(Pictured left: Storefront as seen from sidewalk of the taco stand)
14320 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower CA 90706
I seem to have stumbled onto something here...
Meat
The variety of the meats was abundant. The kitchen is in plain view from the ordering counter, with various pots boiling, stewing and warming the choices.
The asada was _the_ asada. I can't remember the last time I had it this good. Meaty, juicy, well chopped and without any fat, there was something in particular that struck me of the meat. It reminded me of the one decent offering at King Taco, the asada meat, only it was done better here. I remarked to my review partner that it really tasted as though the chef once worked at King Taco and left working there to improve on it. If I only knew how right I was...
The al pastor was...King Taco al pastor. Down to the seasonings. Only slightly better. I swore I was on Washington and San Pedro in the old-style restaurant biting into one of their offerings. To be fair, I don't care for that style al pastor, but this was decent, albeit not the best. It was certainly an improvement on the comparison I made to it.
The chicken was a pleasant surprise, being really chunky and tasty, without any fat and dry, allowing the rest of the taco to drive the higher notes instead of sitting in more brothy juices, which only serve to detract from this type of meat.
The cabeza also was of decent quality. It had no fat to be found anywhere, and was cooked just enough (if you cook it too long it can get stiff or dry instead of being slightly chewy, more akin to pulled pork than steak). It was held back though due to the fact that there was not much flavor to it. I remembered the cabeza from Super Tacos Culiacan and realized, this was no Culiacan.
Asada - 10/10
Al Pastor - 7/10
Chicken - 8/10
Cabeza - 7/10
Score: 8/10, being helped significantly by the strong score form the asada
Tortilla
The tortilla was lightly oiled and heated, but not overdone. It was tasty without being sickening as some places might make it when it's dripping with grease from the skillet or range (King Taco), but better than a dry re-heated tortilla.
Score: 8/10, nothing too special, nothing terrible, but good.
Toppings
The salsa was good, alternating between green and red appropriately between the meats. They reminded me too much though of something out of a jar instead of being home-made, but truth be told, you can't expect everyone to make salsa from scratch on a daily basis. I would only dock them points here if the salsa weren't good, but it was tasty and not too spicy. The rest of the toppings were standard onion/cilantro which were mixed just right and in the right amount. Basic stuff over all, but worthwhile and tasted great.
Score: 7/10, with the curve being set just that high after the trip with 'El Chino'...
"After-effects"
After a while I did feel it with these tacos a bit. I felt over-stuffed and like there may have been too much grease in the tacos after all. there wasn't much of a greasy taste to it, but certainly heavy enough to make itself felt afterward
Score: 6/10 for the unpleasantness and needing a Pepcid afterwards...
Bottom line, these were some good tacos, as well as having the best asada i've had. I split the meal with tacos and a burrito with al pastor to try out what they had to offer since the prices were great, and the burrito holds an absolute ton of promise. Now I'm anxious for a burrito of asada and possibly more tacos in the future now.
Bonus Points: (+1) For great prices!
Bonus Points: (+1) For great prices!
Price: $4.25 / 4 tacos and a drink
Wait time: 5-10 minutes
Distance (from downtown): 20-30 minutes outside of rush hour, 1hr during
Total Score: 30/40 but don't get me wrong -- the best carne asada tacos I've had anywhere! It just didn't measure up to itself beyond that is all....)
What I would order next time: 4 tacos de asada (and maybe even a burrito -- the rice, beans and tortilla were the shit!)
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