Announcement: 24th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night

We invite you to join us at the 24th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night on Thursday, April 20th at Share Our Selves in Costa Mesa. More than 25 of Orange County’s most celebrated chefs will join an expected 700 supporters of SOS for a casual evening of beer, margaritas and unique and delicious tacos.
See your favorite OC chefs at their most creative as they compete to come up with the most unusual tacos you’ll see all year, all for a great cause. In 2016, the top-rated taco as chosen by attendees was the Nashville Hot Chicken Taco from Island Hotel’s Chef David Man. Other delectable options included a beef tongue taco from Haven Gastropub’s Chef Greg Daniels, a lamb bacon “PB & J” taco from taco asylum’s Chef Sean Masucci, and a “Bacon & Eggs” taco from Pirozzi Corona del Mar’s Chef Alessandro Pirozzi. All tacos are conceived exclusively for this event and can’t be found anywhere else! Tickets include all-you-can-eat tacos and beverages, including DesMaDre Tequila margaritas and beer from local favorite Barley Forge Brewing Co.
Back by popular demand is the pre-event VIP Party! Participating guests will enjoy early admission and have the opportunity to meet all of the chefs and sample their tacos before the general event begins. The VIP Party has sold out every year.
Proceeds from the event benefit the SOS Food Pantry, which provides critical food security to low-income and homeless Orange County residents. Volunteer and staff drivers collect food from grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries and caterers throughout Orange County and deliver it to SOS. Five days a week, SOS distributes an average of 235 bags of groceries a day to individuals and families in need.

WHEN: Thursday, April 20, 2017
5:30pm – 7:30pm
VIP Pre-Party 4:30pm – 5:30pm

WHERE: Share Our Selves – 1550 Superior Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

COST: Early Bird General Admission (purchase now through April 2nd) - $75
General Admission (purchased on or after Monday, April 3rd) - $85
VIP Admission $150
ADVANCE SALE ONLY

CONTACT: To purchase tickets, visit www.shareourselves.org/events or call SOS at 949.270.2137.

ORANGE COUNTY’S PREMIERE PARTICIPATING CHEFS

• Franco Barone - il Barone Ristorante
• Shachi Mehra - ADYA
• Paul Buchanan - Primal Alchemy
• Eric Mickle - Orange Hill
• Greg Daniels - Haven Gastropub & Provisions Market
• Andres Miramontes - Sol Cocina
• Adam Feirman - & Carlito Jocson Yard House
• Andrew Monterrosa - TAPS Fish House & Brewery
• Mark Gagnon - Newport Beach Plaza
• Alessandro Pirozzi - Pirozzi Corona del Mar, Alessá Laguna & Mare Culinary Lounge
• Adam Go - Pueblo
• Cory Rapp - The Catch
• Alan Greeley - The Golden Truffle
• Jose Rodriguez - Pete’s Sunset Grille at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa
• Andrew Gruel - SLAPFISH
• Max Schlutz - Sessions West Coast Deli
• Linda Johnsen - Filomena’s Italian Kitchen & Market
• Rainer Schwarz - Driftwood Kitchen & The Deck on Laguna
• Rachel Klemek - Blackmarket Bakery
• Deborah Schneider - & Tia Baker solita tacos & margaritas
• Paul Squicciarini - Culinary Innovation
• David Man - Island Hotel
• Lou Tista - Rasta Taco

Share Our Selves (SOS) is a nationally recognized health center providing high quality, comprehensive safety net services to the Orange County community. Services include: medical and dental care, behavioral health services, case management, food, clothing, financial assistance, legal aid, and seasonal holiday programs.

SOS Wild & Crazy Taco Night 2011

UPDATED (May 1, 2011) Here's a slideshow of the event:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Elizabeth Evans
Marketing & Communications Manager
949-270-2137
efevans@shareourselves.org

SHARE OUR SELVES ANNOUNCES CHEF LINEUP FOR 18th ANNUAL WILD & CRAZY TACO NIGHT

Share Our Selves has confirmed the date and chef lineup for the 18th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night, April 28th at Halecrest Swim & Tennis Club in Costa Mesa. Twenty three of Orange County's most prominent and innovative chefs will join an expected 600+ supporters of SOS for an evening of fun, friendship, and exotic tacos.

In the spirit of good-natured competition and to support a great cause, these generous chefs will be whipping up delicious and unique tacos. Last year's selections included lobster, Peking duck, pork, meatball, and s'mores style chocolate & marshmallow cream tacos.

Back by popular demand is the pre-event VIP Party, but we've made some exciting changes! Participating guests will enjoy early admission into the event and will have the opportunity to meet all of the chefs and sample their tacos before the general event begins. VIP guests will also be served Patrón margaritas.

Proceeds from the event benefit the SOS Orange Aid Project which collects retrievable food from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and caterers to distribute to low income Orange County residents. Six mornings a week, volunteer and staff drivers collect food from throughout the county and deliver it to SOS. Five days a week, SOS distributes approximately 300 bags of groceries a day to individuals and families in need.

WHEN: Thursday, April 28, 2010, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., VIP Pre-Party 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Halecrest Swim & Tennis Club – 3107 Killybrooke Lane, Costa Mesa, 92626

COST: General Admission $60, VIP Admission $150 ADVANCE SALE ONLY

CONTACT: To purchase tickets, please contact SOS at 949-270-2134 or sos@shareourselves.org.

ORANGE COUNTY'S PREMIERE PARTICIPATING CHEFS:

Bert Agor

TAPS Fish House & Brewery

Nelson Barillas

The Catch Restaurant

Franco Barone

Il Barone

Bill Bracken

The Island Hotel

Paul Buchanan

Primal Alchemy

Victor Cabral

Orange Hill Restaurant

Ivan Calderon

Taco Mesa/Taco Rosa

Mark Cleveland & Tanya Fuqua

Avanti Café

David Coplin

Chef David's Catering

Yves Fournier

Andrei's Conscious Cuisine

Mark Gagnon

Newport Beach Plaza Retirement Community

Alan Greeley

The Golden Truffle

Scott Green

Salt Creek Grille

Carlito Jocson

Yard House

Louie Jocson

F & f Concepts/Red Table Restaurants LLC

Rachel Klemek

Blackmarket Bakery

Jason Kordas

Jason's Catered Events

Rich Mead

Canyon & Sage Restaurant

Alessandro Pirozzi

Cucina Alessá

Ted Rodriguez

Flavor Rush Food Truck

Deborah Schneider

SOL Cocina

Paul Squicciarini

Fujisan

Marco Zapien

Melissa's Produce

SHARE OUR SELVES is one of the largest, most comprehensive, voluntary support agencies providing for the needs of those living in poverty in Orange County. All services are free and include medical and dental care, counseling, case management, food, clothing, financial assistance, legal aid and special holiday programs. In these difficult economic times, the integral safety net services that SOS provides to the community are more important than ever.

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www.shareourselves.org

SOS Wild and Crazy Taco Night 2008

Here's a slideshow of the 15th Annual Wild and Crazy Taco Night charity fundraiser that I just got back from:

Selections included exotic tacos such as: Apple & Spice-braised Pork Belly w/ Pickled Red Cabbage, a Zucchini Blossom Relleno Taco stuffed with ricotta and Jack cheese served over oyster mushroom and red radish salsa, a Beef Tataki taco served in a sliced lobok root shell, an Oyster Taco served in its own shell with golden gazpacho, chile lime jelly, caviar and micro cilantro, and a S'mores Taco for dessert.

I also had an interesting discussion with chef Stephane Beaucamp about why Kantina closed down.

If you are viewing this page on a mobile device or otherwise can't see the photos above please CLICK HERE.

Roundup #16

Here's another entry where I cover some stuff that doesn't fit neatly into a standard restaurant review. If this is your first time here don't let this entry throw you off; we really do have tons of reviews of Mexican restaurants, in fact almost 200, so just keep scrolling down.

Mexican restaurants I've been to for non-review purposes since the last roundup entry include: Molcajete Grill, El Pollo Loco, Azteca's, Zorrito Mexican Grill, Taco Adobe, Taco Rosa, Tia Juana's, El Torito Grill, Chipotle, Wahoo's, Del Taco, Baja Fish Tacos, Cancun Fresh (which is now under new management), Tacos & Co., Blue Agave, Taleo, Las Barcas, and Mario's.

Here's some photos from my last Blue Agave visit, a place I wish I could get to more often:




Non-Mexican restaurants I've been to since the last roundup entry include but are not limited to: Ebisu, Cafe Chin Chin, Athens West, Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ, Maki Yaki (they've got good California rolls), Tommy Pastrami, Dave & Buster's, River Belle Terrace, Maui Wowi, Red Robin, Claim Jumper, Newport Rib Company, and Cafe Hiro.

Wild and Crazy Taco Night 2008

There's a new Wild and Crazy Taco Night charity event put on by Share Our Selves coming up soon (April 17) that I should've mentioned earlier. This is where gourmet chefs from throughout the county cook up exotic tacos with all proceeds going to help the homeless. A VIP package is available for the first time this year. I've been twice before and there's always a lot of people there.

Official Site

Read our 2006 and 2007 coverage

Fun with Search Engines - Part Dos

A while back I had an entry where I showed some of the funny search phrases people have stumbled into this site with. Here's a small sampling of some more funny ones from the recent past:

• "how many people like mexican food?"
• "foot long taco dough"
• "amount of grease on fries"
• "why are del tacos across the street from each other in lake forest?"
• "what did blacksmith's in the 1900's specialize in?"
• "mexican food and why they made it"

The State of the Blog

As I did last April I am going to attempt to take the month off from personally going to restaurants for review purposes. There will still be content coming, at least one new entry a week, but if you've been thinking about doing a guest review now is the time to get it written up and submitted and put yourself on the fast track to fame and fortune. During this month I am going to try to do a lot of work on the site, some that will be obvious and some that will be behind-the scenes. When I first started the site it was for my own personal musings on places I've eaten at, but now, more than two years later, it has become something like an official resource and that means having to handle everything more professionally.

Last, but not least, please feel free to leave comments on any entry on the blog, no matter how old. When I go to a restaurant I can only report on my experience and on the food I ordered. When your comments are added to an entry here it increases the value of that entry for future readers.

14th Annual Wild and Crazy Taco Night

Here's some pictures from last Thursday's Wild and Crazy Taco Night put on by Share Our Selves, a charity event held to raise funds for homeless and needy citizens of the county:

Beef Shank Green Chile Sope and Brazilian Bacon Flautas from The Golden Truffle:

Mariachis!

View Complete Photo Album

Crazy Taco Night 2007 Announced

14th Annual Wild and Crazy Taco Night

Share Our Selves has just announced their 14th Annual Wild and Crazy Taco Night, a charity event held for the purpose of raising funds to help the homeless in Orange County, to be held this coming April 19. At this event many gourmet chefs from throughout the county will donate their time, food, and cooking skills to serving up exotic tacos to the evening's attendees.

Celebrity Chefs Lineup:

• Franco Barone
  Antonello Ristorante
• Stephane Beaucamp
  Sutra and Kantina
• Bill Bracken
  The Island Hotel
• Laurent Brazier
  Laguna Arts Culinary, Inc.
• Scott Floyd
  Salt Creek Grille
• Chris Garnier
  Roy's Newport Beach
• Alan Greeley
  The Golden Truffle
• Carlito Jocson
  Yard House
• Louie Jocson
  Karl Strauss Brewing Company
• Bill Jump
  Sol Restaurant at Hyatt
  Regency Newport Beach
• Michael Kang
  5'
• Rich Mead
  Sage Restaurant &
  Sage on the Coast
• Jason Pena
  Orange Hill
• Chad Krahling
  Hilton Orange County/
  Costa Mesa
• Paul Squicciarini
  Culinary Concepts
• Robert Urquidi
  Tom Hope
  TAPS Fish House & Brewery

See what was on the menu last year. Expect a full report here shortly after the event. And click on the following "crazy taco night" label to see our own report of last year's event:

SOS Wild and Crazy Taco Night Review and Photos

Here are some photos from SOS' 13th Annual Wild and Crazy Taco Night held April 27 at their facility in Costa Mesa. Joy was there too and helped with the majority of the captions. Proceeds from this charitable event went towards helping the homeless in Orange County.

Peruvian white bean chicken tostada

Joy's notes: "Yucatan green chile chicken taco prepared by Alan Greeley of The Golden Truffle (This was my favorite!)"

Wild boar and trotter tacos w/ Pozole de lengua y carne

Dessert by The Atrium Hotel on display - Joy's notes: "Xango - pastry wrapped like a burrito around a creamy filling, covered in powdered sugar, with chocolate and fruit sauces on the plate"

The Atrium Hotel's dessert for actual eating - (Yum! Very rich)

Joy's notes: "Roasted achiote pork taco prepared by Carlito Jocson of the Yard House"

The Jarritos stand

Chris Garnier, Roy's at Fashion Island
Kalua-style kurobuta carnitas soft taco with heirloom tomato and mango slaw

Cajun French "taco" crepes stuffed with chicken, shiitake mushrooms and goat cheese

Recipe in OC Register

Stephane Beaucamp, Sutra & Kantina
Fried plantain chip with raw tuna

Tom Small, TAPS Fish House & Brewery
Mano de Leon scallop tacos al pastor with cherimoya and guajillo chile salsa

Recipe in OC Register

Sopes

Louie Jocson, Karl Strauss Breweries
Drunken lobster

Tacos loco -- sauerkraut taco with pork loin and a salad with great dressing

Josef Lageder, of Balboa Bay Club (in the middle)

Josef Lageder, Balboa Bay Club
Marinated tuna and salmon with srirachi aioli mango cilantro salsa

Richard Mead, Sage Restaurant & Sage on the Coast
Grilled beef shortrib and green papaya taco
(this was really good)

Bill Bracken, The Island Hotel
Bacon duck taco

Dessert taco with fruit, coconut rice and white chocolate

Scott Floyd, Salt Creek Grille
Duck confit taco with mango salsa

Joy: Franco Barone, Antonello Ristorante -
Cinnamon flan with chocolate crepe and pastry crisps -- (loved this!)

More Xango for dessert

Joy's notes: "Alan Greeley (in hat) at the Golden Truffle station"

Share Our Selves

Crazy Taco Night

Was sorting through the mail the other day and saw the Hoag Hospital Quarterly Newsletter. I guess they send these out to everybody in the county. I flipped through it trying to act like I was paying attention to it (you know, it's about health maintenance and all) before throwing it away and out of the corner of my eye I saw where it said something about "Crazy Taco Night." This is what it said:

Enjoy exotic tacos and support a great cause

You are cordially invited to attend the 13th Annual Wild and Crazy Taco Night on Thursday, April 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This fun and festive event takes place at Share Our Selves (SOS) and features many of Orange County's most prominent chefs who creatively concoct unique and delicious tacos.
Tickets are $50 per person by advanced sale only and can be purchased by calling SOS at 949/642-3451. All proceeds benefit the SOS Orange Aid project, which feeds up to 200 Orange County families each day.

$35 of the $50 counts as a tax-deductible donation. This is a good chance in our prosperous county to get some good food, but, more importantly, to help out those who are less fortunate. Out of all the participating restaurants sending their chefs to participate in the event none of them appear to be Mexican so it'll be interesting to see what they come up with. Can't wait to try a taco from Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine.

More info at www.shareourselves.org.

UPDATE: The Orange County Register today (April 20, 2006) highlights the Crazy Taco Night in their Life, etc. Wine & Food section. There are eight full-color pictures in print and online. The OC Register asked me to take down the one picture I had used from their article before and said I could pay them for its use. It would cost $35 for a non-profit organization to use a picture or $250 for a commercial organization to use one. Well, my blog is entirely non-profit but it's too piddly to even bother filing for non-profit status so I gave in to the corporate machinery and took the picture down.

FINAL UPDATE: Our review of the event can be seen here.