Taco Truck Crackdown

So this is news to me - Apparently a police task force cracked down on four of Pacific Avenue's taco trucks on Friday night (Breeze story). I've eaten at too many taco trucks late at night to buy the police line that they are "magnets for crime". Sure there are sometimes a few drunk guys getting tacos, but 90% of the customers I see waiting in line at trucks are just regular folks, many of them on break from demanding nighttime jobs. I've never seen a fight or any sort of shenanigan go down at a truck, and I've been a regular customer at some of these trucks for years.

I'm not particularly sympathetic to food service regulations, either. Most of the world's great food is cooked up by street vendors who's unawareness of the kind of bacteriological nasties that get "1st worlders" panties in such a bunch, and I've eaten enough of it to not give a hoot for the kind of governmental hand-holding that is intended to keep us safe.

So I'm not buying this incident - two dozen cops to enforce regulation on four eateries? Something's fishy about the whole thing.

Baja Fish Market review at LAist

LAist's Carrie Meathrell spills the beans, proclaiming Baja Fish Market home to the best fish tacos in Southern California. Us locals have known this for years, but I get happy just reading about the place. Check out the review here.

Who's Cusine will Reign Supreme - Sandwiches

I don't think there's any doubt that San Pedro is rich in sandwiches. We're blessed. Sure, there isn't a decent Jewish deli that doesn't require a 45 minute drive, but the sheer volume of local sandwiches makes up for that fact.

My favourite Pedro sandwich of all time is the Busy Bee BBQ chicken, with no cheese, extra sauce and avocado. Goes great with a cactus cooler. It's been my "damn this is a long day at work" oasis for almost a decade, a point of reference that I can always rely on. I eat a lot of sandwiches, though - my next five favourites are, with #1 being the best and #5 being the 5th best:

1) Southwest Chicken Sandwich from the Sandwich Saloon. Firstly, the Saloon delivers, which can be a lifesaver when you're working and you just don't have the time to run around. I like mine on whole wheat, with no cheese, extra chilis and extra avocado.

2) The BTLA at Walker's - Walker's has great food, and it's worth the "you don't belong here" vibe to get it. I like mine on rye, they go heavy on the avocado and on the tomato. On weekdays, Walker's is a great chill out spot in the afternoon.

3) The Meatball at A-1 Market - Another place notoriously unwelcoming to strangers, A-1 Market on 8th street makes a nice meatball sandwich. They've got good olives on the side, too.

4) The Ahi sandwich at the San Pedro Brewing Company - If I'm going for a sit down lunch or dinner, this is my sandwich of choice. They seem to have a supply of pretty good tuna, and they know how to grill an onion. The real secret of the SPBC menu is that you can substitute their insanely good mac & cheese for their fries. Don't get me wrong, they've got good fries, but that mac & cheese is awesome.

5) The Turkey Sandwich at Kobe Grill - Before it was Kobe Grill, it was a sandwich shop. Very smartly, the new owners took over the business, and kept the sandwich menu. This is just a solid sandwich - all of their sandwiches are good, and this is a great place to eat with your picky eater friends when you've got a craving for eel bowl.

What sandwiches do you love, or hate? Is Busy Bee's "Best Sandwiches in Town" claim the holy truth, or does it ring false?

Who's Cuisine Will Reign Supreme: Hamburgers!

I've traveled far and wide, and I've eaten a lot of hamburgers. I've driven down lonely roads looking for legendary burger stands with lightening striking all around (That Bobcat Bite burger up top is the very legend itself). I'm a burger snob who's easily inflamed when I can't get a burger so rare I can hear the echo of the cow's heartbeat. An annoying customer who forces lazy butchers to grind whole chuck roasts to get the perfect meat for his own evil experiments in hamburger excess.

Yet, I live in a burger desert. Sure I've eaten all of the local burgers, and I've got some junk food love for a few of them, but I have no love, no desire for any of them. I do not awake in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, hungry for any of them...

If I had to pick a favourite San Pedro burger, I'd have to choose In-N-Out. I'm not the In-N-Out devotee that many are - I think there are far better burger chains, but at least the kids up on Western can deliver something I can respect. Were there no In-N-Out in Pedro, I don't know what I'd choose.

So is there a burger in San Pedro that's worth jawing? Some secret spot I'm not aware of? A hidden gem that deserves another try?

Who's Cusine Will Reign Supreme: Mexican!

Snakes brought this up in the comments of our pizza post. So who is the top dog when it comes to Mexican food in this town. I have three favourites, in this order.

1) The taco truck in front of True Value on Pacific - they've always had great tacos al pastor and a really solid lengua.

2) Pronto's on Pacific. Although the new one on Western just doesn't have the quality or the selection to bring me back for a second visit, the Pronto's on Pacific makes a dandy burrito, and is one of the only places in town where you can really get a torta.

3) Las Brisas, at Gaffey and Channel. Always great for late night people watching, and they've always had a really addictive carnitas.

Who's Cuisine Will Reign Supreme: Pizza!

I was eating a slice of Buono's disturbingly good/shockingly unhealthy Pizza Mexicana (pictured above) last night, and I was wondering... I know who I think has the best pizza in Pedro, that being the aforementioned Buono's, but I'd like to know what everyone else thinks on this matter of great community importance. So who do you think has the best pizza in town? Who has the worst?