Inside L.A.'s Underground Street Food Scene With CNN's Nick Valencia in the Real Los Angeles

                             


Take a tour with CNN correspondent Nick Valencia and I into L.A.'s Mexican community, deep within the enclaves serving Mexican from very specific regions: DTLA's Mercado Olympic for shopping and street eats from Puebla, Michoacan, Jalisco and Mexico City;a food truck vendor in East L.A. from the State of Mexico, and a house in East L.A. that cooks up the best birria in L.A. from La Barca, Jalisco.

Help make street food legal one bite at a time; take time out of your week to dine at one of our delicious food trucks, stands, backyard or front yard eateries and even houses. Tell your politicians, friends and family to support working families and legalize street food--spread the word, street food is here to stay and it's a part of Los Angeles culture as it was always.

Hope you enjoy the segment as much we did filming it.

Birria Victor, Guadalajara: Goat Stew Tail-Gate Party on a Real Food Truck, a Pick-Up Truck That Is

No!Not breakfast in the hotel lobby!!

An early flight back after a late night show is always tricky when it comes to leaving Mexico,in this case, Guadalajara, with a last taste of something memorable. I'm always willing to risk snoring and drooling on the person sitting next to me on the flight over getting a good night's sleep and missing a chance for weekend breakfasts in Mexico.

9:30AM Lobby call? Not enough time to hit the Seafood Market in Zapopan, but maybe if I leave at 7AM....what time is it? 4:30AM? Ughhh.

At 8:35AM I'm sprinting out of the Hotel Intercontinental with comically mussed hair and a shoe half on. Too late for the market, too late for the Mercado de Abastos I had visited the day before. How 'bout that brilliant tacos al vapor stand I found yesterday?..shit....they're not there!!

Only 40 minutes 'til lobby.Airport food or the hotel? Oh, well....next time.


Walking back to the hotel, and only two blocks away from the entrance, I spy a pick-up truck, a blue tarp, and some seating. OK, whatever this is, I'm doing it.

Looks like birria de chivo(goat birria), great. "What do you have?", I said."Goat udder, tripe, and leg!", the young man proudly stated. Wow, let's have it all.

Birria is a cumin and herbed stew that translate to "a mess", it can be made of any protein, but most commonly:goat,lamb,or beef. In the state of Jalisco, goat is king.

Birria Victor has operated a 7-day a week, 26 year ongoing tail-gate party of a sublime plate of birria. His son, Victor Jr., runs the stand frequented by regulars. It's not oven-roasted, the local tradition, nor is it cooked in a pot, the goat meat is first stewed,then scorched on a comal for a "special flavor". The stock is cooked in a pot, and poured on the meat only seconds prior to serving.

Victor is a riot, as is his crew. A kid rides by with the opposition's soccer logo,Atlas, Victor yells out "Chivas", the kid stands on the pedals,hunches forward and speeds off. It seems he knows everyone that comes down the street, they either stop for a bite or get hazed on the way to somewhere;the number of police that frequent this truck could make Birria Victor its own precinct.

As I'm about to dig in, a portly guy sits next to me and gets a whole shank with a hypnotizing flap of tendon giggling about. It overflows onto the table from the man's bowl. Victor looks at me and him and teases this lucky customer," Hey, pick up the bone like this(he mocks a savage bite from a bone)and let him take a picture;he'll put you on the internet,guey!" Everything here is guey,pinche, chinga..,etc.The guy turns bright red,far too embarrassed to eat his luxurious bowl of shank in front of me. When my back is turned he holds it up, then shakes his head and puts it down, laughing and flashing a red-faced smile.


Everything is cooked on site, the lip of the truck's bed has a comal with a burner beneath that fries the goat and keep the stock warm. Blackened udder, machitos(a preparation of intestines wrapped by a cord of small intestine), and leg are what make this soup so amazing, both in flavor and texture.


All his unique cuts sit in a stock pot prior to being finished on the comal.


The shank is the prize though, known as chamorro,or perico.He refers to the tissue hanging off the bone as nerves, but it is tendon.


The machitos were so good, I ordered a taco of pure goat intestine.A pleasurable amount of crisp and burnt goat flavor are found in Victor's machitos.


Would we care for some beans and onions thrown in?You betcha.


Goat udder here at Birria Victor is more delicate than any beef udder I've enjoyed, and the goat meat Mexican stand-off between the flavors of udder, machitos, and scorched leg remains at a standstill an hour after your meal.The victorious?Well, that would be you, such delightful flavors and textures linger. A salsa of chile de arbol is on the table to heat things up, warm tortillas, and quartered limes to squeeze in just the right amount of acid.

If you find yourself in the hotel zone around the Plaza del Sol in nearby Zapopan in Gaudalajara, consider your breakfast prayers answered.

Birria Victor
7 days a week(8AM 'til early afternoon or they sell out)
parked on Tenochtitlan, just west of Lopez Mateos. X-st. Mariano Otero
Cd.del Sol neighborhood in Zapopan
Guadalajara,Jalisco
Mexico
(33)3634-0209

Taco Task Force:The Best Birria de Chivo in Los Angeles,America's Goat Central.

Assignment number two for the Taco Task Force began on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in East LA. A day that would take us again to out-of-the-ordinary pockets of the city, one of the best things about these adventures. I love getting to know LA better, neighborhood by neighborhood with good company in tow.This run proved to be a day of good food all around.This time we had all team members present:Javier, Cathy, Josh, Matt, and myself.Cathy's fiancee Vern, the astronomer, was with us once again for this taco madness.

For this tase adventure it would be birria de chivo(goat birria), the specialty of the states of Jalisco, Zacatecas, and the central states of Mexico. The goat is typically roasted in a pit or an oven on a rack, with the drippings forming a base for the consome(broth). The dish is served either dry, doused with the consome, or with the side of consome.In Mexico it is referred to as birria tatemada(roasted). It can be stewed as well, but the roasted goat is a more intense experience. There's nothing like walking into a bunch of birrierias like the famed Nueve Esquinas(9 corners) in Guadalajara, or outside the mercados in Zacatecas completed surrounded by the seductive aromas of slow roasted goat and cumin.

The dining set up is familiar and accessible to all: warm hand-made corn tortillas, diced onions, fresh cilantro,and a fine salsa or two.Birria, which translates to a mess, is a breakfast food in Mexico, and a might be the only reason to get out of bed on a Saturday morning after drinking too much on Friday night.

Our newly streamlined criteria consisted of the quality of principal ingredient, flavor, condiment, and expertise in cooking.

Scoring Key:Josh(Jo), Javier(Ja), Matt(M), Cathy and fer fiancee Vern, the civilian consultant for the TTF(VN),and myself(B).

Our first stop of the day, and number 5 on our TOP 5, Birrieria Chalio.


Birrieria Chalio has 22 years in the business and gets its tradition from the state of Zacatecas. This place is an East LOS classic.


This is still not a bad place to chase the "hair of the dog" for the locals, just not worthy of a special trip.Despite placing 5th on our best five they do a decent job here.


The meat had strong flavor although some of the rib and leg that was served had a slight dryness.The consome was bland, overall, there was a lack of that cumin presence one looks for in this dish. When combined with the mousepad thick East LA style corn tortilla, it was a nice goat birria taco, and the perfect start to this crawl.

Birrieria Chalio
Grade of Key Ingredient:Jo 3.5, B 3.5, Ja 4, CV 3.5, M 3 AVERAGE 3.5/5
Condiment/Tortilla:Jo 3.5, B 3.5, Ja 4, CV 3, M 3 AVERAGE 3.4/5
Overall Flavor:Jo 3, B 3, Ja 4, CV 3, M 3.5 AVERAGE 3.3/5
Cooking:Jo 3.5, B 3, Ja 4, CV 3, M 3.5 AVERAGE 3.4/5
OVERALL TACO SCORE: 3.4/5 (5th place)

3580 E. 1st ST.
Los Angeles,CA
323-268-5349

Our second stop in EastLA, and number 7 on the Birriathon, Birrieria Guadalajara.

Birrieria Guadalajara has been purchased sometime ago by some folks from El Salvador, and, well, I should have gone here first rather than drag the TTFers and literally TAKEN one for the team.


The condiments were not traditional,purple onions were a foreshadowing of things to come, and this place scored very low in all facets of the birria.....criteria.Sorry guys, send the Jaliscan birria preservation society here, and fast.

Birrieria Guadalajara
Grade of Key Ingredient:Jo 1, B 1.5, Ja 1, CV 1.5, M 1.5 AVERAGE 1.3/5
Condiment/Tortilla:Jo 2, B 1, Ja 1.5, CV 0.5, M 1.5 AVERAGE 1.3/5
Overall Flavor:Jo 1, B 1, Ja 1, CV 1, M 1 AVERAGE 1/5
Cooking:Jo 0.5, B 1.5, Ja 1, CV 0.5, M 2 AVERAGE 1.1/5
OVERALL TACO SCORE: 1.175/5

1128 South Atlantic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90022-4007
(323) 268-8885

The big surprise of our birria trek, and number 1 in our top five, Birrieria Tepeque.

After the Birrieria Guadalajara I was a little concerned about the fact that I hadn't been to Birrieria Tepeque. The thought of menacing glares from Cathy and Josh put my sweat glands on DEFCON 3.

As soon as I walked in to this place, the haunting aromas of goat, and that familiar sense that we were in the right place set in, and the added pleasure learning we had another regional player in the day's range of birrierias.


Owner, Gerardo Gutierrez, has been in the business for 15 years, but this is a relatively new location for them. Although not exclusively a birrieria, their dedication and cooking are stellar. The restaurant represents the cooking style of Apatzingan, Michoacan, and the place is named after the city of Tepalcatepec, a city that lies just across the border from southern Jalisco. Their regular menu appears to be the usual plates and appetizers, but the fact that they're from Morelia warrants further investigation.I'm coming back soon to check out this find.


The birria was finished in a pot which gives it a tender, juiciness that could be an unfair advantage, but they are going to be doing a roasted birria, too.



The consome was balanced and packed with flavor. All natural and all good.The special salsa of pure dried chiles and oil elicited ooos and ahhhs all 'round our table.Get some.


The mixed meats were expertly cooked, lovely goat flavors slowly triggering the pleasure sensors. "We use a younger goat than the other places", said the waitress. Not a kid, but perhaps a teenager?


But the best taste of the day went to their ribs, a must for your birria selection here at Tepeque.This was a goat taste, quality, and polish that retained an edge over all the other birrierias that day, and through the following week when I finished out my last stop. I'm thinking about this place right now, luscious, tender, juicy birria from Michoacan!It was so good we thought about just calling it a day, but, the TTF marched on......

Tepeque
Grade of Key Ingredient:Jo 4.5, B 4.5, Ja 4, CV 5, M 4.5 AVERAGE 4.5/5
Condiment/Tortilla:Jo 4.5, B 4, Ja 4, CV 4, M 4 AVERAGE 4.1/5
Overall Flavor:Jo 4, B 4, Ja 4, CV 5, M 4.5 AVERAGE 4.3/5
Cooking:Jo 4.5, B 5, Ja 4, CV 5, M 5 AVERAGE 4.7/5
OVERALL TACO SCORE: 4.4/5(1st Place)

3249 East Gage Avenue
Huntington Park, CA 90255-5441
(323) 588-8350

It was off to Huntington Park for more goat calories for stop number 4 of the day, and the 4th best birria in LA,Birrieria Tlaquepaque.

Birrieria Tlaquepaque has been on my list of solid places for some birria, and now we had our first true Jaliscan entry into the competition.

A little confusion led us to the original location, the newer and bigger restaurant lies on the other side of the street, the pilot operation now serves as a take out.


I had intended on going to the bigger location but the team had already ordered. The take-out uses packaged tortillas, so I recommend going to the sit down Tlaquepaque for the hand made tortillas.

Not only that the unaccommodating ladies at the take-out wouldn't give us little plates to share the single order, but the TTF is fair and impartial to such sabotage. We didn't hold it against them, nor did we ding 'em for the store bought tortillas, they assured us that home made corn tortillas were just across the street.


The consome is lap-up-like-a-hungry-dog delicious. Once again, leg and rib were in the bowl, great flavor and a comforting broth, make this a great place to get your birria fix.

Birrieria Tlaquepaque
Grade of Key Ingredient:Jo 3, B 3.5, Ja 3.5, CV 4, M 5 AVERAGE 3.8/5
Condiment/Tortilla:Jo 3.5, B 3.5, Ja 3.5, CV 3, M 3.5 AVERAGE 3.4/5
Overall Flavor:Jo 3.5, B 3.5, Ja 4, CV 4, M 4.5 AVERAGE 3.9/5
Cooking:Jo 2.5, B 3, Ja 3, CV 4.5, M 4.5 AVERAGE 3.5/5
OVERALL TACO SCORE: 3.65/5(4th Place)

1753 East Florence Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90001-2523
(323) 581-0800

A quick trip up the 110 to the 5th meal of the day and 3rd place finisher, the highly esteemed El Parian.

Well, the pressure was mounting as we approached the place that Jonathan Gold had called the single best Mexican dish in LA.

El Parian is universally loved and revered, rightfully so. It's been around for 46 years and has consistently served up plates and bowls of birria satisfaction year after year.Another great birrieria from the great cooking state of Jalisco.


The light and savory consome stood out apart from it's simple serving vessel and the gritty surroundings. Despite the wear on the walls of this place, there seems to be a beauty about El Parian that you can't quite put your finger on.This thought popped into my head as we waited for our birria. Great thing about birria is thta it's a fast slow food, cooking all day, and when you arrive it plops on your table within a short time.


The birria surtida(mixed)has tremendous flavor, and when paired with the lightness of the consome, goat sings freely in the warmth and comfort of delicious homemade tortillas.El Parian is still a class act and I believe will always remain a foodie favorite.



El Parian
Grade of Key Ingredient:Jo 3.5, B 3.5, Ja 4, CV 4, M 4 AVERAGE 3.8/5
Condiment/Tortilla:Jo 4.5, B 4, Ja 4.5, CV 3.5, M 4.5 AVERAGE 4.2/5
Overall Flavor:Jo 4, B 4, Ja 4, CV 4, M 4 AVERAGE 4/5
Cooking:Jo 3.5, B 4, Ja 4, CV 4.5, M 4 AVERAGE 4/5
OVERALL TACO SCORE: 4/5(3rd Place)

1528 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90015-2408
(213) 386-7361

With Flor del Rio being closed, we hit our final stop of the day and 6th place overall, Birrieria Jalisco.

The tireless TTF arrived to a fairly busy birrieria at this time of the day, it was already dark, not exactly birria prime time. This place has been around for about 30 years, founded by Jaliscans Luz and Ricardo Gonzalez.


The birria was salty, tortillas were store bought, and in general, this place is just dialing it in. Dry birria was somewhat saved by the consome on a textural level, but the consome brought on simple, salty flavors. This place was a let down, and the last stop would have to wait.

Birrieria Jalisco
Grade of Key Ingredient:Jo 3, B 3, Ja 3, CV 4, M 3 AVERAGE 3.2/5
Condiment/Tortilla:Jo 2.5, B 2.5, Ja 2, CV 3.5, M 2.5 AVERAGE 2.6/5
Overall Flavor:Jo 3, B 3, Ja 3.5, CV 3.5, M 2.5 AVERAGE 3.1/5
Cooking:Jo 3, B 3, Ja 3.5, CV 3.5, M 3.5 AVERAGE 3.3/5
OVERALL TACO SCORE: 3.05/5

1845 East 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033-3410
(323) 262-4552

After a week's vacation from birria, with newly fine tuned birria meters, I met up with TTFer Matt Kang at Birrieria Flor del Rio, the 2nd best birria in Los angeles.

This place recently came to our attention through in the LA Weekly, harpooned by the great goat hunter, Jonathan Gold.

This place is the kind of place that....well...I devote a fair amount of my time looking for.A specialist, a restaurant representing a very specific pueblo,in this instance, Nochistlan de Mejia, Zacatecas. It lies just north of the Highlands of Jalisco, on the Zacatecas side of the border.


If you want to enjoy exceptional birria in an ambiance straight out of the magical colonial cities of Zacatecas, or Fresnillo, this is the place.

Without the haste of multiple stops, Matt and I leisurely enjoyed a restaurant that has been hauntingly described by Jonathan Gold.

Still slightly vexed that Javier or myself hadn't found this place, I think the day I first read the post I sent Javier an angry text, "Que paso guey? Vives en East LA o no?" I must have driven by this place a million times actively looking for places like Flor del Rio, and Javier LIVES in East LA.It feels sort of like losing your keys for several hours in your own pocket while a very hot first date glares at you while talking shit about you to her girlfriends on her cell phone.


Well, back to the meal. As timeless ritual invites you to dine-fresh cut limes, white onions,a tailored salsa, and cilantro adorn an unrefined table.


The birria is sublime here,everything you hope birria could be. You can have it dry(without consome), or wet.There is nothing to do here but enjoy birria, drink some beers, and carve away at the day with conversation. The only factor separating Tepeque from Flor was the excellent goat used at Tepeque. Otherwise, Flor del Rio is on the same plane, and I might even find myself here more often than any other birrieria in town.

Flor del Rio
Grade of Key Ingredient:Jo 4.5, B 4.5, Ja 3.5, CV 4.5, M 4 AVERAGE 4.2/5
Condiment/Tortilla:Jo 4, B 4, Ja 3, CV 3.5, M 4.5 AVERAGE 3.8/5
Overall Flavor:Jo 4.5, B 4, Ja 3.5, CV 4.5, M 4.5 AVERAGE 4.2/5
Cooking:Jo 4.5, B 4.5, Ja 4, CV 4.5, M 4.5 AVERAGE 4.4/5
OVERALL TACO SCORE: 4.15/5(2nd Place)

3201 East 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90063-3104
(323) 268-0319


The Taco Task Force Top Five Birrierias in Los Angeles
1. Birrieria Tepeque
2. Birrieria Flor del Rio
3. El Parian
4. Birrieria Tlaquepaque
5. Birrieria El Chalio


There were several things I learned about this outing. LA is a birria town. We have so many other places that we couldn't include, and also had even excluded a few due to prior experiences. Both Josh and I had separately gone to Birrieria La Barca, me with Ex-Chowhounder and Mexican food expert, Eat Nopal, and all three of us concurred that La Barca is no longer a destination for birria.I might even place it below Birrieria Jalisco.

Also, the carne asada from El Parian is very good, but not the equivalent of the great northern Mexican carne asada traditions.The style of their taco is an East LA taco, but the good news is that we can call it our own, well......at least you native Angelinos can.The search for Mexican carne asada continues.

I can't seem to ever beat Josh to the next location.

Despite a million locos(bloggers, journalists, and foodies) running around LA with cameras, Jonathan Gold can still deliver some vicious putazos(like a Mexican can of whoop ass).

If you decide to do your own birria crawl, you're in for some good food.

OK, taqueros, beware, the TTF is coming to your stands, trucks, and carts.Aguas!