The duck confit salad is very underrated.
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Here is the information. The cueritos were fantastic, silky texture and the salsas and condiments were damn good. They also have handmade corn tortillas but they are premade, not sure if they make them in house or buy some somewhere but they are excellent. The one thing I do not care for at Villa Moreliana are the tortillas. They do sell out so make sure to go early.
https://instagram.com/carnitas_el_negro?igshid=144gq7ppobx3y
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Birrieria Gonzalez (Whittier) -
For those in (or with family in) the Whittier area, just letting you know that the Birrieria Gonzalez is not like the branch in East LA on Whittier Blvd.
We dropped by after a day out because the chowpup with us wanted some quesataco with birria. We were closest to this one, off we went.
That there was a long line of folks waiting for their food with long lulls between numbers being called out should have been our first warning sign. Then a string of numbers were called with ours not being in the batch.
At the East LA location, numbers are consistently called out because that operation is a well-oiled machine. Never a long lull of nothing.
While we were waiting, we had time to notice that this location also wasn’t as tidy as East LA. That location is always immaculate. They clean tables off immediately and make sure turnover as fast. The restrooms are also spotless. This Whittier one…not so much.
Then our order arrived. The dorado tacos were partially fried…crispy but also chewy…which is real weird for dorado tacos. They also tasted a little stale…like someone thought frying a stale tortilla would hide the fact it was stale…it doesn’t. The birria itself tasted funky…the spices were there but it also tasted old and leftover-like. This was towards the end of the day, so statistics likely calls for today’s batch. Then I tried the quesatacos and the consommé.
Now I’m a frequent visitor at the East LA branch, and the quesataco and the consommé was nothing like East LA. Not bright. Not fresh. Just dull with a slight hint of funk. All the cilantro, onions and lime can’t hide that scent/taste.
Worth noting we’ve visited this location before when they first opened. Everything was on point and just like East LA. Has a bait-and-switch occurred? Are the folks from the East LA branch not keeping tabs to ensure consistency?
Teddy’s Red Tacos (Whittier)
On our way home, we ran into the Whittier branch of Teddy’s Red Tacos. And of course we stopped. Orders were coming out consistently here.
Verdict? While not as glorious as the East LA branch of Birrieria Gonzalez, it is leagues better than what we had moments before. No strange funk to the birria. Tortillas were mass-produced but not stale tasting. It made the night more successful.
Parking lot is incredibly tiny as the truck is parked while they renovate the former Weinerschnitzel location.
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Thanks!
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Yikes. Thanks for taking one for the team. 
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This topic reminds me…
Tacos El Compita - Pico Blvd - Mid City
Beefy, tender, juicy in a crispy, pliable tortilla. yum. 
I haven’t had Teddy’s Red Tacos yet but I give the consommé at Pepe’s Red Tacos the flavor edge.
Carne Asada
I didn’t try these. Hubs said they were passable.
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Haven’t been to parks in years but glad I got a chance to revisit, sad I didn’t rediscover this place sooner
P1 combo plus kalbitang (not pictured). Quality of meat and panchan some of the best
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Isnt there a Tacos El Compita truck parked on Hooper near Tire Shop A.M.? Are these the same peeps?
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I think there’s more than one spot but this is brick & mortar.
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Bestia
Sorry for the bad photos we sat outside and it was dark and we were super hungry. Highlights were the cavatelli norcina, lamb neck, and the frozen strawberry black berry torte. Super busy food was very good but not as well executed as past visits. Service was slow but to be expected when they are so busy.
They aren’t requiring masks and the restaurant seemed like pre covid type rules just FYI.
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My June rice. About as freshly milled as it can get as the milling takes place after you place your order and you can specify mill rate. Organic, Shizuoka Nikomaru.
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Mariscos Jalisco on La Cienega
First time. We loved the shrimp tacos. I don’t think they are overrated at all. The fried outside with the soft interior. The salsa is perfect for them.
Rockfish ceviche was delicious. A whole avocado to eat with it.
Yeah, this is crave-worthy.
Tacos El Compita on Pico Blvd
Birria tacos were delicious.
The consommé had the smell of reconstituted dried chilies. You know, that chocolaty smell. The broth was quite tasty and totally different then Teddy’s which we preferred. Teddy’s has a much deeper richer beefy flavor to it and then they add a little lime and cilantro to it.
The taco dorado was grill toasted rather than deep fried. This was really good. Meat and cheese.
Taqueria San Miguel on Hooper
Asada tacos were quite good. I should’ve gotten some roja to put on these. Had some leftover from one of the other stops.
Could’ve used a touch of salt, as it was under seasoned. But the smokiness was great. Needed a squeeze of lime.
The vampiro was just super crunchy. Not my favorite rendition. Super crunchy top and bottom. I like the ones that are grilled crispy but not hard crunchy. Just a preference.
Top Round
Needed something sweet so… a diet grape Fanta lol.
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Sally’s Apizza, New Haven.
My friends brought back some pizza (correction apizza) after a few hours in the car. I won’t judge as I’ll have to dine in there to be fair.
Observations: Slices are cut irregular. Bits of char here and there as you can see in the underboob shot. My fingers are a little black. My friend describe it as if NYC and Naples pizza had a baby.
Any ideas on how to reheat these to be somewhat close to what you can get fresh?
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Clam pie too?
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I don’t think you can really do it. Heat up a pizza stone or steel and throw it in for a few minutes, but it won’t be the same.
Peter Reinhart calls New Haven style “neo-Neapolitan” so he agrees with your friend.
If you didn’t know @J_L 's comment refers to white clam apizza made famous by Frank Pepe’s. Quite possibly one of the best pizzas in the world, but definitely not a candidate for reheating.
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One of my Yalie friends love that pie.
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