Pablito's Tacos

Pablito's Tacos

Coronavirus or no, I still love tacos.

In the background, here in my backyard, the soundtrack to some 'Bollywood' film is playing. Not sure why I have this...

Pablito's Tacos is across the street from the Red Barn Market, in the parking lot of Iglesia Apostolica. (this church would sometimes serve tacos out of a pop-up). The Red Barn actually rates it's own entry, and maybe I'll get to that soon. They've got good meat and a good deli section. 

I'd initially planned on getting a bean and cheese burrito from the Red Barn deli-the beans are good, made in manteca, the way my grandmother would have, and it's only $3.50. But I noticed that Pablito's was open, and so changed up my plan.

I ordered the birrias taco, and I was just going to get an asada taco to go with it. The kid at the window suggested the gordita, and if he felt good enough to suggest it, I figured that I'd give it a whirl. I also got a can of Dr. Pepper to wash it down, for a total of $7.50.

At that price point, the bar is pretty low-if it's edible, it's probably worth it. I noticed that on their signage, they mention $1 Tacos on both Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, which I'll have to come back to try.

The wait seemed a little long, but not bad, and the food-well, it was pretty good. Everything was fried, of course, but not too greasy, and the birria sauce had a good smokey flavor with just a bit of spicy. There was plenty of meat in both items, and enough birria to dip both. The gordita looked more like what I would call a crunchy taco, with cheese and lettuce, but with some birria sauce, it was quite tasty. And he fished the Dr. Pepper out of a cooler of ice and water-Nothing quite like an ice cold Dr. Pepper.

No chairs or tables were out, so I plopped on the steps of the church in the parking lot. The lot was in the center of a complex of buildings-the taco truck is owned by the church-and several men walked by, seeming to do different things and all asked if I enjoyed the food and thanked me for stopping by. 

So, does it match up to my favorite taco truck on the Avenues of Ventura? No, but this one is open in the afternoon, so I'll be back.

 

Coronavirus Time

It's been a few years since I've written-I really had no idea that it had been that long-and now, like most everyone else, I'm sitting around the house.

Lots of Parking

In a few minutes I'm going to walk to my doctors-not for the virus, but because I have a wart on my nose. I'm tired of looking like the wicked witch and I'm hoping my doc will remove it. I'll take some pictures of my deserted home town on the way back.

One of the things I've noticed, though, is more families out walking. The car traffic is down considerably, but people are outside, riding bikes, walking dogs and just strolling about.The upside to the virus is it might bring the family unit together.


Last night I was up to late looking for the famed Boss Radio KHJ's Real Don Steele and his tagline, "Tina Delgado is alive! Alive!" If Quinten Tarentino had used that in Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, it would have been the perfect movie. I did find an aircheck from August of 1966 with Garry Mack and the Real Don Steele, and that's what I have playing while I write. Like Tarentino, who's about my age, KHJ was the sound of the city, sitting in the back of my Mom's 1964 Chevy Malibu. It brings back memories.

There have been some changes in town, and I do plan on writing this again, but I'll wait until the city reopens.

Quinceanera

Some thoughts.

I dropped my daughter of at her friend's Quinceanera on a farm deep in Oxnard. I was just walking her in and then I was going to exit, but as I was walking out, I heard the grandmother call to me, "Get yourself some tacos!" That, of course, sounded like a fine idea, and I went over to the taco man and had a plate-three tacos, a quesadilla, rice and beans. Most of the party guests were inside, so I found a table outside and watched the crowd.

The Quinceanera was being held inside an old wooden barn, which was decorated with flowers and lights. The barn, if I had to guess, was at least 100 years old, and looked it, but with the ranchero and other Mexican music blasting, and lots of people young and old both inside and out,  it was a lively affair. The farm was in the middle of many fields, and really out in the rural part of Oxnard.

My daughter is a coconut, and that's mostly because I'm a coconut, too. We didn't have a quincenera for her, because that's not what we do. I'm glad she gets invited to them, though.

This one was interesting in that the girl who was being celebrated was only half Mexican. I guess my daughter is too, but she has the dark hair, eyes and skin that betrays my side of the family. Her friend has fair hair and skin, and a 'white' surname.

The crowd had a fair mix of ethnicities, which is good, and everyone was dancing and posing for selfies. As I ate my tacos, with the upcoming 4th of July, I was left thinking that this is what America is-the melting pot of cultures, and everyone is an American.

I seem to be much more race aware than my children, which I think is good. They're colorblind in ways that I try to be-as we all should be.

Now back to Oxnard to pick my daughter up.

Limon y Sal

Limon y Sal
598 E. Main
Ventura CA  93001

My wife and I would pop into the old Watermark for Happy Hour snacks and cocktails. It was a classy setting, with a 1920's, art-deco vibe that we enjoyed while sitting at the bar, and the food and drinks were served quickly and everyone was friendly. We always said that we should go for dinner sometime, but never made it.

Then the placed closed.

The owners of El Pescador bought the place and reopened as an upscale Mexican restaurant, Limøn y Sal. 

So first, I must confess that I've never eaten a meal here. But it's a great place for margarita's, and Margarita Monday is a great time to come. On several occasions, groups of friends and I have enjoyed appetizers and cocktails on their beautiful rooftop bar. It overlooks the roofs, mostly, but Main Street, the hillside, and the ocean as well. There is something special about being up high and enjoying a cocktail. The old Watermark bar is still downstairs, and it's rich art-deco flourishes make it a classy place to sit, but here in Ventura, the rooftop just seems better. The roof is enclosed, but with the ability to open and shut many doors and windows, depending on the weather.

The art-deco vibe is still in place, but with that is a reminder of the dark woods that I remember in the Mexican restaurants of East L.A. that my father would take us to when I was growing up. The food always smells good, and there's usually a crowd.

Friday and Saturday nights the joint is generally jumping, with lines going outside, so I've never been on those nights. Midweek is still kind of crowded, but the service on the rooftop bar is generally quick, and comes with chips and salsa. On my last visit, there was a dj as well as big screen tv's showing both the Dodgers and the World Cup. There are always signs in for Rico and Mambo, morning jocks on a local hip-hop station, who make regular appearances, as well as occasional mariachis. 

A good, margarita vibe.

Wexler's Deli / Blue Bottle Coffee

Several entries mention pastrami. I like pastrami, and good pastrami is hard to find.

Often, if pastrami is not cooked well, it is chewy and bland. Sometimes, it'll be chewy and way too salty, and it's very salty if I say it's too salty. Or, I'll order it, and it'll be just a couple of pieces on bland bread, and still very expensive.

Pastrami is expensive, more so than just a burger, so if I'm ordering it, I want it to be good.

Recently, I was at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles, and decided that pastrami would be a good call. So, after circling the premises, I decided to try Wexler's.

Wexler's occupies a counter space in the center of the market, and after watching the guy in the back for a few minutes, I went ahead and placed my order for the O.G., a basic pastrami on rye. The reason I watched the guy is something I learned while watching a video on Langers Deli, (another great pastrami place), and that's if they're cutting with a machine, or just making a bunch of parallel cuts by hand, you end up with some really chewy pastrami. A good deli guy will cut against the grain, and to do that, you need to spin the meet on the cutting board at different points to stay against the grain, and that's what the deli guy was doing.

I took my seat at the counter-I really wanted to sit at the counter, although there were tables near by. The counter just seemed right for eating pastrami, and my order actually came up pretty quick. It came a pickle and either cole slaw or potato salad-I went with the slaw. The pickle was crisp and the slaw a bit tart, both very good. The sandwich, too, was solid. Not too much salt, a bit of smokey flavor, not chewy, everything that I could have hoped for. A good lunch choice.

 

 After, I though a bit of coffee would be nice, so I went over to the Bradbury Building, (one of the premier architectural buildings in the city, seen in many movies and T.V. Shows), and had the pour over coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee. 

I want to say that I liked it. At twice the cost of Starbucks, I really want to say that it was a transcendent experience that no coffee drinker should miss. But, frankly, it wasn't. It wasn't bad, mind you, but it wasn't worth twice what I would normally pay. The place looked nice, though.

Ventura Spirits Company

I'm really beginning to enjoy Groupon. I don't use it often, but every now and then, something comes up that I want to try. In Vegas a few years back, I used it for tickets to Zombie Burlesque, (for the adults) and Nathan Burton Comedy Magic, (for the family), both well worth it. I've used it for Red Tandem Brewery last year, which I was thankful for because I now know that I won't likely head back there. I've used it for Gloria's Kitchen (one of my first entries, from 1/13/13, before I knew how to put pictures up), which I go to no matter what.

But when I saw a Groupon for Ventura Spirits Company, I was ecstatic. I knew it was there, but I had never tried any of their spirits, and I didn't know they had a tasting room. I bought it, mentioned it to a friend who bought one also, and suddenly it was couples night.

Located way up on the Avenues, in the basement of an old factory space, the distillery is a bit out of the way. It is, however, right off the Ventura River Trail bike path, if you happen to be out riding. Inside, it is very much a small scale, small batch kind of place, and there is a short, interesting tour led by James, one of the four owners.  He explained how they went about making their own still, and how they've repurposed various items to suit their needs. James mentioned that when it's bottling time, everyone in their distillery, plus family and friends, touch every bottle in some way.

James also discussed how they get their fruit for alcohol, and the types of alcohol they're making. Their alcohol is fruit based, and their fruit comes from local fields.

And as a reward for being good on the tour, there is the tasting!

The tasting room is a result in a change in their license, and has been open for about a year. Henry, another owner, was pouring each spirit, and then he also mixed a couple of simple cocktails to show how to use the alcohol. It's only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The actual tasting room space is quite small, being the former office of the distillery, and the eight or so other people there pretty much filled up the room.

I'm not much of a gin drinker, but I did like their gin. They also had two types of vodka, both of which I liked. There was a subtle flavor difference between the two, but too subtle for me to understand how one would work better for a martini then the other. My favorite, though, was the Opuntia, made with prickly pear, which means it is a close cousin of tequila. I thought it was very smooth, like a good tequila should be, and I could see how it would brighten up a margarita.

The whole adventure took about an hour, after which (since it was date night), we all headed to Lalos, just a few minutes away.

James mentioned that the goal was to open a restaurant at some point, and to have limited run spirits (the Persimonn Brandy was only available in the tasting room on this trip) in the tasting room, a reason to return. Also, if you buy a bottle there, they'll let you do a tasting for free.

I brought home a bottle of Opuntia, and I'm looking forward to using it for a margaritas on the rocks this summer.

Beacon Coffee

Poseidon Brewery, right next door!

A friend once told me that this was the perfect set-up. She’d spend a Saturday Morning coming here to Beacon Coffee , and getting her java fix, then hit the cross-fit gym next door for  a good sweat, and after a couple of hours there, close it all out at Poseidon Brewery, for some recovery carb loading.

I don’t do cross-fit myself, but if there were a run or swim involved, it might work for me.

I’ve talked about Beacon Coffee in other places on this blog. A few of the coffee shops in town brew it, (See my posts on Kays' and Palermo), and I certainly prefer it to Santa Barbara Roast, the other larger local coffee purveyor.

I don’t often get to the place where they actually roast the coffee. It’s located in a storefront of a business park behind the Ventura Auto Center and close to Buenaventura Golf Course. But it is worth the trip. There are five tables in the dining area, and the smell of roasting coffee permeates the premises, even when coffee isn’t being roasted.

If you’re staying, they’ll top off your cup with the coffee of the day. On this visit, it’s some sort of Guatemalan thing that is a bit bright with a hint of citrus-that’s what the young hipster (glasses, longish hair, tan long sleeve shirt, Patagonia puffy jacket) guy said who topped off my cup. Whatever it was, though my preference is generally for dark, it was good. A nice, flavorful cup of coffee.

They usually have some pastries from their Ojai branch, and they’ll do espressos, macchiato, chai teas and mochas. The same person who told me about her Saturday morning dream routine also swears by their “Cold Brew Nitro,” which I’ve tried, but I like my coffee hot, even, strangely, on hot days.

The early 60’s era Rolling Stones playing is a nice touch, too. They also sell bags of coffee, coffee brewing equipment (no drip coffee-makers here!), t-shirts, and bags.

Coffee, two sugars and cream, and I’m very happy. Good coffee here.

On a side note, one of the Poseidon brewers just walked in and said they’re expanding next door, and experimenting with more brews. Poseidon is my favorite of the local breweries, but the seating area is generally full if you don’t get there early, so I'm looking forward to that change.