Taqueria Mexico in Westminster, the LA Kings, and Pigs with Baseball Bats

Coming home from a late night game watch at LA Live for my beloved LA Kings hockey team.... I had a chance to go to one of my favorite local taquerias in the area in the aptly namedTaqueria Mexico.
I have been going to this place for years although my move to South OC from Huntington Beach meant my visits were not nearly as frequent. I have had some mixed experience but generally have had good to great results.

There were 3 of us, and since we were good and hungry we ordered 24 tacos, 6 each of the carne, pastor, carnitas, and chorizo. Ironic that I cant recall them having chorizo back in the day but it was indeed on the menu and as one my favorite I had to get it.

They brought our a fresh stack of tortillas, and normally they throw them on the grill to heat them up, but the guy behind the counter said they were still hot and good to go. Boy was he right....the tortillas were light and flakey and had the fresh corn tortilla taste which was amazingly perfect texturally with  the chopped meat.

For me the best thing about these tacos is squeezing the fresh lime(dont be shy with it!) and putting a pinch or two of salt along with some of the spicy carrots is a treat to be sure. Anyhow here are some pics...

4 types of Westminsters Finest Tacos

Carnita with Green Sauce

Ill be honest...this was either pastor or Chorizo...either way it was amazing.

We debated stealing this and selling it on Ebay as an "Urban Art" exhibit.

 At the end of the day every taco was amazing, but I certainly now how a soft spot in my heart for Chorizo Tacos. As a matter of fact authentic mexican style Chorizo is vastly underrated as a meat filling IMO. I am thinking most have the perception of the stuff in the supermarkets with a pig holding a baseball and assume its all the same. But the authentic stuff is soooo good. Nice texture with the bold salty/spicy combo of flavor that just can not be topped. Once again with the fresh lime and prototypical toppings is a taste sensation to behold.

Now as for as my bad experience, and I will preface that this happened probably 10 years ago but my ordered was taken by a man who was giving the stink eye, or the mad dog if you will and what side of the county you live on, then never heated the tortillas and clearly had some disdain for me for no apparent reason. I have been to this place enough where it was what it was and it never happened again but some reviews on Yelp had given similar stories. Once again this experience happened years ago, and visiting last night the Staff could not have been friendlier.

As a matter of fact it had been so long since I had last been there I was surprised by how many asians there were there. Back in the day it was all latinos with myself and my buddies as the only gringos. Was great to see though that OC's multi-cultural mix is becoming the norm and I can point to Albatros in South OC as another mexican place very popular with the UCI crowd.

So the real question now is....how much can that piece of Urban Art fetch on EBay?

Benefactors Cellars Shiraz 2011

thanks to f Yeah Wine for the picture.

Time for a quick wine review. This time from the 2011 Benefactors Cellars Shiraz from TJs. I have a new philosophy when it comes to sub $10 wines that I like to call the 2 buck chuck factor. Basically it states that if a wine is not clearly better then 2 buck chuck then it automatically gets a thumbs down.  There are tons of wine reviewing websites out there who have a 10point scale or a 5 wine glass scale or some other gauge used to determine how good or bad a wine is. I simply decided to go with a yea or nay which is solely based on how it stacks up to Charles Shaw. I figure it is clearly not better then a bottle of wine that cost a handful of coins how good can it be?

So then, that brings us to the Benefactors Cellars Shiraz 2011. It basically had a nose akin to that of Robitussin and really have no other attributes whatsoever. Gave it another shot the next hoping it may open or somehow turn into Opus 1 but alas it was the same schfilk I drank the night before. Without going into further detail I will say this wine does not trump the Shiraz offering from Charles Shaw this it receives an resounding nay vote. Apparently, Benefactor Cellars had a much better vintage a few years ago that caused a buying frenzy so hopefully future offerings may be better. For the record, I also have a bottle of the Benefactors Cellars Cab that I will review in the near future...hopefully with better results. So for the benefactor cellars shiraz once again.....I give this laurel and a hearty Nay. I would not recommend it with the unexpected cheddar, nor paired with a torta from la chiva torta nor with even the lowest grade of offering from the Meat House in Mission Viejo, I would not drink it on a boat, I would not drink it with a goat.

Until then....here is a picture of a bunch of red headed kids eating ice cream.

The Meat House- Goat Cheese Sausage and Kalbi Steak

Was able to finally try out the Meat House in Mission Viejo thanks largely to a Groupon offer. They provided excellent service and I was looking forward to comparing to my favorite butcher shop in OC and maybe on planet earth in the Beef Palace in Huntington Beach.

Anyhow to report, we picked up some kalbi steak tips, some goat cheese sausage, a preseasoned steak which I never cooked, and some basic beef hot dogs for the kids.

As I was perusing the line of sausages the guy behind the counter at the Meat House highly recommended the Goat Cheese Sausage so I took him up on it and glad I did.  The creamyness and slightly tart elements of flavor were a very nice contrasts to the savory spices of the meat. Everyone in attendance raved about it. Would be a wonderful pairing served with a dab of creme cheese on a craker or a toast point. Even by itself though was easily worth the price of admission.

As for the Kalbi, the quality of the meat was easily top notch. The texture and consistency was amazing and once again no doubting the quality and grade of the meat was that of an uber-grade. As for the seasoning, it was not too bad but not the best either. I could see in other parts of the country some would consider it a home run but considering our proximity to Garden Grove and Westminster and some of our local Korean BBQs it lacked that distinct Kalbi flavor that I am used to. Did not detect much garlic nor any sesame oil. A great cut of meat for sure though.  You take this cut of meat but use the marinade at Takamiya Market in Maui and youve got yourself Korean BBQ heaven.

Some other items....found some huge russets that I cut into large steak style fries rolled in olive oil and grilled. This is a great BBQ item as they taste just like french fries, which the kids love, and sprinkled with some garlic salt and some Parmesan make a fantastic side and nice alternative to traditional baked potatoes.

Also finished up with more chicken from the Beef Palace. Its a cant miss BBQ item and I asked whether we wanted to do some BBQ sauce but everyone said no as the quality of the chicken holds up on it's own. I also used some mesquite/apple wood smoke chips that gave a nice coloring.

We had a couple of wines as well in 2 Aussie Shiraz offerings, Red Knot Shiraz and Metricup Road Margaret River Valley from Total Wine. I know people always like to pair Shiraz with BBQ offerings and these two bottles were alright. The Red Knot was better from initial pour but once the Metricup opened up had some nuances and interesting elements that made it worthy. Nice picks....not home runs but once again both had enough going to make the worthy for your next BBQ.

La Chiva Torta in SA; the Standard for all Food Truck Tortas

La Chiva Torta...aka everything you knew about Tortas was wrong. 

I love tortas. I remember my very first one I had...was in an alley next to a police station in Tijuana. I remember the smell of the carne on the grill and how the cook slopped gobs of mayo onto a bun and cooked that on the grill before he added tons of meat, a slice of ham, and threw on 1/2 an avocado on top with all of the grace of a  tile guy laying spackle. Seriously a sense memory I will always cherish. I found the Torta at the Taco Factory in Tustin was good and some hit or misses here and there and Albatros Mexican in Lake Forest is always dependable.

But after numerous invitations from a friend I finally made it out to SA for LA Chiva Torta. Now these are a different type of torta then I was used to being known as "Ahogada style" or something thereof. If I had to give a crude analogy I would say a bit like a mexican version of a french dip. The most amazingly delicious mexican french dip the world has ever known that is.

In lieu of a soft torta type bun these are served on a thin baguette. And where other tortas are loaded with goodies-these guys are meat and marinated onions and sauce. Thats it. If you are expecting refried beans or cheese or anything offered at Subway you will be sorely disappointed. Then again...if you like Subway I officially request you never visit my blog again.

The Kicker here is the combo of fresh lime and a blazing hot red sauce. And when I say blazing hot I am not messing around. I was tempted to go hot as I like spicy food and can readily handle jalapenos and other spicy fare. Much attributed to my friend's cajoling I rolled with a Medium and glad I did. The sauce is not immediately hot. It is not like eating the tip of a habanero and immediately going into the fetal position while biting your own tongue involuntary curling of the toes.

No, this is a slow deceptive type burn that sneaks up on you.....but the pain is so overwhelming flavorful you find yourself longing to experience it over and over again. My first torta here left with me a red burning red around my mouth that had me looking like a second hand clown working the swap meet circuit.

Back to it, the texture of the baguette crust, the inner bread acting a sponge, the slight saltiness of the sauce, with the tartness of the lime.....hell the meat is almost a bonus. The sauce to these tortas is akin to the garlic sauce at Zankou Chicken or the Cheese Bread at Clearmans.  It is one of those things that will forever permeate the portion of your brain that associates amazing flavor with a sense of satisfaction to the point of lethargy.

The tortas here are one of those experiences where you have the first time and think "damn, this is pretty good." A week later you think "One of those tortas sounds good right about now." A couple of days later you think "How can I get out to SA for a Torta Lunch". A couple of days after that you wake and set the timer to count down how long you need to wait before getting your Torta. The next day you wake uo and think about it while making your coffee and then start to wonder how many you should get and whether or not you can start freezing them for future use.

Seriously good Tortas...La Chiva Torta-I salute you. As a matter of fact....I love you and the burning sensations you leave me.

Trader Joes Unexpected Cheddar

Unexpected Cheddar from TJs

Was at Trader Joes and picked this up as an impulse buy to go with my Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab....and what a pleasant surprise. As a matter of fact to say I liked this would be a gross understatement as this very well maybe the finest cheese I have ever had. Melts in your mouth with a fantastic flavor...flavorful but not too sharp with a consistency that is pure magic. 2 very large thumbs up for this one. I enjoyed it far more then I did the TJs Vintage Reserve Cheddar which was no slouch. If you are a cheese lover...this is a must buy as is the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab. Not that you will ever confuse it for Silver Oak or Ridge-but for a sub $10 price point it is a fine example of the varietal.

Rooster PM...so Unpretentious it is actually Pretentious

Picture Courtesy of Yelp...the Britney sans Ponzu

It was a beautiful saturday, the sky was blue, the birds were singing, we had lined up the grandparents to watch the kids, and alas the Mrs and I had a rare respite from parenthood to go out for a few hours with the children and enjoy each others company in celebration of our recent anniversary.

We had considered several options. Spaghetti Bender in Newport Beach, Marche Moderne in South Coast, some various Italian joints in South OC, a WineBar in MV,  etc etc. But after some research and some cost analysis we decided on Rooster PM, a little hipster cafe in Costa Mesa. The main draw came from some very good yelp reviews in conjunction with no a corkage fee wine policy that earned marks right from the get go. Being the corkage at lots of OC places is $15 bucks and some other places with 0 zero corkage only have that policy on select nights and given the recent economy woes etc etc etc.

So we find it and its quaint location in Costa Mesa next to a dive bar and a clear view of a paint store and their ever so scenic trash dumpsters located squarley across the street....well whats not to love?

Bottle of Ghost Pines Merlot in hand were promptly seated given some bread and pesto. Our waiter opened our bottle and poured our wine into 2 6oz(estimated) beer glasses and brought a 3rd for himself at my prompting. Im of the school its never a bad thing to share booze with your server or your Sushi Chef etc etc. And while some would probably bemoan  no wine glasses....I was content to roll with it. 


As our wine breathed we ordered a glass of Sangria, largely driven by yelp reviews,  as well as a glass of the Venta Morales 2009 tempranillo the waiter suggested. I was impressed at the suggestion largely due to the fact the Venta Morales was not the most expensive wine on the menu which helped build the trust factor with our server. Truth be told all of the wines were very reasonably priced and I would be remiss if I didn't mention Rooster PM also had a wonderful selection of beers with pairing suggestions as well.

We started with the spanish cheese sampler that was brought to the table and thoroughly explained by our waiter as to what each cheese was and I while I hadn't thought about blogging about the evening I did not make notes of each cheese like I should have. I know...Im a naughty, naughty little blogger.

Anyhow, the cheeses were served at room temperature and off the top of my head, there was a goat cheese with mango chutney, a cheese from the basque region, some gouda, a paremesan like offering, and a softer cut of cheese much akin to a Havarti. We delighted in trying each cheese alone and the mixing it with a bit of pesto and then again working the combos with our wine. The Goat Cheese and chutney was fantastic as was the havarti offering which was smooth, creamy, a hint of brine, and opened and expanded with a schmear of pesto. The parmesan like cheese was good as well in the it had all of the flavor of a romano/parmesan but not the bite one may expect. The least of the offerings was the gouda, and not that it was bad but we decided that gouda is essentially gouda. Whereas other cheeses you can take the difference between artisan offering and mass production; Gouda always remains Gouda. For the $12 price though, a nice selction of cheeses and certainly worth the price to experiment with cheese, pesto, wine, etc etc.

Next we rolled with the 3 way mushrooms. I did not ask details on the dish but basically came down some sauteed whites, some italian brown/crimini cheese stuffed, and some battered shitakis served with a sweet honey mustard like sauce though the wife thought there were some curry elements as well. Overall, the hands down winner of this selection was the battered shitakis. The breading/batter was light and fluffy and served as the ideal sponge to hold in the sauce. It almost reminded me a bit of the batter they used in indian cooking for breading potatoes and cauliflower albeit a bit lighter in the color dept. If you go and order this dish-may not be a bad idea to simply bypass the other 2 offerings in lieu of extra shitaki and sauce.

Our last item we ordered was an item they referred to as the Britney which was a 5 oz Filet that seared, then rolled in Panko and finished on the grill and then served atop asparagus topped with Bearnaise sauce. We sliced the meat and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare with the panko adding nice textural notes with the Bearnaise adding a cream like element. Not content to roll with the dish(as good as it was) we asked for a side of Ponzu. Quick back story, in some Asian countries steak is eaten with soy sauce or ponzu. I am generally a kosher salt on my steak kind if guy but since trying the soy and ponzu will not hesitate to go that route. Long story short-the ponku added the perfect additional element of saltiness and sourness that enhanced the both the texture of the panko, the creamy herbaceousness of the sauce, and the flavor of the cut. Even with the Asparagus, that were about the size of Albert Pujols Louisville Slugger, the Bearnaise/ponzu one-two punch was a home run.  We mentioned it to the waiter who then jumped at the chance to try it himself and moments later came back to thanks us for the recommendation saying he never imagined ponzu would fit so well with the dish.

I felt satisfied knowing our little experiment paid a culinary dividend that may lead to the happiness of future gastronomes. Our server mentioned some desert offerings but being we still had an hour of kid free time in conjunction with our wine bottle being empty we decided to head and enjoy what little time we had left. Have to say-our server described the ice cream offerings wonderfully and had we been really going for it would have tried it for sure(salted caramal...el yum.)

All in all...we left tip and all for under $60. Considering Marche Moderne would have been $160 we felt RoosterPM one of the best deals in town for exciting cuisine. We also were felt that in the future it was a place we easily could have taken the kids too without feeling too weird about it. I mention if only we lived closer I would have no issues making a weekly appearance to sample 1 or 2 of the dishes weekly. Also neglected to order the Mac and Cheese which clearly was a popular dish and ordered by what appeared to be a large contingent of college students who were growing in number as the evening progressed. All in all.....mega thumbs up to RoosterPM. I am quite convinced it is only a matter of time before  Anthony Bordaine and some other Food celebs make an appearance to sample the goods. After all, it's almost made for some food or travel channel promo solely based  for the quirk quality alone let alone the unique and high quality food offerings. Glad I could try, hope to be back again, and thanks for saving me $100 dollars I would have spent for similar far at Marche Moderne.

A Wonderful night with El Toro Meats and Columbia Crest Grand Estates

BBQ Nights-South OC Style!

Overview of my plate....yum!

Close Up Cross Section of the Sirloin

Top View of the PinWheel

Was fortunate enough to score $20 dollars worth of meat for $10 courtesy of an online promotion and decided to use the evening to do some grilling and blog about it. Basically on the meat side we picked up a nice sirloin steak along with a sirloin pinwheel. For those of you unfamiliar with the pinwheel, its is a steak that is circularly sliced, ran through a tenderizer, then marinated in bordelaise/Worcestershire mixture. It almost has a teriyaki like taste in my book but with a good cut of steak and good ingredients it is arguably one of my favorites.

And to mark the occasion we sprang for a bottle of our new favorite wine in the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot from Washington. We love the cab but thought on this eve we would roll with the merlot since the wife prefers it. And I do have to say....for those of you shelling out 5 or 6 bucks for a bottle of Yellowtail; trust me the 1 dollar more to get the Columbia Crest Grand Estates is well worth it. I gave some friends a sample of the cab a week or so again and most agreed it was as good as any $20 bottle price point.

What made the Grand Estates Merlot most remarkable IMO, was the finish. Like a good cigar or glass of scotch it had a long slow lingering finish that I have never experienced with wine at this price point. I took a sip inside the house and went outside to tender the grill and a few minutes later could still taste the nuances of oak and berry. Once again if you are paying 5 or 6 bucks for an everyday drinker give any of the Grand Estates a try as both the Cab and the Merlot are outright fantastic.

For the meat I used a basic dry rub for the steak and since the pinwheel was pre-marinated did nothing. We prefer our steaks very rare which makes sense for the fact that you can reheat leftovers and still have a bit of pink in the middle. For the veggies I use a pepper melange with some brown criminis over the grill in my now legendary bbq grill woq. I was considering roasting them and making some type of confit or remoulade but decided to keep it simple.

All in all a wonderful night, with wonderful food, with my wonderful family, with wonderful wide made all the more special by the fact it wasn't to be spoiled by my not so wonderful favorite NHL hockey team who by good fortune was not playing on this night and thus not offered the opportunity to spoil the occasion. And for that I thank the lord and the hockey gods for a wonderful, wonderful evening.