26 Taqueria Jalisco

May 19, 2010

4755 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016

Mid-City

Carmen and I went to nearby Taqueria Jalisco for dinner, and I really enjoyed it – a fine meal from a platonic taco shop, a little place with few tables, and doors that open the whole front of the shop to the sidewalk.

I was fooled by the exterior signage program, which has caught my eye over the years. Both this place and the nearby “Washington Market” are humble little businesses with vaguely trendy-looking arial-wannabe-helvetica-medium exterior signs. I was expecting a blandly designy interior to match the signage, and had even constructed in my mind a narrative in which some Community Design Center had dispensed with a grant by providing upgraded signage and interiors for select local businesses in this gritty Washington Boulevard neighborhood. The signs out front, however, are where the design stops, thankfully. Inside, Taqueria Jalisco is 100% old-school.

The tacos are $1.15 each, and about average to just above average in size, an excellent value. Carmen and I both ordered one each of the carne asada, al pastor, and carnitas tacos. Tacos are prepared on the hot stainless plancha to order, and we waited about ten minutes to be served. The plate was delivered with garnishing carrots, jalapeno, radish and lemon. Tacos were delivered con todo with a good salsa, less hot than medium-hot.

I took a first bite of the carne asada taco. Very tasty, juicy, hot, almost perfect. Memories of my first taco experiences in Santa Ana flooded my mind. The bilaminated normal tortillas were piping hot and nicely leathery. The meat had perfect coverage on the tortillas, and the onion, cilantro and salsa were all supplied in the perfect ratio to the taco. Carmen commented that there was a harmony between the size of the diced onion and the diced meat. These tacos were absolutely unpretentious, but crafted with the utmost care – the classic taco prepared by a master artisan. One must respect and appreciate such craftsmanship when one encounters it.

I ate the al pastor taco next. It was the charriest, crunchiest pork al pastor I’ve ever encountered. I enjoyed the sensation, although I must admit it was too charred. Last I ate the carnitas taco. Their carnitas is excellent, brown with a dry, crispy, varied texture.

Taqueria Jalisco provides the proper taqueria experience, and is absolutely taco-righteous.