Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Since today is Tuesday, I thought it would be fitting to post about one of the best tacos I have had the pleasure of devouring. People have told me that if I ever am in San Diego, I need to eat at Tacos El Gordo. So, while I haven't been able to make it to San Diego in a while, I did notice that there are now three locations in Las Vegas.  Would it be as good as the San Diego locations? I guess without having been, I would know. At least this way, when I finally try the ones in San Diego, I'll have a baseline for the taste! Luckily, it wasn't too hot of a day so we walked the long Vegas blocks down from the Bellagio. Good thing we did, because they make things the right way... with LARD! P.S. Be prepared for a wait as the food is good, and it's cheap! We thought we ordered too much, but we easily demolished the lengua and al pastor tacos. Might I add - those lengua tacos, man. Those lengua tacos. I don't even want fries anymore, just these lengua fr...

Nestled between Rick's Dessert Diner and Biergarten (two of my Sacramento haunts), is the relatively recent newcomer to the Sacramento bar/dining scene, Midtown's Cantina Alley. They advertise as offering a cantina experience similar to those found in Mexico. I can't speak for all of Mexico, but it definitely did remind me of the cantinas I went to in Guadalajara. Open, airy, great beer, and great food. The biggest difference would be the price. I ordered a good portion of the menu and it added up. That said, everything I tried was pretty fantastic. The ingredients seemed very fresh and care was taken in the plating.  Tostadas de Ceviche - huachinango/red snapper marinated in lime juice, pineapple, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and topped with sliced avocado on crispy tostadas. The tortilla shell was loudly crispy, the fish fresh and cold. This one was one of my favorite items. At the end, there were a few pieces of fish that had fallen down and I happily scooped it...

Belated, I know. On Cinco de Mayo, we ended up at Tight Tacos for... tacos. In Portland. It always feels weird to me getting tacos up North but you know what? Portland has some serious tacos that rival many a taco truck and restaurant in California! Feel free to assume that I don't know my tacos, but try some of the good places in Portland and then get back to me. There isn't much seating in the tiny fenced off area by Tight Tacos, but I think on a regular day it might not be an issue. As it was Cinco de Mayo, there was quite a crowd. The cooks worked steadily and efficiently. While there was a wait, it wasn't bad. I just gave us time to knock back a few ghetto chavelas. While I don't agree with the name, it was pretty good. There was a little bit of hot sauce and lime juice squeezed into the opened can, and then rimmed with some Tajin chile piquin. It didn't take long for us to devour our tacos before moving onto Pip's , which was parked along the stre...

Since it's Taco Tuesday, I thought I would throw a quick blog up today celebrating. One of the great things about living in California is the Mexican cuisine. Everyone has their favorite taco shop, and it's always interesting hearing where everyone else likes to go. If I haven't been there before, chances are I would love to give it a try! One of my new favorites is Tacos La Piedad. They are known mostly for their citrus barbeque chicken which tastes pretty amazing. Eat it there or to-go: they'll send you off with some tortillas and fixins so you can enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. As for the tacos, I always debate between getting the carnitas, al pastor, and lengua. They didn't have any al pastor that day, so I went with the carnitas and lengua. The lengua was a little dry, but still flavorful. Thinking about it is making me hungry though. Where do you like to get your Taco Tuesday on at? Tacos La Piedad 2700 Northgate Blvd Sacramento, CA 9...