Casa Vaca

All you have to do is scroll down this blog a couple of posts to see how passionate I am about what constitutes a good taqueria. As a matter of fact, you'd better not use that sacred word, "taqueria" to describe your taco joint unless you're going to present me with an authentic, delicious, Mexico City style street taco that whisks me back to the Distrito Federal at the first bite. Sadly, so, so very sadly, the tacos at Casa Vaca do not. I'm particularly sad about this because Casa Vaca is in Multonmah Village, Portland, a ten minute walk from my house. Imagine our glee when Jon and I thought we could buzz up to the Village and grab a delicious and authentic taco anytime we wanted. Such is not the case.

It was actually my brother and I, a D.F. taco expert in his own right, who checked this place out about a week after it recently opened. We were impressed with the lovely and rustic interior (suspiciously lovely and rustic, my brother observed, for what usually constitutes a taqueria), happy to see the local beers and other local items they feature, but were terribly disappointed when we were served two plates of tacos: one of Carne Asada and the other Al Pastor (good barometers for taco-sampling) upon the appropriately small, soft, corn tortillas. Once we had a bite of each, we agreed that the tortillas were good and fresh, but both fillings were bland and very far from the authentic flavor we expected. As a matter of fact, they weren't even close. The same lack of flavor applied to the rice and the beans served on the plate, though the kale salad was okay. Wait a minute: KALE SALAD? Served with tacos? Oh, come on, this may be Portland, but that's carrying things way too far.

No, no. The tacos at Casa Vaca will not do, and I have no desire to try anything else they serve, which, is mostly burritos and some appetizers, as I recall - my mind is too muddy from grief over the lackluster tacos to really remember, and I can't find the menu on line. Owners of Casa Vaca, if you happen to read this and want to know what I think a real taco should taste like, go here: La Fuente, Tigard, I mean, actually go there and eat a taco. Or go to the taco truck outside of Village Merchants on Division Street, called Lindo Michoacan. Both those places serve Michoacan style tacos which have thicker, bigger tortillas, but are nevertheless fantastic, or check out Porque No on Hawthorne, whose tacos are a little fancy for me but have exquisite flavor. I'm afraid you could use a little schooling in the art of the taco.

Evaluation: Not sincere at all
(clarification: I'm not saying there are not some sincere aspects to the place, but no place with such disappointing food can rate any higher than this on the sincerity scale.)


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Taqueria La Fuente, Tigard Oregon

The word "taqueria" always stops me in my tracks. There's something so authentic sounding about it. When we recently moved to Portland, I was worried that we wouldn't be able to find good, authentic Mexico City style tacos - you know, the ones made from fresh, soft corn tortillas with grilled and other sorts of meats inside. I wasn't so worried about Mexican food in general, since I'm pretty skilled at making it, but I can't make street tacos taste like they do in Mexico City.

So one day, as Jon and I were tooling around in Tigard, we saw the sign for Taqueria La Fuente and were intrigued. Upon their window, another sign stated that they make their tortillas fresh, so in we went for a bite of lunch. We had a couple of tacos each and were completely blown away. There's a lady in the kitchen within view, making the fresh tortillas to order, and though they're a little thicker and larger than the Mexico City style, they were fantastic, as was the grilled steak that went inside. As it turns out, the state of Michoacán, Mexico has its own reputation for great street tacos. If you didn't know, Michoacân is in central Mexico, west of Mexico City and borders the coast. I may have driven through it, but am quite certain I never had a taco there. Fortunately, I now have La Fuente to provide them for me.

Tacos Mexicanos with rice and beans

However, tacos isn't all that La Fuente does right. They make a mean chile relleno, excellent enchiladas, fine tortas, and tamales to die for. As a matter of fact, at Christmas time, we were looking for a source of Christmas tamales because (for anyone who wasn't raised in a Mexican-influenced town, like I was, such as Tucson, Arizona) tamales are a tradition on Christmas Eve in Mexico and parts of the American Southwest. I have carried that tradition with me to the east coast and back, but, again, was worried I wouldn't find them in Portland. Well, not only are good tamales not hard to find here, but lots of places do them up for Christmas, and you can order them for about $20 a dozen. We had gone into La Fuente to eat a few weeks before Christmas, asked about them, and the server gave us one to sample. Oh, yeah. We ordered a dozen of the beef tamales and they won the seal of approval from my family.

The staff at La Fuente are personable and sweet, even on Cinco de Mayo when the plethora of gringos lining up at the door didn't disrupt their easy, friendly flow. They make decent margaritas, have a good selection of Mexican beers and sodas, and, though the place is far from fancy, it's clean, comfortable, and the prices can't be beat.

I have lots of other Mexican joints to try in the Portland area, but for now, I'm all about La Fuente.

Evaluation: Very sincere

Taqueria La Fuente
12198 SW Main St, Tigard, OR 97223
Phone:(503) 639-3653




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Tacos Mexico, Las Vegas

Where to begin...

If I were asked to rate the cities I've visited as to which was the least sincere, the one that would immediately jump to mind would have to be Las Vegas, Nevada. To be fair, I've heard of other cities that might to step up to possibly vie for the honor, but I've somehow managed to avoid them.

Nevertheless, there is one place in Las Vegas that stands out, even within the sprawling insincere splash across the Nevada desert that is Las Vegas; one that literally exemplifies sincerity. It's just a little taco joint on the corner of Sahara and Valley View Blvds, where the tacos are inexpensive and absolutely authentic at the same time. The people working there take pride in what they are serving, and as far as I can remember, there are no slot machines in the dining area.

Alas, the last time we visited my parents (yes, they live in LV) the place was closed. Judging by the photo that I snagged from Google Maps, it looks to me as if that continues to be the case. Perhaps in the swamp of insincerity, it was just too much to expect that such an odd little oasis could be expected to survive. But maybe the photo was taken at an off time, or during a vacation or whatever. It looks like in might have been recently painted, so perhaps there's hope after all.

The fact is, at least in memory, Tacos Mexico was a shining example of a local business that glimmered brightly amongst the over-the-top lights of a city that long ago forgot what stars actually look like in the ink black of a desert night sky.

Evaluation: Extraordinarily sincere!




3820 W Sahara Ave,
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 444-1171
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El Minuto Cafe

When we go to Tucson, we always go to El Minuto (along with Bookman's) mostly because of the drop dead fantastic Carne Seca Chimichanga, which, by the way, I notice is now listed as Shredded Beef on the menu. No matter what you call it, this the very best of the best. Certainly there are other restaurants in Tucson that are worth going to but this is one of my favorites. The owners and wait-staff are all business but friendly. The service is quick. My father-in-law is fond of the tacos, but clearly he has no idea of what's really good (in spite of the fact of his being a life long resident of Tucson...some people...). Anyway, this little place is located in an older section of the city that's really maintained the feeling of what Tucson must have been like in the early days before the influx of corporations imitating home town America. The people of the neighborhood have every right to be proud of what they have created and El Minuto is the perfect accent for authenticity. It was first opened in 1939 and I would bet that what it was then is pretty much what it is now.

Evaluation: Pretty sincere



elminutocafe.com
354 S. Main Tucson, Arizona
(520) 882-4145 
11am-10pm MON-THU 
11am-11pm FRIDAY/SATURDAY