If you’re under 30 you probably don’t remember how good Taco Bell tacos once were. You’re probably thinking I’m having a laugh or that I’ve finally gone mad but it's true.Now make no mistake, these weren’t the kind of tacos you’ll find on the streets of Boyle Heights or El Sereno. But they were traditional tacos in their own way; crunchy ground beef tacos that were greasy and delicious.

I don’t remember the exact date when the Taco Bell taco began to degrade in quality but it was some time around the beginning of the 1990’s. Like most young people during this time I used to eat at Taco Bell religiously and when the poor quality taco came to be me and my pals recognized it instantly. Everything changed about the taco right down to the type of pre-made taco shell used. The Pre-90’s tacos were packed with fresh finely grated cheese. Post-90? A few strands of thick cheese that taste like they were grated during the Reagan Administration. Pre-90’s Taco Bell ground beef was cooked at the restaurant. Post-90’s “beef”? Outsourced to Mars I think. It’s funky, mushy, and just gross. The only thing that hasn’t changed at Taco Bell is the hot sauce. The only difference is with post-90’s tacos you need about 6 of them per taco to prevent the gag-reflex.



Which brings us to Taco Bell’s latest disaster, the doritos loco taco. It’s a post-90’s taco(gross beef, a few strands of cheese) with a doritos flavored taco shell. The commercial says one guy drove 965 miles to get one; I drove two. I really only have two words to say to Taco Bell about this taco and I think I’ve been waiting since 1990 to say them. Fuck you.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

-Keats "To Autumn"



It’s the first day of spring and I’m back. I wasn’t really gone but I’ve been really lazy. It’s easy to be lazy during the winter. I know, it’s LA, we don’t really have proper seasons, but now it’s spring, and I feel like I’m back. Back from what, I’m not sure. But that’s the thing about spring. You feel brand new. I saw a bird yesterday and I said to him, “tomorrow is spring” and he said, “go fuck yourself” but today I’m sure he would say, “it sure is!”


Guisados sampler taco plate

Guisados has been very popular with LA taco aficionados since they opened their doors. It took my awhile to try the tacos. It usually does with the popular places. And since the blog has mostly been about taco trucks the last couple of years rather than taquerias I hadn’t written about Guisados until now. Well, what a mistake, guisados may be my favorite place for tacos in all of LA. LA Taco asked me for my top tacos in LA recently for their Taco Madness, I put Guisados cochinita pibil #1.I really love this taco.But all the tacos on the sampler are great. The chicken mole with sesame seeds is delicious; the bistec with chile rojo is a wondrous blend of tender beef, beans, and chile, the tinga de pollo and chicharon are also unforgettable.

Some friends from Scotland were visiting LA and wanted go out for tacos. Normally I take out of town people to El Taurino for a pitcher of beer to wash down some carne asada and al pastor with the spicy salsa roja. But this time we went to Guisados. They had never had homemade tortillas before. They wanted to move to LA after eating their tacos. Not just LA but right across the street from Guisados. They talked about the tacos everyday for a week. Scrap the itinerary they said. Forget Disneyland they said. Take us to Guisados. Forget Hollywood they said. Take us to Guisados.Forget Venice Beach they said.Forget Malibu too. Forget everything you know about tacos. Forget the lonely days of winter. Just sing us the songs of spring.

5/5

2100 E Cesar Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 264-7201
www.guisados.com

photo: ladailynews.com

I love my gringo tacos and I kinda love Henry's. But some people really love Henry's Tacos which I understand. Henry's is like the valley's version of Tito's Tacos. People who haven't grown up with them wonder what what the deal is and people who have grown up with them wonder what the deal is with people who haven't grown up with them.I'm weird because I grew up a mile from Tito's but can't stomach their tacos and only found out about Henry's when I started this blog and I can stomach like 5 of these bad boys.

Anyways, a jerk of a landlord is threatening not to renew Henry's lease and people on the internet and off the internet are mad . Grubstreet LA has a the low down:

Following the news that 50-year-old Henry's Tacos is struggling with its upcoming lease negotiations and could be lost to L.A. forever, Thrillist editor Jeff Miller is taking a stand, vowing not to take a loss of Henry's sitting down. The San Fernando Valley native is organizing irate chowhounds into "Occupy Tujunga," what he calls "a very loose coalition of taco eaters dedicated to going to Henry's and eating tacos in protest."

more at Grubstreet LA

Sign the Save Henry's Tacos Petition

Tacos Leo busted on to the LA taco scene in 2010 slinging ridiculously good tacos al pastor. With perfectly seasoned pork that was shaved from the rotating spit then topped with a snippet of pineapple from a skilled taquero, Tacos Leo mesmerized the LA taco eating public. The euphoria however was short lived, as the city, jealous of the attention Tacos Leo was getting, decided to shut down the trompo.

But Tacos Leo is a survivor and quickly adapted by only serving al pastor outside of the truck on the weekends when the city could care less about their taco ordinances. Soon, harmony between the city and the populace was restored. Now even the police man eats at Tacos Leo.

Tacos Leo's al pastor! your 2011 taco of the year!

Normally at the end of the year I do a top 10 tacos and list the best tacos I had during the year. It was a pretty slow year on the blog for great tacos. I became obsessed with just eating off taco trucks no matter how bad they were and I was out of LA for long stretches at a time. So I’ve decided to turn this years top 10 (or top 5) over to the public. So let me know your fav taco of the year and I’ll tally them all up. Either email me, post a comment here, post on facebook, or tweet your fav tacos of 2011.