Tacos Ensenada

Tacos Ensenada
2171 Huntington Dr
Duarte
626-359-4959

Tacos Ensenada has been on my list of places to try, since I saw LA Magazine's Top 10 Mexican Restaurants. Interesting to see that a Mexican restaurant I review, La Casita Mexicana, was also in the Top 10.

My favorite place for fish tacos is Tacos Baja in East LA, so I'm trying to find other fish tacos as good, if not better than Tacos Baja. How did LA Magazine miss Tacos Baja, as one of the Top 10 Best Mexican restaurants in LA?

Anyways, Tacos Ensenada is a very small restaurant with a few tables inside and one table outside. It's most to go and I heard they get very crowded.

Let's start with the shrimp taco, $1.99. WOW, was this good. The shrimp was very fresh, the batter was light, crunchy, and flavorful. There was a ton of shrimp in this taco. The toppings; tomato, onions, that white sauce was very fresh and added a wonderful flavor. What I liked the most is the contrast between the coolness of the white sauce, and the spiciness of the salsa. Just an awesome taco. This is among the best shrimp tacos I have ever had.

What wasn't the best was the fish taco, $1.59. The toppings were exactly the same as the shrimp taco and they were great. But, the fish, which is basa fish, was rubbery and the batter was soggy!! No crunch, no freshness, nothing. Maybe the fish had been sitting under heat lamps for too long. Maybe the oil wasn't hot even, when they fried the fish. Whatever the reason, this fish taco wasn't good. I kept thinking; I could have gotten a better fish taco at a chain!!

Service is ok. They were super friendly or welcoming, just going through the motions.

I may give Tacos Ensenada another chance, but even if they fish was fried correctly, I can't see it beating my old stand by, Tacos Baja.

Update Nov. 8, 2011

I went back to Tacos Ensenada and the samething happened, great shrimp taco but a mediocre fish taco. I posted much better pictures, but nothing has changed from my original review. Though I will add, every Tuesday the fish tacos are 99 cents! Still not as good as Tacos Baja.

Cook's Tortas

Cook's Tortas
1944 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park
323-278-3536

I heard that Cook's Torta had a wide variety of torta and not the usual meats you get at most Mexican restaurants. I have heard Cook's Torta described as a Mexican fusion, but whatever. I just wanted to see if the tortas were good.

Cook's Torta has no sign on the front or west facing part of the store. I was coming south on Atlantic and missed it, because the only sign is on the south side of the building, and not visible when driving south on Atlantic. Anyways, a quick legal u-turn and I was there. From the looks of this building, this was an old Kentucky Fried Chicken.

I looked at there wall menu, the north side wall, has their entire torta menu. All tortas are $7.79 and includes one side. I got the shrimp Po'Boy-spice battered shrimp, avocado-red onion remoulade, and lettuce.

WOW, was this great. The torta was bursting with shrimp, always a good sign when they pile on the meat. The bread was a soft chewy, almost ciabatta like bread, that was slighty and perfectly toasted, and stood up very well to all the remoulade and shrimp. The avocado-red onion remoulade was mixed well with mayo and added a subtle taste to the torta. But the best part was the shrimp. It was so fresh, it may have been in the Pacific Ocean that morning. It was well seasoned with some chili power and cumin. It was lightly battered and fried to perfectly.

Service by the cashier was OK. She just went through the motions. She wasn't the most friendly or welcoming person. Service by the girl who brought my food, was good. She was nice and friendly. They call out the number, as they are walking to the table. When they called my number, I was looking around for my receipt, which had dropped to the floor. I kind of raised my hand, she came over and gave me my order. I told her I can't find the receipt, but she said don't worry about. I did find it as she was leaving.

I would go back just for this shrimp po' boy, but I do want to try a couple of their other tortas.

Senor Baja-Closed

Senor Baja
3908 Grand Ave
Unit A
Chino
909-902-5110

A few years ago, I reviewed a restaurant, Senor Baja/El Taco Nazo, that had undergone a name change. To show how quickly things can change, the building that held the Senor Baja/El Taco Nazo I reviewed, has been demolished and is currently a parking lot for a Fresh & Easy Market.

I found out that the owners El Taco Nazo/Senor Fish had a dispute. So, to settle this dispute, one side kept the El Taco Nazo name and the other side opened up Senor Baja.

So I decided to try both and see who had the best fish tacos!! I first went to El Taco Nazo, then tried the Senor Baja in Chino!!

Unlike the El Taco Nazo, Senor Baja does have fish tacos for 99 cents on Wednesday. The fish tacos are regularly $1.59. I asked the cashier what type of fish they use and he told me mahi mahi. But, the fish here was just too greasy. It was clear the oil they used to fry the fish, wasn't hot enough and just soaked up all the oil. The fish wasn't mahi mahi, I figure the fish they use is either pollock or basa. It may have been good, but the oil soaked through the batter and into the fish.

The cabbage and tomatoes were fresh and the white sauce good.

Service here was good. While the guy did give me wrong information, he was nice and friendly.

So, who was better? El Taco Nazo or Senor Baja; I'll call it a mediocre tie!! Neither was great or even good. Honestly, I would only go to Tacos Baja in East LA, for fish tacos.

El Taco Nazo

El Taco Nazo
1267 N Grand Ave
Walnut
909-595-0555

A few years ago, I reviewed a restaurant, Senor Baja/El Taco Nazo, that had undergone a name change. To show how quickly things can change, the building that held the El Taco Nazo/Senor Baja I reviewed, has been demolished and is currently a parking lot for a Fresh & Easy Market.

I found out that the owners, who are cousins, of El Taco Nazo/Senor Baja had a dispute. Over what, I don't know. Anyways, to settle this dispute, one side kept the El Taco Nazo name and the other side opened up Senor Baja.

So I decided to try both and see who had the best fish tacos!!

I went to El Taco Nazo across the street from Mt. Sac and then drove to the Senor Baja in Chino.

I thought El Taco Nazo had fish tacos for 99 cents on Wednesday, but they do not. So I paid $1.89 for two fish tacos. The fish they use is pollock and from the pictures, these tacos look huge. But pictures are deceiving. The fish has so much batter covering it, it wasn't even funny. The batter was crunchy and crispy, which is nice. But, there wasn't enough fish between the batter. The small amount of fish was tender and flaky.

The cabbage was fresh and the white sauce was mild and light.

These were cooked to order and came out hot. Not worth the $1.89 price because there isn't a lot of fish.

What wasn't hot was the service. I walked up to the cashier and wasn't greeted. Why is it so hard for people in customer service, to provide customer service. Customer service includes greeting people!!! A simple hi, can go a long way. Anyways, she wasn't the most friendly person, answering questions in a matter of fact way.

I wouldn't go back to El Taco Nazo again. The fish taco, while nicely fried, doesn't have enough fish, and the service isn't good at all.

Tijuana's Tacos

Tijuana's Tacos
485 W Holt Ave
Ste A
Pomona
(909) 469-4730

I knew there had to be some good tacos places in Pomona. A quick search online, led me to Tijuana's Tacos on Holt Blvd. It's a bit tough to find, because a huge tree blocks the building. But, it's well worth your time to find it, because Tijuana's Tacos has some great tacos.




All tacos are $1.35, I got asada, carnitas, and el pastor. The tacos come with cilantro, onions, and guacamole, which I asked for it on the side. When my tacos arrived, I was very pleased with the huge amount of meats on the tacos. They are well worth the price!!

In the first picture: asada taco is on the left and the el pastor taco is on the right.

Second picture: carnitas taco on the left and asada taco on the right.

The asada was my least favorite, because it had too much fat and gristle. The little lean meat was ok, decent flavor, but I've had better.

The carnitas was a bit dry, but overall I liked it. Well seasoned and nice flavor. I think this could be a very good example of carnitas, so I'll come back again soon and give it another try.

The el pastor was awesome!!! The el pastor is broiled in a vertical broiler and cooked to perfection. Tender, flavorful, well seasoned, and just awesome.

Service was very good. The lady who took my order was very nice and helpful. When I asked what meat was cooking in the vertical broiler, she said the el pastor and then gave me a sample to try. I didn't ask for it, but she was nice enough to let me try it.

I'm glad I don't have to go very far to get good tacos. I'll come back to Tijuana's Tacos, anytime.

Taco Treat

Taco Treat
74 E Live Oak Ave
Arcadia
626-445-9240

I dropped in at Taco Lita for the first time in over six months. While I was eating, another group of people talked about Taco Treat, and they mentioned it wasn't that far away. A quick check of my GPS and it was about a mile or so away.

So I decided to give Taco Treat a try. Taco Treat has more items than Taco Lita; tostadas and fried burritos, but I wanted to see how their tacos stacked up to Taco Lita.





Beef taco, $2.00. The taco had lettuce, cheddar and jack cheese, and onions. The first thing I noticed about these tacos, was the shell just crumbled after my first bite. Then I noticed the dry, bland meat. At Taco Lita, you can taste the cheese, because they put a lot of cheese. At Taco Treat, you barely notice the cheese.

Not only is Taco Lita 25 cents cheaper, but it is a better taco.





When I was ordering, the guy asked me if this was my first time at Taco Treat. I told him yes. He said would I like to try their fried bean and cheese burrito, for free to first time customers. I said sure why not. I didn't take pictures until after ordering food, so there is no way he could have thought I was doing a review. So, I assume they offer a free fried burrito to all first time customers. The fried burrito is $3.50 on the menu.

A fried burrito is a chimichanga, but I guess calling it a fried burrito gives it character? Anyways I did like the light flakey outside, but there wasn't a lot of bean and cheese inside. It was mostly the tortilla. The small amount of bean and chese was pretty bland. The fried burrito was great, being that it was free, but I wouldn't order this again.

Service is very good. The guy who took my order was nice and friendly. But, I noticed the lady who made my tacos, never put the cell phone down, talking the entire time I was there, and while she was making the tacos.

Of the two Americanized taco stands in Arcadia, Taco Lita and Taco Treat. It's clear to me that Taco Lita is so much better than Taco Treat.

Liliana's Tamales

Liliana's Tamales
3448 E 1st St
Los Angeles
323-780-0839

Further east on the Gold Line, at Indiana Station, is Liliana's Tamales. Liliana's Tamales was my second stop along the torta portion of the Sushi-Torta express. La Placita Del D.F.

Since it is the holidays, I wanted some tamales. I heard Liliana's Tamales, made some great tamales and I wanted to try it.




Tamale chili rojo con carne: $1.50. I like tamales, but it's not the first thing I order when I go to Mexican restaurants. This chili rojo con carne, was different than most tamales I've had. The masa was a bit different-the texture was off, and blended into the corn husks. The was a decent amount of beef but the masa really overwhelmed the beef.

Service is nice and friendly.

I wouldn't go back to Liliana's Tamales. I was expecting to be blown away but I was disappointed.

Despite going to two less than stellar restaurants along the Sushi-torta express, I will continue my search for good restaurants along this train line. But there is always La Serenata, which is across from Mariachi Plaza station and King Taco in East LA, which is across the street from the Maravilla Station.

La Placita Del D.F.-Closed

La Placita Del D.F. 1859 E 1st St Los Angeles 323-780-8232 There are many great restaurants near the Metrorail subway system in LA. The Gold Line extension, that goes east to Atlantic Blvd, has been nicknamed Sushi-Torta Express, because it goes to Little Tokyo and East LA. I decided to see for myself what the, torta portion of the Sushi-Torta Express has to offer. So I took the Gold Line to the Mariachi Plaza station and went to La Placita Del D.F., which is about a two block walk from the station. I noticed a torta on the menu and go the torta Milanesa-breaded steak, $4.25, with mayo, cheese, and breaded steak. I loved the bread, lightly toasted, with a nice crust and nice chewy texture and held up well to all the steak. But I didn't like how fatty the steak was, just too much fat and gristle. The pieces of actual steak was a bit tough and chewy. This was really a greasy mess. Service was pretty good, but if you don't speak Spanish, it's all point at pictures. I wouldn't go back to La Placita Del D.F., at least not for the torta. My next stop along the sushi-torta express Gold Line is Liliana's Tamales.

Tacos Baja-Closed

Tacos Baja
853 E Rte 66
Glendora
626-914-6160

If this address sounds familiar, it should; this used to be the location for Bam Bam BBQ, a terrible BBQ place that closed down. Lucky a very good fish tacos restaurant, Tacos Baja, has replaced it. I already reviewed the Tacos Baja in East LA, and loved their fish tacos. When I found out Tacos Baja opened a location Glendora and has a 99 cent fish taco night, on Wednesday, I couldn't wait to go.




Fish tacos, 99 cents on Wednesday, regular price; $1.59. The fish used is basa fish, sometimes called white roughy. It's a light, mild flavor fish. The batter is nice and light and crispy. The white sauce, pico de gallo, cabbage, and hot sauce was all fresh and worked well together. The corn tortilla was heated, I can't believe some places do not heat their tortillas, and held everything together.

Service is below average. The lady was just going through motions. No idea the meaning of customer service; no greeting the customers, not being polite or friendly.

I didn't notice any different between the tacos here in Glendora or East LA. The service is much better in East LA. But I would go back to Glendora, since it is closer to me. But, I hope I get much better service.

Tortas Mexico-Closed

Tortas Mexico 6231 Foothill Blvd Tujunga 818-249-5163 As with Sunland, Tujunga is not a "city" but a community that is part of the city of Los Angeles. I read some good things about Tortas Mexico and decided to give them a try. Huge mistake. This is the two mini taco combination, $5.80, with fish and carne asada tacos, with rice and beans. When I ordered the fish taco, I was expecting the Baja style fish taco, deep fried. But this was grilled talapia. It was ok but not was I was expecting. The carne asada taco was so salty, I couldn't get over the saltiness of the taco. The actual meat was pretty tender but the only flavor I got was the salt. There was a good amount of carne asada but the regular price is $1.45, which is higher than many other taco places that have better tacos. I normally don't eat the beans but I really liked the beans here. Full of flavor, tender, very moist, not dry at all. Service was good, but bad. The good, the lady who took my order was nice and friendly. But what wasn't good, was the their pricing. Taped to the counter is their lunch special which includes the two tacos for $5 but 60 cents extra for fish or shrimp. My total came to $5.80 before tax. So the actual break down is $5.50 for the two taco special and 30 cents for the fish. I really wish restaurants would honor their posted prices!! My food trip to Corsica in Sunland and Tujunga were a complete waste of time. I feel bad for the people who live in these two commmunities, who have to drive a good distance for good food.

El Taco Rico

El Taco Rico
12017 Firestone Blvd
Norwalk
562-863-0974

I must have passed the city of Norwalk, hundreds of times but I never eaten at any restaurant in Norwalk. So I did some searching and found El Taco Rico. I wanted some good tacos and they had some good reviews.



I got the carnitas taco and carne asada taco, $1.37 each.

The carnitas taco, which is on the top of the picture, was very good. I like the flavor and the seasoning of the carnitas. The carnitas was all meat, very little fat or gristle. The red sauce and onions were fresh and tortilla were toasted served hot.

The carne asada taco was also very good. Again very little fat or gristle. Full of flavor. They put a lot of meat on the tacos and is well worth the $1.37 price.

Service was very good. The guy taking the order was nice and helpful. He answered all my questions. I did think it took a bit long for my order to come out, but it wasn't too long and something I can overlook.

I would go back to El Taco Rico, if I was in the area. I really wanted to try their barbacoa, but they were out of it. Maybe next time.

Tacos La Bufadora

Tacos La Bufadora
16020 Arrow Hwy
Irwindale
626-962-0910

Going with my theme of trying restaurants in new cities, I went to Irwindale. The infamous Irwindale, that gave Jerk, Al Davis, $10 million, to listen to their proposal about building the LA Raiders a football stadium in their city. The jerk took the $10 million and never looked back.

I did a search and Tacos La Bufadora, sounded good, especially when I heard about ther 99 cent fish taco, Wednesday. While doing the search, I was reminded of Picasso's Cafe, also in Irwindale, and I may pay a visit, soon.




So I get two fish tacos, regular price is $1.49 but on Wednesday and Sunday they are 99 cents. The fish tacos I got came quickly, but must have been fried quickly, because there were still crunchy and hot. The pieces of fish were big but had so much batter and not enough fish. I bet the ratio was 60/40, batter to fish. Not a good rato, even at 99 cents. I'm pretty sure the fish, what little there was, was pollock.

The corn tortillas were so hot, just off the grill. The fresh cabbage, cilantro, and white sauce were fine. I like the coolness of the sauce with the hot fish.

Service was good. But I said I would eat the fish tacos, there but they started packing up the tacos, to go. I can't believe how many restaurants screw that up. It is a waste of money and materials for that restaurant. I understand mistakes happen but when mistakes cost the restaurant more money, then it becomes an issue, because in the end the customers will pay for it.

The fish tacos were ok but not worth the drive to Irwindale. I wouldn't go back, even if I'm in the area.

Casa Sanchez

Casa Sanchez
2264 S Mountain Ave
Ontario
909-983-2826

I must have passed Casa Sanchez, 100's of times, I've even reviewed two restaurants, Birrieria Moreno's and JJ's Fish and BBQ that about a mile north.

I was craving Mexican food and I finally decided to give them a try.





I got the wet chicken burrito, $7.25, chicken, beans, enchilada sauce. This was pretty good up to a point. The chicken was nice and tender and the beans well cooked. But it was a bit bland and Mexican food is not bland. The chicken tasted as though it was boiled and almost no seasoning. The red sauce enchilada sauce was pretty good, nice spicy good flavor. But they sauce shouldn't cover up the lack of seasoning for the inside of the burrito. I did like the large amount of sour cream they put on the side. The sour cream added a cooling affect to the enchilada sauce.



But as I came to the last quarter of the burrito, there were some tough stringy in my mouth. You can see them in the above picture. At first I thought it maybe the corn husks used to make tamales. But I told the server and she said they were dried up pieces of chicken. Almost like chicken jerky.

Not good and certainly something that made an average burrito, below average.

Service was pretty good. The server was nice and friendly and helpful.

I would not go back to Casa Sanchez again, even if the chicken jerky was in my burrito. There are a ton of other Mexican restaurants, where I can get a much better burrito.

Tlaquepaque Restaurant

Tlaquepaque Restaurant
101 W Santa Fe Ave
Placentia
714-528-0110
The last restaurant I ate at in Placentia, was atTaqueria De Anda. When I heard about Tlaquepaque Restaurant, have a 99 cents Taco Tuesday, I decided to see how Tlaquepaque compares to Taqueria De Anda.

I guess Tlaquepaque had been in Placentia for a long time but closed down about four years ago, but recently reopened.



I got the chicken and carnitas tacos. Tacos are filled with meat, cilantro, and onions.

Chicken taco: The chicken was a bit dry and you had to search for the chicken. There wasn't much flavor to the chicken either. They need to add some seasonings and spices!!

The carnitas was very good. Nice flavor, very tender, moist, exactly opposite of the chicken.



Carne asada and el pastor tacos. Again the tacos were topped with cilantro and onions.

Carne asada taco: Lots of carne asada, that was moist, tender, and flavorful. A good example of what carne asada should taste like.

El pastor taco: Not as impressed with the el pastor. Flavorful? Yes. Tender? Yes. But lots and lots of gristle and fat. If they used a better cut of pork, this could have been good.

Service was fast and friendly!! I was greeted as I walked into the restaurant. Then while waiting for the tacos, every server who walked by, asked if I was being helped!!! I have been to restaurants where the hostess didn't greet me, so it was so refreshing to be asked by 3-4 different servers if I had been helped.

So, which serves the better taco in Placentia? Taqueria De Anda or Tlaquepaque? I would have to say overall, the winner is Taqueria De Anda because I've never had a bad taco there. But the carne asada and carnitas tacos are about even at both places. Tlaquepaque comes up short because of the bland chicken and fatty el pastor tacos.

But for 99 cents, you can't really lose. So I would go back to Tlaquepaque anytime. I may give the el pastor another try but I would have to really think about the chicken.

La Casita Mexicana

La Casita Mexicana
4030 Gage Ave
Bell
323-773-1898

Mole, mole, mole. I never really knew what mole was until I heard about La Casita Mexicana, said to have the best mole in the LA area. I was trying to put together a dinner at La Casita Mexicana over the summer, but this didn't work out. I haven't had a chance to go to La Casita Mexicana but decided it was time to go and see what mole was all about.

I got the pork and chicken, three mole; mole poblano, and green and red pipian, $11.95. This included chips and soup of the day. The chips are a precursor to the mole. The sauce on the chips are the same sauces on the chicken and pork. The green pipian was nice and flavorful, not spicy, sorta of like a chile verde. The red pipian was a bit spicier and nice flavor. The mole was too sweet for my tastes. I know there is chocolate in mole but to me this doesn't taste like Mexican food, with all the bold spices and flavors. I wasn't bad, it was very good just not my cup of tea.

The chicken and pork were covered with all three sauces. The chicken breast was cooked just right. I know their chicken dishes would be good. The pork was shredded, well cooked, and tender. I thought the pork worked best with the green pipian and chicken worked best with the red pipian. They were served with nice, warm, fresh tortillas, so I made a soft taco with it.

The soup was a pasta soup. A simple brooth with thin noodles. Nice and hot but lacked flavor.

Service was great. The server was nice and helpful, answering all my questions about mole. He even gave me samples of the lemonade and horchata drinks. The horchata, which is a sweeten, rice water drink was great.He came to my table all the time to check if I needed anything. He was the only server and was giving great service to about six tables, including a party of eight. A great dining experience.

Being in a Latino area, it was so easy to find Coke made in Mexico!!! I rarely pass up a chance to have a Coke made with real sugar, none of that HFCS crap.

I'm glad I tried the mole but it is just not for me. I will stick to the carne asada, carnitas, and chicken. I would go back to La Casita Mexicana and try some of their other items. The flautas, that a couple people at the table of eight, ordered, looked so good. I may try that the next time I go to La Casita Mexicana.