Seven Lives Tacos y Mariscos

While wandering around Kensington Market, we had the obligatory Jamaican Patties from Golden Patty and also some mochi donuts from Marry Me Mochi.  But another spot that we were wanting to try was Seven Lives Tacos.  The place was certainly busy with a line that was almost to the door.  No matter because the place is quick service and hey you stand and eat.  Perfect for sending people on their merry way after downing some tacos.

Beyond their fully stuffed and legit tacos, the other draw here is the Sauce Bar.   We found spicy and tangy Habarero, bright Salsa Verde, an even brighter and acidic Verde Cruda & Lime, Apricot and Arbol which was both sweet and spicy, a rich Roasted Tomato Sauce, a nutty and very slightly spicy Salsa Macha, a sweet and smoky Strawberry Chipotle and a Poblano Crema which was the most subtle of the bunch.  I felt the sauces could go with anything and really up to one's preference.

We ended up with 4 tacos starting with the Baja Fish Taco.  The pictures don't really show the size of the tacos.  Having 2 of them each was enough for lunch.  Maybe 3 if you are a bigger eater.  The large piece of battered and fried fish was good being buttery soft and flaky.  Thin and light, the batter was crispy and didn't overwhelm the fish.  On top, there was cabbage, cilantro and onion as well as Baja sauce.  I added some strawberry chipotle to this and the fruitiness seemed to go well with the fish (even though fruit may not go with fish most of the time).  There was a light spice to accent the sharpness of the onions.

 

The Gobernador was an interesting one with the combination of smoked yellowfin tuna, grilled shrimp, cheese and pickled onions.  Naturally, the tuna was dry due to the complete cook on it, but it did have really good smokiness.  Moreover, whatever they rubbed it in, there was plenty of earthiness.  The pickled onions provided some acidity and crunch while the shrimp had a buttery snap.  The melted cheese was ooey gooey and held things together.  I put some salsa macha on this and the subtle spice nuttiness went well with the smoke.

 

The most usual of our tacos was the Carnitas with tender braised pork shoulder, onion and cilantro.  Pictures doesn't do this one justice as it was stuffed full of meat (much like the other ones, but this was the most).  Hence, you can see why we only ordered 4 tacos!  Really enjoyed the juicy and flavorful pork that was ready for one of their sauces.  We decided on something spicier in the habanero.  That was indeed hot and had a background smokiness.

 

Lastly, we had the Blackened Ahi (which was a daily special) with cabbage, crema, onions and cilantro.  Despite looking quite blackened, the fish was still moist and not cooked to a crisp.  The smokiness and earthiness of the blackening spices really came through.  We used the mild poblano cream with this one to cool things down without obscuring the inherent flavours.  Overall, the tacos at Seven Lives are fully stuffed and delicious at a reasonable price.  Love that they have a variety of sauces to compliment them as well.

 

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Fully-loaded

- Delicious

 

The Bad:

- Standing only, but it worked for us

- Limited space, so lineups go out the door 

 

Red Burrito (Cambie)

Wow, this is a Vancouver classic isn't it?  I'm sure all of you are familiar with The Red Burrito that graces the corner of Commercial Drive and 1st Ave.  They have been there since 2006 and have kept to their mission simple, offer quality food at reasonable prices.  To be honest, I haven't been there for quite some time, despite the fact I drive by it all the time on my way home.  Well, it was time we got reacquainted with an invite to try out their Cambie Street location.  It is a small counter service outfit that is great for a quick meal or take-out.

Of course, we need to get their most popular item on the menu with the Red Burrito.  This thing is huge with a choice of red, white or whole wheat tortilla.  If you want to be authentic, you chose the red one of course!  It is filled with rice, beans, choice of meat (or meat substitute), an array of veggies and choice of salsa.  This one has chicken with all the veggies (including onions, cilantro, cabbage, lettuce etc...) and tomatillo salsa.  Looking at the picture, see how they completely load it up and it is a plenty filling.  The chicken is moist with enough seasoning.  If you want a "drowned burrito", you can go for the Burrito Ahogado.  This is essentially a Red Burrito with extra hot tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream.  Instead of chicken, we had beef with this.

There are six different meat/veggie options for all of their burritos, bowls and Tacos.  What better way to get a sense of all of them?  The available choices include spicy beef, grilled chicken, tinga chicken, pasilla pork, vegan meat and vegetarian.  If you want your tacos to be traditional, they only top them with onion and cilantro.  However, you can have all the veggies on top too if you want it that way.  They aren't shy about loading them up with meat either.  I find that all of their meats are generally moist and tender.  My favourite of the bunch is the spicy beef as well as the pasilla pork.

So another item that features much of the same items, but without the tortilla, is the Burrito Bowl.   Despite the same ingredients (with spicy beef this time), the bowl eats different than the burrito.  Obviously without the tortilla, it is more rice and meat focused.  Personally, I prefer this as it is easier to manage.  Also large and containing lots of meat, their Tamale Ahogado iw plenty hearty and delicious.  I find the masa to be a bit on the firmer side with a considerable amount of tender and spiced meat in the middle.  It is topped with all the sauces and sour cream.

One of the more under-the-radar items is the Nachos with queso, pork, sour cream, onions and cilantro.  What really makes this dish is the crispy and fresh tortilla chips.  Also the cheese and meat add the necessary flavour and body.  These same crispy tortillas make the Tortilla Soup quite good too.  It has a tangy spiciness to it with melted cheese and crunchy fried tortilla pieces.  There is also a bright cilantro hit too.

Lastly, how about a few drinks in the Horchata, Jamaica and Cherry Blossom Horchata.  I think the horchata is purposefully sweet and aromatic with cinnamon notes.  The Jamaica is tangy and fruity from the hibiscus while only mildly sweet.  As for the last item in the picture, it is a Cherry Blossom Rice Pudding.  This is floral and pretty sweet with firm rice.  A nice end to a delicious sampling of their food!  I have forgotten how good the meats are at Red Burrito and they are definitely the star of the dishes.  You can't go wrong with any of them in the burrito, bowls, tacos and nachos!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Moist and flavourful meats

- Loaded burritos, tacos and bowls

- Affordable

The Bad:

- Limited seating, so better for take out

Fabo's Tacos

It is easy to forget that there is authentic Mexican eats around despite the prevalence of Americanized fast food joints and also Tex-Mex (although I do like Tex-Mex).  That is especially true with options in the States (I'm from Vancouver, B.C.).  However, I don't remember having anything particularly outstanding in PDX, where I've had my fair share of great Thai food.  This was going to change as we were visiting Fabo's Tacos out near Chinatown.  They started selling out on a street corner and gradually made their way to an actual B&M location.

We arrived during a weekday lunch rush and the place was happenin'.  Despite this, they were still able to pump our order starting with the Sopes.  These crispy masa discs were aromatic and nutty.  Beyond the refried beans on the base, we selected pollo and chorizo as the meat option.  Unlike many other Mexican spots, the meat was tender and fairly moist.  Loved the spice from the chorizo as it added depth.  To cool things down, we found shredded lettuce, crema and fresh cotija on top.

From the Sopes, we moved onto the Tacos with a variety of meats.  We had them plated 2 ways and for me, I liked the 2nd one more for aesthetics.  We had almost all the choices including Asada, Al Pastor, Pollo, Chorizo and Suadero.  Once again, the biggest takeaway from these was the uniformly moist meat.  By no means did they suffer from a lack of caramelization.  They were aromatic and full of umaminess.  Meat was not dry, yet not wet either.  Made for some delicious tacos.

Of course we couldn't get out of there without having an order of the Birria Tacos.  Yes, these have become such a thing in the last 5 years or so, but it isn't because of baseless hype.  These things are so delicious with their fat soaked shells (then seared) served with a side of braising broth.  The ones here were really good with tender shredded beef and an aromatic nutty shell that was slightly crispy.  The broth had depth and was full of umami.

We all know about the popularity of Birria Tacos, but another associated viral dish is the Birria Ramen.  You might've seen this many times before, but this was the best version I've had.  Most places overcook the instant ramen, but the one here was al dente.  Even sitting in the flavorful broth while we took our photos, it didn't get soft.  Hence, they undercooked it for the purposes of sitting in hot broth (it allowed for soaking it up too).  Small detail, but made all the difference.

We also got a pair of dishes including the Enchiladas and the Taquitos, both complete with rice and beans.  For the enchiladas, we chose al pastor which was nicely charred and of course, not dry.  As for the taquitos, they were crispy on the outside and filled with pollo in this case.  Since the chicken was lean, it didn't have too much residual moisture which meant the taquitos stayed crunchy throughout.

The last dish we tried was something that I was not really looking forward to - Nachos.  Many spots, even authentic ones, do not make a great version of this dish.  Unbeknownst to many, Nachos is a real Mexican dish.  However, the one we are familiar with is the Tex-Mex concoction.  This one here was actually very good and I couldn't stop eating them.  The freshly fried tortilla chips were topped with smoky carne asada, beans, crema, cojita and legit guacamole.  With components like these, this was delicious, well-balanced and not some cheesed-out monstrosity.   Overall, the food at Fabo's is well-prepared where the dishes exhibited soul.  Things are fresh and flavorful.  Normally, I'm not craving Mexcian cuisine, but with this, I can't wait to eat it again.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Well-prepared and flavorful meats
- Had a home-cooked feel to it
- Mom is back there cooking, only good things happen because of that

The Bad:
- It gets busy at lunch, so be prepared to wait
- Area is a bit sketch, but you know the food is good then!

Beechwood Cafe

For all the times we have visited the City of Angels, we have never hiked up to the Hollywood sign.  I guess it just might be that we were always there during Summer and it would be uncomfortably hot to do so.  This time around, Viv and I were here not in the midst of July or August. The weather was just right.  We were able to snag a parking spot near the starting point of the hike and did the leisurely stroll up the mountain.  Very strange that part of it is someone's driveway...  After that, we were pretty hungry and did the touristy thing and stopped by Beechwood Cafe (apparently many people do this...).

After a 30-minute wait, we were seated and got started with the Housemade Spicy Buffalo Wings.  These didn't look it but they were actually pretty hot.  I personally love spicy food so this didn't make want to order milk, but it definitely had impact and left my lips tingling.  I found the batter to be pretty crispy (even with all the sauce) and the skin was fairly rendered.  As for the meat, it was moist and juicy.  I really liked these and should've gotten more in a different flavor!

We ended up sharing a few dishes including the Backyard BBQ Pizza with grilled chicken breast, cilantro, red onions, jalapenos, cheese blend, marinara and housemade BBQ sauce.  The crust was pretty thin and uniformly crispy.  Interestingly, this pizza featured both tomato sauce and BBQ sauce.  I actually liked that as it broke up the sweetness and added another layer of flavor.  The pieces of chicken were fairly tender while the onions provide sharpness and the cilantro did its herbaceous thing.

For myself, I took the advice of our server and ordered the Kimchi Chicken Burger.  I thought the addition of housemade kimchi was the key to this.  It was crunchy and had a fermented spice to it. Unlike other Korean-style chicken burgers out there, this wasn't drenched in gochujang.  Instead, there was only a modest amount of sauce.  Therefore, the chicken was still crispy and also plenty juicy.  Those fries on the side were pretty awesome, hot and crunchy.

From their breakfast menu and also acting like our dessert, we had the Classic French Toast with strawberries, fresh cream and maple syrup.  This was really good where the bread completely soaked so it was a bit eggy and almost custardy.  The outside was nutty from the pan-sear.  Overall, our meal at Beechwood Cafe was pleasant with some real highlights.  No wonder it is so busy and not only because of tourists.  Food is good and done right while the portions are generous.

The Good:
- Diverse and large menu
- Food prepared properly
- Service was great

The Bad:
- Super busy, prepare to wait
- Cramped seating arrangements

 

Holbox

On my previous visits to LA in 2019 and 2022, we ate at a lot of places but never got to hit up Holbox.  It came highly-recommended and in fact, has recently just been award a Michelin star.  High praise for a food stall located in Mercato La Paloma.  Chef Gilbert Cetina fuses Coastal Mexican cuisine with Southern Californian and Baja Califorinan influences.  They have an 8-course dinner on Thursdays and Fridays, but Viv and I were only able to make it out for lunch while we were in LA.

No matter, because there is still plenty to feast on including the Shrimp Aguachile.  This has to be one of the best, if not the best aguachiles I've had.  There was definite heat from the spicy green aguachile, but it was also refreshing and acidic.  It was also properly seasoned where the sweet shrimp took on all of the flavors.  The addition of crispy shrimp heads were great being a textural contrast to the soft shrimp.  Nice little tweak that elevated this dish.  Oh, and this came with saltines that you can enjoy with the aguachilie.

Next, we had the Blue Fin Tostada with avocado puree and arbol peanut sauce.  Featuring Baja California farmed blue fin tuna cerviche, the buttery soft texture really came through.  Also, the unmistakable sweetness and freshness of the sea was present as well.  Despite being a ceviche, the acidity was dialed down enough to let the blue fin shine.  The avocado puree only added some creaminess as it was mild while the peanut sauce was also creamy with smokiness.  Some pico de gallo provided some crunch and extra brightness.

Another killer dish was the Sopa de Mariscos (Seafood Stew).  This consisted of local rockfish, shrimp, kanpachi, mussels and house-made fish sausage.  This was outstanding where all of the seafood juices were completely incorporated into the broth. Therefore, the natural sweet and brininess of the seafood was at the forefront.  The whole thing was also properly seasoned.  Perfect for dipping that toasted airy bread.  The seafood itself was beautifully cooked where the fish was flaky and the mussels were plump.

From all the choices of tacos, we got a few including the Baja Shrimp and the Octopus.  Crispy on the outside while meaty and perfectly cooked on the inside, the shrimp were pretty sweet on their own.  However, the addition of some cabbage, crema, mayo, salsa roja and pico de gallo added crunch, brightness, acidity and background spice.  As for the octopus, it was tender with just a bit of crispiness on the outside.  It sat atop a calamari ink sofrito which provided some moisture as well as sweetness and earthiness.

Our last item was the Smoked Kanpachi Taco with local queso Oxaca, salsa cruda, avocado & peanut salsa macha. This was on par with the aguachile and seafood stew as our favorite item.  The flavors in this were impactful and memorable.  From the smokiness of the fish to the smoky and nutty salsa macha, this was addictive and we wanted another.  But alas, we were rather full and completely satisfied.  I gotta say that Holbox definitely deserves its Michelin-Star.  The food is fantastic in terms of freshness and execution.  It is interesting and does not hold back in announcing its flavors.  I would come back in a heartbeat and really, I need to get resos for that dinner tasting menu!

The Good:
- Fantastic flavors
- Food is exciting
- Relatively affordable

The Bad:
- Well, it is in a market and seating is a bit hard to find at peak times

Brathaus

We sure have a lot of places to grab a burger in town.  From fast food joints to classy fine dining establishments, the choices seem endless.  However, when we talk about hot dogs, it is a totally different story.  No, we are not talking about Costco and Ikea here (although they are great values).  I'm talking about spots that specialize in hot dogs and preferably, the gourmet variety.  Can you think of any?  You see, it isn't very prevalent.  Well, there is one located on Abbott in Downtown Vancouver called Brathaus.  Jackie and I checked it out recently after already having dinner...  Second dinner!

We went straight for their featured monthly dog in the Speedy with green chorizo, pico de gallo, guac, pickled jalapenos, sour cream and chipotle aioli.  Yah, one look at these and no, they were not a "regular" hot dog.  The sausage in this was texturally appealing with a meatiness that was complimented by notable spiciness.  There was so much going on with this hot dog from the tangy jalapeños and onions that was tempered by the cool sour cream and gauc.

As for the Pete, it sported a Guinness beef sausage with guac, bacon, pickled onions, red jalapeno and lime aioli.  The sausage itself was the star of this hot dog as it had the unmistakable hit of Guinness.  Now if you have had this beer before you would know there are some rich chocolate notes, so that was completely evident here.  The acidity of the onions and aioli helped keep things light despite the meatiness of the sausage.

If you love cheese, then the Bosko would fit the bill.  This had a Texas bison sausage with gouda, mozzarella & cheddar cheese crust, onions and bell peppers.  There was so much cheese, you could barely see the sausage.  Hence, you'd better like cheese!  That I do and the texture of the cheese was different as there was some crispy portions to go with the melty gooey parts.  The bison sausage was a bit leaner as expected, but was not dry. 

Ultimately, my favourite hot dog was the basic Felix with beer bratwurst, sauerkraut, pickles, chives and horseradish mustard.  The brat in this was so juicy while the outer casing had a firm snap.  The tangy crunch from the sauerkraut gave this hot dog classic vibes and something I am very familiar with.  I found the horseradish mustard to add enough zip and tang to keep things from being one note.

They also have Pork Carnitas Tacos on the menu as well.  A bit random, but an option for those not wanting a hot dog.  These came with green sauce, pico de gallo and jalapenos. I thought they were pretty legit with tender pork that was meaty and natural-tasting.  The addition of the fresh and bright pico de gallo kept things light despite the amount of pork in each taco.  We added some of the available sauces including jalapeno mayo.  This was pretty mild, but added some creamy moisture.

They also have a selection of Monster Shakes and we had probably the most whimsical in the Om Nom Nom featuring a "Cookie Monster" theme with Cookie dough ice cream, milk, blue food colouring, Biscoff spread, crushed Chips Ahoy and chocolate chip cookie ice cream with blue sugar crystals and edible googly eyes.  This was topped with
chocolate syrup, whipped cream, sprinkles and cherry.  So yah, this was pretty sweet, but at the same time, fit with the theme of the milkshake.  Lots of nuttiness and cookie flavour that was everywhere including on the outside of the cup.  The kiddies would love this.  For me, it was all about the dawgs and they were indeed good with complimentary condiments.  Brats were high quality too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Love the brats/sausages, nice snap casing and juicy filling
- Complimentary condiments
- Tacos are good too

The Bad:
- Milkshakes were whimsical and pretty good, but too sweet for me

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