Taqueria Cuernavaca - Ventura

Well, I finally gave in.....

After about a year of deliberately avoiding this place, I decided to just go for it and have a bite at one of the best places to grab a taco in the Ventura County: Taqueria Cuernavaca in Ventura (city).

It was a real crappy Monday and I was desperate for an easy no-brainer taqueria to blog about so against my better judgement, I decided on knocking this one out today. I mean, I also wanted to get at least another review going before the end of the year.

The reason I've stayed away from Cuernavaca is because I know that's its a real popular place and in some folks eyes, its the gold standard of taquerias in this area. So, given this info way before this blog was even a twinkle in my eye I wanted to hold off as long as possible before giving it the once over.

Anyways, Over a year ago when Josh and I went to go check out Lalo's, he snuck off afterwards and had seconds at Taqueria Cuernavaca. Here's what he emailed me about the place at the time:

"After ordering I headed to the salsa bar to grab one of each. They had a Guacamole type Verde, a regular Verde and a Roja. They all had a nice flavor and the two Verdes had a good kick that made me excited. I then noticed the salsa bar sign stating: 'Our Salsa is free, however please only take what you need". Sorry but that's lame, I've been to places where they allow you to clean em out if you choose".

"Pastor - this caught my eye. It came with a pineapple chunk which was like a neon sign of victory for me. I bit a couple chunks of the Pastor meat to get an idea of the taste, and noticed it wasn't bbq texas sloppy joe that Rob and I have been experiencing, however it's still isn't the same. The cooking just doesn't seem to be marinated and slow cooked like I’m used to, the meat I'm used to seems to have been soaked with the chili powder and pineapple making it really tasty, and this seemed partly red, not caked/covered".

"Asada - nothing great, seemed like beef boiled instead of grilled to me. The flavor was lacking after eating the Lola's well seasoned and well cooked but fatty meat".

"Chorizo is touchy because I work near one of the best places that serves melted cheese Chorizo taco's that melt in your mouth. They are so amazing. Variety though is great, like the El Sancho Loco Taqueria in Newbury Park a new way of cooking something can be good and a nice change. I know what Chorizo is, but this was too much like normal sausage. It tasted literally like Vons bought sausage grounded up into small chunks rather than a seasoned Chorizo. So if you like sausage, you can get this sausage taco".

Well, even though I do value Josh's opinion in these matters I have to disagree with him regarding some of the tacos we both tried.

I personally went with the: Pastor, Chorizo, Asada and Suadero (brisket?). Then I went over to the salsa/condiment area and fixed myself up some of offerings they had to choose from:

Even though its not pictured, I also had the regular salsa verde. I have to say that I was mighty impressed with all all their salsas. If I had to say which one was the weakest it would have to be the roja. It definitely was not as spicy as I like while the avocado salsa was the stand out.
 
These salsas were well thought out and executed. A slow building heat was theme here with an eye more towards the flavor side of things as opposed to the destroy-your-taste buds spicy explosion that alot of other places strive for. I mean, I love that stuff too but, this was a nice change of pace.
 
 

 
Suadero: Yeah, this is the best suadero taco I've ever had. Really, it was tender, juicy, slow cooked taste and had a bunch of crispiness throughout the exterior of the meat that makes me want to eat at least ten of these. Yeah, I don't care what your thinking of me right now because it was really fucking good. Oh yeah.
 
Chorizo: This is where I disagree with Josh. I really liked the chorizo here. I thought it had a "clean" flavor profile that was enjoyable, it didn't taste like a grease bomb is what I'm trying to say. I liked the seasoning and the little bit of spice/heat it contained. Again, it was really, really good.
 
Al Pastor: The pastor taco from this particular taqueria is a bit of a polarizing culinary item around these parts. And as Josh pointed out above, he wasn't too stoked on it when he tried it. You either love Cuernavaca's pastor taco or you hate it but let me be clear; I loved it. Why? because it was different. Yeah, it won't get confused with the real, real hardcore pastor sliced off the spit right onto your tortilla but it was very tasty and enjoyable. I'd love to keep score on these things but I'm tired, guys. so tired.........and that's why I ate the shit out of this taco. The pineapple on top was a nice touch and the flavor and texture of the pork was good; a bit spicy and a bit sweet, with a nice char. Not like the typical pastor that's really pork adobado (and no where near a trompo) that I've been eating for most of this blog. Hey, maybe it came off of a trompo in the back of the kitchen somewhere but I just don't care, the taco was totally great.
 
Carne Asada: Well, this is where things fell apart. The asada here is chopped way to fine and thus makes it hard to get that "asada" flavor that we all look forward too. Also, the small bits of meat in the taco were comprised mostly of the connective gristle crap that I hate. Maybe I got a bad batch but I just can't stand it when a place kinda blows the whole carne asada thing.

Other than that, the tortillas were warm and very lightly oiled which worked out ok for me.

All in all this place was very impressive, at least in my opinion. And definitely headed for 5 stars if it wasn't for that carne asada that was highly disappointing. That being said, I will be back for more. 4/5 stars.

Taqueria Cuernavaca
1117 North Ventura Avenue
Ventura, Ca 93001

La Gloria Taqueria - Oxnard

Well, instead of me starting off this review with the prerequisite "I suck at running a blog" rabble,  lets just get into my latest post in the never (never) ending search for taco excellence in the Ventura County. But let me also add, it would be a joke to say that I'm keeping this blog up to date. OK-

So I'm at La Gloria Taqueria in Oxnard which may, or may not be related to the fantastic: La Gloria De Oxnard. The names of some of these taqueria's can make things quite confusing in how they borrow from each other (or, possibly their respective home town) when it comes to naming. Although really, who gives a shit.

So yeah- I go up to the counter to order my tacos, and after a bout with indecisiveness, I settle upon two carnitas, one asada and one cabeza. No Al pastor here, but they did have tripas up on the board and surprisingly, chicken too. Which I feel is totally useless in a taco unless we're talking about Chicken Tinga and not some dry chicken breast. the latter seems to be appearing in many tacos around Oxnard. Such a sad state of affairs.

So moving on:

Carnitas were really good; strong pork flavor, shredded and moist with some crispy bits and overtones of lard. Hey, I don't have a problem with lard. Although it wasn't up there with Taqueria Potrillos (in Camarillo) lard-ish tacos, the taste was part of the flavor profile and very distinctive. Delicious all the way.

Cabeza: just like its carnitas brethren it was moist, juicy, greasy and very tasty. Can't ask for a better cabeza taco. Well seasoned too.

Carne Asada: Unfortunately the loser of the bunch ended up being the carne asada. It lacked flavor and quite honestly the texture had no "bite" whatsoever. I never felt like I was eating beef but instead something that came out of slow cooker that may have been beef at one point. It was really soggy and bland, it would have been great in a beef stew but not in this taco.

The tortillas were okay, warm and pliable which is fine but I like my tortillas heated up on the plancha with some oil or preferably dipped in some chorizo grease..... or something along those lines.

The salsa on these tacos was very, very mild and did not stand out in any way. The only salsa available in the condiment area was a salsa verde that was pleasant but a nice dark, smokey salsa roja would have jolted these tacos alive. Too bad that the container that was holding the salsa roja was totally empty. I tried to scoop out the liquid that I could see at the bottom but couldn't get any on the ladle. Oh well.

I may try and come back, but probably won't. 3/5 stars.

La Gloria Taqueria
2736 East Vinyard Avenue
Oxnard, CA 93036 

El Preferido Taco Shop - Santa Paula

What the hell, Rob? 2 months? seriously dude?

That is what I imagine someone who reads this silly blog may be thinking after yours truly failed to post anything in the last 2 months. Again, and as I always like to point out, that's assuming anyone is actually following this.

Normally, I would start a post after a long and extended break with some serious self depreciating humor and of course, a promise to post more frequently in the coming days/weeks. But in a promise I made to the wife, I'll cut out the jokes aimed at myself and head straight to the question of: will there be any new posts coming up? Why did I fall asleep at the wheel for so long?

Yes- more posts are on the way (for this month anyway) and I really have no good answer as to why I was dormant on the taco blogging for so long. That's all I've got. I mean lets face it; shit has not worked out the way I wanted with this blog. I thought Josh and I would hook up more often on these things and I also (naively) thought I would be closer to 40 or 50 reviews by now. Welp, whatever. With that, lets just head to today's review.

There's been plenty of areas in the Ventura County that I've not visited for this blog yet which has been one of  the more disappointing developments in my quest for delicious tacos. All's I can say is: I'm trying.

And to that end, I'm at El Preferido Taco Shop in Santa Paula for this review. I have no idea what the taco scene is like in these parts but I'll try and visit this area more in the future along with places like Saticoy and Filmore to find out what the deal is in this corner of the county.

Okay, I walk in to El Preferido and order my tacos at the front with one thing in mind: Tripas. Yes, I heard that the tripas are a popular item here (as far as a filling for a taco/burrito) so I order one of those along with the usual: Pastor, Asada and Carnitas.

The first thing that I notice as I receive my order is that the tacos come plain with no salsa topping. I went over to the small salsa bar they had set up and just went with one cup of verde and one of roja. I noticed they also had a "dipping" salsa that's intended more to go with chips (in my opinion) and there was also another watery red salsa that I didn't go with but thought I would mention.

Starting with the Tripas: I went ahead and dumped the salsa verde on this one and it seemed to have been a good choice. The refreshing flavor of the tomatillos in the salsa along with the salty, deep fried profile of the tripas ( intestines) made for a very nice paring. Sure, the tripas were not totally easy to chew on but still, this taco was very, very tasty.

Asada: The meat in this asada was relatively tender with a very mild "asada" flavor. There was a bit of connective bits here and there but was still enjoyable to eat. The salsa roja had quite a bite to it and was nice and spicy with a good consistency to it. Solid all around.

The Carnitas were also solid. No bold pork flavor or crispy bits the way I personally like but the meat was tender and moist which made it easy to scarf down. The pork was shredded with a "clean" flavor; Nothing to write home about but you pork lovers will be okay with this taco overall.

The Al Pastor was very flavorful. Had the distinct adobado/achiote thing going on and was really tender. Delicious and well done.

All of the tacos arrived on the plate nice and hot with the tortillas also at a high temp. This obviously made them pliable and easy to work with which is always important but they weren't oiled which is a bummer. Cilantro and onions were abundant.

Anyways, none of the tacos, with the exception of the Tripas, was a home run. Rather, they were all line drive singles which makes El Preferido a solid choice to go to for taco consumption. I liked it and when I'm in the area again I'll definitely go back for more. 3.5/5 stars.



El Preferido Taco Shop
654 West Harvard Boulevard
Santa Paula, CA 93060

Corrales Mexican Food - Ventura



So, Corrales Mexican Food in Ventura doesn't necessarily fall within the guidelines of a prototypical taqueria. But, I haven't been too much of a hard ass about this stuff lately especially with my recent post about Los Dos Amigos in Thousand Oaks.

As with the other hot spots for Mexican food in Ventura city, this place has an absolute legion of fans that won't be swayed by this blog, or any other (possible) negative reviews about their beloved Corrales.

I knew going in to this posting that Corrales is not known for their tacos, and I think that the loyal patrons of this establishment may acknowledge this opinion. But none the less, I may get a little "feed back" if I don't give these dudes a glowing review. Assuming that any of those good folks even read this blog, which is assuming a ton.

But lets face it, when you go to Corrales you go for burritos, hamburgers and all the other Mexican/American mish-mash posted on the menu.

Okay, I go up to the window to order my tacos and come to learn that the options for fillings are as follows: Shredded beef, carne asada, fish, shredded chicken and if I'm feeling a bit naughty, they can fill a corn tortilla with pork in a verde sauce.

Since I didn't want the soupy pork scattered all over the tortillas creating a horrible mess, I decided to go with the shredded chicken and the carne asada. I order two of each. I was hungry.

Now, both of these came topped with no salsa and as you can see, the chicken came loaded with shredded lettuce, shredded American cheese and a slice of tomato. When I first started this blog, one of the things that I mentioned I hate on my tacos, is shredded lettuce and cheese. But because I want to give Corrales a fair shake, I'm going to ride this out and see if the taco tastes any good (as I should) basing my opinion solely on flavor and not on my own personal preference.

Shredded chicken: So, when I ordered this I envisioned a version of the awesome Tinga De Pollo (a spicy stewed chicken) dish which I make at home a lot. But that was definitely not the case; this chicken was shredded and moist but was flavorless on its own. Thanks to the (can't believe I'm writing this) toppings of lettuce/tomato/cheese and the very tasty salsa that came on the side, this taco ended up being pretty decent. Not something that I would come back for but it filled me up in a hearty sort of way and I did appreciate that.

Carne asada: I scrutinized this one a little bit more. Now, the meat that filled this taco was tender and juicy but still a bit too chewy and borderline rubbery. How can it be tender and rubbery at the same time? Don't know how to answer that but you'll have to try it for yourself to understand it fully. Maybe not in a taco but in a torta or a burrito or something. Since this taco was not garnished with anything I was left with the salsa to drench the meat in. The results were positive, much like the chicken taco the meat had a very hearty "beef" flavor and paired well with the very tasty salsa. Really damn flavorful salsa, do they sell this stuff on its own? its good.

Welp, that's it. The tacos were very decent but knowing that there are other superior taquerias in Ventura plus the short list of options for fillings on the Corrales menu, I can't say that I'd recommend ordering tacos here. Yes- I'll probably be back for a burrito at some point which I know first hand is actually pretty good. Unfortunately I only review tacos for this blog.
TA-COS. 2/5 stars

Corrales Mexican Food
1951 East Thompson Boulevard
Ventura, Ca 93006

Taqueria Jalisco - Oxnard

Well, as usual I'm back in Oxnard and this time at Taqueria Jalisco. By looking at the picture above, you'll notice there's no sign letting you know that its Taqueria Jalisco but, whatever- This is were I ended up.

When I went to the Taqueria Jalisco in Simi Valley, I loved it. I'm not sure if the two are related (business wise I mean) but if its as good as that place then I'm in for some high quality tacos.

Anyways, I walk in and discover that:

A: There's no posted/printed menu at all.

B: About 5 dudes sitting at one of the table's (including the guy who eventually took my order) watching Mexican telenovelas on the TV mounted to the wall. And I mean they were hanging on every freaking word.

C: By far the most disappointing, only 3 taco options. Yup: Pollo, Al Pastor and Carnitas.

Yes, its true, for the last few reviews I have stuck to ordering Pastor, Asada and Carnitas but I've been wanting to go back to trying other types of tacos and was planning on starting with this post. Also, who cares if there's no menu, I've obviously been to many a taqueria without any posted menu. I'm just nit picking at this point.

Alright, I sit at one of the tables and receive my order.

Pollo: Pretty dry. It was served up cut into cubes and appeared to have been seared on the plancha a bit. But all in all it was a boring cut of boneless skinless chicken breast probably seasoned with Goya Adobo seasoning or something. I don't know, I'd probably have a better time at El Pollo Loco armed with a bottle of El Yucateco.

Al Pastor: This was the standout of the group but it was just an average pastor taco. Nice flavor with the achiote but the texture was too tough and the feel in my mouth too dry.

Carnitas: Shredded with some pork flavor and some crispy fat in there but again, too dry. No juiciness to it whatsoever.

The one positive was the salsa; it was nice and hot, had a very strong, snappy heat at the front of the mouth. It was definitely a one trick pony though, it didn't offer any other complexities in flavor it just got right to the point. But I loved it that way and would have absolutely drenched my tacos with the stuff if I had the chance.

Well, as you can read this was not the most exciting place I've ever been to. Its also not overwhelmingly bad were I start to go into great (agonizing) detail about how shitty thing's were and such. In any case, I really can't recommend Taqueria Jalisco in Oxnard, There's just to many other options that are much better around.

2/5 stars.

Taqueria Jalisco (Oxnard)

345 South C Street

Oxnard, Ca 93030

Los Dos Amigos - Thousand Oaks

Well, talk about unexpected! I had zero intention of doing a review of Los Dos Amigos in Thousand Oaks. But a co-worker offered to treat me to lunch out in TO ( since we were going to be in the area ) and the only place we thought of was LDA.

The reason that I wasn't going to come here for the blog, was because its not necessarily a "taqueria" in the context of what I'm doing review-wise. I mean, I love the place and have been going there for many years but its the kind of joint were you sit down, get served by a waiter, has a distinct restaurant ambiance, etc........you get the picture. If I'm going on a date with the wife and we want to get a few margaritas, get some ceviche and have a nice time this is were we go in Thousand Oaks. Its the Anti-El Torito. Although, in LDA's defense, they do have a walk up window were you can order food to go...........nah, its still not a taqueria if you're paying $12.50 for a burrito.

In keeping up with these modern taco times, LDA has a section in their menu with a heading that reads: "Street Tacos". The plate comes with 3 tacos for $9.50 and you have the choice of a few different fillings. Obviously, this price is too damn expensive if you just want to grab some tacos and a drink. Again, Los Dos Amigos was not on my list for a reason- This is a restaurant price, your paying for more than just tacos in that number.

Am I only posting this review just for the sake of putting up a new post? maybe, but lets continue and see where it goes.

Okay, I go for the Asada, Al Pastor and Carnitas. They also serve you what seems to be an unlimited amount of chips, salsa and spicy bean dip while you wait. Both the bean dip and the salsa are quite good; the salsa is strictly for dipping purposes (in flavor, I mean) and the chips are deep fried and crunchy.

Asada: pretty boring. Yeah, the meat was almost flavorless and the texture far too rubbery. There's just not much more to describe here because that's all I tasted; meat that was not prepared correctly and probably not marinated. This was not the carne asada that dreams are made of.

The salsa that it was topped with was nice with a mild heat, no smokey accents but very tasty overall. It wasn't strong enough to cover up any of the flaws in this taco though.

Carnitas: Although the appearance of the carnitas was impressive, the taste, not so much. The meat was moist and shredded into thick strands but had no bold pork flavor the way I personally like. It was just average really.

Al Pastor: In this case, it tasted like they cooked up chopped pork, then threw it in a bowl filled with some kind of sauce that they believe tastes like an adobado/achiote paste used in al pastor. This failed miserably in trying to capture anything that really resembles al pastor. Plus, the texture of the pork was VERY chewy. Oh well.

Also, the tortillas were not oiled and thus not very pliable. That sucked too.

So, that's it. I know you must be thinking "what was the point of this stupid review?" I'm not sure. I love the place still, and will continue to go to there but in my humble opinion; the tacos aren't exactly the house specialty. Also, Los Dos Amigos has a legion of cliental that won't all of a sudden head over to Acapulcos or Cisco's ( because of this or any other review) anytime soon. Its a great place to have a drink and relax but for all you taco fans, this is not best. 2/5stars

Los Dos Amigos

1421 East Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Thousand Oaks, Ca 91362

Taqueria La Hermita - Ventura

Hi there! haven't posted anything in a month or so and figured today is as good a time as any to get going again.

Sometimes, there's a man, and sometimes there's a man who eats quite a bit of Mexican food. Since I categorize myself in the latter, I just had to step away from the tacos for a spell and take an extended break.

And when I mean "break" I mean I'm still eating plenty of  tacos except I'm not blogging about it.

Anyhow, today's post finds at me at Taqueria La Hermita in Ventura off Johnson. Its located in a large strip mall who's main attraction is a movie theater. The building that actually houses La Hermita, is like one of those food courts you'll find in a shopping mall. So the neighbors are dishing up all kinds of fare like: Korean food, BBQ, Hamburgers, a deli and so on and so forth.

You may be asking yourself if a taqueria located in a food court is worth the time to review. The answer is pretty surprising.

I order the carnitas, asada and al pastor and take a seat. Included with my order was a small bowl of complimentary chips and spicy salsa roja. The chips were thin and lightly salted and the salsa was pretty watery but had the strong bite and flavor of Chile De Arbol. Still, a little to watery for me.



Carne Asada: Very nice! really strong flavor, chopped into small bits but not pulverized into almost ground beef. Juicy too, with some crispy char after the extended once over on the plancha. Again, really good carne asada taco with a simi-crispy exterior and juicy/moist interior.

Carnitas: Again, gooooood; Juicy, moist and crispy throughout. In a shredded fashion with big time depth of flavor that lets you know you're eating pork. I've said it many times before, when it comes to carnitas the flavor of pork is not always there. But that was not a problem with this taco whatsoever; delicious.

Al Pastor: keeping with the theme of the other two, this taco was great. Again, the taquero/cook who prepared this really knew what he was doing. The pork was marinated and cooked quite well. Then, a nice re-heating on the plancha which gave it a beautiful blackened char all over while still retaining its moister. This added texture stood out in the flavor along with the strong notes of sweet pineapple and achiote paste. Nice.

All of these tacos came topped with cilantro/onions and the salsa roja I described earlier.  And all of them were really piping hot, I mean really sizzling. The tortillas were a little thick and rustic in taste plus lightly oiled. And again, really freaking hot.

Eating this quality of taco in a place like a strip mall food court was a big eye opener for me. The tacos were fantastic and if not for the salsa being the weak link here, they would most certainly get 5 stars. 

Most of the notable taquerias are loacted on the other side of town in Ventura. Don't fall asleep on this place though, if you're a taco fan, I highly recommend it. 4.5/5 stars.

Taqueria La Hermita

2950 Johnson Drive

Suite 131A

Ventura, Ca 93003









Super Taqueria - Ventura

Its always a tough call for me on deciding were to eat when I' m driving through Ventura Avenue in Ventura.There's obviously many taqueria's on the avenue all with their own fan base, and then there's some that don't get very much attention at all.  

With regards to Super Taquera, were I'm eating for today's post, it may be in the latter. But then again, I’m not a local so I really don’t have much information to go on other than what's been written in all the various food review sites on the web. Even though I've lived in the Ventura county for a long time I'm still learning much about Ventura, Oxnard, Filmore, Port Hueneme and the rest of the cities and towns in the county. So its not just about trying different tacos at different establishments but its also about checking out the different locals in which these taquerias are situated.  

Super Taqueria is nestled in between a small market, and a panderia (Mexican bakery) in what appears to be a pretty decrepit old strip mall right off of Ventura Avenue.

In any case, I end up ordering two asada tacos, one al Pastor and one carnitas. There was plenty of other meat options but I decided to keep it simple for this one. The very nice man who took my order also gave me 2 cups so I could serve myself some salsa. I ended up with their verde and the roja plus he served me bowl of fresh chips. A very nice surprise.

The salsa roja was very spicy and had the sharp flavor of chilies at the front end with a quickly decaying smokey accent at the back. Very nice, it opened up my sinuses a bit so I could definitely taste and feel the kick. The verde was very mild and subdued; it had no real chili flavor or tartness from the tamatillos. It was average but tasted nice none the less.

Okay, so the carne asada was good; the meat had a nice flavor and was tender. Although it did have some connective bits and a little gristle it was still tasty so I didn't think about these flaws to much. Plus the hot salsa roja did its job and covered up any mistakes.

The carnitas taco was not so lucky, I decided to pour the verde on top and it only seemed to amplify the fact that these carnitas were bone dry in taste. They came shredded in their style but the two things I look for in carnitas the most is juiciness and the unmistakable flavor of PORK, both of which it lacked. So no, I didn't like this one to much.

The one that I thought I really would not like here is the Al Pastor. I could see that the Achiote paste was really thick and that the pork was just smothered in it but alas, I actually really liked it. Its not an authentic pastor, per se, but it was pretty flavorful in its own right. The pork was tender and the paste was spicy. Coupled with the salsa roja, it made for a very fiery taste. I enjoyed it, most definitely a different take.

The tortillas, while not oiled up like I prefer, tasted okay. They were warm which in some cases will do.

While I was eating my tacos outside at one of the tables, some dude left his bike leaning on the wall and as he walked away to go in to the bakery he was yelling at a friend telling him that he was worried about the "gabacho" stealing his bike. And then they both laughed at the thought. The gabacho they were referring to was me! I think he thought that because my back was turned to him, right? I've never been confused with being a gringo before. I'll get over it. 3/5 stars

Super Taqueria

819 North Ventura Avenue

Ventura, CA 93001

El Parian - Oxnard

So, I really am clueless as to when Taqueria Mi Tierra in Oxnard is open for business. As I was walking in through their open door, a lady mopping the floor inside told me they were closed for the day (?????) and it was like, 11:45. Well, I didn't ask what their hours of operation were, but some time down the road I’m sure I'll catch them when they're actually open, I think.

Somebody help me out here, If you know when these dudes are open for business, please let me know because I am dying to try some of their tacos.

Anyway- after that, I walked a few feet up the street to El Parian to see what was going on in there.

When I walked in, the answer was not much; the place was pretty dead for it being the middle of lunch time. Is this a bad sign? Could be.

So I'm at the counter ordering my tacos when the very sweet elderly lady who was taking orders and doing the cooking too, informed me that they only have three fillings for the tacos: carne asada, pollo and lengua..........huh? Now those are damn limited options but truth be told, El Parian is more of a sit down type place serving dishes based on regional favorites and not really doing many antojitos like "street" style tacos. That was my impression anyhow as I scanned the menu.

Since I wasn't interested in the pollo whatsoever, I went with 2 carne asada and one lengua.

I took my order to go, and placed the plate on the hood of my car and just had my lunch there.

Lengua: Yeah, I'm not a fan of lengua by any stretch but this taco was quite good. The texture of cow tongue has always been whats so unattractive about this type of meat (to me) but in this case, the texture was chewy yet had a decently moist and tender accent. Also, the flavor and seasoning were excellent and the salsa roja that was on top was tasty and mildly spicy which paired well with the meat. Totally surprised that I enjoyed this taco as much as I did.

Carne asada: this taco was was even more of a surprise, why? Because in my opinion, this might be the best asada I've had since starting this blog. Yup, I had to go to that extreme again.  But it was really good; perfect texture, flavor, tenderness, cut, seasoning/marinade and some great char to go with the fresh taste. I don't know how else to elaborate on its complete dominance any further other than to say that this preparation and execution is exactly the way I love it. The salsa roja was again, a great counter point to the flavorful meat.

Other than that, the tortillas were oiled and piping hot, even a little crispy. Delicious.

Okay, so this is tough- on one hand the tacos I ate were great, but on the other, the options were so limited that I'm not sure I would come back for more tacos. hmmmm, its a reach, but based solely on what I had today......... viva los tacos! 4/5 stars.

El Parian

155 East 7th Street

Oxnard, Ca 93030

Latino Market - Thousand Oaks

Its been a long while since Josh and I hooked up for a review. Admittedly, its tough for us to get together during the week and try to to knock one of these out, which is why we decided to hang out for lunch on the weekend instead. You'll probably see more of these joint reviews again in the future now that we've both sorted out our busy schedules.

So, this may end up wrapping up my reviews on what I believe to be the only relevant taquerias in the greater Thousand Oaks area. That's not saying much of course given the demographics of the area leaning in favor towards the caucasian. Still, this small market located off of Thousand Oaks Boulevard does see a lot of traffic; especially given that today is Saturday so the place is busy with folks needing some Menudo.

I've only been to the Latino Market two other times and those visits were only for my latino grocery needs not to sample their food. So this will be my first time trying their tacos......... which is kinda embarrassing for me. Really, as a latino and someone who lived in Thousand Oaks as long as I did you would think my parents would have brought my sister and I in for a bite to eat or just for some groceries back when we first moved here from the valley. Or- why the hell did I practically ignore this place all through my teens and later as an adult save for a Loteria board game and a bottle of Jarritos? I don't know.

In any case, Josh and I meet up in the parking lot and make our way inside. I order four tacos, three of which are: pastor, asada and carnitas. Then, I decide to roll the dice on another taco con chicharrones. I haven't had any luck with the last few chicharrones tacos I've eaten (tasting any good) but what the hell I thought, gotta hit pay dirt at some point right? I believe Josh ordered: asada, pastor, carnitas and a large asada taco.

As Josh and I waited for our order, we noticed through the window were all the meats and stews sit in their respective heating bins a big batch of dried out Asian style chilies. Many of the patrons were asking for these once they received their food orders so in Spanish I asked the taquera if she would throw some in with our order. She ended up piling a handful or so into Josh's plate. She wasn't all that stoked on forking them over either.

We ended up taking our food outside and ate by Josh's car. Here's how my tacos worked out:

Al Pastor: Obviously an adobado fashioned pastor taco. I don't have any real problem with this fact anymore but the execution of this style was a bit off the mark. The sauce that the pork was cooked in came off a bit to barbecue-ish. It was thick and sorta paste like with a spicy, cumin-tomato-dried chilies flavor that tasted more like Jack Daniels sauce at Fridays then an adobado sauce. Texture of the pork was average, at least it wasn't dry and tough.

Now- having written all that nonsense I went ahead and loaded the taco up with the salsa roja that came with our order and it transformed this taco into something that was actually very pleasant to eat. Wow! the salsa was really, really, really damn good. It was very spicy at the front end with a long smokey finish, excellent. Up there with the best I've ever (watch it, Rob) had.

Carnitas: Very average: not dry, in fact a little moist with decent pork flavor and in a shredded presentation. No deep fry treatment here, so no crispy bits. Just middle of the road carnitas, but with the salsa on top it was pretty tasty.

Asada: again, average. The taste and texture of the meat was a bit boring. The cut wasn't bad though, no connective tendons or anything. The meat was in fact tender but nothing else really happening here. I went with the salsa verde on this one and like the salsa roja, it was very tasty and spicy. I can't say enough about what a great job they did in the salsa department. Just well thought out and executed.

Chicharrones: Wow, this was bad. A blob of gelatinous mess.......whatever. I won't elaborate further other then to say that I'm taking a chicharrones break for awhile.

Other goodness: Tortillas were cooked well in oil and tasted great. Josh and I both loved the dried chilies and could not stop eating them. Josh ended up putting like, five on his large asada taco.

Here's Josh's take:

ordered:

3 normal taco's with spicy salsa and extras (cilantro and onions)

Meat: asada, pastor, carnitas

1 grande taco

Meat: asada

Rob asked for some chili peppers that were burned in oil and they gave them all to me instead of him

Asada:

There wasn't anything to it, it wasn't charred, it wasn't smokey, it was just there, nothing about it makes me excited to want to go back. I would make this type of grilled asada if I was in a hurry not caring about making anything other than trying to fill my belly.

Carnitas:

They tasted like they had been sitting all day. it would be better if they stuck it on the grill for a bit or something, crisp it a little.

Al Pastor:

Once again it's that sloppy joe's Ventura style pastor. The meat was marinated well it seems, it's just not what i'm used to. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything i went home thinking about either.


What I did like at this particular place was the salsa and those cooked chili peppers. The tortillas were put on the grill to warm them up which was a nice touch and they were very generous with the cilantro and onions. The red salsa was really good and made these average taco's taste great.


When I was finished with the standard three taco's, I decided to try out this Grande Taco. It was just a normal taco but bigger. That is it. So I dumped all the rest of the red salsa in and added about 5 of those chili peppers. The red salsa had a small kick already and some of those chili peppers added more kick. So this made the taco hotter, otherwise it would just be the same average, just there and only slightly larger taco.

And there you have it. Oh, they sell that salsa roja in large cups for $2.99 that can be found at the butchers counter inside the market area. I recommend the salsa highly.  2.5/5stars

Latino Market
711 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard
Suite 2
Thousand Oaks, Ca 91360




La Loma Mexican Food - Ventura

Hey there! I know its been a month since my last post ( pretending that anyone is actually reading this crap ) and to those few who have been following this blog, I'm totally sorry for not getting some reviews out any sooner. I wrote at the start of this blog that I would post new stuff when I could and as time allowed. And really, honestly, who cares anyways.

In any case, this is my 25th review and I thought that I was gonna write this laundry list of things I've learned and some things that I've written that I would love to take back from past reviews. Sort of to commemorate this incredibly unimportant milestone that I kinda sorta set for myself. But you know what? I'm not going to do that I'm just gonna keep moving forward and not look back. Are there some mistakes that I've made with my grammar and spelling in past reviews? YES- What about proclaiming something to be the best I've had/ever had? Oh, hell yes. But one of the biggest issues I have with most of my reviews, as I go back and read them, is the rating system that I've devised.

If you don't already know, its just a simple 1 through 5 stars. 1=Bad, 5=Great and a bunch of crap in between. I don't have anything set in stone with regards to the criteria of what makes for a good taco, a decent taco and a piece of shit. I've thought of creating a solid formula that I would present to you in vivid detail (for the 3 to 4 people that follow this) but after about 5 minutes of thought on the issue, I decided to scrap any changes and continue on with my wildly inconsistent ratings of tacos through out the Ventura County.

Yet, there are certain things that I concentrate on as I'm eating a taco:

-Salsa on the tacos any good?

-Texture and taste of the meat

-The flavors of the tortillas

-Execution of the recipe

-Quality of the ingredients

You get the picture. After that, I may consider the price but I try not to let that sway me. I'll mention it if I think it's too expensive or if its a bargain as it relates to the quality and quantity of the food. Will that affect the overall rating of the taco? Probably not, I'll mention it if it does.

And with that, lets get to review number 25.

Yeah, so, I've found another Taco/Lunch truck set up in the parking lot of the Contractors Warehouse off of Johnson in Ventura. Its called La Loma Mexican Food and I was told about this truck from someone at my work. Since my review of La Careta De Don Gaby many months ago, I've been trying to locate other lunch trucks that might be operating in the Ventura County area. I've not had much luck but I also think I haven't been looking in the right places either.

As I approached the truck I noticed that they have a trompo inside spinning some al pastor. From the looks of the meat, it appeared as though it was an older batch that looked a bit dried out. Not sure if that's normal (and I've seen some pretty gamey looking stuff on trompo's before) and I wondered if it was going to taste like garbage. Only one way to find out.

Judging from the small menu printed on the windows of the lunch wagon they only serve tacos and burritos with the meat options being: Asada, Al Pastor, Buche, Chorizo and Cabeza. So no Carnitas for this review. A bit limited but, what else do you need? They have all your basic food groups covered.

I ordered 2 asada, 2 al pastor and 1 chorizo.

So, starting things off with the chorizo: it was pretty tasty, a little greasy maybe? Yes- but you'll be surprised how many chorizo tacos I've had in the past that were too dry and lacked depth of flavor. Not this one though, it was spicy and juicy and was chopped in to tiny morsels that were well, swimming in liquid/grease which normally happens when cooking Mexican chorizo.

Al pastor was decent. The texture of the pork was not as tender as I would like but it wasn't dry and rubbery either. It was in between with a decent flavor throughout; I could taste hints of the sweetness from the pineapple but it wasn't as prevalent as it needed to be. The spice rub was good but the overall texture hurt this taco too much. Even though the pork was roasted on a trompo the execution was just not good.

The asada suffered the same fate as the pastor, texture sucked. It was rubbery and tough and had too much connective shit all around. Ligaments and so forth........bad cut of meat. It happens, not all carne asada is created equal. The "asada" type flavor was just O-K. Not that good though, dudes.

I did appreciate the grilled/oiled Jalapeno on my plate. In fact, that might be the best thing I remember about the whole meal, it was really good. The tortillas were dipped in the chorizo grease then cooked on the plancha. This, my friends, is the way to go when cooking up some corn tortillas. It would have been absolutely bitchin' if the taquero dipped the whole tortilla in the grease instead of just half. The flavor still made it to the tortillas though and I greatly enjoyed that aspect of all of the tacos.

I'm not solid on the hours that La Loma is opened for business but I'm pretty sure they operate mostly from lunch time through the afternoon.

Well, 25 reviews in and still a ton more to go. La Loma was just OK, not bad. 2.5/5 stars.

La Loma Mexican Food
In the parking lot of Contractors Warehouse
6655 Cresent Street
Ventura, CA 93003



La Cocina Rica #2 - Oxnard

Well, as I've written so many times in this blog, my plans don't always work out. Case in point is today's review, I went into Oxnard with the intention of eating some tacos at Tacos La Costa on Saviers Road but alas, it was closed. If you haven't noticed by now I'm not really familiar with the business hours of many of the taquerias around Oxnard. But luckily for me, there's plenty to choose from.

It always seems weird to me when 2 or 3 taquerias are right next door to each other, which is the case with Tacos La Costa and La Cocina Rica, the latter being were I'm doing today's review.

The sign outside read that they serve tacos for 75 cents apiece but when I ordered my tacos at the counter inside I was charged a dollar for each one. Its really no big deal since either way its totally cheap and reasonable for a taco. But I do wonder why they charged me more?

On the plus side they had the easiest menu to read and understand that I've seen yet. Anyhow- Ordered 4 tacos: carnitas, carne asada, al pastor and chicharoness.

Starting with the chicharoness: If you don't already know, I'm a huge fan of chicharoness. As a kid, my uncle Ramon would make some awesome tacos out of chicharoness and ever since then I've been hooked. Yeah, well, so far all of the chicharoness tacos I've tried for this blog have just plain sucked. This one was average; there was some crispness to them but no pork flavor. Really, its almost as if they took a bag of pork rinds and just chopped them up and dumped them in to a tortilla.

The al pastor was very tender with a moist and soft texture. This would have been awesome if the pork had any flavor whatsoever, which it did not. The only thing I could taste was the overwhelming flavor of corn from the grainy yellow corn tortillas. They weren't bad, I mean they were hot and lightly oiled (which is always a plus) but it was all I could taste.

Carne asada same thing. The meat was extremely tender and chopped into tny bits but just no flavor.

Carnitas were shredded and a  little moist but mostly dry. Comparatively, the carnitas packed more flavor than the other tacos. But, if this is the stand out of the group then there's some serious problems here.

All the tacos came topped with a salsa roja which was very good. Smokey flavor with a very slow building and  long lasting burn that I just wanted to dip some chips into. Again, the tortillas had a rustic flavor (no way they were handmade) and were good but unfortunately had no other notes to play off of and just dominated the flavor of all of the tacos.

Yeah, so I wasn't totally pleased with today's food. At 75 cents a pop ( or a dollar, or whatever...) these tacos may be worth your time. I don't think I'll be back........I just wish Tacos La Costa was open........son of a bitch... 2/5 Stars

 La Cocina Rica #2

4202 Saviers Road

Oxnard, CA 93033

Ortiz Taco Time - Ventura

Ortiz Taco Time is a well known place on Ventura Avenue that I've heard much about. Truth be told, I wasn't planning on going there for this post ( I was going to go to Taqueria Tepatitlan across the street) but its been on my radar now for some time so I just couldn't resist.

I know there's some history here with the building and the owner plus this place has many fans but I'm not going to delve into all that because its time to get down to brass tacks, are their tacos superior or not?

Well, as I walked in through the front door I was quite surprised how nice the interior of Ortiz Taco Time was. Plenty of seating and very clean in appearance plus this bad boy painted on one of the walls:

Anyway- At the counter ordering my tacos: 1 asada, 1 carnitas, 2 al pastor when the lady taking my order yelled in Spanish to the cook in the back: "Dos tacos adobados por favor!" ............and there you have it folks, mystery solved. Josh and I have been validated (well, at least one time) with our belief that most of the "al pastor" we've been eating is not really the traditional version of the recipe.

 Its not a big deal whatsoever, its just that it should be advertised on the menu a little differently. I mean, the pork is being cooked adobado style ( simply put, slow cooked with onions, garlic and dark chilies or adobado sauce/paste) as opposed to roasting it on the trompo ( Roasted on a rotisserie, pineapple involved, juice from said pineapple tenderizes the pork) then again, its also a regional issue. Who fucking cares Rob! were the tacos any good??

Right- The tacos, one more thing before I get to that, before the tacos even reached my table, I was served complimentary chips and salsa with the salsa also serving as the eventual topping for my tacos. I found the salsa (which was still pretty warm from just being cooked) to be smokey, with a slow building heat, very nice little number. Not gonna make you sweat or snap in your mouth with spiciness but it was very flavorful none the less.

Okay! Carnitas: nice crispness, shredded and moist, that chicharroness type flavor coming to the forefront and just delicious through and through. It had a very clean flavor as opposed to say, greasy like the one I had at Taqueria Potrillos in Camarillo. Definitely deep fried but still clean and not weighed down as carnitas can sometimes get after the deep fry treatment.

Carne asada was also really good. Great flavor, solid cut of steak, tender and juicy with slight char. Very nice, not the best, but really good and enjoyable to eat.

Al pastor/pork adobado tacos: After understanding what it was that I was eating, I set my mind to the flavors that I was expecting. This pork adobado taco was really, really good. absolutely delicious. Tender and spicy, totally melted in my mouth I was so glad I ordered 2 of them. Great execution of this style.

Other things: All of the tacos were quite hearty; the tortillas were filled to the brim with meat. Speaking of the tortillas, they were perfectly oiled and pliable, absolutely added to the overall flavor of the tacos. At the price of $1.25 each, these tacos are a serious deal.

There's still alot for me to get to just in Ventura city but yeah, I really enjoyed my tacos at Ortiz Taco Time; they are the real deal. I know that may not be news to the locals, and I'm sure there are also plenty of detractors, nevertheless- Ortiz Taco Time is one of the stand outs in the Ventura County. Trust me, I've been around, and in that medium sample size I think this place is great in comparison. 4.5/5 stars.

PS: On the way home I saw Don Gaby's van and lunch truck parked off the freeway in Oxnard. Please forgive me, Don.

Ortiz Taco Time
339 North Ventura Avenue
Ventura, Ca 93001