Los Angeles! Ohh the beauty and tragedy of Los Angeles! I love this city, from it’s Northern valleys, to its southern ports its bustling downtown and all the neighborhoods in between
To me the most angeleno dish is tacos. Tacos are everywhere!
It seems that every neighborhood in Los Angeles has a Taco street vendor, Taco truck, or Taco restaurant. And if they don’t have that they surely have a restaurant that features tacos on its menus, or families are folding tortillas into tacos at home.
As early as I can remember tacos were an essential part of my families weekly meals and on busy months, its daily meals. Whether it be the delicious tacos from the local taco street vendor, or my mom cooking up a quick meal wrapped in a tortilla, Tacos were always present. The nights my father worked the night shift on Fridays, me and my brother would stay awake and wait for his call so we could tell him what kind of tacos we wanted. We would sit back and watch the Lakers or dodgers game with him. My brother and I, on either side of my tired father eating out of the tinfoil wrapping that we used as plates to eat our favorite tacos. At the end of a long night of dancing, drinking and flirting, tacos transform a great night into a memorable and magical experience.
Tacos are the perfect Angeleno plate not quite from here, but not quite foreign. Tacos, the working families meal, cheap and easy to make, or buy.
Tacos are a connection to a Mesoamerican past, and a modern day worldwide sensation! Tacos are a can’t miss indulgence made by common people for common people.
Tacos are made of three ingredients tortillas, salsa, and filling that consist of mostly meat! Lets get into it!
Tortillas are essential. Almost anything wrapped in a tortilla is considered a Taco. There are many different types of tortillas but the most common tortilla are Maiz tortillas. Maiz is significant to first nations people from Messo America. In the Mayan story of creation the original man was made of maiz. The first reported tacos spotted by Europeans were of indigenous people eating fish wrapped by tortillas. These ancient connections make tacos a direct link to pre Colombian times.
The second thing that makes tacos great are the salsas. A taco spot with out at least one good salsa is not worth visiting. The mild green sauce, the hot red sauce, and the super hot habanerro can make or break a street. A good salsa game can a street vendor cart a store front restaurant.
The filling can be any meats or veggies. The most traditional filling are carne asada al pastor. The star of most taco stands is the al pastor because of the spit also known as spits. The Al-pastor is a labanese influence it is pork shoulder
- 1 large white onion, halved
- 1 pineapple, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup guajillo chile powder
- 3 garlic cloves, halved
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 large or 2 small chipotle chiles and 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo from canned chipotle chiles in adobo
- 1 2 1/2-to 3-pound boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Corn tortilla
- Lime wedges
The trimmings can include lime, beans, onions and cilantro.
These tacos are connected to every era in my life.
Here are my favorite Taco places in Los Angeles
- Cactus (Vine street and Barton Ave) Order the Al Pastor, Asa
- da or chicken with avocado and cheese. This is my childhood taco place
- Tacos Los Guichos on Slauson and Broadway right next to the 110 exit going north Al pastor is amazing and the sauces are on point, the tacos de carnitas are the best in the city.
- Tacos el Gavilan is starting to become a chain, but my favorite restaurant they have is on Vernon and Broadway. Everything is good here.
- Leo’s Tacos on the corner of Venice and La Brea have amazing al pastor with pineapple and avocado sauce.
- Tire Shop Taqueria 0n 4069 S. Avalon ave is a secret place with hand made tortillas and a wide range of great tacos.