Sherman's Food Adventures: Guerrilla Tacos

Guerrilla Tacos

So we didn't get to Guerrilla Tacos the night before due to classic LA rush hour traffic.  I mean, we *could* have braved the I-5, but was it really worth it?  I guess that was in the back of our minds as we decided to go to Guisado's instead.  Now don't get me wrong, Guisado's was truly good and that wasn't a mistake.  On the other hand, everyone keeps raving about Guerilla Tacos and in actuality, the place is different than Guisado's.  Fine, we decided to head there for lunch the following morning just because we didn't want to risk missing out.

We started with both Tostadas including the hamachi and ahi tuna.  The hamachi was buttery and tender with a bite.  It was on the saltier side, but there was plenty of umaminess and earthiness.  There was a bit of spice from the chile de valle, but it didn't overwhelm the fish.  I have to say that it was a truly beautiful thing to look at.  Too nice to eat!  Even more colorful, the ahi tuna was buttery and soft as well being lightly sweet.  It was dressed in a cilantro-forward avocado chile and accented by citrus wedges.  As a result, the tostada was bright and herbaceous.  The combination of white miso and nori paste added a fermented deep saltiness with a taste of the sea. There was enough acidity there to bring impact to an otherwise mild-tasting creation.

One of the more surprising tacos was the Sweet Potato with almond chile, feta cheese, fried corn and scallions.  For something without any meat, this ate very hearty and almost meaty due to the full-bodied thick slices of roasted sweet potato.  They were firm with a soft bite while being sweet and caramelized.  There was a touch of spice and also creaminess from the cheese.  Loved the pops of sweet nutty corn as well.  Onto a meat taco, the Pork Belly was soft and tender while being mild.  On top, the smoked trout roe provided a smoky brininess.  Another non-meat taco as the Smoked Cauliflower where it was cooked-through retaining an appealing firmness.  The apricot slices were sweet and fruity while almond chile and pistachios were nutty and aromatic.

The Grilled Steak Taco sported jack cheese, chile molcajete, charred chile and avocado salsa.  This was plenty spicy and cheesy where the flavors were apparent and impactful.  However, we thought the steak was a bit too chewy with many pieces of sinew. Last to arrive, the Lobster Quesadilla was my favorite dish of the bunch.  The whole thing was so buttery and crispy while loaded with springy lobster meat.  Plenty of spice from the chile de valle that was tempered by the runny egg and silky whites.  The Oaxacan cheese added a pleasant umaminess.  As you can guess, Guerilla Tacos is completely different than a place like Guisados (including the price point).  Both are good in their own ways where Guerilla offers up grander creations with bold flavours and eye-catching plating.  I'd do this again when I'm in LA.

The Good:
- Bold flavors
- Colorful 
- Appealing plating

The Bad:
- Not cheap
- Parking is tough to find in the area



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