Mexican Food Listing 2

Once again we are on a three star rating system, in which even recommended spots need not receive one star.

*Very good
**Worth a detour
***Worth a trip

La Fuente
12198 SW Main St
Portland, Or 97223
This place is a favorite of a friend on the west side, and for good reason too. All that I had was quite good and on par with traditional parameters. The main guy was pushing the cabeza tacos on us, implying that they were the best, a good sign. I was unable to try them in this sitting as I had already had a full order of tacos in front of me. I plan to go back and give them a go as it is less common to find a place showcasing the more exotic meats such as this. In this town it is hard to find properly prepared pork butt or even prime cuts of beef, so to boast the other bits is quite the sign of confidence. I did enjoy the pastor very much. I have only been once but my friends assure me the consistency.


Tacos y Tortas Morelia
52nd and Foster (cart)
I am kind of a fan of this place ,and I can't really put my finger on it. I think it is because of the salsa selection, which far out does most other carts, I think they have like six or seven varieties on a good day. The folks here speak Spanish for the most part and to this I attribute the great fluctuation of food, both in recipe and quality. I mean that I am pretty white in the eyes of many Mexicans, and I may receive inconsistent service as mentioned in the "racist taco" article; they think perhaps that you wont know the difference. Over all I have enjoyed what they have prepared for me, though the burrito had a lot of cabbage in it which I personally don't care for much.

El Delfin
900 Grand blvd
Vancouver, Wa 98661
After trying a handful of things on the menu, I am not impressed, salt seems to be the culprit. The Ceviche de camarones, and several of the tacos all had a common flavor which I recognize as a more mineral rich and concentrated salt; I have never officially asked, and this is not confirmed. I have used salts that can overpower a dish in this same way, an intense over salting by concentration rather than volume; in some cases they are mined instead of being derived from salt water, more concentrated and mineral rich, gaining a pinkish hue. Out of the four things that i tried, all were over salted, this potent salt has less margin for error. I can appreciate the attempt of the use of and artisan product but in this case, "no cigar" is not close enough; this salt simply doesn't belong in everything.


La Bonita
2839 NE Alberta St
Portland, Or 97211
Same problem with the salt, though slightly less. It doesn't seem to be in everything, at least not too much. The asada was ok. Stronger salt should be used sparingly and in conjunction with a basic sea salt. In a recipe that calls for several teaspoons, a dash of richer salt is all that is needed, unless that is to be the featured palate; some salsas take well to this flavor, perhaps due to the other stronger flavors present. Not such a fan of this place. The girl working there made me forget my name she is so beautiful.


King Burrito
2924 N Lombard
Whats in a name? not much obviously because this place is alright! The carnitas were my favorite, though all that I had was good. The pastor was not quite the DF style but tasty, and all aspects of roasted meats were pretty proper; the salsa was solid as well. I would definitely recommend this place.


Angel Food y Fun con Comida Yucateca
5135 NE 60th Ave
Portland, Or 97218
Definetly one of the best named restaurants around, "Angel" offers a split venue, with a seperate cantina, so that the whole family can hang out, jovenes and gorceros alike (with alcohol). The family should be able to hang together in the cross generational type of way, though our laws would prohibit it in this country, except perhaps at Applebees. Anyway, the tacos panuchos here are the closest thing to a real street food that you can come by in this town, like a garnacha or a gorda of sorts. It is a tortilla base with beans and cheese deep fried together, then chicken and other ingredients applied after. I don't really like how they top this perfect base however; the shreaded chicken is fine, but then they stack pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, and so much black pepper that you can't really taste anything else.? Without the latter three ingredients it would be pretty on point, and I suppose that you could alter it so. Also the caldo list is pretty decent in variety and extent; the few that I tried were tasty but kind of overpriced; if you are into scary bits of meat I would recommend the caldos highly. The salsa is decent as well, but has too much black pepper in it the same as the panucho. Perhaps the chef is a long term cigarette smoker, or maybe he just really enjoys black pepper for whatever reason. Overall this place is decent.

Loco Locos
SW 9th and Alder (food carts)
Pretty OK burrito I guess. The salsa is kind of a joke though, the hottest thing in it is black pepper. Rumor is that they have some real salsa picante that isn't offered and that you have to ask for, though I cant imagine it being much as the spot is downtown. In deep SE it would make sense to have real salsa behind the counter as some actual Mexicans may walk in, but down town? The folks are Spanish speaking though and it is very common to have things that are not listed on the menu so I will inquire on the next visit.

Cazador
82nd and ?
This place used to be on 49th and Powell if any recall. Nothing great but not bad at all. The torta has a thiner bread and lettuce, which somehow works to keep it crispy. The carnitas and asada are good, the pastor is good but not quite the right sauce; nothing more daring has ever paid off in my experience.


Taqueria Uruapan
5703 SE 82nd
Over the years I have stopped in to this place on several ocations. Great fluctuation has been the case over time, so it is hard to guarantee anything, but the asada has usually been quite good. The pastor is decent also but would be better if they cut it thiner off of the rotator and fried it then with more surface area. The meats tend to be jucier than crispier but work so. There is good salsa to be had.

Lupitas tacos
82nd in the parkinglot of "airgas" I think.
Here is a spot that is about as authentic and daring as it gets in this town in regards to street tacos. They have a single (proper) grill in which all the meats mix, from prime cuts to tripe. I would prefer that the tripe were cut up fine rather than being in big chunks for tacos, but it gives a great taste to the other meats and "soup" as it were. Try it all if you try anything, you already did anyway. The tamales are decent and the salsas are good as well. This place has not been set up since the cold hit however so watch for it in the spring.

Update: This stand has not been present since the cold weather began. Perhaps it will return in the spring.


To recap for the day, no stars have been awarded. The main points of interest for the day would be: The pastor and more at La Fuente (I have heard that the Cabeza is good too), the salsa selection at Morelia, the carnitas, roasts, and more at King Burrito, the taco panucho at "Angel..." or perhaps the beef caldo which has both the good and the ugly bits, or Lupitas for an adventure in tripe tacos! Back soon with more reviews and updates.

For ten of my go to places, please refer to the very first entry, "angry start"