MรXICO ๐ฒ๐ฝ
(BAJA CALIFORNIA)
(BAJA CALIFORNIA)
On a slow night.
When the fat starts dripping off the strips of carne asada, down into the flames and charcoal under the grill, a thick smoke rises into the air over Vineland Avenue and acts as this popular taco stand's bat signal. Cars pull over two and three deep on busy nights and folks from North Hollywood and well beyond line up for some of the nicest Tijuana-style tacos in the Valley.
When they first started building a following, it was hard to look away from their strong Instagram game and personalized hashtags dictating the importance of not charging extra for guacamole, a standard component of a Tijuana-style taco. Videos were put out nightly at opening times to whet people's appetites and later when the stand was beyond capacity to show off their reign on Vineland.
El trompero. Photo credit: Pel.
Like most taqueros slinging TJ-style tacos, the proprietors are skilled from elsewhere but filling a need and a hunger. The swiftness of a cleaver-wielding taquero cutting up freshly grilled carne asada is even more impressive in person than it was on the Instagram story that convinced you to drive here in the first place.
And it would be a shame not to start there with this excellently grilled beef (below), which should be the base of all the toppings they have. In addition to the thick guacamole, onions, and cilantro, say yes to both their red and green salsas like the majority of other customers. Squeeze some limes on, and the flavor accumulations are far more than should be allowed for less than $2.
Con todo.
A good bit of the fun here is watching the progression of your tortillas being prepared, from a big bowl of masa to the singed discs that the taquero will grab straight from the grill to add your meats. Each is like a snowflake here, unique in its own way. Larger ones are laid out for quesadillas, an order you always promise yourself for next time.
But when that next time arrives, another order of carne asada usually happens, maybe in the form of a mulita this time, a cheesy creation with tortillas on both sides. They also have a trompo for adobada, which make for excellent meals as well, but I always find the guacamole pairs a bit nicer with the beef and it would be a shame not to eat as much as possible on every visit.
Photo credit: Pel.
A second location has opened up at 13870 Foothill Blvd in Sylmar, and judging by the thoughts online it looks to be up to the same standards. Have any of you tried it yet? Let us know what we're missing.
Photo credit: Pel.
A slightly busier night. Photo credit: Pel.
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