The Taco Task Force previously tackled Baja style fish tacos and birria. With some hope, and more than a little trepidation, Bill Esparza (Street Gourmet L.A.), Javier Cabral (The Glutster) and I reconvened on March 20 at The Glutster’s behest to determine where to find the top Los Angeles potato tacos. Matthew Kang (Mattatouille) was out of town, no doubt trying to duck what turned out to be a fool’s mission, but he eventually made the rounds and contributed his ratings.
There were certain factors we assessed at each stop, including the quality of the key ingredient, the condiments/tortilla, the quality of the cooking and the overall flavor. Learn which taco prevailed.
Here’s my rundown, with interspersed scoresheets featuring Jo for Joshua, B for Bill, Ja for Javier, and M for Matthew. We rated each category using a 5-point scale. Keep in mind that the scores don’t just represent a potato taco, they reflect a taco. In theory, a 5-point potato taco should be just as good as a 5-point birria taco. In theory…
STOP #1: Cacao Mexicatessen
1576 Colorado Boulevard, Eagle Rock, 323 478 2791
Grade of Key Ingredient: Jo 3, B 2.5, Ja 3, M 2 AVERAGE 2.625/5
Condiment/Tortilla: Jo 2.5, B 2.5, Ja 3, M 2.5 AVERAGE 2.625/5
Overall Flavor: Jo 2.5, B 1.5, Ja 2, M 2 AVERAGE 1.875/5
Cooking: Jo 3, B 2.5, Ja 3.5, M 3 AVERAGE 3/5
OVERALL CACAO MEXICATESSEN TACO SCORE: 2.53125/5
STOP #2: My Taco
6300 York Boulevard, Highland Park, 323 256 2698
Grade of Key Ingredient: Jo 2, B 2, Ja 3, M 3 AVERAGE 2.5/5
Condiment/Tortilla: Jo 2, B 2, Ja 2.5, M 3 AVERAGE 2.375/5
Overall Flavor: Jo 2, B 2, Ja 3.5, M 3.5 AVERAGE 2.75/5
Cooking: Jo 2, B 2, Ja 3, M 3 AVERAGE 2.5/5
OVERALL MY TACO TACO SCORE: 2.53125/5
Blog Comments
TreasureLA
May 2, 2011 at 4:25 PM
A shame. I guess I’ll just stick to making them at home.
Joshua Lurie
May 2, 2011 at 5:54 PM
TreasureLA, there’s definitely no need to drive, bike or walk to secure potato tacos.
News & Notes from Atwater, Boyle Heights, Echo Park, Highland Park , Northeast LA, & Silver Lake — The Eastsider LA
May 10, 2010 at 8:18 PM
[…] Taco task force takes on the potato taco . Food GPS […]
Red Meat..? | food made of meat,recipes,prime meat
April 28, 2010 at 11:41 PM
[…] Food GPS » Taco Task Force: Potato Tacos […]
j gold
April 28, 2010 at 4:44 PM
Not attuned to the El Atacor aesthetic? Tragic. And probably sober.
Joshua Lurie
April 28, 2010 at 4:55 PM
Jonathan,
That was my second trip to El Atacor #11. Maybe it was too early in the day for those potato tacos this time. Next time I’ll pack a hangover.
After that six-hour potato taco crawl, I’m convinced that tortillas almost always deserve meat or sea creatures instead.
Javier
April 28, 2010 at 2:45 PM
jeez man, the most daunting task yet!
was going through protein deficiency that day. haha.
thanks for being the scoremaster 🙂
Joshua Lurie
April 28, 2010 at 4:04 PM
Javier,
We must avenge March’s potato taco massacre. We owe it to our stomachs, our well being and our state of mind.