Taqueria Vallarta

Flexible eating. That can mean a lot of different things. It could represent the variety of food someone eats. It also can mean eating anytime anywhere. Or in this case, it meant changing plans on where to eat. It was our original plan to meet up at Pizza Delfina for a "snack" before our dinner at Incanto. However, it seemed that I was the only person to show up. A bit concerned I made some phone calls. Turns out no one wanted to go! Gasp... What has this world come to? I had no one to eat with? The horror! There was a backup plan of sorts as I was able to track down TS/JS and Grayelf who were nearby in the Mission. Well, at least I thought it was nearby. What seemed like a short walk ended up to be a 12-block brisk jog. I finally made it to 24th & Folsom... from 18th & Guerrero! Oh well, I built up an appetite of sorts. Apparently, they were doing the grand tour of the Mission nibbling on various things. Okay, here goes my flexible eating to the test. We stopped off at Taqueria Vallarta first for what else? Tacos.

At only $1.50 each, we find it a relative bargain compared to the ones we get up in Vancouver. As a comparison, the ones from La Taqueria cost $1.00 more. The choices were quite diverse. We ended up getting one each of the Lengua, Buche, Al Pastor, Carnitas, Suadero. I originally wanted Tripita, but they were all out! Well, at least they had tongue... I offered TS some tongue and she willingly accepted it. Surprising... It was moist though! According to the menu, Buche was stated at pork neck. However, to me at least, it did not have the look or texture of pork neck. Upon further research, it is pork esophagus. Good thing too, I'm not sure the rest of the table would've not eaten it if they knew it wasn't pork neck. For me, the winner was the Suadera or tender beef. It was tender and quite flavourful.

As for the others, they were alright. Nothing much to say other than they were not dry. Depending on your personal tastes, the condiments were available for customization. One could pile on as much or as little onions, cilantro, radish, lime and salsa as they want. For me I went conservatively so I could taste the meats. Honestly, for $1.50 this was a nice "snack". They were good, as authentic as I've ever had and cheap. A great combination in my books.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Meats were not dry
- Lots of interesting choices

The Bad:
- Kinda divey, if that matters to you, adds to the charm in my opinion
- Some communication issues