Logan Heights Taco Crawl (San Diego)
joropeza and I grabbed our bikes and headed down to three Logan Heights taquerias today. We hit El Paisa, Mariscos German, and La Fachada. El Paisa was the best of the three, IMO, but all were great.
At El Paisa I had an astounding cantaloupe agua fresca. I also had my first taste of buche, and a delicious birria made from both goat and beef. I was very surprised by the tender chewiness of the buche - it reminded me of clams, in a way. The platter of salsas, radishes, guacamole, cucumbers, and limes was really impressive, too. They also provided us with some delicious stewed pinto beans.
Mariscos German needs no introduction, but one thing that was interesting was when I ordered my almeja and cayo tacos, they asked how I wanted them. This is not something I've ever been asked before, so I had the almeja with diabla sauce, and the cayo with ajo. The diabla was just OK, but the scallops with garlic were incredible.
La Fachada's menu was nearly identical to El Paisa, so I got their buche, along with carne asada. Both were really good, though I preferred El Paisa's buche. The difference between the two was quite interesting. La Fachada's buche was meatier, and fattier, and had a somewhat gamier taste.
At the end of it all, I thought how lucky I was to live in a place where such great Mexican food places can be found in such close proximity.
Here are some pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshthew...
Josh
Aug 09, 2008 03:58PM
Awesome Crawl! I am jealous. I think that El Paisa is one of the sole reasons not to go down to Tijuana for Food more often!
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Great to here!!!!! El Paisa, La Fachada, and MG have been my long time favorites. You just cant beat the vibe outside when the sun is setting at Paisa and Fachada. IMO These are defiantly in the top 5 SD taquerias. Paisa has the best Aqua Frescas, when you get a chance try the Rompope.
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Went back to El Paisa today to try some of their other items. I did repeat the buche and birria, but also got adobada and asada. The asada wasn't as good as La Fachada, I thought, but the adobada was out of control. Wound up getting a second adobada taco because it was so good.
Also found out that the lighter-colored red salsa, and by far the hottest on the tray, is made with habanero. I was wondering why my beans were so spicy yesterday. :-)
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This is probably a dumb question but I'm a gringo so whatever. If I recall correctly, El Paisa refers to it as Al Pastor on their menu board and not Adobada. Do they have a separate Adobada taco not on the menu? Are they the same thing? I was always under the impression that the Al Pastor and Adobada are slightly different (or one is a subset of the other).
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Sorry, couldn't tell you. I didn't go inside the building, and on the exterior of the trailer where they make the tacos the sign says "Adobada".
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My understanding is that adobado means marinated (and then generally braised) in a sauce made from dried red chiles. Al Pastor is roasted and carved off of a meat cone on a spit (like gyros).
I haven't had either in a taco here in San Diego, though, so maybe the terms are used differently.
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That's interesting because the adobado tacos in Tijuana come off a spit.
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Huh. I would have expected it to be more of a "guisado" style.
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You are both actually right.
Tacos de Adobada are chopped, griddled thin pork steak tacos with a dry adobo paste rubbed into the meat to marinate. If this paste included achiote and the meat was layered on a spit, it would be considered 'al pastor,' gilded with a pina of course!
Menu is thinking of the central Mexican guisado of a meat in a 'wet' adobo stew a la puerco en adobo. The paste [which you can buy at Tijuana's Mercado Hidalgo] is used much like a mole in that it's thinned with broth and meat braised in it. Typically adobo contains a vinegar - as it was historically a hispanic method of food preservation.
Adobo can even be found in another former Spanish crown colony - the Phillipines in a much different incarnation.
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Here's my picture of the adobo pasta, among others at MH.
http://flickr.com/photos/xtijuanax/26...
You could play around with Dona Maria's Adobo - but its not something I can greatly reccomend.
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Awesome spread of spices and sauces in that picture. I'd love to check it out sometime. Does Northgate sell stuff of similar quality?
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Northgate does sell a bulk mole verde and poblano in plastic tubs - but its likely a far cry from the artisanal pastes you can get at Mercado Hidalgo. Making the pastes and selling dried nuts, chiles, fruit, spices is the only thing these vendors here do.
I've been going down to Tijuana about 3 times a month now, and I just got back from a pivotal Ensenada and the Valle trip for the Vendimias the other night. I think the quality of food in Ensenada and Tijuana is so high - I am now saving all my food pleasure $$ for trips there.
Dougolis - you are always welcome to come down to TJ with me - just let me know. Going down there has changed my food world.
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Note from the department of reminders - not all mole paste displayed in rustic open containers in Mexican markets is artisenal. Take a look around the booth or stall selling the paste to see if there are any plastic tubs of commercially prepared pastes, they are often in plain view.
Much of the produce in Mexican markets is not direct from the farm but purchased from a Centro de Abastos and then resold at the smaller markets. Same thing happens with pastes such as mole and pipían.
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Not saying all of it is. There are two vendors like this at Hidalgo. I saw the grinder in the back of one. Some Plastic bagged moles nearby listed xyz towns in Oaxaca and the Tierra Caliente of Guerrero.
Just saying the quality is likely better than the army green stuff at the meat counter of Northgate/
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I'd love to tag along sometime. I've been pretty busy lately but I think I have a few freeish weekends coming up. I'll get your email off the Yahoo group.
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I know it's a typo, but now I'm hungry for Puerco en Adobo over Egg Noodles...
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Thanks for the info, KR. Any idea why the feminine "adobada" is used in the taco context? Maybe from "cecina adobada"?
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Yes sir, I think you came across pounded cecina adobada aka enchilada in Oaxaca - which is my favorite topping for Tlayudas and much prefer to the tasajo.
The word cecina means a lot of things but in Mexico it doesn't necc have to be air dried or salted - especially when talking puerco.
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Interesting. Thanks for educating us KR. I was hoping you would chime in.
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All of the taco stands in Rosarito and Primo Tapia/Cantamar that I have visited sell "Adobada" which is invariably marinated pork slices layered on a skewer in a cone shape rotating in front of a vertical fire, but topped with a onion. For examples, "Tacos Manuel", "Tacos Poblano", "Tacos el Pueblo", etc.
Sadly, I haven't found any "al pastor con pina" in this area, but I keep looking and asking, with hope of finding the "place".
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If you still can't find a place in Rosarito - just pick up a taxi libre to the shining city of the north - Tijuas!
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This is probably a dumb question but I'm a gringo so whatever. If I recall correctly, El Paisa refers to it as Al Pastor on their menu board and not Adobada. Do they have a separate Adobada taco not on the menu? Are they the same thing? I was always under the impression that the Al Pastor and Adobada are slightly different (or one is a subset of the other).
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Josh try the Gorditas at Fachada they are amazing! They are very filling ,not a great idea for a crawl, however If your just going to Fachada check em out.
I did try the fish taco, but out of everything else I've had at Fachada they were not memorable. I think Im going to give them another shot soon
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I went back to El Paisa today, and man that watermelon agua fresca was so good. Asada was fresh from grill, but still think Fachada is better for that particular item. Birria mix of goat and beef is a great idea. Love it every time.
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This sounds awesome Josh. I really need to try Tacos El Paisa. Which location of El Paisa did you guys go to?
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Jason this is the National Ave. El Paisa. Go to this one!!! I can speak for the others. Just take the national exit off the 5 keep on going east until you see the smoke on your left side.
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Did you try the pescado tacos at La Fachada? If so, how are they?
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Masa Asassin had them - didnt say they were memorable.
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31st and National, to be exact.
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Thanks again for leading the way Josh, that was a good ride and a great feed. Next time we'll have to meet a little later so we can do that warm-up pint at Hammies - this boy pedals on beer.
I had both the buche and the cabeza at El Paisa. The buche was probably the best I've had in SD. Like Josh said, the slightly chewy pieces were reminiscent of clams. I had the cabeza as well - soft and yummy, but not quite as gelatinous as I like my cabeza.
The shrimp at Mariscos German are awesome. Can't wait to go back and try one of those Tostada Locas...
The taco de tripa at La Fachada may have been my favorite of the day. The texture and taste of the tripa was everything I love in organ meat - tender, slightly sweet, underpinned but not overpowered by earthiness. Yum! I liked La Fachada's cabeza a little better than El Paisa's, too.
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I went to El Paisa today for lunch and was disappointed to find the place didn't live up to the hype. My friend and I drove by Mariscos German and saw a massive line so we decided to travel the few blocks to try El Paisa. When we walked in the place was dead with just two other people in the whole patio and that should have been a sign but we decided to stay so I ordered one taco each of adobada, buche, and birria. The guy handed me my tacos in less then 30 seconds so obviously everything was all pre-cooked and pre-cut up and he didn't even bother finish it off on the grill or toasingt the tortilla. As a result the meat was a warmish but not really hot.
The platter of salsas and free vegetable munchies was definitely a high point and I loved the cantaloupe agua fresca but I thought the lukewarm tacos weren't very juicy nor very strongly spiced. I was also disappointed that they only gave you one corn tortilla per taco (in TJ they normally give you two) and they didn't even brush the tortilla with the adobada drippings and toast it before serving it but Tacos El Gordo doesn't do that any more either so maybe I'm asking for to much. All I know is they often do it in TJ and the resulting tacos seem to taste much better.
Maybe I just got them on a bad day but I honestly don't know why El Paisa has gotten so much hype here at Chow.
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Sounds like a timing issue - I've gone with coworkers - and between the fresh pressed tortilla and fresh griddled meat - we've had to wait sipping aguas for fear of burning hands.
Don't give up on this place oerdin!
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Like most people I like to visit a place a few times before writing it off. Maybe it was just a fluke so I'll try again next week some time.
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I'm a fan of Porkyland's Al Pastor tacos and the last time I was there they brushed the tortillas with the juices from the Al Pastor before they heated them up to make tacos.
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