The decision has been made...

The official draft for 2011 was conducted over a feast of Christmas Goose at The Ritz Restaurant and the food for 2011 is........................

HAMBURGERS.

2011 is the Year of the Hamburger. Check back here soon for reviews of the best burgers we can find.

We were ahead of our time

OC Weekly (who incidentally does a great job finding many hidden gems in Orange County, California) asked if 2010 was the Year of the Fish Taco. Of course it was, and you saw it here first!

Click here to read the article.

We know, we know...

Okay, so things got a little hectic and the posting fell off a bit. There are 7-8 reviews sitting and waiting for editing which will be posted by the end of the year. I also hope to go on a fish taco binge here at the end of the year and to check some of the recommendations that we received throughout the year.

Regardless, there have been several conversations in the last few weeks about 2011's selection for which food will be reviewed. Check back to see soon.

Chronic Tacos = Chronically Bad

I don't know why, but I have never been a fan of Chronic Tacos. I try their stores again and again thinking that it was just one underwhelming experience or location and I continue to be underwhelmed. Maybe CHRONICALLY underwhelmed.

For the sake of research, I braved the Chronic Tacos drive-through in Lake Forest (which replaced a place called Carmelo's or something that had vastly superior food). I ordered the Fish Fatty Taco and various other items for my family for lunch.

When I unrolled the corn tortilla, grilled fish, cilantro and onion, it looked anemic and sad. The tortilla had basically disintegrated (a fate which has befallen most of my meals attempted at Chronically Bad Tacos) making the rest of the taco unenjoyable. I will grant that I drove a few minutes home and didn't eat the food fresh from preparation, but many of the tacos reviewed here have made the drive without suffering similar fates.

My family didn't enjoy their meals either (not the first time). We have tried most of the menu and haven't found anything worth eating. I can safely say that this is a first for a Mexican fast food place. I clearly understand why all of the beach/bar rats in NB and HB love the Chronic Taco setups with alcohol and people watching, I just don't understand why anyone sober or not on the prowl would eat there.



Chronic Tacos is just like the star tattoo logo and name, a bad decision made in the late 90's/early 2000's that one would like to forget. Just like the number of OC hipsters who will one day be undergoing laser removal of the stars and other lame Ed Hardy style nonsense, I doubt that Chronically Bad Tacos will be with us through the next cycle of trends.

This just in, Wee Man from Jackass now has his own CT in Redondo. Look at this group and you decide if you think their tacos would be any good.




20 locations
Website

Daily Grill?

On Monday, I met a work colleague at the Daily Grill in Irvine for a lunch meeting. The last thing I expected to eat at the Daily Grill was Fish Tacos. My regular order at DG is an item on their Dinner menu, but not on their lunch menu (however, they will make it for you if you ask) - Joe's Scramble (three eggs scrambled with ground beef, spinach, onions, and mushrooms - heaven on a plate).

Listed under "Chef's Features" on a special menu printed on cardstock and handed out with the regular glossy menus, the first item was "Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos." The menu described two corn tolrtillas with pan-seared Mahi Mahi, cabbage, radishes, and cilantro tossed in a Chipotle Aioli. It was served with black beans and rice for $10.95.

It was a very good, and unexpected lunch choice that I would eat again.


Daily Grill
2636 Dupont Drive
Irvine, CA 92612

22 Locations

Baja Fresh

I have been eating at Baja Fresh since the mid-nineties when a location opened up in Westwood, California while I attended UCLA. One night a week, our fraternity would bring in Baja Fresh burritos for dinner and they were always a huge hit.

In 2002, Baja Fresh was sold to Wendy's for $275 million. These were the dark days for the chain when the fresh ingredients were replaced by a fast food model. The chain was sold to a private investor in 1006 for $31 million. There are around 300 locations operating today.

Despite having eaten about 100 burritos from BF in my career, I have never ordered their tacos. This weekend, I ventured out and tried one each of their fish tacos, one grilled and one "baja style." They were served in a combo with rice and pinto beans.

I found the grilled taco to be very good. The baja style fried one was not as good only because it did not stay crispy, it got rather limp and mushy. Both use mahi mahi and have cabbage, pico de gallo, and a "tangy avocado dressing."

A solid effort and if you get the grilled fish tacos, pretty good. Side note, at 250 calories/taco, they are a way better choice than my usual order, a steak burrito ultimo which has 950 calories.

Baja Fresh
Website

Take the Matter into Your Own Hands

Fish Fridays are the law of the land (for Catholics, at least) during Lent. And what better way to advance this blog, than to enjoy a lovely FT on a Friday. I did just that today with my wife and daughter at Avila's El Ranchito in Laguna Niguel.

With my ususal order "off the table, " I snuggled up to a 2 order combo of fish tacos and rice and beans. After having helped myself to a strong serving of chips and salsa, I was looking forward to a new FT adventure. The FTs are delivered in simple form with mahi mahi covered in shredded green cabbage, loosely wrapped with 2 flour tortillas. No cheese, no sour cream, no sauce (truthfully, I typically order FTs with the sauce on the side and I remained true to this here).

The fish was very lightly battered and fried, but light and fresh. However, the fish tasted very plain and, in my mind, needed a little somethin' somethin'. Furthermore, without the sauce (basic tarter sauce) the tacos were on the dry side. Fortunately for me, I love Avila's salsa (chalk full of white and green onions) and proceeded to add a heap to each taco. This made the meal. The salsa added flavor and moistness (is this a word?) and drove my lunch over the finish line. I gobbled them up with the same passion and determination that Larry H. Parker has for delivering settlements to his clients.

Overall, Avila's FTs are simple and slightly plain unless, that is, you take matters into your own hands.

B

27941 La Paz Road, Suite E

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

949.349.9100

http://www.avilaelranchito.com/

Lazy Dog Cafe

The Lazy Dog Cafe recently opened up in the former spot of French 75 at the Irvine Marketplace. The restaurant is a concept from the son of the founder of Mimi's Cafe (Chris Simms, son of Tom) and, like Mimi's the menu has a huge array of options (from lamb shanks to pizza to burgers to chicken and hummus salad).

The decor is a sort of Western ski lodge with dog pictures and themes everywhere. From the menu out front which is posted in the middle of an oversized fire hydrant to the beer taps which are dog bones hanging off of a fire hydrant.

I went on a Sunday morning with a friend, my wife, and our son. I was very tempted to order something from the brunch list, but in the name of academic honesty, decided to try the fish tacos.

The menu reads: AHI FISH TACOS
Seared Ahi tuna in warm corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, Island Salsa, and Horseradish Tartar Sauce. Served with steamed rice and black beans $9.95.

When the tacos arrived, they appeared rather large. Two big tacos with grilled ahi cubes, with the sauce, a healthy serving of shredded cabbage, and the salsa on the side. The steamed rice was just that and the black beans had grilled onions mixed in with them.

The tacos were relatively bland. The ahi was good, but rather bland. Rather than seared, it was fairly cooked through and there was no spice or detectable seasoning on the fish. The tartar sauce was very mild for having horseradish in it and with the amount of cabbage served in the tortilla, the taco was pretty boring. Not bad, just boring. The amount of "island salsa" given was barely enough to cover one of the tacos. I suppose that I could have asked for more, but I was caught up in the conversation and trying to take mental notes of the tacos.

A good salsa with some kick would definitely improve the tacos. After reading an industry news article about the menu, it appears that the tacos are a way to get more use out of the ahi which they buy for the Hawaiian ahi poke appetizer and Asian ahi tuna burger. While that is good food economics, it doesn't mean that the ahi cubes shouldn't be dressed up with some seasoning.

I will probably go back with the family because it is a solid, family-friendly, slightly upscale, casual dining place, but I will not be ordering the fish tacos again.

The Lazy Dog Cafe
Six locations in California with a Seventh coming soon to The Promenade in Temecula.
Website
13290 Jamboree Rd
Irvine CA 92602

Discovery

My experience today at Papa's Tacos in South Laguna Beach was the type of experience I imagined I would have when we started this blog. For me, this blog is as much about discovering new places to eat, as much as it is to find the perfect FT. And I feel like I found a great little "discovery" in Papa's Tacos.

For my entire life , I have driven through South Laguna and passed by Papa's Tacos, located along the eastern side of PCH. It has a very small and unassuming storefront, marked only by a relatively small rectangular sign. I noticed for the last 10 years or so, which I interpret to mean that it must be doing something right. Especially since it is not located along a heavy pedestrian portion of PCH and survived with only metered street parking. Many times have I wanted to stop to peek in and sample, but I had never done so...until today. With my daughter in hand I adventured in to Papa's for a Saturday lunch.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is how small it is. The entire place was about the size of a NYC hotel room (read: small). The counter and kitchen make up 2/3 of the entire store with enough room for 4 worn, wooden stools that were positioned along the large windows facing PCH. The menu offered the standard mexican faire: burritos, enchiladas, tacos, tortas, etc. So I ordered a fish taco, a carne asada taco and rice & beans and settled in with my daughter on one of the stools go wait for our order.

The FTs arrived in a strofoam to-go container. They were healthy in size and consisted of sliced mahi-mahi fish wrapped in 2 medium sized corn tortillas. Melted cheese, cabbage and a small amount of chopped onions (which likely made their way from the carne asada taco) topped off my FT. It was fantastic! The melted cheese on the mahi-mahi along with the errant chooped onions made for a great taste. The fish was very light and flakey but hearty, if that is possible. I saved the hot salsa to the second half of my FT which turned out to complement the FT quite well. The rice and beans (and carne asada taco) rounded out what was a great lunch.

After lunch, I chatted up the owner. He told me that Papa's Tacos has been there for 19 years but he had recently taken over ownership and management. It must have been very recent given that when I was there the cook was "training" him on using the register.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, from the food to the dining experience in the restuarant (my daughter even behaved well eating lunch on my lap!). I highly recommend Papa's Tacos and I know I will be back.

Papa's Tacos

31622 Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

(949) 499-9822

www.papastacos.com

Vegas Roadtrip Report

Road Trip. Las Vegas.

Enough to strike fear into the hearts of most mortals, however, an opportunity to experience new things. When those things are of the fish taco variety, you can come home to your spouse with a clear conscience.

I traveled along with a group of about twenty for a Bachelor Party in Las Vegas. I will spare you (and me) stories of the rest of the weekend and focus solely on Friday night's dinner at the Pink Taco in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. You've heard of it, you've laughed at the name, how was the food?

The fish tacos were very good for Las Vegas. Nothing earth shattering compared to SoCal, but a solid effort nonetheless. Fresh tortillas, battered and fried fish (it only says fish on the menu and the drinking blocked any memory I may have had of the type of fish), a great serrano-cilantro salsa, cabbage, and pico de gallo. A solid effort and no disappointment considering the environment.

I am glad that the table doesn't show the number of empty beer, margarita, and tequila shot glasses on the table so that this entry is not completely ignored. Next time you are in Vegas and want a fish taco, you won't go wrong with the Pink Taco.


Website
Pink Taco
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, NV

A great fish taco story and recipe...

The OC Weekly blog has a great story (and recipe) about catching endangered species for fish tacos.

Read the article (and recipe) here...

Las Casuelas Nuevas

I have had a very long relationship with Las Casuelas Nuevas in Rancho Mirage, California. My family and I have been traveling to the Palm Springs area for holidays and weekends since the early 80's. Typically we all go to Las Casuelas Nuevas at least once a trip for the big night out. I have gone from the kids menu to the large house margarita and probably have eaten a metric ton or four of their chips.

Las Casuelas (the original) was the first Mexican restaurant to open in Palm Springs (1958). Las Casuelas Nuevas (this location) was opened in 1973 and is claimed to be the first Hacienda-styled dinner house in America. I have never been to Las Casuelas Terraza (opened in 1979) or Casuelas Cafe (1992). The restaurant is like a large house with a big open pation (where we eat on this trip) and several rooms, each with a little different ambiance.

I ordered the Fish Tacos under the "Taco Platters" and selected one grilled and one "Baja style" (fried). For $15.25, the plate includes mahi-mahi tacos fried or dusted with achiote seasoning and grilled, rice and beans. The tacos themselves are the standard double-corn tortilla affairs with the fish, and then a smoky Chipotle Cream sauce and jicama cole slaw.

My wife had the chile verde and our friends had carnitas and fish tacos. I have had the carnitas and chile verde many times and had some orderer's remorse when the food arrived. The carnitas looked positively succulent and dripped with pork fatty goodness. I told our companions about our search for the best fish taco and we spent some time comparing notes on where they felt the best came from. (Note: if I get down near Del Mar, I apparently need to try the Brig).

Both of us that had the fish tacos were disappointed. To be fair, they were fine, and when ordered with good friends, sitting outside on the patio on the front-side of a long weekend in Palm Springs and with a HUGE goblet of margaritas to wash it all down, I am not sure that they could ever be bad. But, in the search for the best fish tacos, all of those outside influences must be ignored and the fish must swim on its own.

To that end, the Chipotle Cream Sauce was pretty good, the tortillas were good and the fish itself was prepared well. It was just missing something to make it qualify as the best. What that is, I can't tell you, but they fall within the ever growing pool of forgettable fish tacos that will do the trick if you need fish tacos and aren't looking to be wowed. The ulitmate question is always "will I order them again?" The answer here is no...that doesn't mean that I won't keep coming back to one of my favorite restaurants in the Desert, it just means that I will order something else and only enjoy being there rather than deconstructing the food.

Website
Las Casuelas Nuevas
70-050 Highway 111
Rancho Mirage, California 92270
(760) 328-8844

Bear Trapped

Ever since the seeds of this blog were planted, I have heard about Bear Flag Fish Co. in Newport Beach. I had heard from multiple sources that their fish tacos are the benchmark for fish tacos. I was excited. Upon picking up my wife at the airport (returning from a Bachelorette Boondoggle in Veg-Rock), and with my daughter in tow, we headed down to Newport for lunch.

Located a mere 2 blocks from the sand and sharing a parking lot with a popular "Sunday Funday" bar, Bear Flag has an unbeatable location. On a warm sunny SoCal day, as it was during our visit, this place shines. Tables inside and out with a casual, surf-fish vibe inside. There was a line 10 people deep, which was a good sign. We ordered to-go and took it home.

Anxious to bust into our eats, we snacked on the chips on the way home. Thick and with a homemade taste, these tortilla chips were a second good sign that we were able to sample some fantastic FTs. We got home, set up our feast and dove in. I ordered 2 panko-grilled fish tacos. The tacos had your typical shredded cabbage and came with tomatos to top on each taco. Here are my takeaways:

1. The corn tortillas held up very well, considering there was 20 min. between our ordering and eating. The tortillas were grilled, giving each taco a smokey flavor. Unexpected and different.

2. Each FT came with a lemon, which was a nice change from the typical lime that comes with FTs at other establishments.

3. The Tommy sauce was drizzled on each FC, and really made for a nice tangy tasting experience.

Overall, the tacos were great. The smokey taste with the Tommy's sauce really left you feeling like they were aiming for something different that other places. They were offering a creative solution. I have nothing but good things to say about the taste, but...

The size of each FT was a serious issue. Typically, when I order FT's I use the price as a guage for the size. When FTs are listed at $1.99, I know not to expect much. But when they are priced at $2.99 with $1.00 extra for avocado ($3.99 total), I expect a sizable FT. For lunch, 2 FTs for $8, should fill you up, right? Not at Bear Flag. A filling lunch here would have required me to purchase at least 3 FTs, perhaps 4. $12-16? That seems a bit absurd to me, even if they are great.

So, either go to Bear Flag when you are only half-full or be prepared to hand over a few more sheckels than you would think.

B

Bear Flag Fish Co.

407 31st Street

Newport Beach, CA

Del Taco

I love Del Taco. Let me say it again with the full knowledge that it may destroy my culinary credentials with everyone, but I love Del Taco. In the war between Del Taco and Taco Bell, I would choose DT 99 out of 100 times (the 100th time is when there is only a TB within several miles). Throughout my High School and College Career (and, sadly, still) if I am eating fast food after 10:00 pm, it is Del Taco. I have seen friends take down $18 worth of DT and then walk back up to the Counter for more (OK, it wasn't just friends, I did it too, but there was tequila involved).

My usual order is two chicken soft tacos (the best in the business in my opinion) and some sort of burrito. Every once in a while, I mix it up with their crispy fish tacos.

I have ordered the Crispy Fish Tacos at Del Taco may times and while they are always very good, I usually just consider them a starting point (or mid-way point) of a Del Taco multi-course Fiesta. So it was with rapt, laser-like focus that I enjoyed a fish taco with the goal of reviewing it here.

The setup is standard, double corn tortillas, cabbage, pico de gallo, and VERY crispy breaded and fried Halibut with "special sauce" (basically mayo and lime). Extra credit is awarded to Del Taco for including a lime wedge, a nice special touch that fish tacos costing triple sometimes forget to include. They are great for what they are, mega-chain (in SoCal), fast-food attempts at Mexican food. On the plus side, they are just about the crunchiest fish tacos I have had. On the negative side, they are very small and really don't have much fish to them, they are really fried batter tacos with some fish in them.

Del Taco's website.
Various locations. For list, see here.

Jalapenos

Jalapenos is one of those ubiquitous Mexican restaurants that line the many strip malls of Orange County. That is not to say that it isn't great Mexican food, just to say that you sometimes need to brave the Stepford-like malls of the Irvine Company (and Ladera Ranch in this case) to get good food.

I have been to Jalapenos many times, but previous to this visit, I had only ever ordered the Chile Verde or Chile Colorado (both excellent dishes, the latter being a smoky, spicy treat unique from many other places).

The fish taco is listed on the menu for $2.35 and is described as coming with cabbage, tomatoes, cliantro, onions and white sauce in a soft shell. And, in fact, it did.

The fish (Tilapia) was lightly breaded and friend and was a very good specimen of the lightly fried fish taco. The size of the taco was larger than most and the overall flavor was great. All in all, a better than average fish taco that I will eat again.

6404 Irvine Blvd
Irvine, CA 92620
(Woodbury Shopping Center)
Locations also in Tustin, Irvine, and Ladera Ranch
Website

SIlverware Needed

I love being surprised, which is why I really enjoyed my most recent visit to Opah Restautant & Bar in Aliso Viejo. As I made the short drive to lunch, I have to admit that The Year of the Fish Taco was not at the front of my mind. What I was thinking about was my go-to Opah order: Macademia Crusted Mahi-Mahi. At the risk of undermining this blog, let me put in a little plug for what I consider the best item on the menu! I can almost taste it now (eyes closed, glands salivating)...the sweet, crunchy exterior, the soft, flaky, Mahi-Mahi....whoa, what happened...where am I?

Sorry, back to the FTs. So let's face it, anyone who has been to Opah a few times can agree that fish tacos are not what you think of from this small, but upscale OC restaurant chain (locations in AV and Irvine). In fact, I almost didn't open the menu... thinking I already knew what I wanted. But, just before it was my turn to order, I glanced at the menu and spotted "Fork & Knife Blackened Fish Tacos." I knew what to do.

These FTs were different than the typical ones I have had in the past. First, as stated in their name, these FTs required utencils. But don't think for a second that utencils make these FT's not worth the effort. Don't judge a book by it's cover.

The lunch portion includes a pair of grilled, blackened Mahi-Mahi FTs covered in cabbage and sprouts and flanked by a healthy portion of a fresh papaya and cucumber salsa. The flour tortillas were spread on the inside with a roasted tomato butter. What made this dish was the combination of all of these things together. The sweetness of the papaya was the best part. Unlike most tacos I eat (fish or otherwise), which I douse in the hottest hot sauce available, these left a tangy taste in my mouth.

It is hard to compare these FTs to their hand-eaten brethren that you find at most Mexican or Mexican-inspired restaurants. Overall, I enjoyed these FTs and would encourage ordering them...presuming you have tried the Macademia Crusted Mahi-Mahi.

Opah Restaurant & Bar

26851 Aliso Creek Road, #C

Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

(949) 360-8822

Tacos & Co

Tacos & Co is a small chain of mexican food restaurants that I have been to many times (because their location at Bristol & Jamboree) is central to everything. They have five total stores and I have not been to any of the others ones. My regular order at Tacos & Co is the carnitas and I have always enjoyed them.

As I drove up today, I saw a huge sign advertising fish tacos for $1.99 hanging out in front of the store. On the wall menu, I saw both grilled fish tacos and Sonora fish tacos (fried) offered. I ordered two grilled fish tacos with rice and beans. Each one was $1.99 and the rice and beans was an additional $0.99.

There was a small mix-up with my order and I only received one taco (as pictured) with the sides, but they quickly rectified the mistake and brought me out my second taco within a minute. The tacos are standard in their construction; double corn tortillas, yellow-tinged chopped up and grilled Tilapia, mixed-cabbage slaw (very crunchy), crema, and diced tomatoes. I tasted the first one without any additional salsa and found it to be a very good fish taco. The best part of it was the crunchy cabbage mix which was much more toothsome (although pleasingly so) than others. I couldn't detect what the mysterious yellow seasoning on the fish was and forgot to ask. I will be back to sample the Sonora style tacos and will ask then.

My overall review is positive. The tacos were above average, incredibly well priced, and the cabbage mix was really pleasingly crunchy.

They have great nachos and give student discounts as well (though my student discount days are growing farther and farther away at an alarmingly rapid rate).

Tacos & Co
3601 Jamboree Road, STE #6
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Good coupons on their website here

George's Mexican Food

It was 2:00 pm and I hadn’t had lunch. I was running around trying to get my two year old son a Thomas the Train crossing arm that he desperately wanted and that took me far from Irvine to the mean streets of Westminster (and incidentally, if you need ANY model train paraphernalia, go to http://www.arniestrains.com/). On my way back to the freeway along Edinger, I saw the bright sombrero of a grinning man beckoning me to come in to George’s. Despite it having a drive-through, I parked and walked inside to better feel the ambiance and enjoy the fish taco as George would have me do it.

I walked into the empty restaurant (although there were several cars in the drive through) and perused the menu. I have to admit that there were so many good looking menu options that I wanted to order a torta or a carnitas burrito, but, this is the year of the fish taco, so I soldiered on and ordered the 2 item combo with two fish tacos and rice and beans for $5.49. I inquired from the less-than-friendly lady behind the counter what type of fish was used in the tacos and she informed me that it was Tilapia. For those that don’t know, Tilapia is a freshwater, tropical, white fish that is a bottom-feeder like a catfish, however, most are farm-raised and good for you since they are low in fat and high in Omega 3 and 6’s.

I watched as the cook took a Styrofoam, 3-part “picnic” plate and piled up refried pintos in one part, Spanish rice in another part, and prepared four corn tortillas on a steam press. She waited for a cook in the back room to produce two 5 inch fried filets of fish through a pass which she then placed into the double tortillas and added a white crème freche (or Crema) sauce, a shredded cabbage mix, and pico de gallo. She added two lime sections and a handful of chips and handed me the plate.

Upon inspection of the fish, I found that it had a thick, bright orange breading that appeared to feature several spices and that the fish inside was somewhat slimy and had shrunk from the crispy outer shell. The tortillas were larger than most and the filet of fish in each taco was much larger than most.



The overall flavor was ok. Nothing special. I found the consistency of the fish within the breading (the sliminess) a tiny bit off-putting, but overall, it was a mediocre fish taco. The chips were above-average and the rice was one of the few Mexican rices which I actually ate and found to be tasty (no doubt from the overall fat content since it appeared to be completely covered in oil). Overall, it was a passable lunch and well priced, but left me thinking that I should have ordered a carnitas burrito…

I checked out their website and it says that they have been doing it for 25 years. I found their website to be pretty impressive for a drive-through Mexican food place. My only criticism is the opening video where a clearly Caucasian voice says, “Our food is Bueno and picante!” with no attempt to add any sort of accent and with a funny way of saying “bueno.” They should have told her to roll like the newscasters who speak perfect English until they pronounce a Spanish word and roll their r’s into oblivion. They even have a twitter feed and online coupons. Now if they could only improve their fish tacos…

George’s Mexican Food
6581 Edinger Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA
http://www.georgesmexicanfood.net/index.php

Wahoos Fish Taco

First a disclosure: I eat at Wahoo's almost once a week because my 2.5 year old loves their fish tacos and rice and beans. I love Wahoo's Kahlua Pig and Carne Asada, but until yesterday had never ordered a fish taco. Also I know the founders of Wahoo's and think it is a great company.

With all of that said, I don't have such wonderful things to say about the Fish Tacos at Wahoo's

The menu is not very descriptive, it merely lists "fish" as a potential filling for the tacos. I ordered a #2, Two Tacos. Then the series of interview questions begins...the order taker will ask if you want your fish spicy or regular (I chose spicy), beans black or spicy cajun white beans (SCWB, but black for my wife and son), and rice brown or white (brown for all of us). I also ordered my favorite item on the menu, Mr Lee's Chili Sauce (described on the menu as a blend of red chilis, garlic, and ginger). A moment on Mr. Lee's...

Mr. Lee's is my favorite type of hot sauce. I put Tabasco or Cholula on my breakfast eggs, Tabasco Chipotle on my Macaroni & Cheese, and Sriracha on anything remotely Asian. Mr. Lee's is better than all of these because of the garlic and ginger. I like Mr. Lee's so much that I once ordered the 12 oz. size to take home (which did not end well because the spicy chili oil ate its way through the styrofoam container and ended up all over my refrigerator). I also have attempted several times to make it at home and have not gotten there. One of my favorite food bloggers, elmomonster (who also writes for the OC Weekly and Chowhound) equated it to an Indonesian Sambal which, after testing other Sambals, I now agree. See here

So on to the tacos. The corn tortillas are standard and doubled up, the fish is white, flaky, and pretty mild, and the tacos are topped with shredded cheddar cheese, shredded cabbage, and a red salsa. I covered my tacos in Mr. Lee's (and my rice, and my beans, and my chips, and my fingers, etc.) and proceeded to see what the signature dish at Wahoo's would taste like. I think that I was expecting a lot and I think that I was let down because a) I love Wahoo's b) I love the carnitas, asada, and Kahlua Pork at Wahoo's and c) I love fish tacos. They weren't bad, but by no means were they good. I may give them another try for academic honesty, but I really just don't think there's anything unique here.

I'll keep going to Wahoo's and my wife and son will keep ordering the Fish Tacos, but I will be ordering my other favorites and of course, drenching everything in Mr. Lee's.

The website for Wahoo's says that they use Wahoo or Mahi-Mahi in their fish tacos. I did not inquire which was being served that day. It also shows that they have locations in California, Colorado, Texas, and Hawaii.

www.wahoos.com

Steelhead Brewery, Irvine, CA

Tonight I sampled the fish tacos at Steelhead Brewery in Irvine. The menu features: 'Three corn tortillas wrapped around our beer battered Alaskan halibut, topped with cheese and shredded cabbage, served with guacamole, salsa, black beans and wild rice.' $13.95

The tortillas were small and marginal. Of the 3, one was blue corn and 2 were yellow. The fish was the same fish from the fish and chips and had a delightfully crunchy exterior. The fish itself was relatively tasteless...not in a bad way, just very flavor neutral. Our waitress suggested I add some of the chipotle tartar sauce served with the fish and chips. I complied and her reco and found it to be a great addition.The sides of beans and rice were marginal, but ultimately unnecessary since the 3 tacos were very filling.

My Bombay Bomber IPA was a great foil for the richness of the fish and very hoppy in its finish.

We need an overall ranking system and categories.

Next time here I will try the grilled fish tacos.

Our waitress suggested the following:

Aloha Grill in CM

Eat Chow in CM

Catalina Fish Kitchen in CM

Steelhead Brewery
4175 Campus Drive
Irvine, CA 92612-2618

Welcome to THE YEAR OF THE...

Three of us were sitting around drinking and talking about the fact that one of us had ordered the same dish all year (tamales) in search of the best one. We had a few more drinks and debated what dish we should chose for 2010 and declared 2010 the YEAR OF THE FISH TACO.

Ground rules: There are none. We will simply order fish tacos at as many establishments as possible and provide a review of each. Perhaps as the year moves on we will select certain awards to give out and we will definitely come up with a ranking system for the fish tacos.