It’s not just a food, it’s a lifestyle

January 1, 2014 9:11 AM

The Best of L.A. Taco: L.A. Taco looks back at the best tacos, art, music and people celebrating the taco lifestyle.

A few highlights:

Boris Karloff’s Guacamole Recipe

Interview with Rafael Schacter, Author of the Amazing New Book: The World Atlas of Street Art and Graffiti

Dr. Jerry Buss ~ R.I.P.

Photo Recap: Día de los Muertos ~ Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hanksy ~ Los Angeles

Statement From King Taco on the Death of Their Founder, Raul Martinez Snr.

Taco Madness 2013 Competition Recap: Mexicali Takes Home the Trophy; Mariscos Jalisco Captures Jury Prize

The Skatorialist by Reserve Result

Recap: Allison “HUEMAN” Torneros Ritual Exhibition ~ Think Tank Gallery

Space Freights ~ El Topo

Taco of the Year 2014 ~ Guerrilla Tacos’ Sweet Potato & Oaxacan Cheese Taco

Cranio ~ Hollywood

Bus Benches Get Artistic ~ Los Angeles / Boyle Heights

Plea For Pizza by L.A. Kid With Cancer Goes Viral

A TACOLANDIA Taco Tour Through Los Angeles

World’s Worst Taco Recipe Rocks Argentina

Don't skip the slideshow, it has great art.

posted by Room 641-A (35 comments total)

That plea for pizza thing with the kid with cancer in LA is really a tragic, sad story...kid asks for pizza and they send Papa Johns and Dominoes.
posted by nevercalm at 9:31 AM on January 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

The next time I'm asked if I have dreams, I'm going to say I want to live "the taco lifestyle."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:36 AM on January 1, 2014 [13 favorites]

Taco cat backwards is taco cat
posted by The Whelk at 9:44 AM on January 1, 2014 [16 favorites]

That Argentina taco recipe is different.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:48 AM on January 1, 2014

I'm with DirtyOldTown. I want to live the taco lifestyle. The closest I ever got was at SXSW when I ate tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week. That was AWESOME.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:49 AM on January 1, 2014

I've only eaten Swedish-fied tacos and now my whole life feels like a lie.

Well everything except the adorable Santa Maria mini-tubs (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
posted by Foci for Analysis at 9:55 AM on January 1, 2014

That plea for pizza thing with the kid with cancer in LA is really a tragic, sad story...kid asks for pizza and they send Papa Johns and Dominoes.

It's Los Angeles. What else were they going to do?
posted by Sara C. at 10:05 AM on January 1, 2014

The "Tacography" of Mexico is pretty interesting for folks wondering what tacos in Mexico are actually like. If they really do serve lobster and bean tacos in Baja, now I really want to go.
posted by Sara C. at 10:07 AM on January 1, 2014

This is probably as good a time as ever to mention the the tacos I got in France where....they. ...well someone had described a taco to them and the shredded citrus carnitas was actually good for what it was but it was also smothered in about three huge handfuls of cheapo cheese and pickled peppers and then further buried in an entire jar of just-from-the-freezer cold gooey mango salsa and surrounded by what I swear was Indian basmati rice with a little lemon squeezed in and some romaine letticue as garnish. The hottest thing in it was the pickled bell pepper.

Also the nachos where baked like croutons. It was surreal and terrifying.
posted by The Whelk at 10:09 AM on January 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

I am extremely sad that the "Tacopedia" book the map is taken from is not available in English/to ship to the US via Amazon. Was seriously considering ordering the Spanish version and just muddling through.
posted by Sara C. at 10:10 AM on January 1, 2014

the tacos I got in France where....they where...well someone had described a taco to them

The assistant manager of a Chipotle, obviously.
posted by Sara C. at 10:11 AM on January 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

Apparently this was better than Mexician Burritos in Italy, which included mozzarella cheese.
posted by The Whelk at 10:11 AM on January 1, 2014

Oh wait I forgot, there was a side dish of Haricot Vert beans, like just in case you where worried there would not be green beans with the meal, there they where.
posted by The Whelk at 10:12 AM on January 1, 2014

Sorry, guys, forgot to link the Tacography and the book.
posted by Sara C. at 10:14 AM on January 1, 2014

TIL that Captain Adama's favorite taco is in my neighborhood! The weird thing is that I never would have thought to order tacos there. They're famous for their gut-busting burritos.
posted by Sara C. at 10:17 AM on January 1, 2014

If they really do serve lobster and bean tacos in Baja, now I really want to go.

I haven't had them myself, but to hold you over there's always the periods where Rubio's brings out their langostino tacos for a limited time.
posted by LionIndex at 10:24 AM on January 1, 2014

I haven't had them myself, but to hold you over there's always the periods where Rubio's brings out their langostino tacos for a limited time.

I came in to say this. I don't like mariscos and have never tried but friends say Ensenada is the place to go for tacos langostos (or other seafood).

Rubios can do in a pinch especially since the toll road to Ensenada washed out last week. You can still get there, of course but it isn't as fast as it used to be.
posted by birdherder at 10:35 AM on January 1, 2014

friends say Ensenada is the place to go for tacos langostos (or other seafood)

Around there, Rosarito and Puerto Nuevo, they pretty much pave the streets with lobster. I'm pretty sure I went to this place on a work retreat once.
posted by LionIndex at 10:47 AM on January 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

Man, that Taco of the Year sounds absolutely awesome!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 11:00 AM on January 1, 2014

San Diego Taco Map
posted by LionIndex at 11:07 AM on January 1, 2014

It's Los Angeles. What else were they going to do?

Order delivery from Two Boots?
posted by thedaniel at 11:08 AM on January 1, 2014 [3 favorites]

Man, that Taco of the Year sounds absolutely awesome!

I can confirm. Every taco that guy makes is top notch. Expensive, but I'm OK with fancy versions of street food, it's not like they prevent me from also getting "normal" tacos the next day .
posted by thedaniel at 11:11 AM on January 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

As a former Bay Area native, I must put in a word for The Units, The Mission Is Bitchin', a musical paean to San Francisco's Mission district and its burritos.
posted by jonp72 at 11:50 AM on January 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

LA Taco is awesome, and one of the very few things that makes me think about giving up vegetarianism.
posted by klangklangston at 12:31 PM on January 1, 2014

As a former Bay Area native, I must put in a word for The Units, The Mission Is Bitchin' , a musical paean to San Francisco's Mission district and its burritos.

Mission burritos are yummy but aren't even in the same timezone as good tacos. Different species of food entirely.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:38 PM on January 1, 2014

Mission burritos are yummy but aren't even in the same timezone as good tacos. Different species of food entirely.

I'm totally cool if you let Norcal have the burritos and let Socal have the tacos. Now where was that hole in the wall joint on Valencia I used to go to?
posted by jonp72 at 2:13 PM on January 1, 2014

If you check the MeFi Mall, you'll see that this is another instance of MeFi's Own.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:44 PM on January 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'm totally cool if you let Norcal have the burritos

Yes, by all means, please keep your burritos up there.
posted by LionIndex at 2:58 PM on January 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

It's Los Angeles. What else were they going to do?

Order delivery from Two Boots?

Or Tomato Pie Pizza Joint.
posted by You Guys Like 2 Party? at 3:56 PM on January 1, 2014

LA Taco is welcome to their opinion about La Isla Bonita's tacos, but they need to respect the ceviche tostadas.

Remember kids, that's 4th and Venice, every day except Thursday.
posted by infinitewindow at 4:38 PM on January 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

My 7-year-old daughter, like me, is insane for tacos. On Tuesdays we suit up with matching shirts.
posted by mcstayinskool at 5:21 PM on January 1, 2014

Too hungry for this thread and not a taco joint for miles.

But I recommend this oldschool taco jam as the official thread background music.
posted by p3t3 at 5:31 PM on January 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

It's not in Ensenada, but Ricky's Fish Tacos (he also has shrimp and sometimes lobster) are quite tasty. Now that he has a truck, he's back at Virgil btw Sunset and Fountain. There's magic in the batter that coats those delicious fried creatures of the sea.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 6:41 PM on January 1, 2014 [3 favorites]

The Whelk: "Apparently this was better than Mexician Burritos in Italy, which included mozzarella cheese"

Mozzarella is a pasta filata cheese, which is not all that unlike Oaxaca cheese, commonly used in Mexico on hot dishes (quesadillas in particular). So that's actually not a horrible substitution.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 8:15 PM on January 1, 2014

the tacos I got in France where....they. ...well someone had described a taco to them

I had pretty good tacos in Paris at Candelaria.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 5:30 AM on January 2, 2014