Guisado's

Often, I have these elaborate plans for food during our vacations.  This would include traveling quite a distance such as going across town or even through several suburbs.  So while we were staying in Burbank, the original dinner destination was Guerrilla Tacos in the hip Arts District.  However, that meant driving in classic LA rush-hour traffic to get there.  Hence, the usual 17-minute jaunt down the I-5 would take us over 40 minutes according to the current update on Google Maps.  We moved onto plan B instead and merely walked up the street to Guisado's instead for less fancy tacos.

Now that doesn't mean we weren't getting legit tacos though.  That we did with Viv's Taco Sampler which included smaller versions of Bistek en Salsa Rojo, Tinga de Polo, Chicharron, Mole Poblano, Cochinita Pibil and Steak Picado.  Although not as large as the regular ones, this was enough food for one person.  Our favourite was the bistek en salsa rojo as it featured tender pieces of flank steak that was spicy and sweet.  Since it was simmered, the flavours penetrated the meat.  Spicy from the green serrano chilis, the steak picado featured equally tender pieces of beef.  The addition of bacon didn't hurt things either.  Equally blessed with heat, the chicharron was texturally soft due to the pork rinds simmered in chile verde. For me, I really enjoyed the Mole Poblano where it sported chicken that was fairly mild with the nuttiness of the mole coming through.  We got essentially the same selection for our regular-sized tacos and the picture is there for comparison.

I also got something different in the Pescado with grilled white fish, black beans, cabbage, avocado cilantro cream, chile arbol and pico de gallo.  Predictably, this ate much lighter and brighter than the other tacos.  The fish was nicely charred and flaky where the cabbage added freshness and crunch.  I haven't even mentioned that the hand-made tortillas were really good!  Soft and thin (without any gumminess) but maintaining a bite, these helped make the tacos extra good. Just for kicks, I added the Queso Tamale topped with a fried egg.  I was indifferent about this tamale due to the dense texture.  I prefer mine a bit fluffier (with more lard I suppose).  Tastewise, it was on point with plenty of gooey cheese and tangy salsa verde.  The runny egg yolk did help add some necessary moisture though.  Now we didn't come here for the tamales, so if I had to talk about the tacos only, I would tell you to go try them.  They are good.

The Good:
- Beautifully textured hand-made tortillas
- Noticeable spice
- Meats were on point (not dry nor bland)

The Bad:
- Wasn't a fan of the tamale