Tag: pastor

A Brief History of Tacos Al Pastor

This simple but complex dish has captured the hearts of people all over the world. Some people call even it the pinnacle of Mexican cuisine. It is the most famous dish from Mexico City: Tacos Al Pastor, truly the perfect blend of sweet and spicy goodness.

Al Pastor Tacos

Tacos Al Pastor is really the result from a clash of cultures. Using the vertical spit is very reminiscent of the shwarma or the Turkish kebab. Mexicans adopted this form of spit roasting from Arab and Lebanese immigrants that came over in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The earliest photo of the vertical spit is dated 1855.

Al Pastor, which literally translates to “shepard style.” get’s its name from its original filling of lamb. Over time locals replaced the lamb with the more common pork and the pita was replaced with the omnipresent tortilla. There are still places where you can find more middle eastern style pastor. Made with lamb on pita bread topped with onion and cilantro these “Oriental” or “Arab” tacos”(tacos arabes) were introduced in 1930s and 1940s and are still popular in Puebla and Mexico City.

Ultimately, there are a few main components that make up a successful Al Pastor taco: the trompo “vertical spit”, the salsa, and the pineapple. Traditionally, al pastor is made with spices, achote, chiles, and is marinated for hours. Then the pork is layered on a vertical spit. The leaner cuts of meat and the fattier cuts are alternated to keep the meat tender during the cooking process.

As far as salsa goes, the correct amount of heat is key. There have been plenty of Al Pastor tacos ruined by a bland salsa. The salsa, in combination with onions and cilantro, play up the spicy and savory notes in the pork.

The pineapple is what takes Al Pastor tacos to the next level. The sweetness cuts through the salsa and pork to give it a fresh element that balances the entire taco.The play of savory, spicy sweet all there in a taco, the perfect vehicle to deliver flavor.

(Note: Don’t overlook the power of a good tortilla: a well-made, fresh tortilla will keep its pliable and soft texture to hold in all the ingredients.)

Some Of Our Favorite Al Pastor Tacos

Cassave Restaurant

5412 San Pablo Ave

Emeryville, CA 94608

(510) 601-1653

http://www.cassaverestaurant.com/

Cassave is not technically in Oakland but this taqueria serves a really nice pastor taco with some great flavors

Tacos El Gordo

4201 International Blvd

Oakland Ca 94601

Tacos El Gordo roasted on a traditional trompo. Tacos El Gordo is an institution serving delicious tacos to one and all.

El Novillo

1001 Fruitvale Blvd (Guadalajara Restaruant Parking Lot)

Oakland,Ca 94602

Popular truck in the fruitvale neighborhood. Slinging delcious pastor all day.

Tacos Y Chelas

Pop up in and around Oakland. Check them out on instagram @tacosychelasoak to find out where they will be.

April 21, 2018
Tacos on a Tuesday with Tacos El Precioso

Tacos El Precioso @ Eli’s Mile High Club

I recently caught up with Devin Gonzalez – owner of Tacos El Precioso – at his regular Tuesday pop up at Eli’s Mile High Club, a bar / music venue on Martin Luther King Blvd in Oakland, CA. I know what you’re thinking…tacos on a Tuesday?! What can I say? I like to live on the edge. 😛

“How did all of this start?”

Having worked in restaurants, people close to him encouraged him to start his own thing.

“…they would tell me you can really do this, your food is good!”

And so, after some more urging, Devin decided to give it a go. Tacos El Precioso has been up and running for about a year. Gonzalez is working hard to fill out his schedule with pop ups at local bars, business, and private events. He has pop ups around Oakland throughout the month, including pop ups @ Temescal Brewing Company and a Vegan Pozole Pop Up @ Hasta Muerta Coffee.

The name Taco El Precioso comes from a nickname that his grandmother gave to him as her first grandchild. (Precioso meaning precious.)

“It’s tacos, you can’t take it too seriously, so why not?” Devin explains.

Vegan Pozole – Tacos El Precioso

It’s with that approach Gonzalez handles his business and his food: nothing too pretentious, just good food. But sometimes Gonzalez needs a little assist with the pop up and on this Tuesday, his friend Shelly helps whip up food while Andrea handles the orders.

“We’re all friends!” they tell me, and that comes shining through when you talk with them, as well as the way they work together.

But now, let’s talk food. On the menu the evening of my visit were carne asada, cauliflower pastor, chicken tinga, shrimp ceviche tostada, vegan pozole, and Mexican ice cream sandwiches. I did not indulge in the ice cream sandwiches this time around (sad, I know  )

Asada X Cauliflover Pastor X Chicken Tinga – Tacos El Precioso

I’ll start by saying these tacos were gorgeous. The colors, the smells: it was a thing of beauty. Everything I ate was high quality and super flavorful. If I had to choose, the standouts for me were the chicken tinga taco and the shrimp ceviche tostada. The chicken tinga almost melted in your mouth, with a rich, hearty flavor in the chicken and a hint of sweetness on the back end.

Shrimp Ceviche – Tacos El Precioso

The ceviche was super light and gave a nice burst of freshness to accompany my beer. The softness of the shrimp combined with the crunch of the tostada made for the perfect bite. Oh, and then there was the cauliflower pastor. You don’t say? Its good – trust me.

Devin Gonzalez (center) gets an assist from friends Shelly (left) and Andrea (right)

Had a great time during my visit. Next time I’ll have to try the ice cream sandwhiches.Overall I find that the crew that makes up Tacos El Precioso is just a good group of people making really good food – and having some fun while doing it.

You can catch Taco El Precioso at their weekly pop up @ Eli’s Mile High Club.

To schedule Tacos El Precioso for your next event, go to tacosperciso.com

Be sure to follow them on INSTAGRAM: @tacoselprecioso.

April 16, 2018
Taco Spot Review: Casa Latina Bakery Berkeley, CA

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Located on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, Casa Latina Bakery is a popular spot in the neighborhood. After driving by it so many times – en

route from Oakland to Berkeley – it was time to finally check out this sometimes bustling taqueria.

In the main dining hall, paintings of Frida Kahlo line the walls. The dining area has several tables along the wall and there are two larger tables in the middle of the dining room. There is also a small platform/stage in the back of the room. It was not immediately clear if they ever have live music. (I hope they do).

Casa Latina offers a variety of taco options. Their Tacos de Plaza are served with two small tortillas and with a choice of salsas: mild salsa fresca, medium green tomatillo salsa, and a spicy chile de Arbol salsa. Choices for taco fillings include Pollo Asado (grilled chicken), Carnitas (pork), Carne Asada (steak), Chorizo (Mexican pork sausage), Al Pastor (pork marinated in adobo seasoning), and Barbacoa (slow-cooked shredded beef). In addition to Tacos de Plaza, Casa Latina has options such as Tacos Dorados, Taquitos de Papa (rolled potato tacos), a veggie taco (includes black beans, mushrooms and spinach), shrimp, grilled fish, and beer battered fish tacos.

Outside of the tacos, Casa Latina offers expected taqueria options such as burritos, nachos, quesadillas, and pupusas. Being a bakery, there are also a number of baked goods available. As you walk into the restaurant, you’ll see display cases full of delicious looking baked goods. I am not well versed in Mexican pastries so on this visit I passed.

casa latina display case

One of the things I really liked when ordering was the cashier asking which level of heat I wanted for my tacos. Naturally, I requested the spicier salsa. I normally assume ‘spicy’ at a restaurant means they added a jalapeno to the salsa. The spicy salsa at Casa Latina was not the typical spicy. It was right kind of heat: just enough to feel your taste buds light up, but not enough to clear your sinuses.

Asada X Chorizo X Barbacoa

For this visit, I got 3 tacos: 1 Asada, 1 Chorizo, and 1 Barbacoa. These tacos were outstanding. On first look, I thought the steak was a little overdone but I think it was just the charring from the grill. The steak was tender and well-flavored. The Chorizo was pure spicy goodness. Paired with the spicy salsa it was heat heaven for a spice hound like myself. The barbacoa was a little disappointing. While the flavor was nice, I got mostly fat on my plate.

All in all, I really liked Casa Latina’s well-prepared, bright, vibrant food. It’s an awesome place to host a group or to meet a friend. The restaurant is busy but not too loud. There was great artwork on the walls, as well as some good people watching out of the windows that look onto San Pablo Ave. While some of their offerings are pricier than other taquerias in the area ($6.50 for a fish taco), Casa Latina executes their dishes with authenticity and skill. If you’re in the neighborhood and looking for a more refined taco experience you should check out Casa Latina.

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November 20, 2017
Book Review: TACOS: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes

In my neverending quest to eat all the tacos, I am perpetually on the lookout for recipes to try at home. Enter TACOS: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes by Mark Miller. I was familiar with another cookbook of his The Great Salsa Book . I enjoyed the salsas that I’ve made from that cookbook and I thought, this fellow may be onto something.

The book begins by chronicling how the author was introduced to the taco. Growing up in the New England area, Miller describes eating tacos during his summers in Guadalajara.

“…this food was alive, colorful, aromatic, tasty, crunchy, juicy, and flavorful-as if I had crossed a new frontier of food experience. “ Miller describes.

He goes on to detail his experiences with “fast food” and street food in the U.S. and the contrast from Mexico.

“Tacos are much a part of daily social life in Mexcio as the Catholic Church” Miller writes.

It is this awakening that has leads Miller to write not only this book on tacos but the “the great salsa book” and “…great chile book” respectively. Miller’s inquisitive approach as well as his in-depth understanding of flavors has yielded some great recipes. There are both traditional taco recipes as well as some non-traditional takes on the taco.

His 16 ingredient tacos al pastor recipe calls for many classic Mexican ingredients. These ingredients play off of each other to give you a complexity of flavors that is as authentic as it can get, without having your own tompo. His carnitas recipes is almost the exact inverse with some simple seasoning that highlight the crispy pork flavor.

Some of his nontraditional recipes include Thai shrimp tacos. These Thai inspired tacos have both a creamy consistency and some distinct heat that Thai chilies bring to any recipe.

Taco fillings are broken down into six categories. Vegetables: Chicken and Fowl: Seafood: Pork: Beef Lamb, and Game: Breakfast. There are also chapters on salsas, sides, drinks and tortillas. Miller gives the readers and cooks a lot of options when deciding on which to cook. His knowledge and culinary IQ shine throughout this cookbook. All of the recipes seem congruent and consistent to the authors sensibilities. I can image serving several recipes from this book for a gathering or an epic taco marathon.

Overall I like the recipes that I experimented with in this cookbook and I can’t wait to try some more.

You can buy a copy of TACOS: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes

November 14, 2017
Taco Spot Review: The Burrito Truck Emeryville Califronia

The Burrito Truck Emeryville Logo

The bright red/orange caught the corner of my eye while driving down San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville. As I walked up, I realized that the name and the truck looked super familiar. It took a moment and I realized that it used to be stationed at a gas station on San Pablo Avenue in North Oakland. The Burrito Truck had been recommended to me, but like food trucks do sometimes, it had mysteriously disappeared from its previous location.

The Burito Truck – Emeryville

The Burrito Truck Emeryville Menu

Although the name is The Burrito Truck, as you could guess, I was there for the tacos. On this trip, I got 5 tacos in total: one asada, one chorizo, one chicken, one suadero, and one carnitas. Of the 5, I felt that the chicken and suadero were the best. The chicken was nice and juicy with a subtle sear, while the suadero was super tender and flavorful. I was not as impressed with the chorizo taco. I was expecting a little more heat. With that said, all of the tacos were well prepared and fresh off the griddle. They come served with jalapenos, radish, pickled carrots, and a lime wedge. The food did seem to come out at a pretty smooth pace.

I arrived there just before the lunch rush. There are several warehouses and office buildings within walking distance, so by the time I left there was a steady stream of customers. There are a few small colorful stools near the truck for people to sit outside and enjoy their food. Otherwise, there is no seating.

The Burrito Truck Emeryville

Overall this is a really solid truck. The fillings were super flavorful. The truck is parked right along the Emeryville greenway so you could ride your bike over if you’re in the neighborhood. The truck also accepts debit/credit, which is nice. This seems like a great spot to get your taco (or burrito) fix if you work in the area.

It looks like The Burrito Truck is primarily a Monday – Friday taco spot. They are parked across from 1255 67th Ave from 10 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday.

October 28, 2017
Types of Tacos

At this point in my taco adventure, I have eaten countless tacos. And I would consider myself to have a very good knowledge base when it comes to the subject. I remember as a teen and young adult, I would walk up and ask the person inside the truck for 4 asada tacos. I would pay very little attention to any other menu items or the descriptions next to them. That is except when I was pretending to read through them, posturing as if I was undecided about what to order.

About a year ago, I was at one of my favorite local trucks with a friend and they asked if I knew what different item descriptions meant. To be honest, I didn’t really know at the time. I knew that sometimes I ordered tacos and the tortillas were warm, while other times the tortillas would be moist. That conversation drove me to explore and learn more about the origins of different tacos and find out how they are prepared. I found several great sites describing types of tacos.

These are two great concise articles centered on taco types:

Craftsy – Types of Tacos

Serioius Eats Guide To Taco Styles

Below you find a brief description of the different styles of tacos that I learned about. Next time you are at a truck or restaurant, see if you can pick out these descriptions.

Tacos De Asador also known as “Spit” or “Grill” Tacos usually are made with grilled fillings such as asada (steak), chorizo (Mexican sausage), pollo (chicken), and tripas (tripe).

Tacos De Cazo – Deep fried fillings typically include tripe, suadero, carnitas, and buche (pork stomach).

Tacos De Sudados or Canasta – corn tortillas filled and then covered to trap moisture “sweat” and soften them.

Tacos Al Pastor or De Adobada – Pork steaks seasoned with adobo. Traditionally the steaks are skewered and stacked on a rotisserie and slow-cooked.

Tacos De Pescado / Fish Tacos – Grilled or fried fish topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, and/or sour cream.

Tacos De Camarones / Shrimp Tacos – Grilled or Fried Shrimp usually topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, and/or sour cream.

Tacos Dorados / Fried Tacos (taquitos)– Rolled, deep-fried tacos usually filled with chicken or beef.

Here is a helpful inforgraphic by Maggie Unzueta @ Fix.com

February 1, 2017