So, I was on my way to Tacos La Costa in Oxnard when I saw a large shiny new taqueria on my right that I was drawn to. Tacos Don Chente is the name of the place and I believe that its owned by the same folks who own the El Pescador family of restaurants.
But really, I'm just lazy and didn't want to drive all the way to Tacos La Costa so I pulled over at the first sight of Mexican Food. There could have been a Baja Fresh or a Taco Bell on the side of the road and I would have pulled right in for a review. Its Monday and I just wasn't feeling the sense of exploration of the greater Oxnard.
Not saying that Don Chente's is in the shit hole class of the famous Baja Fresh, just saying that I needed to wrap this posting up quickly.
Right- So its a pretty clean and sterile looking place on the inside. I mean, they just built the damn place from scratch so I was expecting something like this. But flat screen TV's and marble table tops were a bit of a surprise.
Anyway, I order 4 tacos: carne asada, al pastor, chorizo and carnitas.
Afterwards I head to the condiments area/salsa bar, which was loaded by the way, grab a bit of everything and sit down at one of the many tables available.
Carnitas: Really, really good. Yeah, it was very moist and the meat was all shredded beautifully plus a deep pork flavor that made me think of nothing else but purchasing a burrito filled with these carnitas. No crispy bits but just so tender and delicious that I ate this thing in two bites.
Carne Asada: Also good in that the texture was moist and tender just like the carnitas. In carne asada, I always look for the seasoning and char; meaning did they blast some heat from the griddle on that bad boy and add that charred texture that kinda reminds me of the flavor you get from outdoor grilling. Does the seasoning (lime, cumin, Mexican oregano, chili powder, cloves, etc..) give the meat that classic "asada" flavor? Sometimes they do and other times not so much. Should be easy to execute though.
Here, it seems like the meat is of the "boiled" or "steamed" variety. Its neither boiled or steamed per se but has that kinda mouth feel to it. It was solid but I've obviously had better. More on the bland side too.
Chorizo: Excellent! crispy texture and with a nice spicy flavor. Not greasy whatsoever and really dang tasty, another taco that I could order again and again.
Al pastor: A bit on the boring side. As of now, we all know that there's no taquero slicing pork right off of a trompo and onto my tortillas. We now know that most of whats served as "Al Pastor" around Ventura County is really pork adobado. This is subject to debate as to whether it is in fact al pastor or not. In any case, not caring any more about authenticity when it comes to al pastor (and moving on!), the pork in this taco was tender but it had no "bite" or spice to it. Al pastor should be much more flavorful than this offering.
The salsa's that I tried were not very spicy but were pretty flavorful. The two darker salsas I doused my tacos with both had a very smokey profile with one of them in particular having some heat and the other with the charred bits of chilies giving it that super smokey accent.
The tortillas were awesome; apparently they're made fresh everyday. I loved them.
Well, Don Chente's has flaws but overall the place is a solid taqueria, they do seem to go the extra mile on the little things. And they have a freaking drive up window. I'd go back. 3.5/stars
Tacos Don Chente
2131 North Oxnard Boulevard
Oxnard, CA 93036
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