It's so not healthy, but a happy treat for me...

--Dommy!

I know Bill and he is very passionate and opinionated about food. This sometimes can come off as arrogant, but as your experience with him has been (And many others tell me as well) at his heart, he's about sharing his knowledge and experiences in good food. For me, that makes him a true hound. If he was really an @$$, he would be a 'foodie'. Those types who show off and then don't share.

People don't realize the wrangling and trust that one has to develop with cooks, especially street cooks. I always approach people as kindly as I can. Even in respectful Spanish in a humble tone. And still people have declined to give me their names, hem and haw when I ask them about where they source their ingredients, etc... For Bill, it has been his passion (as you noted, not his JOB) to develop these relationships to the benefit of the cook and the audience that will experience things they would might never get to... This event is the perfect example of this...

I have, twice. Although both were within weeks of their opening and so they might have worked out the kinks... We still got three more weeks of Taco DOM left... so I just might make a check up visit now that they have also expanded their menu...

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8905...

--Dommy!

Yes, I’m going to be one of those…

I didn’t vote for this DOM. I’ve never made secret that when I go out to Mexican food, I’ll order ANYTHING but the tacos. And that is for one reason. The Tortillas in the U.S. are atrocious. This isn’t some snobbish stance, the masa up here is ALL WRONG. Even at places who make them ‘fresh’. It’s too wet and when initially cooked the tortillas steam instead of getting toasted… Hence they have NO FLAVOR. I LOVE tacos… in Mexico… so it’s been such a frustration...

BUT, I saw an opportunity with this DOM. There are some excellent taqueros out there and so since they are relatively cheap… I decided to have tacos for lunch when I can. So here’s my run down for week one:

1) Tacomiendo (Mar Vista): I haven't been at either the Mar Vista or West L.A. location in a while because I always end up snickering at the Silicon Beach Dude who orders in front of me. You see, they try so hard to both give authentic and approachable vibe. So these dudes seem to have extra swagger when they order (and it happened this time TOO!) “Chicken Soft Tacos”. The chicken here is actually terrible. Bland. But I do always order what they make to appeal to the scowling vegetarian dates these dudes tend to bring in. The Veggie tacos. It’s quite the carby mess. Black Beans, a little bit of squash, all mixed up with Mexican rice. And unlike their other tacos, it comes with a dollop of their pretty decent guacamole, so you do come out of it felling a little like a princess…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/8990196535/

Another point of pride for Tacomiendo is that they make their own tortillas. They are quite large, but they are flabby and flavorless, which is why the flavor bomb that is the Veggie taco actually works quite well with it. But if you are a sworn meaterian, their best meat is the Adobada, marinaded pork which is quite tasty and juicy (Unlike their atrocious asada).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/8991391850/

2) Taqueria Sanchez on Centinela: I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a taco here. At Inglewood its always the Shrimp Burrito (although the last one I had, was terrible because they switched to an industrial Mexican rice), at Casa, the Asada (one of the best in town) and on Centinela, their enchiladas (seriously… order them!). But my co-workers who often come with, ALWAYS order the chicken crunchy tacos. I admit, they always looked good and now was my chance to try. The shell was quite thin and crisp, not tough and greasy like so many other taqueria tacos dorados. The chicken unlike at Tacomiendo actually has great seasoning. With a sprinkle of queso fresco, they cemented their crispy taco cred.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/8992303427/

3) Blue Salt Fish Grill: Okay… it might have been its proximity of Nordstrom OR my favorite yarn shop that first had me run into Blue Salt Fish Grill. But what really made an impression that first visit was that upon ordering, I was greeted with a plate of chips and complimentary Ceviche. YES. Initially I was TOTALLY skeeved out... but every time I've been... it has been pretty good!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/8993499664/

Most of the time, I order a salad with the Giant Shrimp (It's my way to get my Fisherman's outlet fix in the south bay) but for DOM, I decided to try their Mahi Grilled Fish Tacos. You have a choice of corn tortillas and flour. As per my intro, I went with flour. However, they over grilled them. The fish was pretty tasty, especially with their Cajun seasoning and Remolade crema. But what really made up for the tortilla fail is their salsa bar, which has everything from Curry Tzatziki to Habanero pickled onions.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/8992311223/

4) Saby’s on Venice: I’m a firm believer in the curative power of vampiros (especially those containing celery) so Saby’s Juice stand on Venice Blvd. has always been in world. Lately they have expanded to quite the ambitious Oaxacan menu and have been advertising their specials of Crispy Shrimp Tacos on Fridays. It turns out that the Crispy Shrimp Tacos are available everyday. And the shrimp isn’t fried, but grilled crisp. This taco comes with handmade tortillas, which were slightly better than the one at Tacomiendo in that is was puffy and tender. But what it lacked in flavor, was made up by a smattering of yellow cheese melted on it before the addition of grilled yet tender shrimp. This combo worked very well, which was good because Sabys had the WORST table salsa I’ve had in recent memory. If Shrimp aren’t your thing, it’s never a bad idea or order Chorizo tacos at Oaxacan restaurants. Saby’s was quite flavorful so it didn’t need any of that dreadful salsa. But since it was a ‘standard’ taco, it came on store bought tortillas…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/8992327949/

5) Mexicali Taco Co: This week I close with my brothers in U.S. tortilla frustration. Mexicali Taco Co. goes the extra mile and over border and to get their flour tortillas where they are done right, in Mexicali. BUT, they DO sell out. As was the case of my recent visit when I saw on the sign… No Flour Tortillas… WHuT?!?!

I almost walked out… but I wanted to try their newish Shrimp tacos. For their corn tortillas, they use La California Tortillas made in Glassel Park, which are pretty good (they actually taste like corn) and of course fresh. I’m SO glad I stayed. The shrimp tacos had three large tender shrimp smothered in garlic sauce and resting on just a touch a melted jack cheese. These BLOW any shrimp taco put out by those punta guys and actually are a decent deal for $3.00 each. Between these and the Al Pastor Nachos… even without the famous flour tortillas, Mexicali is still one of the best taquerias in the city.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/8992322343/

https://twitter.com/Dommy_in_LA/statu...

We’ll see what Week 2 brings…

--Dommy!

No... SUPER AWESOME! Can't wait to go! :D

--Dommy!

Good to know... just looking at those giant burritos make me queasy.... and I LOVE burritos...

Hmm! I will admit I've never tried the one at Hurry Curry... and you don't need to twist my arm to go get curry...

--Dommy!

That is too funny because 95% of the Karage I've had has been anything but juicy. I find it more tough and salty than other kinda 'fried chicken bites'... My favorite of the genre is Ludo's chicken Balls...

That being said, I've tried four of the ones on the list and they have all been 'meh'. The best ones I've had is the karage right now is at Men Oh in Downtown and Asa in Gardena

--Dommy!

Sadly, the West LA store rarely gets these special events. The closest thing it does to 'special' is their birthday where they make up different varieties of Futomaki and Okonomiaki. It really is worth it to make it down to the Torrance store on occassion...

--Dommy!

Thanks for the reminder! I have yet to try it! I keep confusing it with the one that opened up recently in Little Tokyo Galeria which was meh.

--Dommy!

Sadly the last time I went there the tempura egg was not done well... I almost took it back!!

Also, they fry in Sesame oil, which is quite heavy and fragrant. I like Hannosuke's rice bowl (I always ask for the bowl with the sauce on the side) but it's quite a different style of Tempura...

--Dommy!

Thanks for the report back... Sorry to hear your experience wasn't that great though. :( More reason for me to finally try I-naba! :D

--Dommy!

I am a cheese snob too... But I love shopping at Trader Joes for good workhorse cheeses (A great cheddar to make Mac N Cheese or to put in a omelet)... the Spotlight Cheese program has been GREAT! There has been some duds, but also some really wonderful finds...

I haven't tried the cave aged cheddar (although I have one in my fridge, also immediately re-wrapped in cheese paper) but look forward to making something great with it!

--Dommy!

Cochinita tortas are a traditional way to eat it. Cochinita is often breakfast food on the weekends and putting in a traditional crusty torta (The ones at CI are EXCELLENT!) is a great way to eat it on the go. PLUS, a good cochinita is a little saucy and the bread soaks up the goodness!

--Dommy!

I loved the food at their standalone as well... but it was a completely different kitchen than what they have at the Mercado... I still love the food at the Mercado... but I keep it simple... My favorites there are the Lechon Tortas on weekend breakfast and the Mondongo. No better Mondongo in town...

--Dommy!

NYC has definitely had a nice Ramen boom, but the quality in the broth, noodles and execution is off... I spent a couple of days focused on just classic cooked Japanese dishes (No sushi) at various top rated restaurants in New York and the only that I felt that had something better than was in L.A. was Onya's Udon.

I will say thing, while I agree with Ipse's premise (having experienced Asian food, actually REALLY GOOD Asian food, throughout the country), the one thing I think that always disapoints out of towners about the Chinese/Japanese/Korean food places in L.A., so that I think we do get too specialized. Without a doubt, I can take a group to the BEST place to get Bimbimbap in Koreatown and they'll order the Galbi... and then they'll complain that the Galbi was not as good as their neighborhood Korean place in Flushing... The same thing at Sichuan places... I've had someone try to send a Mapo Tofu dish because because it actually had Sichuan Peppercorns and their previous experience with the dish was at a Japanese place in Toronto (Which they LOVE!).

Meanwhile, I recently went to a Korean place in Providence which was surprising very good. Not great, but they got the Galbi right. The dol sot was hot enough to get the rice crisp, the soon dobu tasted nice and fresh and was actually quite spicy! I think that is the thing that places like that feels more pressure to hit the right notes (There is a sizeable Asian population in the area) but at the same time is lacking the competition to really drive it to set itself apart via regional specialties.

Also, I feel that the Asian population and Ethinic-adventurous diner in L.A. puts a lot of pressure to restaurants to specialize and remain authentic. Spending my teen years in L.A.'s extraordinarily Asian SGV region, I saw how when I would ask for a table they would pull one menu, but if one of my Asian friends would ask for a table, they'd get handed a completely different one... (Then they'd have this little worried look when I get up and sit down with join the party). I think SF and especially New York, their Ethnic-adventurous diners appreciate experimentation within the cuisine more (My recent visit at Ippudo in New York had them touting pulled pork Ramen... I passed) and then there is the idea of despite the large Asian population in the areas, there are also large Non-Asian potential customer base (Richmond is VERY Asian... but also very close to areas that VERY Non-Asian). I have to put it out there that it has been been my personal experience that I've been much less likely to be 'whited' at a Vietnamese place in San Jose than in Westminster...

--Dommy!

Ack! I want to vote for all of them....

BUT, I'll go with a long shot... SQUID

If you like Caesar Salads, my current favorite is the one at Wildcraft in Culver City. I also could eat a salad all day long... but even their small size was quite filling because the dressing was so luscious... I can't imagine polishing off a full sized one....

--Dommy!

Although it's not for breakfast and quite pricy... we loved the Shrimp and Grits at Bar/Kitchen... it's actually quite the substantial dish...

--Dommy!

That is fabulous news!! So happy for them... They are one of the best Soup and Salad places in town... I actually prefer them to Clementine...

--Dommy!

For tea bags, Harney and Sons is pretty good. It's also the only reason I might step into one of the many Tom and Toms in K-Town and now in the SGV because they serve Harney and Sons... Harney and Sons tea beats out Tazo and bag teas at most chain places hands down....

Fresh caught fish does get 'frozen' but necessarily the deep frost that most folks think of as 'frozen'. The rock hard frozen tuna from TJs, although frozen quite soon after the catch, isn't the same texture as the stuff they sell for Sashimi at Murakai

Anyway, yes I've had the same experience at korean sushi places... which is why I looked it up. And the D-Town fish markets is a good idea. Unfortunately we still work on the westside and they tend to close early in the day. During the weekend are are more than willing to go to Fish King, Seafood Paradise and/or McCalls for fish...

--Dommy!

I once read that Koreans tend to prefer a little bit of frost in their sashimi... Of course that someone might have been trying to pull something over on me...

--Dommy!

Yeah... I'm usually not the queen of the obvious, but when I saw it hadn't made it to the post yet... I had to do it! :D

I should note, the meatball is not tough by any stretch of the imagination... it's just quite substantial... not like those mooshy, filler heavy one at so many other italian places...