Pasadena: Los Tacos
guacamole & chips
A few years ago, I was dating a guy who entered a guacamole contest. Life was full of the green stuff for weeks as we he recipe tested. In the end, his display of guac in a giant martini glass (classy!!) was rejected for a local favorite. We were very disheartened as his guac was fantastic. Although I never wrote down the recipe (really, I thought the relationship was gonna last but c’est la vie), I took away two things:
– a hatred of diced tomatoes in guacamole
– a shot of tequila makes a fine addition to guac
Actually, maybe I should have just taken away the giant martini glass as I struggle to find a great guac in LA. I tend to gravitate towards freshly made with just a few simple ingredients; kosher salt, diced onions, seeded and diced chiles, cilantro, lime juice and a grind or two of fresh pepper, tequila optional.
Los Tacos does not make addicting guac.
pescado, carnitas, chile verde, lengua tacos
However, it’s a nice little place in Pasadena for a couple of tacos if it’s broad daylight and you can’t get to El Chavo. As usual, I couldn’t decide what to get and opted for the taco sampler (they charge $.40 cents more for fish or carne asada). I ended up with fish, carnitas, chile verde and lengua. The fish was horrible. Even the so-so guac could barely save it. There was little difference between the carnitas and the chile verde (the trauma) but the lengua was all right.
Not as good as La Estrella. But then again, it was broad daylight and I wasn’t in Highland Park.
carne asada burito
At least the carne asada burrito looked good.
Note to self- eat tacos at night…and make your own damn guacamole!
Los Tacos
1 W California Blvd # 211
Pasadena, CA 91105-3031
(626) 795-9291