El Chilito #2 - Oxnard

Well, when I see an advertisement in the VC Reporter that reads like this:

It definitely perks my interest, which is why I'm at El Chilito in Oxnard for this post.

In any case, my co-worker buddy, Martin, came with me to check this place out. For some reason, through all of my other taco adventures in Oxnard I've missed this joint. Which is weird since I drive right past it all the time on Oxnard boulevard.

One of the interesting things about El Chilito is that they claim to have a "taquero" outside the premises in the parking lot on Fridays and on the weekends who dishes up fresh tacos right off a mobile plancha and al pastor tacos off a Trompo.

I think that only occurs at night though since I didn't see anything set up out on the parking lot when I got there at noon, oh well.

Another thing that I did not know before hand was the fact that its more of a restaurant/sit down type of place with one of the ladies behind the counter taking our order at the table rather than ordering at the counter. They even served us a complementary bowl of chips and dipping salsa.

So, I order 4 tacos: 2 al pastor, 1 cabeza, 1 carnitas and I think that Martin (also ordered 4) had carne asada, carnitas and 2 al pastor.

Starting with the carnitas taco: I thought it was really bland and dry. It was of the shredded variety but it just lacked flavor in a big way. Not much else to write on this other than it was a big disappointment.

The al pastor tacos were nice; tender and cooked adobado/Ventura County style with hints of pineapple through out. Nothing to amazing here just an adequate to solid taco.

The cabeza was definitely the standout; very moist and tender with loads of flavor and absolutely no tangy taste. Again, it was pretty good and I highly recommend this taco to anyone who is a big fan of cabeza.

Martin didn't have much to report from his end other than to say roughly the same things about all of his tacos as I did: nothing exciting at all but he thought the al pastor was very good.

Speaking of al pastor, I obviously couldn't tell if they were carved off of a trompo or not since the kitchen area was totally hidden from sight. The pic on the advertisement had me hoping that I was gonna hit pay dirt with some delicious al pastor. But alas, that was not the case. Also, I'm not saying that having pork roasting on a rotisserie will yield sweet tasting al pastor but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

A few more notes: tortillas sucked, salsa roja on the tacos was not spicy and didn't "add" anything and I completely missed out on a nice looking salsa bar. On a totally positive note, they threw some grilled onions on my plate that were pretty tasty when I topped a few of my tacos with them. And, the tacos are $1.00 each.

Okay, so I really feel like El Chilito is a place that I need to re-try down the road. I'd like to be here when the taquero is outside wheeling and dealing tacos. I'd also like to take their salsa bar home with me. 2.5/5 stars

El Chilito #2

733 South Oxnard Boulevard

Oxnard, Ca 93030

Taqueria Potrillos - Camarillo

Hey there! I haven't had time to blog about any taquerias since the bloody aftermath of Christmas/New Years so I thought it was definitely time to get back on the horse and spit out the first set of reviews for 2011.

Taqueria Potrillos is located in Camarillo across the street from one of my favorite places to go for a taco, Establos Meat Market, on Ventura Boulevard.

Anyhow, tiny hole in the wall type of place that you would expect- Now that's neither here nor there but what is, is the complementary chips, salsa, pickled veggies and other goodies that I helped myself too.

I ordered 4 tacos at the counter: carne asada, al pastor, carnitas and cabeza ( meat off the head of a cow) and had a seat at one of the few remaining tables.

Starting with the cabeza: as you can imagine, the meat was a bit gamy so it had that distinct tangy flavor. They had a very nice salsa verde loaded up on this taco which seemed to complement the meat, which was very tender and falling apart by the way. The tamatillo flavor of the salsa chilled out the tangy taste of the cabeza and somehow it all worked to make a decent taco.

Al pastor was nice, albeit pretty greasy. If that bugs you then this is not the al pastor for you. I felt that this pastor, no where near an authentic execution nor in the Ventura style either, was tasty. The pork was tender but with a noticeable charred crispness on the outside. Had a very flavorful adobado taste. Totally delicious, I'd come back just for another one of these.

Carne Asada was finely chopped, greasy, tender and with a crisp charred texture through out. Can't complain to much on this one either. Solid.

Carnitas was not shredded but cut into small cubes that tasted deep fried, almost like chicharrones. They were very crispy and greasy. Catching the overall theme here? They're not shy about the copious amounts of lard used in their cooking.

So, the verdict? Well Taqueria Potrillos is definitely a greasy spoon taqueria through and through. I don't mind that to much but some folks may. In any case, its my blog and I liked the place so 3 stars for them. Am I just totally high from the ridiculous lard intake ala Super Size Me? YES. Will I regret this decision later? Probably.  3/5 stars

Taqueria Potrillos
2650 Ventura Boulevard
Camarillo, CA 93011

taco wire - Ventura County Tacos, Tacos Guisados in DF, Soho Taco

taco wire - Ventura County Tacos, Tacos Guisados in DF, Soho Taco

Taqueria Jalisco #3 - Simi Valley

Typically, when I think of Simi Valley, for some reason my thoughts always turn to the Mad Max movies; The backdrop for the story being a desolate, post apocalyptic wasteland........Well, I don't really think that way (no wait, yes I do) but maybe its because its located in such a large valley and some of the landscape and scenery remind one of the look of a Mad Max film. I just wish I had a sweet V8 interceptor to cruise around in.

I just don't know the place to well, maybe there's some really cool stuff happening around Simi Valley I just wouldn't know anything about it. For crying out loud, I live in Newbury Park and absolutely zero is happening there, so what the hell am I talking about.

Anyhow, there's definitely a sort of disconnect between the people living over the Camarillo grade and the rest of the county below.

The only other taqueria around Simi that I've been to for the purposes of this blog was Carnitas Michoacanas. Other than that place,  I'm not familiar with the layout of the land and I really don't know were the locals go for good Mexican food. Shit, I'm not sure if I want to know. In any case, some taquerias in Simi have been around for a long time and are well known establishments but they will be totally new to me, so this leads me to Taqueria Jalisco #3.

I do know that Taqueria Jalisco (a small chain, by the way) is an established taco joint in this town so that's why I ended up here.

So, I get to the place and order the 3 tacos I always get ( carnitas, asada & pastor) and actually take them to-go and set up shop on the hood of my car. The inside of Taqueria Jalisco was very nice, clean, tidy (with complementary chips and salsa that you can serve yourself!) and definitely inviting as far as place were you'd want to sit down and enjoy your food but.......I was in hurry, and its just a long story.....

Tacos! okay, these all came topped with cilantro, onions and salsa roja plus some cuts of tomatoes.

Carnitas: very very interesting. For one thing they came chopped in very small cubes as opposed to the shredded version that I'm used too, but it was really good! Indeed, I was surprised how good it was. These little crispy morsels were deep fried pieces of pork that packed a ton of juicy flavor and totally melted in my mouth. The salsa was solid and worked really well with the strong pork flavor of the carnitas. Again, pretty damn good.

The pastor was really good too, flavorful pork that had serious hints of pineapple and was totally solid overall. Also, quite juicy and moist, very nice texture (soft and easily chewable) and the spice was not overpowering at all. I know that the way they cooked it was probably in a adobado like fashion but it worked for me. Like the carnitas, also was cut into tiny pieces.

Asada was also very good! Finely cut like the other two and with a slight crispy char but tender and very easy to chew on. The flavor of beef was at the forefront but not so much the flavor of asada. The nice cut of meat, with no connective tissue or gristle, is what saved (and made) this taco. Not bad at all.

The tortillas on these little tacos were perfectly oiled and piping hot, which really kicked all of these babies up a notch. Its funny how a thing like this is constantly overlooked by a lot of the other places I have visited (for this blog) so far. The salsa was solid and complemented all the tacos very well. Not overly spicy and it didn't separately distinguish itself really but just acted as a one component of the total flavor profile for all these tacos. I seriously could have ordered 3 more.

So, to me, I feel as though I've just discovered a diamond in the rough. But to people in Simi Valley, Taqueria Jalisco is just a good place everyone already knows about. Well, I hope they do because they serve great tacos. 3.5/5 stars

Taqueria Jalisco #3
1742 East Los Angeles Avenue
Simi Valley, Ca 93065

Tacos DF - Oxnard

Tacos DF was finally open today! I can’t believe it.

Honestly though, what are Tacos DF official business hours? I truly think that they open whenever the hell they feel like it. And it’s not just them; there are about 2 to 3 other places that were not open at noon (around C Street) either. If anyone knows the deal with that please let me know.

In any case, Tacos DF in Oxnard, that’s where I am today. The “DF” in the name stands for Distrito Federal in spanish which loosely translates to Federal District in english. Well, that’s actually the direct translation. El Distrito Federal covers all of Mexico City, and is the capital of the 31 states of Mexico, as the capital for the United States is Washington DC for our 50 states. But I digress…..

The last time I was I was in Mexico City was when I was 2 years old. You know what I remember most from that trip? Absolutely nothing.

The interior of Tacos DF was quite impressive in its collection of Mexican themed knick-knacks. Pics of local boxers and famous Mexican ones, many flags adorned the red painted walls and with several black and white photos of famous Mexican celebrities too. But most importantly, a huge set of steer horns mounted on the wall by the menu. You won’t get this place confused with the insides of a Baja Fresh.

Okay, besides my usual 3 (asada, carnitas, pastor) I saw that they had birria (spicy goat meat stew) today so of course, I ordered a birria taco as well. All the tacos came topped with cilantro, onions and salsa roja.

The carne asada fell quiet short; it was cut into very fine pieces almost resembling ground beef and very mushy in texture. I know that they scooped it out of a heating bin and did not "re-heat" it on the plancha but this was not going to do. I could taste some asada flavor and hints of seasoning but it was not very good overall. The salsa was good though and definitely helped it from being a total disaster.

Carnitas was also similar in its presentation. Shredded and moist to a fault; again, mushy and close to flavorless but the salsa was so tasty that it made it a decent taco.

Al pastor was..........interesting? It had some notes of a pineapple flavor (or, some pineapple juice was poured over it whilst cooking) but okay all in all. Again, more of an adobado style like all the other Al Pastor tacos I've been eating lately in Ventura Co.

The birria was very delicious. Shredded and moist with distinct flavors of birria (slow cooked in dry chilies).......it blew me away. Very good execution but not a normal menu item here.

Well, other than the amazing decor of Tacos DF and a birria that's very tasty, there's not much else going on here which is to bad. The dude behind the counter was super nice too.  2/5 stars

Tacos DF
636 South C Street
Oxnard, Ca 93030

El Burrito Alegre - Ventura

Well, today's post did not go as planned. First, I went to Taqueria Mi Tierra in Oxnard but it was closed. Then, I went to Tacos DF (also in Oxnard) but that was also closed. With the clock ticking on my lunch break I decided to just head to Ventura and get to the closest Taqueria I could find. A friend mentioned El Burrito Alegre off Telephone a few weeks ago so I figured it was worth a shot. I'm trying to get 3 posts in before the end of the year so I was pretty desperate.

Burrito Alegre is located in a very busy strip mall that's highlighted by a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on the corner. It was tough to find parking but I eventually got situated.

When I got inside to order my tacos at the counter, I was shocked with the lack of options on the menu. The only fillings I had to chose from for a taco (or a burrito, torta, etc.) was: chicken, al pastor and carne asada. Yikes.

So I went with two asada tacos and one al pastor.

At the salsa/condiment area they had 4 different salsa's to pick from. I noticed the salsa verde and some other dark salsa but I ultimately went with the rojas's they had that were marked "hot" and "very hot". After I got my taco order I doused all 3 tacos with the "very hot" roja and dug in.

The Carne Asada was of the steam bath variety that I've been experiencing lately. Seems like they cook the meat up and stick in a warming bin which sorta steams the meat a bit. In this case, they gave it the once over on the hot plancha after scooping it out of the bin. The result was tender, small pieces of asada with some decent char all over. Not bad- Not well seasoned but the crispy bits from the char made up for it. Also, they added a few cooked onions on top of everything which added a nice flavor.

Also, the salsa that  I drowned my tacos in was totally amazing! This has got to be the best salsa that I've had yet; perfectly spicy, smokey and delicious. The consistency of it was on point, not to watery and not to thick like a paste either. I liked this taco a lot. Some flaws? Yes, but that damn salsa...........

Al Pastor was solid; it too was tender from sitting in the covered heating bin but it also seemed like they probably cooked the pork for a long period of time. Well, it definitely tasted that way to me. The meat was very tender and easy to chew, the flavor was a solid Ventura version of pastor (A mild Ancho chile rub). It too had some good char, which if you haven't noticed yet, I'm a total sucker for. Also, did I mention the salsa I threw on this thing?

El Buritto Alegre needs to add more variety to their taco options if they want to make any kind of mark because the tacos were just average.  Hell, they just need to add more variety to their menu period. But they definitely hit the mark with those salsa's, so good..... 2.5/5 stars

El Burrito Alegre
4705 Telephone Road
Suite 1
Ventura, CA 93003

Carnitas Michoacanas - Simi Valley

I really don't know much about taquerias in Simi Valley so I decided that for today's post I'd play it safe for my first time out there. That's why I choose Carnitas Michoacanas off Tapo. There are a bunch of other taquerias with a similar name scattered all over Southern California but I have no clue if they're all related in any way (well, in a business way) but maybe the fact that its "Michoacanas" and not "Michoacan" is what makes this place a stand alone taqueria.

This taqueria is a pretty unassuming looking little place- But makes some noise with a name like Carnitas Michoacanas. If your not familiar, Michoacan is the state in Mexico that is supposed to be the birth place of the carnitas recipe. So, one would expect alot walking in.

At the counter ordering my tacos ($1.16 each by the way) and realize as I'm looking up at the menu that it has photos of what you can order but no written description of what those photos are supposed to be. So, a picture of a burrito has no "burrito" written under the picture. Whatever, it doesn't matter but just have in mind what you want before you order or just ask the lady behind the counter if they make it.

Anyhow, ordered two carnitas, al pastor and an asada and all were topped with cilantro, onions and salsa roja.

The carne asada was very well seasoned, and cut up into little pieces. It was of the "boiled" variety that Josh and I sometimes describe it as. It didn't look like it was put on the plancha but rather came out of a heating tray which produced a steamed effect. It made for a very moist and tender texture that even though is not normally the way I prefer, was quite delicious.

Carnitas were okay; shredded and somewhat moist but not very impressive as a whole. I can say that I've been to at least 3 or 4 other places in Ventura County that serve up carnitas way better than this.

The al pastor tasted somewhere in between the Ventura version and the one that sorta resembles the authentic version. It had loads of spice and was very tender, much like the asada, but no hints of pineapple whatsoever. It may have been slightly over spiced (with cumin, cloves, etc.) but had a nice solid flavor of pork which made for a very tasty taco. Again, not the best for al pastor but flavorful in its own unique way.

The salsa roja made for an adequate counter point to all of these tacos. I really liked it actually, even though it wasn't very smokey or smooth the heat instead snapped with a very sharp flavor of chilies and was good that way.

So, in review, Carnitas Mochoacanas makes tacos and salsas not normally the way I personally would like but still manages to make the food taste pretty good. The carnitas was nothing to write home about but it wasn't awful either. I liked my tacos and at the end of the day, that's all I really need. The best 2.5 stared place I've been to. 2.5/5 stars.

Carnitas Michoacanas
2480 Tapo Street
Simi Valley, Ca 93063