I'm intolerant of lactose!

Tacos El Gallito

I love tacos and living in L.A. there are some pretty great options.

This is Tacos El Gallito located all over the city.  I went to this one at 2:30AM on the corner of La Cienega and Venice.  I was clearly the only Jewish guy in line and their tacos are pretty great.

I ordered 4 tacos. 

2 Suedero http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suadero

2 Al pastor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor

They’re $1.25 each and come with a roasted pepper and onion.  Muy Bueno!

You put the condiments on yourself.  Let’s take a look shall we.

Being a “Gringo” I’m learning more and more about real Mexican tacos.  If any real Mexicans want to take me on a taco tour, let me know!

Soup Dumplings!

These, my friends, are soup dumplings. You can find them in the streets of Shanghai or in the beautiful city of Arcadia!  I live in L.A. and I’m about 40 minutes away from a great place that serves soup dumplings.  It’s called DIN TAI FUNG. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Din_Tai_Fung

Let’s talk dumplings for a quick sec.  Okay, what are soup dumplings?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongbao

Basically, they are little buns that have hot soup inside of them.  They’re steamed in a bamboo basket and are served piping hot.  It’s all about that hot soup baby.  Soup inside of a dumpling!!!  Only a genius would come up with that. I don’t know the history of it, but I bet it takes someone a long time to learn the art of making dumplings.  I’d love to meet a dumpling master.

On the menu they’re called juicy pork dumplings.  You pick up the dumpling with your chopsticks and transfer it onto your soup spoon.  Then you put a little chili oil and some ginger.  Then dip in the soy/vinegar sauce, take a small bite, and suck out the soup.  Then pop the rest in your mouth.  It is a FLAVOR explosion. 

These little dumplings are like crack. Now, I swear I’ve never tried crack, but people who have tried it seem to love it.  So, soup dumplings are just like crack, except you buy them from Asians.

Next time I go I’ll post a video.

Thanks for reading about my new favorite dish.

DIN TAI FUNG 1108 S Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 574-7068

Tinga!

Tinga is one of my favorite new restaurants in L.A. It serves gourmet street tacos on La Brea.  It has one big communal table and serves some pretty tasty tacos. 

First of all, the tortillas are made in house and the place just smells fresh when you walk in.

I only took a few pics.

This is the 48 hour short-rib tacos. Served with salsa verde, pickled red cabbage, raw tomatillo salsa, papas bravas, and queso fresco.

Here is the eliote.  I was thinking about this dish days later.

It’s pretty simple. Grilled sweet corn, creamy lime, chili, poblano puree, and some cotija cheese.

This is the mushroom & steak quesadilla. Mushroom puree, jack cheese, avocado tomato salsa, and crema.  Delicious!

They don’t serve booze, but have some great agua frescas and horchata.  They can even make the horchata “dirty.” (They add a shot of espresso)

Great place with very tasty food.

TINGA: 142 N. La Brea Ave., L.A. (323) 954-9566, tingabueno.com