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The Taco Project

LOS JARRITOS
Keyes Rd. (at 11th St.), San Jose, next to 7-11

I started The Taco Project with the express purpose of bringing greater attention to Silicon Valley’s taco riches. Today, I hit the jackpot with Los Jarritos.

It was the words “handmade tortillas” and “chavindecas” that caught my eye on this taco truck.

The shade from the roof makes this taco truck an appealing place to eat.

I was driving down Keyes Road in San Jose researching Vietnamese restaurants when I saw a lonely taco truck parked in an empty lot that could have once been a gas station. The dusty lot was surrounded by a chain link fence but there was an opening for cars to drive through. My heart racing and stomach cheering, I drove in.

A few plastic chairs and tables had been set up under the shade of a free standing roof. Across the lot in what was maybe the gas station’s office was a makeshift kitchen where I could hear the chop-chop of knives on cutting boards. On either side of it were two other spaces that were either under construction or undergoing demolition. I couldn’t tell which. The confusing state of affairs and disrepair was pure Mexico. I knew I was in for something special. Read the rest of this entry »

Cupboard cuisine

Here a couple of meals I made during a recent spell of being broke that I wrote about here. They were good enough to make again when I had money in the bank.

Pupusas
Pupusas, griddled masa cakes, are El Salvador’s national dish and are great for a cheap and delicious meal.

Bag of masa (used for making tortillas)

Can of black beans, drained.

Grated jack cheese

Vegetable oil

Read the rest of this entry »

The Taco Project

I stopped in at Los Dos Compadres in Campbell the other day. This place is a taqueria and a place for mariscos–seafood. All the oysters, mussels, octopus, and lobster on the menu looked intriguing but I was here to try the tacos. This restaurant was crowded for lunch and I had high hopes but, alas, the tacos ($2.25) were less than great. I ordered carne asada and al pastor as ususal and both violated my first rule about good tacos–they were too big. The sturdy two-ply tortillas prevented them from falling apart but they were still unwieldly. The carne on the carne taco was gray and chewy and lacked that springy, juicy inside, crisp on the outside thing that I love so much. The pork specimen oozed an orange pool of grease. A little bit of grease is a good thing but part of the art and craft of a good al pastor taco is striking the right balance between grease sopped and dry. I actually poured the grease off before I had a bite. The taco gets points for the generous inclusion of pineapple (often placed on top of the pork as it roasts in a vertical broiler) but the preponderance of grease dragged it down.

Los Dos Compadres

100 W. Hamilton Ave. Campbell. 408.379.9133.

Taco tally

1. Tacos Eva

2. Tacos El Rancherito No. 2

3. Los Dos Compadres

4. La Cabana

Mexican uprising

I got some good responses to my Livefeed column about the lack of diversity among Silicon Valley’s Mexican restaurants. Here are few excerpts:

I would like to recommend that you try the restaurant El Tule. It is located at 5440 Thornwood Dr. in San Jose, and the phone number is 408. 227.1752. It is a small restaurant owned and run by a family from Oaxaca (so basically it is like having a family inviting you into an extension of their home and cooking for you.) The food is amazing - especially the traditional Oaxacan dishes like the mole and tlayudas (and they even have chapulines). All their homemade drinks are excellent too. Having lived in Oaxaca this past summer and loving the food, I now definitely go out of my way to go to this restaurant.
–Beth J.

Finally somebody (that be you) said publicly what I have been saying all along about the lack of real Mexican cuisine. I have “Mexico the Beautiful” cookbook, which is an art book on it’s own with the most sumptuous food you would ever want to find. Being French, I know that many of the dishes presented in the book could just as well be from France. As you said, Mexican cuisine is right up there with the best in the world. I am totally baffled why no one has started a Mexican restaurant featuring the wonderful food that is in this cookbook…OK, it’s one of those “if I ever won the lottery” statements, but that’s the first thing I think I would do. Hire myself a decent chef from Mexico and start cooking some of those recipes.
–Bernard M.

I feel real strongly about your article in this week’s Metro and fully agree! Where the hell is the rest of the Mexican food? I recommend Chalateco (several locations including 2323 The Alameda, Santa Clara) at the very least, because they do serve a tiny bit of outsider food, but not much. Eduardo’s (3123 Williamsburg Ave. San Jose) serves great, straight outta Mexico tacos and the like, and Mexico Bakery (2811 Story Rd., San Jose) serves the best tortas I’ve tasted from here to San Diego (tho, since their remodel, the jury is out because I haven’t been back). Up in San Mateo, Tres Amigos (243 S. B St.) serves probably the best horchata around at least, and has top-shelf burritos (get wet) among other things.
–Juan

Enjoyed your column. Have you tried the ceviche at La Costa (at 1805 Alum Rock Ave.? It’s good stuff!
–Chris K.

This is the beginning of a good list. One of the suggestions was so good that I’m planning a restaurant review of it in the coming weeks. Any more tips for places that go beyond the same ol’ tacos and burritos? Please keep them coming.