The Taco Diaries: Venice, CA v. Boston
I've been a little out of sorts since I got back from Boston. I expected to have three weeks of down time before my next gig, which has since stretched to four, and while there are plenty of things I should/could do (revise feature script, write a short, pitch "Letter of Recommendation: Overalls" to the New York Times), instead I'm dicking around. Playing Tiles on my phone. And then, soooometimes, when my four free plays run out, moving over to my laptop to play four more. I am not proud of this. I tell myself it's healthy to take time off, refill the well or whatever, but I don't think Tiles is helping.
I have made it to the beach a few times. I'm not a big ocean swimmer, but I happily put my feet in the water. Plus, on an outing with R, I tried on every hat on the Venice boardwalk, and wound up with the same dumb floppy straw one that I ditched three years ago. Whaddya gonna do. It's a hat.
Speaking of Venice 🌮👍
If you didn't know better, you'd glance at Teddy's Red Tacos and walk right by. It just looks like a tourist trap. But Teddy Vasquez is doing a very simple, delicious thing. Making slow-roasted Tijuana-style beef birra and homemade corn tortillas, stained red with broth before they hit the grill, and serving them a few different ways. We ordered two mulitas, two vampiros, and two tacos with cheese, quickly realizing they're almost the same thing, though the cheese on the tacos isn't melted. Get the melty melty mulita (with one tortilla on the top and one on the bottom) or my fave, the vampiro (same thing basically, but with both tortillas on the bottom). A cup of caldo, the broth, makes a yummy side. Bonus: Clean bathroom. If you find yourself on Venice Beach needing to pee, buying a $2 taco to get the bathroom code would not be a bad plan. We saw this in effect while we were there.
Meanwhile, in Boston 🌮👎
The bathroom at Chilacates Mexican Street Food is spectacular. It's sparkling, with floor-to-ceiling Mexican tile, and a gleaming hunk of embellished porcelain for a toilet. Almost too pretty to pee in. Spectacular!The tacos not so much. What did I expect from a "street food" joint at an upscale strip mall in Newton, Mass? Friends, you never know... But, yeah. The place has 4 1/2 stars on Yelp, which I've learned is not a reliable gauge. Boston don't know tacos. I also tried El Pelon. Nope. Tacos are not the order.
*****
This month on Netflix: I watched Shirkers on the plane home, and though it's bittersweet, about a lost feature film, I was so inspired by these young women who just fucking MADE A THING. The best parts are the snippets of them on film, slating with their rad 90s haircuts, defiantly chewing gum though it had recently been banned in Singapore.
This month in "fashion": LBJ buys pants. I relate to this very deeply, actually.
xoxo,
Laramie
Pls forward this to someone who loves tacos, or someone who struggles with the fit of her pants. If you're seeing The Taco Diaries for the first time and you want more, subscribe here to get it once a month(ish).
I have made it to the beach a few times. I'm not a big ocean swimmer, but I happily put my feet in the water. Plus, on an outing with R, I tried on every hat on the Venice boardwalk, and wound up with the same dumb floppy straw one that I ditched three years ago. Whaddya gonna do. It's a hat.
Speaking of Venice 🌮👍
If you didn't know better, you'd glance at Teddy's Red Tacos and walk right by. It just looks like a tourist trap. But Teddy Vasquez is doing a very simple, delicious thing. Making slow-roasted Tijuana-style beef birra and homemade corn tortillas, stained red with broth before they hit the grill, and serving them a few different ways. We ordered two mulitas, two vampiros, and two tacos with cheese, quickly realizing they're almost the same thing, though the cheese on the tacos isn't melted. Get the melty melty mulita (with one tortilla on the top and one on the bottom) or my fave, the vampiro (same thing basically, but with both tortillas on the bottom). A cup of caldo, the broth, makes a yummy side. Bonus: Clean bathroom. If you find yourself on Venice Beach needing to pee, buying a $2 taco to get the bathroom code would not be a bad plan. We saw this in effect while we were there.
Meanwhile, in Boston 🌮👎
The bathroom at Chilacates Mexican Street Food is spectacular. It's sparkling, with floor-to-ceiling Mexican tile, and a gleaming hunk of embellished porcelain for a toilet. Almost too pretty to pee in. Spectacular!The tacos not so much. What did I expect from a "street food" joint at an upscale strip mall in Newton, Mass? Friends, you never know... But, yeah. The place has 4 1/2 stars on Yelp, which I've learned is not a reliable gauge. Boston don't know tacos. I also tried El Pelon. Nope. Tacos are not the order.
*****
This month on Netflix: I watched Shirkers on the plane home, and though it's bittersweet, about a lost feature film, I was so inspired by these young women who just fucking MADE A THING. The best parts are the snippets of them on film, slating with their rad 90s haircuts, defiantly chewing gum though it had recently been banned in Singapore.
This month in "fashion": LBJ buys pants. I relate to this very deeply, actually.
xoxo,
Laramie
Pls forward this to someone who loves tacos, or someone who struggles with the fit of her pants. If you're seeing The Taco Diaries for the first time and you want more, subscribe here to get it once a month(ish).
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