Day 32: Rico's

Today marks the beginning of month two of twelve in my quest to complete the mythical year of tacos. One down, eleven to go, and I'm just starting to hit my taco stride! After another rough Saturday, it was Rico's to the rescue again. Halftime of the Sunday night football game presented the perfect opportunity to peel myself off the couch for a quick trip around the corner to grab some Mexican grub. With the Daily Taco's Senior Taco Consultant and Taco Quality Comptroller in attendance, two shrimp tacos began month two on a very high note. Yum Yum Yum!

Day 31: El Norteno

A taqueria on wheels! Brilliant idea? Filthy idea? Both? I set out this Saturday to find out. Across the street from the S.F. Hall of Justice (no, the super friends do not live there. That would be way cool, though), the El Norteno "roach coach" parks every day to serve delicious mexican fare to law-abiding citizens and felons alike with a refreshing lack of prejudice. My DA buddy (El Chezerie as he is known south of the border) had recently been praising this mobile taco stand for serving some of the best authentic tacos in the city. Not surprisingly, Senor Salty would not be content until he had confirmed these taco rumors for himself. After a $500 dollar stop at BevMo to prepare for the Chez's house warming party later in the afternoon, we made a bee-line for 850 Bryant, and the El Norteno truck. I followed the Chez's lead and placed my order for three carne asada tacos. They arrived on a plate with a slice of lime and spicy pickled carrots and jalapenos; the juicy steak complimented by a very minimalist acoutrement of cilantro, onions, and hot sauce. Perfect! Just like tacos fresh off a cart in the alleys of any Mexican metropolis. Most surprising was the score of a perfect 100 points on the S.F. Health department's certificate of cleanliness. Very impressive, indeed!

Day 30: Don Ramon's

As I tried to make my way home from work today, the usual Friday afternoon traffic forced me to reconsider the path I would take from Daly City to North Beach. With the freeway full of horrible drivers, and the weather tending towards showers (nothing like rain to make bad San Francisco drivers absolutely atrocious), I decided it would be in my best interests to get off the freeway as soon as soon as I got within the city limits. Street traffic was, not surprisingly, slow as well, and I soon found myself cruising outer SOMA in a vain attempt to out smart the S.F. auto gridlock. Upon comming to terms with the fact that a quick trip home was not in the cards today, and seeing as how I had missed lunch, I was fortunate enough to recall that I had been pointed in the direction of a Mexican restaurant in the near vicinity by my buddy JB. A short detour later I was parked in front of Don Ramon's on 11th street between Howard and Folsom. Continuing with the "taco meal" theme from yesterday, I ordered the two taco (one chicken, one beef)lunch. My tacos arrived flanked by rice and refried beans, and were covered with shredded lettuce (yes, there are tacos under that green mound) and red sauce. The meat was deliciously spicy, and the shells were just the right amount of crunchy. Thank you John Brown for an excellent taco recommendation. Don Ramon's is now officially in the taco rotation!

Day 29: Taqueria Maria

Work took me South to Seton hospital in Daly City today. With the extensive amount of time I spend at this medical center, I was fairly sure I had become acquainted with all of the fooding options within a reasonable distance. I was resigned to eating Taco Bell again as it was the only Mexican option close enough for me to reach before the surgery I was to attend began. Imagine my joyful surprise when , as I drove up Sullivan avenue on my way to the hospital, I saw a taqueria hidden in a strip mall that had never caught my eye before. In a split second decision, I pulled a hard (mostly illegal) left across two lanes of traffic and into the parking lot. Not the smartest move considering the restaurant was full of Daly City's finest! Thankfully they were engrossed in their tacos, burritos, and chimi changas, and so took no notice of my erratic driving. The order: carne asada tacos. The question from the guy behind the counter: how many? The menu said you got two tacos per order, so I said two to make it easy on him. Counter guy then mumbled something at me that was mostly unintelligible. I decided a positive head nod was the proper response since I was relatively sure whatever I was agreeing to would, at the very least, still involve tacos. When my food arrived, it was apparent my nod had transformed my two taco order into a "taco dinner" complete with beans, rice, and guacamole. Excellent! The carne asada was delicious, with a citrusy kick that really brightened the flavor of my tacos. After my meal, it was abundantly clear how I had escaped the long arm of the law during my earlier automotive escapades: the food at Taqueria Maria is distractingly delicious.

Day 28: Las Palomas

With an hour and a half to kill between surgeries at Peninsula hospital today, I decided to expand my Milbrae Mexican food horizons beyond the black hole of a Taco Bell that always seemed to drag me in to its drive thru whenever I ventured too close. After a mighty struggle to break free of the T-Bell's gravitational pull, I succeeded in continuing North on El Camino, deeper into uncharted taco territory then ever before. My persistence was rewarded when, in less than a mile, I stumbled upon Las Palomas taqueria. Hidden next to a Dominos pizza on the sixteen hundred block of El Camino, a passer by might never guess that this unassuming restaurant hides some extremely tasty food. The standard order of two pollo asado tacos with guacamole arrived piping hot, with tender CORN tortillas, delicious chicken (you can tell a good tacqueria when the grilled chicken is mostly dark thigh meat), and a great authentic touch of onions and cilantro sprinkled on top. Served on a white plastic plate with just the right amount of chips to scoop up the taco fillings that I couldn't keep in the shell long enough to get in my mouth, these were definitely two very satisfying afternoon treats.

Day 27: Tres Agaves

Seeing as the Giants have officially fallen 18 American games back of first in the NL west, I figured it would be safe to venture down by the ball park for my tacos this evening even thought there was a home game agains the Padres (Dres 6, Gigantes 4. Love that Giants bull pen!). Tres Agaves, two blocks from Pac Bell park (or the Big Phone as it is known to us locals), is a spectacular Mexican restaurant housed in an old SOMA (South of Market for those of you from not here) warehouse. While the exposed timbers and brick walls make for a great ambiance, its the tacos that really shine at this offshoot of Cabo Wabo (Long Live the Red Rocker) and Tommy's restaurant on Geary (a sure future stop on Senor Salty's taco path). Tonight I chose the fried snapper tacos as I had recently been dreaming about a college trip to San Felipe (the undisputed top spot for fish taco's). Four little tacos arrived filled with crispy fish, spicy crema, and crunchy cabbage. They were just what I had been craving. Washed down with a couple of Pacificos, these tacos were truly delectable.

Day 26: Taco Bell

The "fresco style" crunchy taco. My secret weapon in the battle to eat a year of tacos and not die of heart failure. With the amount of T-Bell I expect to eat during this year, I can use all the help I can get. What, prey tell, is a "fresco style" taco? Imagine a regular taco, only better for you, and even more tasty. Impossible you say. O ye of little faith. You dare to doubt the mighty Bell. The taco magicians at my favoritest of fast food chains have concocted a taco so brilliant I still marvel at its ingenious simplicity. Take your average every day taco (or any delicious menu item), get rid of the cheese/sauce, and replace it with what surprisingly seems to be freshly made "fiesta" salsa (which, according to the website, consists of a zesty mix of tomatoes, onions, and cilantro). Three of these yummy treats (a #8 combo as you know from the last T-Bell post) roll in at a measly 440 calories, with 9 grams of fiber, and 20 grams of muscle building protein. You also save 6 grams of fat (4 of those saturated), and 70 calories over a #8 of the non-fresco variety. Amazing! And the best part is, the fiesta salsa adds that perfect extra zing that raises the Bells already good tacos to the next plane of tacodom.