Apparently my group of restaurant eating friends got the hankering for some Tacos this past weekend. I ended up going to 2 different Taco stands in the Los Feliz neighborhood.
We started out on Saturday by heading to the raved about
Yuca's Tacos, A stand on Hillhurst. Many of the reviews I read, encouraged me to try this food or that food, a few even for the yummy burgers that they serve.
Burgers at a Taco Stand? Yeah, I was thinking the same thing too. There were also encouragements to eat the free pickled carrots while you wait for your food, and to skip a drink and get it from the liquor store next door.
We arrived at the stand, there was ample parking, and a line out of the small canopy of shade (100+ degrees that day). Two small tables to seat maybe 6 if you are lucky. A woman on the outside of the stand was sitting writing orders on a plate, for here, or on a brown paper bag, for to go orders. It turns out there was no line, only people waiting to get their food.
Now, I am thinking to myself, cheap plates, cooked-to order food, this must live up to the reviews and be a great place.
I placed my order, 1 Shredded Pork Taco, and 1 ChiliBurger. I would have ordered cheese, however the only cheese they had was American. I find it hard to believe, that a Taco stand, doesn't have any other cheese besides American. Which, isn't really cheese, just chemicals and milk processed together to replicate it.
Irregardless, I had my order in and about 10 minutes to wait, so I went to get my drink from the liquor store. So far, the most satisfying thing about this visit was the $0.99, 16 oz. Tea that I bought, it was chilly and refreshing on the hot day.
Back at the stand, my group had ordered and we were able to secure the only 4 top under the canopy.
Kirby wanted to try the pickled carrots, so I got a small plate full, enough for both of us. They were ok. Spicy, at first taste, and tasted like a carrot. Not exactly something I wanted on this hot day. Finally, my food came out, followed by Joe's, Curvi's and Frank's. I would like you to note who I was there with. Joe, Kirby, and Craig. I guess it is not big deal, but I wouldn't ask people for their names if I couldn't get more than half correct.
The shredded Pork taco was, interesting to say the least. I can't remember a single thing that was special about it. Also, sort of small for the $2 price tag.
The burger on the other hand, was cheap and tasty, albeit small as well. $2.50 for that Chili goodness, yet still not the best burger in the world. Overall, after all of the hype this place received, for me it was a disappointment. Especially, with
Machos Tacos down the street. I would also like to note that we were chip less the entire time. I don't even know if you could buy chips here.
Sunday evening, Craig and I got the hankering for a real Taco, so we headed on down to
Machos Tacos, for our regular treat. Unfortunately, at 8:57pm they were closed. Boo! When you go to
Machos, you are either walking, or have to park in the neighborhood next door. So, we had found a parking place and then discovered it was closed. Oh well, there was another stand I had been looking forward to trying.
El Siete Mares on Sunset. The allure of cheap good tacos was too great, to go back home.
Craig (Frank) and I showed up, and was directed by an asleep (while standing) parking attendant to not park in the Parilla parking place, but to wait for a spot over in the 7 Mares lot. I had originally thought they were run by the same people, yet they have distinct parking zones, one was empty the other vibrant and full of life, and about 3 cars too full. The other attendant tried to get me to double park in front of a handicap space, I just calmly waited for another space to open up.
Now, I knew that Yuca's was not vegetarian friendly from their online menu, which boasted, all Tacos contain meat, the Beans have pork fat. This place was no different. I didn't notice any non-meat options.
They serve seafood and tex-mex fare. We each decided to get a burrito and a Taco. I got a Carne Asada Burrito, and Chicken Taco, Frank, got the opposite, Chicken Burrito and Carne Asada Taco. The place was cheap, Tacos for $1.29, Burritos, $3.99-$5.99. After about 20 minutes our food was up, and we sat down, chip less again. I sure miss those chips from Machos that you get when you order in.
The tacos were extremely small. They looked like they had been served on Silver Dollar soft Taco shells. It seemed like 7 Mares, tried to mask the flavor with an abundance of Cilantro in both the Taco and the Burrito. Craig enjoyed the Carne Asada much more than the Chicken, however, it looked more like ground beef to me than Carne Asada. Oh well, I guess we learned our lesson. Leaving El Siete Mares hungry, we realized we will just have to frequent Machos Tacos, until we find another Taco stand worthy of a test-run.
Yuca's - C-
2056 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Feliz, CA 90027
El Siete Mares - D
3131 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 665-0865
One of the local restaurants (you could say favorite for many) in Los Feliz is Fred 62. A diner, known for slightly overpriced American fare that may or may not fill you up. Consequently, it is also the place known for a few celebrity sitings. I am terrible with names and faces, but was able to recognize Glenn Fitzgerald from Dirty Sexy Money. I wasn't like, "ooh, I am stalking him and have to meet him." It was more of an, "I think I have seen him before, oh yeah, Dirty Sexy Money, have no idea what is name is, glad to see he gets out and about and eats like the rest of us."
A few months later, we set out to make our own. Thus, we come across Random Picture #3, from my photo archives. I remember John David made the hashbrowns, and we all helped out to make a better sandwich, for way cheaper.
From the looks of things, the ingredient list included:
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