Mariscos Puerto Marquez

Mariscos Puerto Marquez 11763 Edinger Ave. Fountain Valley, CA 92708 (714) 531-4570 Listing at Buzzfile Listing at OC Weekly Official Facebook Presence

View in Google Maps

(This is an "only-photos-first" post, done quickly to get photos up and a new entry on the blog, with the expectation that text may be added later. Guest reviews can also be added to this entry and each published one will be paid $10.)

Click here for the full flickr photo album (30 photos so far).

Tio Flaco's Tacos

Tio Flaco's Tacos 18959 Magnolia St. Fountain Valley, CA 92708 (714) 593-9000 Listing at Yellow Pages Listing at Foursquare Official Site

View in Google Maps

(This is an "only-photos-first" post, done quickly to get photos up and a new entry on the blog, with the expectation that text may be added later. Guest reviews can also be added to this entry and each published one will be paid $10.)

Click here for the full flickr photo album (12 photos so far).

Alerto's on Brookhurst

Here we have something like a double review, which is really a reprint (with permission) of ElmoMonster's review of Alerto's in Westminster, then my thoughts on the one in Fountain Valley. These locations are both on Brookhurst, perhaps two miles apart from each other so they should each be the same but apparently one is a good bit better than the other (as borne out by numerous comments in ElmoMonster's original post).

---

Alerto's Mexican Food 15681 Brookhurst St Westminster, CA 92683 (714) 775-9550 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch No known official website.

Enter starting address: Address City, State and/or Zip

Just say: "half order carne asada nachos" and for $4.68, you get the quintessential fuel for all-nighters, food for the nocturnal munchies, the harbinger of heart-burns, the anti-Lipitor, and my favorite item at Alerto's, a Mexican food pit-stop famous for enormous burritos stuffed with nothing but meat.

There are two Alerto's outposts on Brookhurst Street, and although they are a few blocks from each other, each are technically in different cities. One is in Fountain Valley, while the other, Westminster. The Westminster branch is cleaner, more consistent, with a dining room that's open until 12:30 a.m. on most nights and a drive-thru that never closes.

But at either one, when ordering the nachos, always specify "Half Order", because since the quantity served is the same, the only difference between the full order and the half is two bucks.

In any case, by the time your styrofoam container of food is ready, you should probably have done fifty sit-ups to offset what you're about to consume: a pile of freshly fried and greaseless tortilla chips smothered with the culprits of an unhealthy diet, including:

• Refried Beans
• Guacamole
• Pico de Gallo
• Sour Cream
• Grated Cheese
• Cubes of Carne Asada

The first bite is always the best, simply because guilt hasn't set in. You revel in the hearty corn crunch of real tortilla chips; the pleasant mushiness of refried beans; the chewy/tender morsels of seasoned steak; the slobbery green goo of the guacamole; the tang of cheese; the coolness of sour cream; and the oniony bite of the pico de gallo. It all makes sense and feels so right, especially when it's way past your bedtime.

Remorse always follows the last chip, not because of all the fat and calories, but because you want another one.

Thanks, Elmo.

---

Now as a postscript I have to admit that in the comments on his blog I mentioned not really liking the Fountain Valley location, or at least having had a bad experience there. I'm willing to give any place a second chance and when I went back with a group of people, my one visit since my bad experience, the food was better. Comments left by other people there clarify that the Westminster location is still definitely the better of the two, with no dissenting or contrary opinions. It goes against the credo of my blog (which is to have an overall positive tone) to tell people to not go to a certain restaurant but hopefully the FV Alerto's can put a little effort into catching up with the Westminster location.

Cancun Fresh Mexican Grill - Review #1

Date of Visits: July 9 and 14, 2007

Cancun Fresh Mexican Grill 18010 Newhope St., Suite B Fountain Valley, CA 92708 (714) 427-0008 (714) 427-0006 FAX Official Site

Enter starting address: Address City, State and/or Zip

I've got a lot of stuff in the pipeline, including several guest reviews, so this review is going to be a quick photo tour of Cancun Fresh Mexican Grill in Fountain Valley across the street from the Costco. This place is so new that it doesn't yet appear in any online directory listings that I'm aware of, and neither Yahoo and Google maps can find the exact address in their systems. So much for modern technology.


Fitting in very much with its industrial surroundings, Cancun Fresh Mexican Grill serves up food similar to every other place whose name ends with "Fresh Mexican Grill" with a heavy emphasis on seafood.

Here's my carne asada and carnitas ultimate taco platter, made "ultimate" by the addition avocado slices:


And here's their signature dish: the Cielo Tierra y Mar platter, with chicken, steak, and shrimp. Pretty good for only $7.95:


And two carnitas tacos to go:


The main thing I remember about the takeout food was that it was very aromatic. If you find yourself shopping in bulk at Costco try skipping their food court sometime and crossing the street to Cancun Fresh Mexican Grill, which earns a 3¾ Speedy Gonzales rating:

Molcajete Grill - Review #1

Date of Visit: June 25, 2007

Molcajete Grill 19023 Bushard Huntington Beach, CA No known official website.

Enter starting address: Address City, State and/or Zip

Several entries ago I mentioned that I was going to have a review up soon of the Mexican restaurant I went to the day before my Maui trip. That restaurant was Fiesta Grill #2 and, through some technological glitch, I ended up losing all my photos from that visit. It's not too big of a loss because the menu at Fiesta Grill #2 is the same as at the original Fiesta Grill, and we already have a review of the original Fiesta Grill.


One thing, however, that I found out while at Fiesta Grill #2 was that the owners were about to open another location up that would have a menu about "half the same, half different" from Fiesta Grill and was to be called Molcajete Grill at the intersection of Bushard and Garfield. I made a couple attempts to arrive right on the opening day but found them not-yet-opened each time. On the second attempt, however, I was able to step in and peruse the menu board to get an idea of what I might order on my first visit. I ended up missing the opening day, but my cousin made it then, and then he made it there again the next day, and then I made it on their fourth day of business. BTW, my cousin ("El Amigo de Gringo Bandito") wants to make sure people visit Molcajete Grill because he likes them a lot and doesn't want them to have to shut down due to lack of business.

Speaking of Gringo Bandito, yes, they have Gringo Bandito hot sauce on the tables:


Since sopes were an item that Molcajete Grill has that Fiesta Grill doesn't, I had to go for the sopes, one carnitas and one chicken with rice and beans. True to their claim, this was some seriously fresh Mexican food. Cold, crisp lettuce, ripe, crisp tomatoes, fresh cheese, and hot, just-right spicy meat. The Spanish rice was especially moist and fluffy, not dried and stale.


Molcajete Grill gets a solid four Speedy Gonzales rating:



Here's a few pictures from subsequent visits:

Del Taco - Review #1

Del Taco
9436 Warner Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 968-9846

Listing on Yahoo! Local

Official Site

Enter starting address:
Address

City, State and/or Zip

(IMPORTANT NOTE: This entry is largely outdated and we have many more entries on Del Taco, with better pictures even, since this one. Click Here to read them all.)

My first encounter with Del Taco was probably in the early Eighties when I learned about a new Mexican fast food restaurant that was much like Taco Bell but ever so slightly more authentic. I've been countless times since. They have excellent strawberry shakes, good yet inexpensive breakfast burritos, Deluxe Chili Cheese Fries when you're feeling gluttonous, and Spicy Jack Chicken Quesadillas for when you're just plain hungry. I also used to thrive on their orange shakes and deli burritos, neither of which is offered any longer (UPDATE from April 22, 2007: Del Taco has brought back their Orange Shakes).

This particular visit was primarily to try out two new featured items: their Jalapeno Bacon and Chicken Quesadilla and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Shake (am I going to get salmonella?), both good enough to try at least once, but as limited-time-only items I might not have to decide if I'd order them again or not. A few days earlier, in a rush through the drive thru at a Huntington Beach location, I took advantage of "Dan's Deal:" two regular tacos and half-pound bean and cheese burrito for two bucks. Got super creative and added a water to drink and my total for dinner came to $2.16.

For being a faithful standby Del Taco earns a three and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:

Azteca's - Review #3 (Mother's Day Brunch)

Date of Visit: May 14, 2006

18033 Magnolia St
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Listing on Yahoo! Local

Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch

No known official website.

Appetizer: Chips and Salsa
Entree: Chile relleno taco/tamale combo plate
Drink: Fresa Jarritos

While discussing with various family members possible brunch options for Mother's Day I jokingly suggested Azteca's in Fountain Valley. Azteca's is right by my parents' house so it is basically our default location for Mexican food and we all like it but I was actually hoping that my brother Lee would cook up some lobster tails at home for the occasion. But Mom picked Azteca's and that's where we went. Azteca's food is very similar to food served by Mexican restaurants that started in the 1970's or earlier, nothing too fancy or intriguing on the menu but they do what they do well. When they opened about five or six years ago I wondered if they would last given the fairly anonymous spot they occupy in a fairly anonymous corner shopping center but they have been going strong with many locals patronizing them frequently and telling all their friends about it. There is also a good Indian restaurant next door with a similar name: Ashoka.

I tried once again to order my old favorite combo, combo #44, but was told this time they can't even cobble it together from ingredients from other combos. So, combo #44, rest in peace. In my mind's eye I can see you at that great taco stand in the sky cavorting about with other long gone Orange County Mexican food traditions such as Taco de Carlos, Pup 'N' Taco, and the limited time only Chicken Monster Tacos they used to have at Jack in the Box.

When I realized I had to decide on something else I noticed something on their menu I had never seen before: a chile relleno taco, so I had to try it. It is only mentioned as an a la carte item but I substituted it for a regular taco on the taco/tamale combination plate. It was just like what I was expecting: a chile relleno stuffed into a taco (profound, huh?). It almost seemed like a breakfast taco, very eggy and cheesy in a crisp shell with fresh, cool lettuce and a pepper that informed the overall flavor of the taco without jumping up and biting me on the nose.

Lee goes for the taco/enchilada combo

David keeps it simple with four tacos

Mom goes for the taquito plate

You can't tell by looking at it but there's a chile relleno stuffed in that taco.

Azteca's retains their original four Speedy Gonzales rating. The food was just right and the service was attentive and they didn't mind when we teased them about typos on their menu (e.g., "cron tortillas"):

---

Afterwards we went back to the house and enjoyed a fruit tart I had purchased the day before from the bakery at King's Hawaiian Restaurant in Torrance.