Roberto's Taco Shop

Roberto's Taco Shop 26051 La Paz Rd. Mission Viejo, CA 92691 (949) 458-3620 Listing at MapQuest Listing at GrubHub Facebook Presence

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(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 (23 photos so far).

Cafe Maiz - Review #1

Cafe Maíz de El Cholo 27567 Puerta Real Mission Viejo, CA 92691 (949) 367-0777 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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(UPDATE: Cafe Maiz has closed.) Stopped earlier today for lunch at a soft opening of Cafe Maíz, the new fast casual concept from the El Cholo chain and met up there with Nancy Luna, the OC Register's Fast Food Maven (click here to read her report of the visit). They were getting ready for their grand opening to the public tomorrow. The interior was mostly finished and is very clean but also with a very traditional Mexican theme. Outside the construction workers were working on taking down the temporary banner and putting up the permanent sign.


If you are on a mobile device or otherwise cannot see the photo slideshow above then CLICK HERE.

Nancy placed her order first then me and we both found out later that we had each ordered an al pastor taco, made with slow-cooked, pulled, marinated pork. I believe this was the first al pastor taco I've had that was garnished with strips of pineapple. Generally, having al pastor tacos on the menu makes a Mexican restaurant's authenticity go up a notch. If you get them at Cafe Maíz try them with the Medium salsa. I also had very good carnitas taco that I gobbled down really quick but now that I think back on it I believe it had two kinds of pork in it. And that went good with the medium salsa too . . . and so did the nachos that Nancy and I shared. Actually the medium was the only kind I got but it was really, really good and I think it must've had some citrus kick to it. I even asked for the recipe on the way out but that remains El Cholo's secret.

Nancy's blog had mentioned a guacamole kit for large parties to create their own customized bowl of guacamole with. I found out today that that concept is being tested first at the Irvine El Cholo location and, if it's successful, it'll be added to Cafe Maíz.

The El Cholo family of restaurants was one of the first places that helped Mexican food catch on in Los Angeles and Orange County back in the 1920's and when I was at their newest location today I saw many of the members of the family that have kept the tradition alive. The owner, Ron Salisbury, pointed out to me a picture of his parents on the wall who were the second generation of El Cholo managers.

Good to see El Cholo adapting with the times while also holding onto their traditions. Four Speedy Gonzaleses:

The Legend of the Nacho Table

I've just been informed that each El Cholo location has a "Nacho Table." It's typically one of the "worst" tables in the house, and when people get seated there they get complimentary Carmen's Nachos to make up for the location. Now, the locations aren't terrible. You're not in the bathroom or getting hit in the back with the kitchen door, per se, but it's just a high traffic area outside the kitchen or something. Guests can actually ask for it if they know about it - there is often a wait for those tables even if other tables are available. So, if any readers sit at the Nacho Table leave a comment here and let us know.

UPDATE

Here's two photos taken when I went back a while after they had been officially opened:

Click on the 'el cholo' label to read our complete coverage of the El Cholo chain in Orange County (we have a separate review for each of their locations):

Tortilla Flats - Review #1 (Photo Super Post)

Date of Visit: May 31, 2007

Tortilla Flats 27792 Vista Del Lago Mission Viejo, CA 92692 (949) 830-9980 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on Ask.com's Citysearch Official Site

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(UPDATE: Tortilla Flats has closed. It apparently has been taken over by a restaurant called "Lagos.") On the shore of man-made Lake Mission Viejo sits an enormous Spanish hacienda known as the Mexican restaurant Tortilla Flats, the restaurant which claims to have invented Taco Tuesday (do we have any contenders?) in 1976. Their official site gives not only the history of Taco Tuesday but of tacos themselves. A lazy Thursday afternoon allowed me recently to head down south and finally give this place a try (they are frequently featured in OC Menus, a supplement to OC Metro). With such a picturesque setting you are going to want to sit outside to take it all in and watch the boats go by as you eat. I even saw somebody fishing while I was eating.

(For some reason there's been a rash of people searching for "tortilla flats laguna beach" recently. Tortilla Flats is in Mission Viejo, not Laguna Beach.)

From their extensive seafood selections I ordered the Camarones Azteca, "Sweet shrimp sauteed with yellow and red bell peppers, garlic, capers, parsley, butter, lemon and white wine. Garnished with quesadilla wedges and mole sauce. Served with sautéed vegetables and arroz." The plump, firm shrimp interacted well with the variety of vegetables and the mole-topped quesadillas really satisfied the taste buds. A minor complaint is that there was a too much drippage on the plate from some of the ingredients which made the quesadilla wedges a little soggy.

Camarones Azteca

I topped the lunch of with some of their flan, which was pretty light. Good for when you already nearing a full stomach:

Tortilla Flats earns a four Speedy Gonzales rating:

UPDATE:

One of the Tortilla Flats managers has written in with some clarifications for this piece (which is great because we always want accurate information here):

As far as facts go, we absolutely did invent Taco Tuesday, we have a trademark on it! As far as inventing the taco, the story merely states that tacos were "born" in the US at the Arizona Zerape Café (owned by our founders Aunt and Uncle). This refers to the first recognizable menu which served tacos in the early days of the Wild West. Although the Mexican-American community always ate tacos, this style of taco was introduced by the original family members of the founders of Tortilla Flats. The Delahantry's legacy in Arizona was famous in the Tucson community especially for providing the Mexican singers and dancers of the time with authentic Sonoran style cuisine (including our special deep-fried taco style) which was readily gobbled up by the locals at the time yearning for the "real stuff." Later they moved to California and their nephew (I believe) Eduardo Hernandez founded the Original Tortilla Flats in Laguna Beach in 1947 (our logo says "Established 1949" - because this is when Eduardo became an official American citizen).

Here's some extra photos of the premises:

El Torito Grill - Review #1

El Torito Grill
27741 Crown Valley Pkwy Suite 601
Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Listing on Yahoo! Local

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Official Site

Appetizer: Handmade tortillas with two types of salsa and honey butter
Entree: Quesadilla de Filete al Mesquite
Drink: agua
Dessert: Flan

UPDATE: This location has closed.

Fancier than El Torito (expansive fifty year old chain), not as fancy as Las Brisas (which is a lone restaurant under the El Torito umbrella), El Torito Grill, according to themselves, is "dedicated to bringing you the sensory experience that is a fusion of the contemporary and native foods of Mexico." El Torito Grill has four locations in Orange County. I've been to at least three other locations before including the now extinct Costa Mesa location. Many of the basic items on their menu overlap with the menu for the standard El Torito restaurants.

My brother and I stumbled on this location after we went looking for the Ladera Ranch location of Taco Mesa for breakfast and couldn't find it. The address for Taco Mesa is 27702 Crown Valley Parkway and we found two gas stations next to each other on Crown Valley, one of which was 27682 and the other one was 27742 but with no Taco Mesa in between them. Does anybody have any information on this? Anyways, we ended up going to El Torito Grill for an early lunch. It is on the 3rd level of the Kaleidoscope shopping center right where Crown Valley Parkway and the 5 freeway meet.

Guacamole made tableside

Instead of chips and salsa El Torito Grill brings you warm handmade tortillas with honey butter to spread on them and a mild and a spicy salsa. They also tend to bring you refills on the tortillas without you even having to ask. One of their featured appetizers is guacamole made tableside prepared with two big fresh avocados and to your desired degree of spiciness. I've had it on a previous visit but had to snap it being made at another party's table this time. If you want guacamole any fresher than that make it yourself and eat it while you're making it.

Two Cheese Enchilada Plate


Quesadilla de Filete al Mesquite

Seeing as how I was really hoping for breakfast I didn't go for a full entree but instead ordered an appetizer from their specials menu (their website indicates their specials menu changes daily so you will pretty much get a surprise every time you go). My item was a Quesadilla de Filete al Mesquite described on the menu as: "Grilled filet mignon, Jack cheese, shallots, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes in a smoked chipotle tortilla. Served with fresh avocado relish." Turned out to be the fanciest quesadilla I've ever had (not the fanciest quesadilla I've heard of though, which was a Brie and Grape Quesadilla served with sweet pea guacamole I saw on the menu at the Hali'imaile General Store when I was on the island of Maui last June and which I might actually order when I go back). It was more like a big taquito, quartered with each segment lying in a bed of guacamole and facing up, all topped with a mop of shallots. If I ever see it on their menu again and somebody in my party wanted to share it as an appetizer I'd definitely order it again.

El Torito Grill's Flan

For dessert I ordered their flan. My brother came really close to ordering the peanut tostada then flaked out. The flan is presented in a more artsy way than most places but less artsy than Taco Rosa's. It came with whipped cream and strawberry slices, a sprig of mint, and powdered sugar dusted all around the oversized bowl.

Overall, El Torito Grill earns a four and a half Speedy Gonzales rating. I would maybe even kick them up to a five Speedy rating except that they don't have anything creative in the way of non-alcoholic beverages. Still, every visit to El Torito Grill is a positive adventure.



Other El Torito Grill entries:

• El Torito Grill - Review #2 (Irvine)
• El Torito Grill - Review #3 (Anaheim)
• El Torito Grill - Review #4 (Newport Beach/Fashion Island)
• El Torito Grill - Review #5 (Brea)
• El Torito Grill - Review #6 (Rancho Santa Margarita)

Or click on the "el torito grill" label below to read our full El Torito Grill coverage:

Flamingo's Mexican Grill - Review #1

25342 Mcintyre St
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

Listing on Yahoo! Local

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No known official website.

Appetizer: Chips and Salsa
Soup: Albondigas
Entree: Enchiladas Vallarta
Drink: agua
Dessert: Deep-fried Ice Cream

Some of Flamingo's many flamingos

So last night I went to Flamingo's, or, as I like to refer to it, "Flaming Moe's" (if you like The Simpsons you'll know what Flaming Moe's is). I thought "Flamingo's" was maybe just a name, but, no, they actually have flamingos all over the place inside. Stuffed toy ones, plastic ones, weird spinning-from-the-ceiling origami ones, mirrors shaped like flamingos, etc. And even though it's not called "Parrots" they also have a few fake parrots hanging from the ceiling, which, along with the all the bamboo and the tiki masks, makes you think you are in Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room.
Started out with chips and salsa, then a cup of Albondigas soup which was right on except the meatballs were a tad underdone (but just barely done enough to keep me from complaining about them). As an entree I ordered the Enchiladas Vallarta, chicken enchiladas covered with cheese and some sort of lime-jalapeño sauce. They were serviceable but I have yet to encounter a chicken enchilada where the ingredients blend as they should. That's not Flamingo's fault. It's just the nature of the beast.
And this is weird but this is the second place where I was all ready to order deep-fried ice cream but instead was brought the bill without ever being asked if I wanted dessert. Maybe they are just watching out for my health again. Otherwise the service was good.

The Tiki Room?


The flamingo on the right looks kind of mean


Boo!


Looks almost Arabic


Enchiladas Vallarta


Albondigas Soup


Ever seen a cross between a flamingo and a zebra?

I'll give Flamingo's a three and a half Speedy Gonzales rating:

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As a followup to my previous entry on Infrequently Asked Questions, I just noticed that a while back, Kirk from mmm-yoso interviewed Reid from 'Ono Kine Grindz and a lot of Reid's answers were very similar to how I think in my approach to this blog. Interesting.