599276 Wed Feb 25 14:21:49 -0800 2009 16 3 California 0 4451813 I’m looking for any excuse to explore & eat the wonderful Mexican food in Fresno as often as I can. Here’s what I’ve found so far; I’m certain there will be more to come. (And, fwiw, none of these tacos have onion because I tend to request no onion.) TAQUERIA AZTECA. Single-tortilla tacos with meat & dressings. $1.50. Meat selections included (among others): pollo, lengua, asada, adovada, & desebrada (shredded beef)—be sure to check not only the printed menu but also the white board in the corner of the room. Tacos were dressed with a handful of chopped tomato, chopped cilantro, & a thick wedge of lime. No salsa bar in sight but my tacos came with a spicy brick-red salsa on the side. Positives. Three words: handmade corn tortillas—a sign in the window announces it in Spanish, the flavor & texture of the tortilla confirms it. Salsa served on the side was good & spicy: rich, dark red, roasted pepper flavors (perhaps a tad bitter but still rates about 7/10), medium-hot. Very friendly service; help up front was attentive almost to the point of being too much & by my second visit the older woman cooking in the back was waving hello to me like I had been going there for 20 years. Negatives. Meat did not have much flavor. Asada & pollo were plain; adovada had more flavor—it had a heavy dose of some spice like maybe cinnamon?—but was still pretty mild. Amount of taco fillings seems to vary, too. On my first visit the tacos were stuffed full of meat, tomato, & cilantro; on my second visit my taco was more anemic with smaller portions of meat & dressing. Also tried a bowl of barria (goat stew in a rich, red chile broth). The broth looked delicious but tasted adequate; it tasted much better when I poured the spicy salsa & the juice of half a lemon into it. A few chunks of bone in with the meat (though as a bonus, I was able to suck the marrow out of one of the bones). Overall, bland meat is a significant set-back here & (in my book) outweighs the handmade tortillas. Very bare bones interior. Northeast corner of Fountain Way & Cedar Ave., just north of Shields Ave., tucked in a lonely & largely empty strip mall behind a KFC & the new El Toro Café—a converted DiCicco’s currently being discussed by PolarBear & Jeff Avis in this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/571492 With El Toro Café where they are now it’s hard to predict what will happen to Taqueria Azteca in the future. Taqueria Azteca 4235 E. Fountain Way Fresno 559-243-5607 TACO BELL. Just kidding. LA COCINA MEXICAN FOOD. Double-stacked corn tortillas with meat, cabbage & cilantro; couple small wedges of lime on the side. $1.50. Only three fillings available (carne asada, beef something [hard shell taco], & one other [maybe carnitas?]). Carne asada was okay: typical chopped steak served nice & hot but without much flavor beyond the beef itself. Salsa was an orangish-red salsa, probably homemade, perhaps with tomatillos & tomato, kind of generic tasting but definitely spicy-hot. Dumpy little place on the outside; kind of run-down on the inside, too. But the inside was a fascinating museum of Mexican-American kitsch: plastic Spiderman placemats; posters of the American presidents on one wall; & on another wall old bookshelves filled with displays of artifacts like shoebox dioramas: doll-house models of a washboard, matate & an old stove; porcelain Virgin Mary, antique tequila bottle, etc. Friendly staff & table service. On E. McKinley, east of First St., south side of the street near where Normal St. comes in from the north; very close to Best Boy doughnuts. La Cocina Mexican Food 3298 E. McKinley Ave. Fresno 559-264-9002 TAQUERIA MICHOACAN. Double-stacked corn tortillas with meat, lettuce, cilantro & green salsa; wedge of lime on the side. $1.25. About five fillings available (carne asada, lengua, pollo, carnitas, & adovada). Pollo & adovada were both tender & tasted like you’d expect but were not particularly noteworthy either. I’m pretty sure I saw the guy at the grill heating up my meat fillings in the microwave oven instead of on the grill next to the tortillas that were warming up nicely. Tortillas were store-bought. No salsa bar in sight, but the green salsa that came on my tacos was mildly spicy with a nice if generic tomatillo tang. I could have done without the lettuce (cabbage would have been a better choice of greenery here); the finely-chopped lettuce wilted quickly & so failed to add any crunch or texture to the tacos. These were competent but not fabulous tacos. Very sparse furniture inside. I was the only one there on a Saturday afternoon. Other items—tostadas, burritos, & birria—also available. Located on the southeast corner of Ashlan & Fresno streets, tucked into the strip mall behind a Shell gas station. By the way, this is the not the Taqueria Michoacan, which is also a meat market, that may exist downtown at Belmont & Van Ness. Taqueria Michoacan 2614 E. Ashlan Ave. Fresno 559-229-1688 LA HACIENDA CARNICERIA. Double-stacked taquito-sized corn tortillas with meat, a very small smattering of chopped cabbage & a full handful of cilantro; hefty wedge of lime on the side & a medium-mild red sauce. $1.25. Large selection of fillings, including birria & buche in addition to the standards. Pollo & carnitas (pork was pulled out of the display case) were both tender; nothing extraordinary but good; carnitas was maybe a tad dry but nothing terrible. Adobada had a stronger flavor but the texture was too soft; kind of mushy once in the taco. My favorite was the pollo—& usually I’m a pork & beef kind of guy. Manufactured tortillas were heated on the flat-top first. Red salsa was mildly spicy & a bit generic. The combination of thick tortillas, meat, lots of red sauce & a little crunch was a good balance of wet & dry, chewy & soft, cooked & fresh. These were some of the better tacos I’ve had in the past few days but they can’t really compare to the even better tacos I’ve had at Don Pepe’s or Zamora’s. Small & crowded food market with a small taqueria stuffed in one corner. Comprehensive menu of burritos, breakfast, tacos, & other items. Market had a large selection of corn tortillas (many manufactured in the Salinas Valley area) & a small amount of produce & other food items. Located on the northeast corner of McKinley & First streets, side-by-side with about three pho places & a couple of other Asian stores. La Hacienda Mexican Market/Carniceria 3131 E. McKinley Ave. Fresno 559-497-6919 phone 559-497-6909 fax MORENO’S MEXICAN & SEAFOOD. Double-stacked, full-sized, store-bought corn tortillas with meat, shredded lettuce & a dash of guacamole (probably homemade?); hefty wedge of lemon on the side. $1.40. Selection of 5 or 6 meats (carnitas, pollo, asada, al pastor, lengua, iirc, maybe 1 or 2 more). Al pastor was chopped pieces of pork cooked in sauce along with some chopped tomato; not bad tasting but didn’t care for it much. Carnitas was the star this time around: good pork flavor & a nice, chewy texture. I’ll be dreaming about that pork for the next few days. Small salsa bar included a smooth green sauce; a smooth, vinegary spicy red sauce; & a thin mild red sauce with some chunks of onion & greenery. None of them were outstanding but the red vinegar sauce added enough heat to satiate my chile addiction. The dressings were only okay & didn’t add much to the tacos. No cilantro came on my tacos. I could have done without the lettuce—it just starts wilting after a little while of sitting in a hot taco. The guacamole was okay, though the lettuce & guac together did add a touch of cool temperature which was kind of nice. I’d really like to go back for some more carnitas but perhaps I’ll try it in a breakfast or a burrito instead. Very extensive menu of Mexican-American food items (including breakfasts & seafood cocktails). Located on the northeast corner of Shields & Cedar avenues, just a few hundred yards east of the intersection, in a converted Taco Bell. Moreno’s Mexican & Seafood 4315 E. Shields Ave. Fresno 559-224-1268 Wed Feb 25 14:21:49 -0800 2009 16340 alanstotle 1 4452415 Excellent report Alanstole! I too wonder how the Taquria Azteca will fare in the close proximity of El Toro cafe but they are very different in both price and style so here's hoping they both prosper. I am a cheap taco nut ($1.00-$2.00) and have eaten at Azteca several times.I like their tacos and the friendly welcome and hospitality they offer. Haven't tried La Cocina or Taqueria Michoacan yet but I have a fave at La Hacienda Carneceria. They make an orangey red salsa that has a little sweet flavor that I think is carrots. It's pretty hot but not overbearing. They have good Tamales and I've had some carnitas that were quite good. Mostly go in for the salsa. Like to have a pint in the frig ! Stopped in Moreno"s on Superbowl Night and tried a large Menudo but was not impressed. That was the only time I've tried Moreno's so i'm glad to hear The carnitas are good. I'll have to give them another shot! Wed Feb 25 17:49:15 -0800 2009 4451813 249861 Jeff Avis 2 4452450 Jeff, for menudo you need to try La Placitas (hope I recall the name correctly) at the NW corner of Maple and Kings Canyon. Wed Feb 25 18:02:34 -0800 2009 4452415 18150 PolarBear 3 4452637 Ok PB I'm on La Placitas trail now.........SNIFF! SNIFF!........They'll never get away! Wed Feb 25 19:18:05 -0800 2009 4452450 249861 Jeff Avis 3 4463424 OMG PB went in to La Placita This AM around noon. The place was pretty full. I'm by myself so I hog a 4 seat table. I'm the only non Mexican person there (5pts.) I order the Menudo you so graciously recomended. The waitress brings the chips and salsa. The Salsa is magnificent ,very hot and flavorful.(5pts.) (No way my son will be able to polish of a bowl of this stuff!!) Now comes the large bowl of what I think is the best Menudo I've ever tasted! (5pts.)The corn tortillas could almost pass for flour tortillas they were so tender and large.(5pts.) The menu goes on for days including a large selection of sea food selections. I am so going back there for a dinner meal ,I can hardly wait ! You mentioned it was on the NWcorner of Kings Canyon and Maple but it's actually a little west in a small strip mall. I don't know how you found this place but what a find!! All the tables are covered in that bright multi striped zarape blanket material with the Mexican music in the background. (5pts.)If you are like me and don't mind being a minority and enjoying the real McCoy this is the place. Warm service and they did their best to understand my poor Spanish!(5pts.) Top score 30 pts. possible....... La Placita points 30! Sun Mar 01 13:47:04 -0800 2009 4452450 249861 Jeff Avis 4 4463467 I neglected to describle the generous amount of tender tripe cooked to perfection in the most flavorfilled red broth with plenty of homminy I also ordered a side of their spanish rice,hmm good! Didn't want to gross out the non tripe lovers! LOL Sun Mar 01 14:01:24 -0800 2009 4463424 249861 Jeff Avis 1 4456191 HEY ALAN! WELL IF YOU SOME REAL GOOD MEXICAN FOOD WHERE THE MEAT IS AWESOME WITH A GREAT HOMEMADE SALSA BAR THEN YOU NEED TO TRY "TACOS TIJUANA'S" ON KINGSCANYON RD BY THE FOSTER FREEZE! AWESOME I GUARANTEE IT!!! ALSO IF YOU WANT A REALLY GOOD BURRITTO WITH HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS THERES A LIL WALK UP STAND CALLED "ADRIANS" THE BEST SHREDDED BEEF! THAT ONE IS ON BELMONT! Thu Feb 26 19:22:24 -0800 2009 4451813 269656 PETEFROMFRESNO 2 4463839 Back to the subject at hand I found a new cheap taco place that makes a real good little taco at two for $1.50 .I ordered the carne asada and adobado, two of each . double stacked corn tortillas with a nice amount of meat ,sprinkeled with cabbage, cilantro and onions and toped with a tasty salsa. Hard to beat for the price and flavor! It's called Lola'sRicos Tacos at Kings Canyon and11th st. (pink building) Sun Mar 01 16:04:42 -0800 2009 4456191 249861 Jeff Avis 3 4464557 Thanks for the tip. I hope everyone will keep them coming. Sun Mar 01 20:46:09 -0800 2009 4463839 16340 alanstotle 1 4470988 Good thread. I had 3-4 in mind to try and thought I'd wait until I had at least visited each one time. After checking the first one off my list went back to the office and got into a discussion with two of my co -workers, which immediately doubled my list. Figure now it's best to just put them out there and hopefully get some howls back from the other hounds. Yesterday stopped into Carniceria Michoacan. No al pastor so ordered three tacos, lengua, cabeza, and tripas. The line was out the door almost, but the two fella's chopping and assembling were quick and it moved right along. All orders are to go, but there are three picnic tables on the south side of the store facing Belmont Ave. Typical small double stacked corn tortillas, rather light on the cilantro and onions, couple of lemon wedges and two little salt packets in the bag, and the tacos loaded with meat, could easily have split each into two, they are greasy and therefore messy but pretty good. The cabeza was especially so, nice and tender, lengua was good as well but next time will probably try the buche instead of the tripas. The handwritten menu lists all tacos at 1.00 exc. for the lengua and tripas which are 1.25. My total came to just $3.41 which looking back doesn't tally, should have been a little under $4. Judging by my fare I'd say the carnitas and carne asada are probably pretty good to boot. Next time I'll remember to request extra cilantro and onion. The little container I got of their salsa was very good, spicy and full of flavor. The prepared meats are all for sale in bulk as well, and the raw meat in the butcher cases looked really good and well marbled. Carniceria Michoacan 508 N. Van Ness @ Belmont (NE) After reading Jeff's post yesterday, had to hit La Placita for their menudo this morning. On the way into the office I stopped by El Toro Carniceria across from Roosevelt HS. This is a much larger operation, bright, clean and cheery. Like C. Michoacan, a large selection of ingredients for tacos, tortas, or preparado. Likewise, the meat in the butcher cases looked very good. I was too full to try anything but did confirm that they have al pastor cooked on a vertical spit. Will be going back to try it for lunch tomorrow. El Toro Carniceria Tulare & Barton (NE) Here's a couple more that were on my list: El Unico 555 W. Belmont (x fr Aldos) Casa Quintero 2561 E. Ashlan Lily's Café – (according to my pal in the office it's only so so, it's at the bottom of my list) 1152 Broadway Plaza (btw Tulare & Fresno) Here's the rest I got recos for: Rosie’s 1329 S. Hazelwood (@ Butler) Garcia’s 4729 E. McKinley (@ Chestnut NW) La Perla – Chile relleno special on Weds. 1600 E. Belmont (S side near Calaveras) El Gran Rodeo McKinley & Chestnut (NE in old Taco Bell) This last one I learned has a couple of different molcajetes, stopped and got a menu today and can't wait to give them a try. Only other place I know that offers them is at the NW corner of Tulare St. and Fulton Mall, blanking on the name right now. Tue Mar 03 17:39:55 -0800 2009 4451813 18150 PolarBear 2 4475725 Ordered three tacos to go (no seating available), al pastor, lengu, and cabeza. All on the larger corn tortillas, dbl stacked, and piled high with meat. The al pastor is shaved off in rather large slices (compared to Don Pepe) and the chopping they do on the block leaves a coarser mix. There was the occasional piece gristle but not enough to be off putting, but the spices used on the meat weren't to my liking, not that they were bad but for me just seemed to mask the flavor of the meat and carmelization. The cabeza was tender and juicy with a nice flavor, but the lengua was the star here, having just been taken from the trays and chopped fresh, will have to revisit but I think it surpasses Don Pepe's. Total for the three was 5.41, didn't look at the individual prices but they must be @ 1.75. Ran my to try list by my BIL last night who said that he'd had their carnitas and it was quite good. El Toro Carniceria Tulare & Barton (NE) [Edit to add] Access to this place is a little tricke since Barton Ave is one way southbound as it reaches Tulare St. Easiest to turn south off of Belmont (one half mile N of Tulare St.) or east off of Cedar Ave on either Iowa (if N bound) or Illinois (if S bound) Thu Mar 05 07:46:05 -0800 2009 4470988 18150 PolarBear 2 4479244 Stopped by for lunch yesterday, pretty full house, learned they've been there 5-6 years. Asked what they do really well and was told the bisteka and also the ribs. Saw fish tacos on the menu so had to try them. Three large dbl stacked corn tortillas, each with a beautifully cooked nice size piece of fish atop a bed of lettuce. Menu mentioned a special tartar sauce which wasn't visible and on inquiry was told they put it on the tortilla, said yes when asked if I'd like more and was brought a squeeze bottle, forget the brand but not worth trying, especially if you've had El Toro Cafe's housemade. Dish comes with decent Mexican rice and OK beans (pureed w/ cheese on top), a salsa fresca and a good brick red rojo with decent kick, and chips (just OK, too thick for my taste), a little pricey at 12.50, but actually could be enough as a light lunch for two. Rest of the menu typical combinations, etc, nothing that stood out, but will have to go back and try the ribs to see how they stack up against the braised version at Sal's. Casa Quintero 2561 E. Ashlan (NE just E of Fresno St.) Fri Mar 06 08:09:34 -0800 2009 4470988 18150 PolarBear 3 4479278 At one point we (gbg & I) thought we saw that this place did homemade tortillas. Since you didn't mention it, I assume that wasn't the case with your fish tacos? Fri Mar 06 08:19:35 -0800 2009 4479244 16340 alanstotle 4 4479413 Probably oversight on my part, they didn't look like store bought, i.e. lighter color and with a good texture, in fact trying to separate the top from the bottom caused two of the three to tear a little, usually a good indication of handmade. Fri Mar 06 08:53:59 -0800 2009 4479278 18150 PolarBear 1 4471144 Wow! This is starting to sound very good. I'll have to go back & try Tacos Tijuana again (wasn't too impressed the first time around a year ago but willing to give it a second go). And now that I think about it, I think I've been to Adrian's, too (I frequent the tire shop next door). Had a chicken taco there that was fine but not outstanding. I'll definitely give the shredded meat a try, though. PB's list looks enticing, too. I'm working my way outwards from City College; I have a couple of other taquerias in mind south & west of there (& if I knew their names I'd list them here). Surprisingly, my students' recommendations are not entirely reliable even though many of them grew up in central Fresno. As a result, I have to use the trial-&-error approach instead of using others' expertise like I'd like to. Tue Mar 03 18:34:46 -0800 2009 4451813 16340 alanstotle 1 4483243 TACOS GUANAJUATO. Small, double-stacked tortillas with meat, chopped lettuce, cilantro, a large splash of tangy green salsa, wedge of lime & pieces of radish. Lots of meat choices: the usual suspects plus chorizo, chicharon, cabesa, tripas y lengua. Three tacos plus a fountain drink for $3.99. I tried the tripas (first time with this one: intestines were fried but still a little chewy in spots & had an organ-y flavor; like lengua, this one will take some getting used to), al pastor (not from a spit, very nice chewiness like the “burnt-ends” at a BBQ joint, but had a really strong cinnamon-like flavor that was off-putting) & carnitas (good flavor, nice moistness). Good portion of meat filling & dressings, though all the greenery (esp. the lettuce) along with the large portion of green sauce turned my tacos into a gloppy mess. They also brought me a small basket of chips with salsa: I think the chips were straight out of a Tostitos bag, salsa was a medium-spicy, brick-red, roasted chili salsa with okay flavor. No salsa bar in sight but they definitely have salsas somewhere behind the counter (probably need to ask for it) & each table had a giant bottle of Tapatío on it. This is a new place—been open only a week as of this writing. Until a couple of months ago this store used to be a taco place with a giant “Mexico D. F.” painted on the window which I assume means they had Mexico City-style tacos. I’m sorry I missed it. Tacos aren’t the only menu item (burritos, tostados, etc.) & the menu also includes seafood & breakfast. I have no address but it’s located on the 500 block of McKinley Ave. on the southwest corner of Fruit & McKinley, just behind the Sunrise Market & Liquor store. Parking might be an issue: a couple on-street spaces in front & maybe a couple of spots at the Sunrise market (but I don’t know if they’re okay with you parking there for the taqueria). I parked across the street in the Save Mart parking lot even though there are a couple of signs saying parking is for the grocery store only. TACOS LA PIEDAD. “Piedad” means “pity” or “mercy.” Small, single-layer (but thick) tortillas with meat, chopped lettuce, tomato, cilantro with pieces of radish & lime on the side. Choice of about 8 meats (typical meats plus the usual assortment of traditional Mexican meats). $1.25. Carnitas was Michoacan-style (which, from my limited experience—i.e., twice—seems to be a softer style of carnitas; less chewy or roasted texture; more of a simmered or braised texture). They were moist & flavorful but didn’t necessarily dance around on my tongue (this may be a personal preference for chewier carnitas). I loaded up this taco with salsa to give it a little more umph. Al pastor was a stew-like mixture of pork, sauce & small chunks of pineapple. The pork was not off a spit but the texture was somewhat similar & was shaped like it was shaved off a spit. The pineapple gave it a fairly sweet taste—not too sweet to be off-putting but I wouldn’t want it any sweeter. No salsa bar in sight but I received a bowl of roasted, brick-red, medium-hot salsa with my tacos. While I stood at the counter ordering I was pleased to see a sauté pan of roasted tomatoes near the stove waiting to be turned into what I presumed would be salsa. I’m not ready to say that these were truly excellent tacos, but my surprise & pleasure at having al pastor with pineapple (a rarity in my experience) is a sign that this place has a bit more promise than many of the other taco joints I’ve been to lately. I’ll return & try some more. Located north of the intersection of N. Weber & N. Hughes avenues in the same strip mall where the Chicken Man is, a short distance north of the intersection of Weber & Clinton. Around the corner (on Clinton) is another taco stop called Taco Boy—it’s hard to tell whether that name bodes well or ill for tasty tacos. Tacos la Piedad 2709 N. Hughes Ave. Fresno 559-233-7858 Sat Mar 07 17:08:10 -0800 2009 4451813 16340 alanstotle 2 4483362 Alanstole, a keen observation and hit on what I've been wondering about for over 6 mons.. When I get there I've already decided it's The Chickan Man for fried chicken but I've been noticing a lot of local people gathering around this taco store..I live out by the airport so it's a freeway experience for me to get there. Now ,I know you are a purist and I will make an extra effort to sample Tacos La Piedad! Thanks Alanstole Sat Mar 07 18:22:33 -0800 2009 4483243 249861 Jeff Avis