A New Wave - Guerrilla Tacos

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
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I think they committed for 4 or 8 weeks to Smorgasburg. FWIW they were there (and had long lines) this past Sunday which I believe was week 5. I’ll ask if they’ll be there thru rest of Smorgasburg run, which I believe is until October, when I go back* today.

*yes, I went today already and got their half moon scallop (aka callo de hacha aka tairagai–I think) tostada but some of their ingredients still hadn’t arrived from their farmers market so I’m going back for their fried soft shell shrimp tacos. Here’s their scallop tostada today:

https://instagram.com/p/BIGAQVfA7Vx/

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Heard from a friend who is a vender that they are about to announce Smorgsberg will be going year round in LA.

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Hi @theoffalo,

Thanks for the 411. Very interesting. Yah if you hit them up before we go, let me know if they’re staying on at SLA.

Beautiful pic of the Scallop Tostada! :slight_smile: How was it?

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They are having a party on August 19th in which they will make a big announcement.

El Momo will be there as well. (Wes is a big fan of them)

Maybe that announcement will be a brick and mortar?

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@Chowseeker1999 excellent! They had a bay scallop tostada last week which I thought was great too but texturally very different (soft). The callo de hacha today is meatier, a little snappier. I’m glad he’s doing more with shellfish though the fish tostadas are great too. They will have uni on the tostada too tomorrow and possibly other days. Their uni came in while I was at the truck so I saw them on ice. I asked if they would serve them today but they said no unfortunately.

@JeetKuneBao yes, the location and possibly the date of the b&m will be the big announcement!

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Boar quesadilla with aged cheddar. Incredible. Their watermelon-strawberry agua fresca is also outstanding.

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Was thinking of trying that, @Bigmouth, but opted for the soft shell fried shrimp taco w/cabbage-carrot slaw, peanuts, cilantro, mint, chile Japonese, raw tomatillo chile:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIV-5sArOc/

That was pretty darn good too!

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Gorgeous pic @theoffalo. Bummed I missed the truck this week. Maybe on the weekend LOL.

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Thanks! That’s what I like about the weekly menu, that when I post a pic of what I had on Wednesday, people still have a chance to get it for 5 more days.

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That looks incredible! I’m not a big shrimp guy, but I have to admit I was tempted by the description. Even moreso by that pic!

So, true! The weekly menu is a nice change imo. Has to make things easier for them, too.

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Today’s selections: roasted cauliflower and poached halibut

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Kind of wishing I would have just ordered the avocado toast at Blue Bottle instead. Halibut was overcooked. Heat level of salsa overtook the cauliflower. Not very satisfying this round.

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Anyone know if they announced where the brick and mortar would be?

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Arts district.

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The squash blossom taco is out of this world. Delicate and perfectly fried. Order two, though, as they’re not that filling.

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Update 6:

(Excerpted from our Smorgasburg visit this week, added to the Guerilla thread.)

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One of Southern California’s best Taco creators needs no introduction, but their rotating menu this week sounded too good to pass up, and it’s great that they’re at Smorgasburg on Sundays (besides their other roaming locations during the rest of the week).

Crab Tostada (Cilantro, Serrano Chile, Chile de Valle Salsa, Micro Wasabi, Avocado, Chile Morita, Santa Barbara Uni):

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This was pretty tasty! :slight_smile: Their Crab was mixed with a light Mayo dressing topped with Chile de Valle Salsa and the Micro Greens. The crunchy Tostada was a great textural contrast to the Crab and soft, bright, sweet Uni. There was a noticeable spicy kick (from the multiple Chilies), but the Avocado’s creaminess helped to keep things balanced.

Soft Shell Shrimp Taco (Baja Style, Cabbage Slaw, Chipotle Crema, Chile Japonese, Chile de Arbol, Cilantro, Lime, Cherry Tomato):

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Chef Avila, taking a page from Cantonese Fried Shrimp (where the shell becomes so crunchy and brittle you can eat the whole Shrimp, shell and meat) serves up Soft Shell Shrimp, deep fried to a level where can you bite through the Shell and eat the whole thing! :slight_smile:

It’s crunchy, and the Soft Shell Shrimp is meaty and tender. There’s a nice subtle brininess, but it’s all balanced out by the combination of Chilies used here. It was so delicious! :slight_smile:

Pork Loin Taco (Chile Negro, Gooseberries, Micro Greens):

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This one was a little bit of a disappointment: The Pork Loin didn’t taste that fresh, and was a little bit overcooked / dry. The Gooseberries also made it a bit too sweet for my tastes.

Chicken Taco (Roasted Tomato Chile, Sumac Onions, Guajillo Chile, Cherry Tomatoes):

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But then we got to this simple-sounding “Chicken Taco,” which was a real stunner: The Stewed Chicken marinated in this Roasted Tomato Chile was delicate and tender, amazingly complex in flavor. This tasted like no other “Chicken Taco” I’ve had before! :open_mouth:

It was so good! :blush:

The Sumac Onions and Micro Greens added just enough taste contrast to elevate it even more.

Guerilla Tacos
Check website for locations during the week (all around L.A.).

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Chef Wes really does magical things with chicken. The simple roasted chicken taco may be the best taco I’ve tried at Guerilla. Gonna keep my eyes peeled for that stewed version!

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Oh I so SO hope that is true!

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FYI - Guerrilla Tacos is no longer at Smorgasburg on Sundays. Rather, they’re back in front of Blue Bottle on Abbot Kinney in Venice–put aside 45 minutes to find parking! Parting was amicable, they just want to give some more love to the Westside before settling into their permanent digs in the Arts District next summer.

< plug > Check out my hashtag #TacoWESday (I usually hit them up on Wednesdays in Culver City, thus the hashtag) on Instagram for all my GT eats. < / plug > Few recent menu items…

Pocho Tacos: wild boar picadillo, pine nuts, aged cheddar, burnt tomato chile, cherry tomatoes, lemon cream, cilantro:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMNlxGqAGC7/

Soft Shell Shrimp Torta–it’s like a Mexican-American shrimp po’ boy!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMUcCAcgCgP/

Eggplant Taco, red pepper escabeche, fried cheese, dried figs, hazelnut, parsley. As @kevin might say, so fucking good!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMVs6-WgYiE/

(These last two are still available today and tomorrow. They also have a cauliflower taco and a roasted pumpkin taco, but beware that the salsa in the pumpkin taco is crazy spicy!)

Okay, one more… Bacon Sausage Burrito, sunchokes, Oaxacan cheese, burnt tomato chile, cilantro, fried egg:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLzdXK-gEAQ/

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Got a green bean and egg taco and a duck heart with bacon taco from Guerilla yesterday. Both were excellent but the green beans were a revelation – so bright and flavorful.

Usually to get green beans to look and taste like that, you have to keep them relatively crisp. But these were soft, almost like nopales. They melded perfectly with the scrambled egg.

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Hi @Bigmouth,

Nice! Duck heart tacos?! Can’t wait to try this.

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