58346 Thu Feb 05 22:36:17 -0800 2004 33 2 Los Angeles Area 0 305470 I have had constant hankerings for mexican lately. I will provide my best of, which I feel is rather shabby, given the number of untried places in East Hollywood and East LA and Highland Park. Please provide more suggestions. I love, I need, I love. Favorite tlayuda: El Sazon Oaxaquena Favorite chilaquiles: when chilaquiles with salsa verde are on special and the good cook is in, Juquila. Favorite al pastor tacos: King Taco. I've had better, but I can't remember where. I like King Taco a hell of a lot, but I have a feeling I can get a lot better. Favorite asada tacos: 1. El Gran Burrito when it's hopping, say at 7 or 8, or past midnight on a party night. 2. At the Alameda Swap meet, southwest parking lot, northernmost stall on the east wall. With ultrahot pinkish salsa. Damn fine asada. Only there weekend days, though. Favorite enchiladas: none Favorite chorizo: Guelaguetza Favorite lengua tacos: El Oaxacquena truck (see posting below) Favorite carnitas: for a while, the Antonijiro Denise's in Hollywood had truly stupendous al pastor and carnitas. Such deep pork flavor it bent my mind. But then the sweet little old lady disappeared and two bored looking men took over the kitchen and it turned to crap. Right now, I got nothing that comes close. Help me. Actually, no, scratch that. There is fantastic carnitas at La Indiana Tamales. For take home only, though. Least favorite carnitas: Yucca's. I cannot believe this place is popular. The carnitas is flavorless, except for the flavor of stale grease. Has anyone who recommended Yucca's been three blocks down to El Gran Burrito? Their carnitas is their weakest meat, and it still puts Yucca's to shame. Favorite atole: La Oaxaquena lunch truck Favorite tamale: La Indiana's pork and beef tamales. Although the last time I was there they were a little lacking - here's hoping they improve. Favorite tortillas: At the birria joint on Cesar Chavez that I wrote up and forgot the name of... El... El... Argh! Anyway, genuinely hand-made (hand-patted, not hand-put-in-a-press), softer than hell, beautiful corn tortillas. Favorite birria: Same joint as above. Though I haven't gone to many birria specialty joints, only had it at general-purpose restaurants. Favorite cheese: Oaxacan cheese at Guelaguetza. Favorite drink: Guelaguetza's squash drink. Favorite fish tacos: These I have explored, and Tacos Baja Ensenada remains, from my first month in LA till now, one of the best friends a boy can have. I tried to go to El India for albondigas on a Wedn. a few weeks ago, but they were closed for a month for holiday... I will travel far and wide for greatness. Recommend for me. -thi Thu Feb 05 22:36:17 -0800 2004 0 Thi N. 1 305473 Best pibil: the stuff Dommy! brought to chowfest. Krikey! Is anything close to this commercially available, Dommy? Are you commerically available? -thi Thu Feb 05 22:43:07 -0800 2004 305470 0 Thi N. 1 305475 I usually don't order too many carne asada tacos out because most places use inferior beef (so best if its home made), but have you tried Gallo's Grill or Taco Village? Taco Village (323) 722-9758 3501 W Beverly Blvd Montebello, CA 90640 Gallo's Grill (323) 980-8669 4533 E Cesar E Chavez Ave Los Angeles, CA 90022 Thu Feb 05 22:49:07 -0800 2004 305470 0 Ernie 2 305476 And almost forgot, the enchiladas at Cozy Cactus in San Gabriel are really good, my favorite being the chicken enchiladas in poblano cream sauce when on special. They have some intense salsas too. Cozy Cactus (626) 286-6171 7254 Rosemead Blvd San Gabriel, CA 91775 Thu Feb 05 22:51:42 -0800 2004 305475 0 Ernie 3 305479 Oh, Ernie, I tried that place you recommended right by that college in... er, I can't remember, out in East L.A. somewhere. It had good chile relleno burritos. Chili rellenos was wrapped in egg. Pretty cool. -thi Thu Feb 05 22:57:34 -0800 2004 305476 0 Thi N. 4 305480 Sounds like the Taco Room near Cal State Los Angeles. Unfortunately I went there last week and they changed owners yet again (this must be like the 3rd time) and it went seriously downhill :( Thu Feb 05 23:00:57 -0800 2004 305479 0 Ernie 5 305482 Hmmm... when'd they change? I went about 5 months ago... -thi Thu Feb 05 23:06:09 -0800 2004 305480 0 Thi N. 6 305484 I'm not exactly sure, my previous visit was roughly 2 months ago. There is a new sign and they have repainted the interior now with a new younger cook who had that bored look too! No more of their old trademark good cabbage salsa either Thu Feb 05 23:09:25 -0800 2004 305482 0 Ernie 2 305478 Ah yes! Of the three or four steakhouses I've tried, Gallo's grill was by far the best. I had the big butterflied thing... -thi Thu Feb 05 22:53:20 -0800 2004 305475 0 Thi N. 1 305489 For fish tacos, check out Baja Fish in San Pedro on Gaffey if you're in that neck of the woods. Great fish tacos....very fresh, and different kinds like Salmon, etc. Lots of that mexican creme and fried perfectly. I went to Taco Baja Ensanada last weekend...great stuff as well...its actually a skip and a hop from my car mechanic, which is awesome....it was very good. Fri Feb 06 00:11:28 -0800 2004 305470 0 Xericx 1 305496 I love all these suggestions! I just don't know where any of these places are. I did a search on the first few and came up a little short in the address department. And, maybe I'm missing something (and I live in East LA) but I don't know what tlayuda is. Any help with that one? Fri Feb 06 00:51:05 -0800 2004 305470 0 haras 2 305499 Clayudas or tlayudas are a Oaxacan dish of usually a large crispy tortilla covered with beans & queso fresco Fri Feb 06 01:00:31 -0800 2004 305496 0 Ernie 2 305525 Here is a link to a wonderful previous post on this subject by Low End Theory. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/57039#297650 Fri Feb 06 11:51:03 -0800 2004 305496 0 WLA 2 305526 One tip for finding restaurant addresses in la is to check out the public health website (I use it all the time to find places mentioned on this list). There are lots of ways to search on it (by zip code, street, whatever). But if you go by name, it requires the exact name - which can be a challenge when people abbreviate or mispell - but it's still a useful site! Good luck! Link: http://www.lapublichealth.org/rating/ Fri Feb 06 11:56:33 -0800 2004 305496 0 ks 3 305591 You can just put part of the name in (not necessarily the beginning) and it will bring it up. Fri Feb 06 18:07:57 -0800 2004 305526 0 Jerome 4 305596 Excellent point - thank you! It still won't read my mind however (which is what I want!). As an example of its lack of flexibility, I recently was planning to go to Carlitos Gardel. The public health site lists it as Gardel's Restaurant. If you put in Gardel - great, it'll find it. If you put in Carlitos Gardel, it doesn't come up. So, it can be kind of fiddly. But with that caveat, I think it's so useful. Not perfect, but a good tool. And Gardel's is a terrific restaurant however you manage to locate it or whatever you want to call it.... Fri Feb 06 18:34:31 -0800 2004 305591 0 ks 1 305508 I think the best carnitas are at El Albejeno in Culver City a few blocks off the 405. It is on Inglewood Blvd just a few doors south of Culver Blvd S. The carnitas are moist and do not have a crust. (I know, the burnt, hard crust is preferred by some.) They have taquitos de carnitas that are quite large. 2 6" corn tortillas STUFFED with carnitas, add a slice of avacoda and sauce, WOW! Also they have a "super tostads" de carnitas. HUGE and very tasty, Beans. Crisp chips, carnitas, lettuce, onion, toamto, enchalada sauce, onion, and jalepenos. A great torta rounds out my favorite 3. Cute decor and amazing low prices. Don't let the steam tables disuade you from this great treat. "Good Eats" Wes Fri Feb 06 03:08:28 -0800 2004 305470 0 Wes 2 305509 I love their interpretation of the taquito as well. Its just awesome, especially how "greasy" the soft tortilla feels...great texture, super moist, and the flavors just blend perfectly...especially with the extra "kick" of the avocado. GREAT stuff, probably the best thing I've had there. Fri Feb 06 03:19:19 -0800 2004 305508 0 Xericx 1 305521 Not a category you mention, but I love the tortas at King Torta. The bread is perfect (that necessary torta combo of soft and sturdy) and both the carnitas and al pastor are flavorful and delicious IMHO. King Torta 4507 E Valley Blvd LA CA 90032 Fri Feb 06 10:42:26 -0800 2004 305470 0 ks 1 305522 Hey Thi, I remembered another place I really like, but its not on your list of food types. They have some delicious tostadas (and taquitos for that matter, but the tostadas have the same flavor and are less greasy than the taquitos) at Pepe's Drive Through in Alhambra. If you try the tostadas, make sure you order the shredded beef version. The default beef tostada there is a carne asada version which was so-so, but the shredded beef version is where its at, very yummy and a meal in itself when ordered with their chunky guacamole. Their chile verde burritos are also tasty Pepe's Mexican Food 511 West Valley Boulevard, Alhambra, CA 91803 (626) 289-8618 Fri Feb 06 11:03:55 -0800 2004 305470 0 Ernie 1 305527 Fish tacos at Maria's Fresh Seafood in Grand Central Market are splendid -- not the crispy battered Baja-style, tho. You'll have fish hands for weeks. The Tommy's burger of fish tacos. Fri Feb 06 12:03:22 -0800 2004 305470 0 Mr Grub 1 305534 For carnitas, try Lares on Pico in Santa Monica. Huge chunks of pork, nice and crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Served with avacado, sliced radishes, salsa, sliced onions, cilantro and corn or flour tortillas on the side. Fri Feb 06 12:20:09 -0800 2004 305470 0 PeteEats 2 305595 The last time we ate at Lares, the chip basket was plunked down on our table. We began to chow down on them until we discovered the layer of cold french fries (!!) underneath. It appears as though someone's leftover french fries were topped with our chips. ICK. The waiter was sheepish, but unapologetic. Fri Feb 06 18:33:11 -0800 2004 305534 0 Coffee Cake 1 305540 It's been mentioned on Chowhound many times before, but the food at Loteria in the Farmer's Market on 3rd and Fairfax is aaaamazing. I always get 2 tacos - the shredded beef and the chicken with pumpkin - I wish I wasn't so full so that I could eat more! Fri Feb 06 13:25:40 -0800 2004 305470 0 saffree 1 305541 It's been mentioned on Chowhound many times before, but the food at Loteria in the Farmer's Market on 3rd and Fairfax is aaaamazing. I always get 2 tacos - the shredded beef and the chicken with pumpkin - I wish I wasn't so full so that I could eat more! Fri Feb 06 13:25:43 -0800 2004 305470 0 saffree 1 305553 Avila's El Ranchito in Huntington Park -- the freshest food around. Great Chile rellenos, lobster (or chicken) enchiladas. Big beautiful bowls of homemead soups -- albondigas, chicken, and some sort of beef soup I haven't had yet but it looks amazing. Tortillas are made there. I need to go back and make my way through their menu. While we're on that subject, I drove past a restaurant this weekend that was jammed with cars -- Mi Lindo Nayarit Mariscos at Florence and Central. Looks like quite a scene. Does anyone know anything? Fri Feb 06 14:30:09 -0800 2004 305470 0 Sandra W. 1 305581 Most of my favorites (and no doubt, some favorites to be) have already been mentionned, but two that have so far been overlooked are: Taqueria Vista Hermosa in the Mercado La Paloma on 35 and Grand. The al pastor tacos here are very good, with really nice clean flavors, and good tortillas. (Their horchata isn't bad either.) Unfortunately, this is mostly a lunch place -- they aren't open late. Also, I think the carnitas burrito, chili relleno burrito, and, of course, the gorditas at Ana Maria's in the Grand Central Market are darn good. If I ever leave LA, this may well be the restaurant I'll miss the most (probably along with Tacos Baja Encenada). Fri Feb 06 16:43:34 -0800 2004 305470 0 David Kahn 2 305582 Oh, and along with the albondigas, the carnitas tortas at Mi India Bonita are a thing of beauty. Fri Feb 06 16:51:11 -0800 2004 305581 0 David Kahn 3 306231 david, you mentioned gorditas. Years ago in a long-since-gone Whittier resturant I enjoyed their take on gorditas that were unlike the others I always see. These were two corn tortillas, dipped in hot oil to soften and heat them, then white shredded cheese between, which melted. Then a scoop of chile verde on top. Ever see a dish like this prepared anywhere? Fri Feb 13 00:03:12 -0800 2004 305582 0 kenact2 1 305588 Since you are on the east side you may wanna try Alegria on Sunset a few miles past Sunset Junction. The Jason Burrito(steak) is amazing and everything is really fresh and yummy. Sometimes there can be a bit of a wait, but it's well worth it and you can bring your own wine which is always nice :) Fri Feb 06 17:48:42 -0800 2004 305470 0 kittangrrl 1 305597 All kinds of stuff at La Bonita Restaurant Address: 5253 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029 Phone: (323) 665-1823 Fri Feb 06 18:43:52 -0800 2004 305470 0 mc michael 1 305648 With regard to carnitas, has anyone tried the House of Carnitas on Beverly Blvd, near Normandie? I have had other things there and been impressed, but I have not tried the carnitas.... Sat Feb 07 10:28:19 -0800 2004 305470 0 aatkin 1 305670 Hi Thi. We have a favorite place in Montebello that has really consistently good food and I have never seen it mentioned. It is named Raphael's and is located on the northwest corner of Beverly and Wilcox in the Holiday Spa mini-mall. It is in the corner closes to the spa. They have the best cocido (Mexican vegetable beef soup) that I have tried in a restaurant. The vegetables are cooked just right and the caldo is clear and delicious. They do a mean chile verde and very good enchiladas rancheras. They also have these huge frosted mugs of ice cold beer and the slasa is very respectable. For carnitas, I have a thing for La Luz del Dia in Olvera Street. In case you're not familiar, it's the first restaurant on the left as you enter Olvera from the Plazita side. It's cafeteria style and there is usually a line but it moves quickly. There menu is not long but it is very typical homemade style Mexican food and they serve everything with tortillas a mano. They also have champurrado if you like. They serve beer and soft drinks. The prices are the lowest. I love Mi India Bonita for the pozole on Saturday a.m. and the tortas (my fave is carnitas) anytime. They're closed on Sunday and close early evening during the weekdays. There is also a Denise's on Olympic Blvd. in E.L.A. close to and east of Indiana. Then, there is always Baudiraguato in South Gate on Florence Blvd. for some dynamite tacos (like what you might find in Matzalan). They serve a little cup of caldo with the tacos that is incredibly tasty with a squirt of lime. Their machaca is also good. Not far from there is La Barca which I know is a chain but this location seems to be a little bit better than the one in Pico Rivera. Good authentic Mexican food but it is always crowded with a 98% latino crowd which I think is a good indication. Eventhough I cook all of these dishes at home WITH LARD, it's nice to be able to go out and enjoy someone else's slant on some great food. Sat Feb 07 17:46:10 -0800 2004 305470 0 Neta 1 305701 Best El Cholo-style restaurant, if El Cholo-style restaurants gave a damn about anything: El Compadre 7408 W. Sunset Blvd. Live mexican music and several booths filled with A or B-tier Industry or music types (a female friend reports winning a struggle with Winona Ryder over a bar stool). Inexpensive and very tasty food, including excellent albondigas and gratis salsa. Noted for something called the "flaming margarita", and for Hollywood gossip wafting through the air. Waiters seem to have come with the original, rustic old-school rancho-style furnishings some years back, but are friendly, competent and quick to deliver your order. After your meal hang out at the giant guitar store directly across the street, and ponder if that really was Marilyn Manson you just saw at the bar (it may have been). Sun Feb 08 08:12:49 -0800 2004 305470 0 gj