CRITERIA FOR A GOOD TACO SHOP:
1. Your carne asada has to be on point (flavorful, tender pieces of beef, not overcooked,...JUST RIGHT), that shouldn't be too hard right?
2. If your carnitas are the first thing I get when I come to your place and they are not up to snuff. I WILL NEVER COME BACK!!! They need to be that perfect mix of greasy but not too greasy, melt in your mouth tender but not mushy (that being said some crunchy bits here and there are appreciated), and seasoned enough to taste but not enough to overpower the flavor of the pork.
3. Get your rice right! I hate it when I go to a place and get a combo meal and the rice is bland, CRUNCHY, and boring. By boring I mean the rice looks like just some plain white rice that has been lightly colored. You don't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to Spanish rice, just call up your abuelita (grandma for my ethnically challenged friends) and have her teach you how to make it.....AND PAY ATTENTION!!!!
4. Have a great salsa! Some of the best places I've been to have that salsa station in them and offer the full range of them at the drive-through. Red, green, chipotle, etc. The more the merrier!
5. Don't use fish sticks in your fish tacos!!!! That is blasphemy! A good fish taco is made from actual fish not the processed, frozen crap from the stores. Those are fine for kids when you are in a pinch, but NEVER at a RESPECTABLE taco shop! BY THE WAY RUBIO'S IS NOT A RESPECTABLE TACO SHOP!!!!
Let's go back and revisit #5....
Fish tacos are an art form that many try but few can master! I believe the guys over at Casanova Fish Tacos have done just that! I first came across these guys at a food truck meet up and kind of snubbed them because they didn't have a truck ....STUPID ME JUDGING ON APPEARANCE!! They later hit me up on twitter and asked me to come back to TASTY TRUCK TUESDAYS to try them out. So in the interest of good fish tacos and hungry stomachs everywhere I went down to give them a shot. I was so surprised at just how amazing these guys are!!!
I told my man Hector (Casanova himself) to make me something that best describes their menu, and he hooked me up! I got their original "BAJA STYLE" fish taco which consist of crispy battered whitefish, fresh shredded cabbage and their secret white or chipotle sauce (I got the white sauce). Every bite blew my mind. Their crisp clean flavors shown through so well that I had a hard time ordering a different taco because it was soooooo amazing. I did however get their *Award Winning* Grilled Chipotle Fish Taco that is made with chipotle marinated grilled whitefish that was so flaky and tasted so fresh you could almost swear they caught it right in front of you, shredded cabbage and secret white or chipotle sauce (this time I opted for the chipotle to go along with the theme). This was another amazing choice.
I topped them both with their amazing salsa which is by no means for those of you that can't handle heat. It was spicy blend of tomatillo, habanero and OH MY GOD that had me sweating in the cold evening air. So as you can tell they already met up with two of my criteria above. I was especially pleased with the fact that they made very traditional fish tacos. There was none of this nonsense about putting cheese of any kind on them and while they were traditional they weren't boring. They kept all their flavors clean and not overpowered by any one component. While doing that they also managed to make each taste better than the next as you got every component in each bite. I also loved how nothing got soggy, which is a plus considering I ordered everything to go. I hate when a taco turns to mush and loses all texture by the time you get home.... I'M TALKING TO YOU RUBIOS!!!! Everything was still crunchy and wonderful by the time I made it home that evening to eat like a slovenly pig in the comfort of my own home.
Now, as I said these guys had no food truck at the time that I met them so I bet that you can all imagine just how GREAT they are to be invited to TASTY TRUCK TUESDAYS (one of the best meet ups in SD). These guys can even be purchased for the evening....that sounded bad. What I mean is they cater events so the next time I have a function I will be seriously considering them for some great food! If you want to get a hold of these masterminds you can do it by clicking here and submitting questions about pricing and arrangements to them.
These guys are going to take the taco scene by storm and should not be overlooked...especially by a smug blogger and part time foodie like myself....seriously I'm sorry that I did that.....I know better now....PLEASE FORGIVE ME HECTOR!!!! LOL!!! Anyway I want to give these guys my personal stamp of approval and say a personal THANK YOU for making me a fish taco guy again!!!
Until next time.....
Editor in Chief of The Penguin Gazette,
Rudy
I topped them both with their amazing salsa which is by no means for those of you that can't handle heat. It was spicy blend of tomatillo, habanero and OH MY GOD that had me sweating in the cold evening air. So as you can tell they already met up with two of my criteria above. I was especially pleased with the fact that they made very traditional fish tacos. There was none of this nonsense about putting cheese of any kind on them and while they were traditional they weren't boring. They kept all their flavors clean and not overpowered by any one component. While doing that they also managed to make each taste better than the next as you got every component in each bite. I also loved how nothing got soggy, which is a plus considering I ordered everything to go. I hate when a taco turns to mush and loses all texture by the time you get home.... I'M TALKING TO YOU RUBIOS!!!! Everything was still crunchy and wonderful by the time I made it home that evening to eat like a slovenly pig in the comfort of my own home.
Now, as I said these guys had no food truck at the time that I met them so I bet that you can all imagine just how GREAT they are to be invited to TASTY TRUCK TUESDAYS (one of the best meet ups in SD). These guys can even be purchased for the evening....that sounded bad. What I mean is they cater events so the next time I have a function I will be seriously considering them for some great food! If you want to get a hold of these masterminds you can do it by clicking here and submitting questions about pricing and arrangements to them.
I want you all to do me a favor and follow these guys on all your social networks..... and in your cars if you are in San Diego....your tummy will thank me for the info. Find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Yelp (leave a good review because they deserve it!!!!). You can email Hector directly by clicking here or you can call for inquiries at 619.822.8310........DO IT NOW!!!!
These guys are going to take the taco scene by storm and should not be overlooked...especially by a smug blogger and part time foodie like myself....seriously I'm sorry that I did that.....I know better now....PLEASE FORGIVE ME HECTOR!!!! LOL!!! Anyway I want to give these guys my personal stamp of approval and say a personal THANK YOU for making me a fish taco guy again!!!
Until next time.....
Editor in Chief of The Penguin Gazette,
Rudy
