Lupita's Restaurant

Nothing like a good bowl of menudo with all the fixin's. Tripas, caldos, and posoles. The condiments are: limes, oregano, cilantro, onions, and chilis. Don't forget the Corona to wash it all down with.

Tacos El Gavilan

7947 Florence Ave
Downey, CA 90240

Tu madre. Si, tu madre. Yes, your mother would like this place. I had the combined cabeza and lengua burrito. Crowds can be dense during lunch and dinner. But I enjoy fat hotties so I went for it.

Best Teriyaki Beef Ever!

Since I'm near the city of Paramount I had better take home some of the best teriyaki beef ever at

Waikiki Hawaiian Grill

16280 Paramount Blvd #A,
Paramount, CA 90723

I know they call it BBQ beef. Bullshit. I know its teriyaki beef because I grew up eating this stuff on the island.

Cafe de Camacho in Historic? Olvera Street

What authentic Mexican drink do you order on a cold winter November afternoon in touristy Olvera Street?

 Champurrado. Wonderfully thick, warm, buttery, with chocolate and cinnamon. No hints of anise (licorice) I could detect in my drink. Go further down Cesar Chavez Blvd towards East L.A. and you're more likely to find champurrado that is more authentic and served in a bigger cup.

 Historic? Olvera Street. You shouldn't buy in so easily to this touristy crap. Here's link for you history buffs: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1500162?uid=3739560&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=56164456773

 A toast to the tourists.

 In the center of the plaza is a bathroom. Humorous planning must have been involved in selecting this place as a restroom. Nothing like Mexican music and the sound of flushing.

The first mayor of Los Angeles. A toast to genocide/mass extermination of a people involved in ritual human sacrifice and cannibalism. (Conquistadors were @ssholes, but the ancient Aztecs weren't angels either.) Someone will correct me if the Aztecs territory got this far north. For the militants who believe in Aztlan: do you really want to bring back the bad old days?

Hole in the Wall Mexican Restaurant

Lengua breakfast burrito. Its a breakfast burrito since its 11:00 am.

 I didn't see any signage for the place. To me its literally a hole in the wall. On Van Nuys Blvd and the closest cross street if Victory.

El Rancherito

17734 Saticoy St Ste A
Reseda, CA 91335

A very popular establishment with the locals. I had the pechuga de pollo (marinated chicken). I added the chili verde salsa. I had 2 fried jalapenos. Fiery. I liked it a lot.
What is interesting about the restaurant is the way they serve their soups (abondigas, caldos, menudo, etc.) They ladle the soup straight out of a container within the counter right next to the cash register. Talk about easy access. If they serve menudo on Saturday/Sunday I'll be there. Its so hard to find a place in the SF Valley that serves menudo. East LA I miss you.

Rally's

1801 S. Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91204

I had the Rally's Road House Bacon Burger, Chili Dog, fries and diet coke. Relatively speaking since everything is comparative to everything else, the Road House Bacon Burger, fries stood on their own merits; they were descent. The chili dog not as good as a Tommy's Chili dog. But overall a descent fast food meal. I hate it when people compare Ma Maison to fast food joints; like apples and oranges.