Day 181: Chili's

Warning!!!!! The Daily Taco may be a major contributing factor in acts of involuntary arson. I received an e-mail from my Aunt a few evenings ago detailing a close call she had with the TDT. After putting some soup on the stove, she decided to pass the time while it heated up by perusing The Daily Taco. She became so engrossed in the tales of my taco mischief that only the smoke alarm in her house was able to break Senor Salty's spell. She rushed to the kitchen and found her soup burning away on the stove. How long had it been since she first logged on the the TDT that faitful evening? No one may ever know, but, suffice it to say, it may be wise to set some sort of alarm before reading the blog lest you fall victim to its siren-esque song as did my Aunt. Transitioning to todays tacosl: This evenings meal was "Chili's To Go." Now when I say go, I mean really to go. As I was wandering the aisles at Safeway, I spied this boxed taco kit, and figured I would give it a shot. Supplemented with some fresh veggies, beans, and corn tortillas, these packaged fajitas actually turned out to be not half bad. I can't say the same about my attempt to duplicate the sizzling platter that usually accompanies this particular type of meal. On my scale of most smoke produced while attempting to cook something, this definitely mad the top 5.

Day 180: T-Bell

Day 179: Rico's

Instead of taking our tacos to go as usual, the E.P. and I decided to dine at our trusty go to mexican restaurant Monday evening. We arrived to find Rico's fairly crowded (David Spade was featured at Cobb's next door that evening), but had no trouble finding a table. A server quickly provided us with chips and salsa, but refused to take our food order as he was not a certified Rico's waiter (AKA he couldn't speak English). After mowing through our first basket of chips, we flagged down another server to ask for some more, and do our taco ordering. Alas, he was also not a certified Rico's order taker (although we did talk him into bringing us dos cervezas). It was now obvious that the only person taking actual food orders was the owner who was at the register servicing walk in customers who were placing to go orders. As we waited patiently for her to find a moment to take our order, the line for take out just kept getting longer and longer. The E.P. finally decided that we had waited long enough, picked up his phone, and proceded to call Rico's from inside the restaurant. Figuring we would place our order to go, and have just enough time to finish our chips and beer before our food was ready, I happily asked him to get me my usual two chicken tacos with black beans guac. Ignoring the next customer in line, the owner answered the phone and took the E.P.'s to go order as we watched from our table. Then, to my great surprise and amusement, when she said the tacos would be done in 15 minutes, the E.P. raised his hand, signaled to her, and told her to send them to our table as soon as they were ready. The slightly stunned look on the owners face turned into a smile as she recognized two of her most loyal customers. P.S. I managed to grub my tacos before taking a picture AGAIN, so here is a picture of the aftermath.

Day 178: Rico's

Day 177: Gung Hey Fat Choy

Since Saturday was the Chinese New Year celebration in SF, I figured a Chinese food taco was in order. Wrapped in a corn tortilla, a cheese and Chow Mein base topped with Mongolian beef, orange chicken, sweet and sour sauce, and jalapenos was the perfect fusion of Chinese and Mexican cuisine. Happy year of the Rat, and happy year of the Taco!

Day 176: Home

Day 175: Ocean Taqueria

Hidden on Divisadero street between Bush and Pine, Ocean Taqueria is almost entirely completely no where near the ocean. This Taco shop may take the award for longest and narrowest Taqueria in the city. I seemed like I had walked for at least a mile before I managed to get through the didning room, past the kitchen, and arrive at the counter where you order your food. As I watched my tacos being assembled, I followed along with them back the way I had come. I had almost reached the cash register when the lunch rush began, and I was forced to leap behind the counter into the kitchen area to avoid being trampled in the narrow confines of the restaurant. After navigating the incoming rush of hungry patrons, I finally made my way back to the front of the dining area. A nice vase of flowers greeted me at my chosen table, and all it took was one bite of the delicious carnitas tacos I had ordered to make me forget all about the ordering oredeal I had just experienced.

Day 174: Chino's

Tonight, the E.P. and I headed deep into the Richmond with our buddy "The Finger" to explore this distant part of the city's Mexican option. With most of their supplies stored in the dimly lit dining room, and the same chairs as the E.P.'s parents had in their kitchen when we were kids (yet missing the matching wooden table that currently resides in our living room), this restaurant has one of the more interesting ambiances I have yet experienced. Regardless of the eating conditions, the tacos were surprisingly good, and I could see why there was a constant line of take out customers the entire time we were enjoying our food.

Day 173: Circa

Tuesday night found the E.P. and I trecking across the rainy, cold city to Circa in the Marina on a venture to visit our friend Brook (who happens to be one of the bartenders). We found a pair of seats at the bar, and Brook immediately ordered our tacos, and poured us some libations. With the Warriors on the TV above the bar, we settled in with a couple of Stellas to watch the game and await our food. I began to notice that there was a large number of people in the restaurant with name tags on. I finally put 2 and 2 together, when I came back into the restaurant after making a quick phone call and some lady tried to charge me $10 American and slap a name badge on me before I explained I was just here for dinner, that some group or club was throwing a singles night. After finding my seat back at the bar, I couldn't help but overhear some of the very interesting conversations tacking place between the attendees of this event. Top two quotes (just to give you an idea of what we were forced to endure): "You're pretty dark for a Russian" and, the winner, "I'm just a regular guy who likes to work out." Also, each attendee had a scavenger hunt sheet prompting him or her to find other singles who fit certain descriptions (such as someone who had ridden a horse in the last week or someone who enjoys yachting in their free time). Really, quite entertaining. Anyway, luckily for us, this event only lasted till about the start of the fourth quarter, and then the bar started to empty out. After the Warriors finished getting their ass kicked by the Jazz, the E.P. and I imbibed one more Stella to ease the pain, and flagged Brook down to pay our bill. As we filled out the credit card receipts, I decided to use the Duper technique of leaving the tip line blank, and just filling in the area for the total amount (Example: Your bill is $20 so you fill in the bottom line with $24 and let the bartender figure out you left her $4 American). Without even looking at the bill, I asked the E.P. how much his total was after tip (we had split the check, and he mistakenly said/ I mistakenly heard him say $19.22 depending on which one of us you ask), filled in the line, and signed. As we headed home, the E.P.'s phone began to ring. When he answered, it was Brook on the other end wondering why I had only left her a 23 cent tip (the bill had been for $18.99). Unbeknownst to me, the Duper technique apparently doesn't function properly in a 2 person configuration. Needless to say, I owe an understandably irate bartender a taco or three to atone for my lazy ways.

Day 172: My Kitchen

Day 171: Rico's

Well, it finally happened. I am shocked it took this long, but the wait is now over. Today, I managed to shove my Rico's tacos into my face so fast that both were safely in my belly long before I realized I hadn't taken the requisite photo. Luckily, I had my receipt (complete with date and time), and the good fortune of having shared my Sunday evening meal with the E.P. (material witness).

Day 170: Mi Casa

After experiencing twice, and hearing about once, the fabled "cheese between the tortillas" taco, I decided that I would attempt to duplicate this amazing member of the taco clan in my kitchen. Turned out to be very easy, and super tasty. I fried up 2 quesadillas in my iron skillet, and then topped with my usual taco fare. sometimes the most brilliant-est of ideas are also the most simple.

Day 169: Left at Albuquerque

The E.P. and I met senor Jack at Lefty's (Sorry. Lefty's is actually Lefty O'douls downtown) Friday night for what turned out to be 3 table tappers and a bountiful array of Mexican food. After an assortment of appetizers (McCarthy style for all of those of you in the know), we ordered up some main courses, and settled in to attempt a coup of the 2-pitcher cylinder of beer still on our table. Thankfully Senor Jack does not like Ell Guac. My tacos were inexplicably absent my favorite verde accoutrement, but Jackson was kind enough to transfer his portion on to my two previously lacking tacos tacos tacos!

Day 168: V-Day at the Casa

My taco inspiration this Valentines day came from Aileen (an avid Daily Taco fan and one of the wonderful ladies I have the pleasure of working with every day at THE Zimmer-Cook). As per our daily routine, whilst I was wandering around the office today she inquired as to what kind of taco I would be enjoying for installment 168 of the TDT experience. Usually this conversation takes place around 6:30AM when I am still mostly asleep and can only mumble something generally incoherent in response. Today, however, I had the great fortune of not making it to the office till around 11. In a much more alert state I was able to stop and really ponder what I might do on this feast of St. Valentine. Not surprisingly, I came up with nothing. Cue Aileen. In a stroke of brilliance, she suggested that I create a tortilla in the shape of a heart! Followed up with the idea to add some red food coloring to the tortilla dough (In traditional Senor fashion I forgot the food coloring and had to substitute Tapatio hot sauce instead. The tortillas turned out more orange than red, but I feel I deserve an A for effort, so lay off me O.K.), Aileen had instantly created the perfect fusion of valentine and taco. A package of heart friendly Buffalo meat and a couple of bottles of vino roso (also good for the heart), and I was ready for a Valentine's Day taco feast.

Day 167: Home Sweet Home

Who would have thought that Italian sausage would make a good taco filling? Certainly not Senor Salty, yet I found myself this evening with two leftover sausages from a pasta dinner I had whipped up earlier in the week as the only option available in my fridge. after being browned and seasoned with a little cayenne pepper, the sausage went surprisingly with the usual suspects of my taco additions.

Day 166: Casa de Senor Salty

Tonight I decided to kick it old school with a pound of ground beef and a packet of McCormick's taco seasoning. When I was a more youthful taco coniseur, I spent an extensive amount of time (and ate a large percentage of my meals) at the Chez's parents house. On the very few occasions (very, very few) that we did not order our meals from Monterey Pizza, these quick tacos were a much needed (and delicious) change of pace. Brown the meat, pour in the seasoning packet, add water, and presto: the foundation for some great tacos done in just minutes! Add some beans, cheese, and chopped up veggies, and a well balanced taco bar was ready for consumption. For my little trip down memory lane this evening I added a non-traditional jalapeno chipotle crema to spice things up a bit, but otherwise was true to this recipe from my childhood.

Day 165: Chipotle

I am consistently pleased by the consistency of the consistency of the salsa rojo I consistently request on my tacos at Chipotle. Through whatever It attains the perfect viscosity (not to thin but not to thick, either) to run over the taco fillings while not spilling out of the sides of the taco. That sentence took a lot out of me, and I know it took a lot out of you to read it, so that's it for today!

Day 164: Las Margaritas

It's kind of hard to see in this magnificent picture taken by the E.P. (He was trying to be inconspicuous while still using a flash to take a picture of these two tourists without prior permission), but apparrently matching panchos are all the rage in Fisherman's Warf these days. I understand that we were in a Mexican restaurant, but, as far as I know, there is not an abundance of pancho vendors located in the greater North Beach area of the city. All evidence points to the marvelous conclusion that these two people actually brought panchos with them on a San Francisco vacation in a valiant attempt to fit in with the hot new West Coast trend of donning the stylish threads of Old Mexico (a la "El Guapo" from the Three Amigos) before heading out for a fancy dinner. Awsome! Anyway, after giggling to ourselves for a while, the Taco Comptroller, EP, and myself enjoyed a veritable cornicopia of fajitas (steak, chicken, and shrimps) whilst wishing we could rewind to Saturday and dive into a couple of the 10 shot/60 oz. margaritas this restaurant is famous for.

Day 163: Marina Tacos

On our way to the Horseshoe (and most likely some tacos at Los Hermanos), the E.P. and I were unexpectedly diverted to Extreme Pizza when we received a call from Senor Jack who had decided the Bus Stop across the street was a better choice to watch the Warriors game after a quick bite. Knowing I had to get tacos at some point before I was too many beers into the evening, I was cooking up a plan to convince Jack to abandon his pizza in favor of Left at Albuquerque when I noticed an inconspicuous taqueria I had never before seen one building down Buchanan from Union street. Torn between getting a quick taco with the E.P. here or following through with the Left at Albuquerque plan, the decision was basically made for us when the old Mexican lady behind the counter yelled "You Want Tacos?" out the door at us as we walked past. after getting our carnitas tacos, The E.P. an I headed outside (no indoor seating at his establishment) to some surprisingly comfortable benches and enjoyed our food under the stars on this unseasonably warm evening.

Day 162: Pacific Catch

Yesterday I needed to get something from my mom and dad's house so I went over and chilled for awhile. Then, we had the genius idea to go to Pacific Catch. Sadly, Pacific Catch is located in the ex-home of this awesome art cafe that my little sister Noelle used to go to all the time for the live music. But, happily, they have what look like sweet potato fries, so this makes up for their swooping on Noelle's fave. altogether, the moms and pops were great company and I really enjoyed my delicious meal at poser Pacific Catch. And I miss my sister Noelle very much.

Day 161: Gordo

Day 160: Casa de Senor Salty

It may be winter in San Francisco, but on the other side of our world our Aussie brethren are enjoying the warm summer months of their backwards year. What better way to forget about the cold and rain outside than with a tasty taco comprised of one of my favorite Austrialian foods: Shrimp on the Barbie! I found these gems in the freezer case at Safeway and couldn't pass them up. 10 minutes in the saute pan, another 3 under the broiler after being assembled into taco form, and I was wisked away to a shrimp_filled bar-b-q along the shores of Bondi Beach

Day 159: Tortilla Heights

After an exheusting 23:42 on the treadmill Tuesday, the E.P. decided it would be an appropriate time to remind me today was Mardi Gras! Not wanting to offend whatever spirits watch over Fat Tuesday by burning anymore calories, the two of us exited out machines forth-with and hit the showers. Wanting to redeem ourselves in the eyes of the numerous Cajun constituents the Daily Taco undoubtedly harbors, we decided excessive amounts of tacos, chips, salsa, and beer would correct any negative imbalance in our fat levels created by the unthinkable exercise we had just erroneously performed. Tortilla Heights seemed like the perfect destination to acquire all 4 of these important components of our proposed meal plan, and, after finding a table in the bar, we were ready to begin the re-fattening process. 4 tacos, 8 Dos Equis, 3 bowls of salsa, and 3 heaping baskets of chips split between the two of us definitely rectified the unthinkable mistake we had made this day traditionally filled with religiously sanctioned debauchery.

Day 158: The Car Wash

Every time I eat at the car wash, two thoughts always cross my mind. First, that cole slaw is a really good sidekick for tacos. Second (and of greater intellectual importance), how is it possible that such great Mexican food can be produced out of a stall in a car wash. This dicotomy of culinary greatness and automotive convenience really defies all attempts at classification under mankinds current understanding of the universe. Inspite of lacking the Einstein-esque reasoning faculties required to even begin serious attempts at comprehending this mystery of the modern world, Senor Salty knows that ignorance is bliss. As whoever the Mexican version of Confucious was wisely stated: one need not understand the physical nature of a taco to fully enjoy the essence of its tastiness.

Day 157: Post Super Bowl at Mi Casa

I will start this post with some words I never thought would be uttered from my lips: congratulations Eli Manning on winning the Super Bowl. Now, I will continue with some words I have spoken many times: Joe Montana is so much better than Tom Brady that it causes me physical pain any time they are mentioned in the same sentence unless it is to say how much better (qualitatively or quantitatively) Joe is! During what was undoubtedly was the greatest non-Niners Super Bowl in history (especially the one where we kicked the crap out of the Stan Humphries, Natron Means, and the rest of the 1994 Chargers!), I had stuffed such a monstrous amount of brownies, chips, guac, and beer down my gullet that I was unsure if I would be able to keep a taco down. around 10PM, my bloated belly had subsided to a level at which I was comfortable that immediate vomiting would not occur if I attempted to choke down my daily requirement. Vegetarian seemed like the healthiest option in light of what I had done to my body during the previous sports-filled hours, so I filled a tortilla with beans, guac, and tasty cowboy caviar (a spectacular concoction my sister had thrown together), and threw caution to the wind. Yum! It never ceases to amaze me how delicious a taco can be even in such dire digestive straights as I found myself in Sunday night.

Day 156: Casa de the Senor

Day 155: Taqueria La Cumbre (Valencia St.)

The Friday night plan was ti hit up Harringtons for a few beers before heading to Little Star in the Mission for some of the best pizza I have come across in my many years of eating. After finishing up down town, I had still not had my daily taco, but was not too concerned since we were on our way to the taco capital of S.F. With Le Count driving and the E.P. and the Chez along for the ride, we made record time rocketing across the city. Having gained a significant amount of time over the other people we were meeting for dinner (they had decided to take Muni!), I figured it would be the perfect time to grab a taco and a beer before I was too stuffed with za for it to fit in my belly. We wandered the block to La Cumbre where we happened to pick up Jess (another member of our dinner entourage) who had been headed to Little Star and just happened to see us entering the taqueria from a block away (this is surprising because normally the 4 of us are a very inconspicuous crew). Four tasty chicken tacos all in a row with 4 delicious Dos Equis was a marvelous treat to tide us over until our table at Little Star was ready and the Ritza was served.

Day 154: The Car Wash

Day 153: La Playa Taqueria

My buddy the Finger had spent the last few weeks prodding me to get tacos with him out in the deep Sunset. At first I had been adverse to travel this far out of my usual comfort zone, but I came to realize that if the year of tacos was going to achieve the level of spectacularity I knew it could, I would have to venture to taquerias in all of San Francisco's borroughs, be they near or far! I picked the Finger up at 7:30, and headed towards the beach, determined to find a taco before winding up in the ocean (Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)!. We wound our way through the avenuse for approximately 15 minutes and finally arrived at our Noriega street destination. La Playa taqueria resides at 45th avenue just a stones throw from the beach. As we walked inside, I was imediately struck by the surfboard menu hanging above the cash register. I ordered a mahi mahi and a carnitas taco (In a very fingish move, the Finger went with a burrito), and we sat down to await our meal. P.S. In a surprising turn of events, the Mahi Mahi with mango salsa was far superior to the carnitas, but both were delectable.

Day 152: Casa De the Senor

Day 151: T-Bell

Day 150: Casa de Senor Salty

Day 149: La Parilla Grill

Day 148 Mijita

It was a dark and stormy night .......... sorry, already used that one. However, it was a dark and stormy night, and the E.P. and I needed to make our way to the Hotel Vitale for some surprise birthday cocktailing. Not actually knowing where the Horel Vitale was, we were resigned to another night at Rico's until I decided to embrace 21st century technology, and use my computer to mapquest the hotel and any Mexican restaurants in the vicinity. To our great surprise, Vitale is directly across from the Ferry Building! As you already know if you tuned for TDT day ?, Mijita (one of my top tacos from the year so far) is in said Ferry Building, and is open till 8PM on Friday! In a potent 1-2 weekend punch, the E.P. and I hit Mijita hard for a couple of tacos, and then hit the Vitale even harder for a couple (and maybe a couple more) El Toro's stouts (the Guiness of Mexico).

Day 147: Chipotle

It was my misfortune to be out working this rainy thursday afternoon. Forced to head south of the city in the midst of what van only be described as a torrential downpour, I decided to take advantage of my proximity to the only Chipotle in the area and complete the taco filling quad-fecta at this tasty Mexican chain. Having already sampled the chicken, steak, and pork tacos, I was left with the barbacoa (spicy shreded beef for all you gringos) for my meal today. After successfully navigating the strange assembly gauntlet Chipotle utilizes, my tacos arrived with the necessary mound of lettuce to hide them from the prying eyes of other patrons. As snuck the tacos out from their vegetable camoflage and into my hungry maw, I was pleased that todays carne filling held it's own in comparison to los autros Chipotle choices. Any way you order them, Chipotle makes a tasty taco!