Restaurant Review #151: Senor Fred, Sherman Oaks

Cheese enchilada plate

Should you be afraid to eat Mexican food at a Zagat-rated place named Senor Fred? It depends on what you're looking for. In some ways, Senor Fred exceeds expectations: the margaritas are strong, the chips are thick, the salsa is spicy, and the atmosphere is a pleasant departure from the usual cheesy Mexican theme.

On the other hand, with the more upscale setting, the Sherman Oaks location, and the mostly white crowd come less authentic food, higher prices, and valet parking (or a spot on the street, if you can snag one). Our server was a little condescending and not too attentive--I think she had a wannabe actress complex.

The huge, Cheesecake Factory-style menu is ad-laden, but filled with options. Senor Fred is the only place I've seen include a couple of Oaxacan dishes on an otherwise traditional Mexican menu, so they get points for that even though they don't describe the moles very well. One dish is described as "chicken enchiladas with mole sauce"--but what kind of mole? That's like listing cake on the dessert menu but not saying whether it's flourless chocolate cake, lemon chiffon cake, or cheesecake.


Margarita on the rocks with salt

The cheese enchiladas definitely seemed Americanized--the cheese was too chewy and the red sauce was scarce. They tasted good, but got too dry when I ran out of sauce. There were too many mushy peas hidden in the rice. Refried beans taste pretty much the same no matter where you eat them. I got carded when I ordered a margarita--don't minors order their margaritas frozen? I can't remember the last time I got carded.

There is an outdoor patio, but it's pretty open to the street so it won't give you much protection from traffic noise or smokers. The best tables are the booths (inside), but you'll want to make a reservation if you want one since they seem to get claimed quickly.


Churros and hot dipping chocolate

The churros were sort of like beignets--very puffy and smooth, and the only non-ridged churros I've ever seen. They're smothered in cinnamon and sugar that coats your lips with each bite. The chocolate doesn't live up to its "Mexican hot chocolate" description--it isn't very sweet, has no trace of cinnamon, and seems to be thickened with flour rather than with heavy cream and eggs. Nonetheless, it's perfect for dipping the churros into. Maybe when they said Mexican, they meant that it was prepared by a Mexican. But maybe not, because a Mexican probably would have done a better job with my enchiladas.



The best things about my visit to Senor Fred were the decor, the salsa, and the margaritas, but even though I didn't love my enchiladas, I'd go back again and try something else.

Senor Fred
13730 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818.789.3200
Senor Fred website

Restaurant Review #150: El Taco Llama, Van Nuys

Al pastor (foreground) and asada (background)

I haven't eaten a taco in eight years. I'm not kidding. On the plus side, the last taco I ate was actually in Mexico. I was skeptical of that taco--I didn't eat much meat back then, so the idea of eating meat that was roasting out in the open didn't seem very appetizing or very sanitary. And the taco was so covered in onions and cilantro that I don't even remember the meat--I just remember the lingering tang of raw onions on my breath.

Real Mexican tacos are not what I grew up eating--I grew up eating the Old El Paso crunchy shells filled with fried ground meat mixed with so-called taco seasoning and topped with some shredded Kraft cheese and Old El Paso salsa. Every non-Mexican kid in America thinks this is what a taco is, but it just isn't so.


Carnitas and pollo

I keep The Great Taco Hunt's list of taco joints in my glove box. Based on his 4-taco rating (out of 5), I picked El Taco Llama when I was in the Valley one afternoon. By the way, "llama" means "flame," for those of you who aren't Spanish speakers.

Since I had no idea what I would like, I ordered four different kinds of meat--beef (carne asada), pulled pork (carnitas), barbecued pork (al pastor) and chicken (pollo). The staff doesn't really speak English, but you'll get by. They seemed really confused when I was ordering, like no white girl had ever set foot in their restaurant before. Hey, maybe it's true.

All of the tacos were good, but the carnitas was my favorite. I generally don't like pork, but this pork was moist and a pleasure to eat. El Taco Llama's tacos are $1.25 each and only come with onions and cilantro--if you want tomatoes, lettuce, or anything else, you'll have to pay 50 cents per topping. Spicy, deep red salsa is self-serve. The chicken meat was also pleasantly moist and mixed with cooked green peppers. They don't have a huge selection of drinks, but you can get a decent horchata or tamarindo. $2 will get you a huge drink, and refills are only $1.

There are a few tables inside. It's really a hole in the wall and not the kind of place you'll want to linger, but it's great for a quick bite.

I have no basis of comparison for these tacos (yet), so I can't tell you how they stack up against other places. I can tell you that I enjoyed them, but there was nothing so special about them that I'd have to go back.

When you're driving down Van Nuys looking for the restaurant, keep in mind that its sign is a little hard to spot: it's red and yellow, and so is seemingly every other sign on the block. There's free but scarce parking in the cramped parking lot.

El Taco Llama

7344 Van Nuys Blvd
Van Nuys, CA

818.901.1898

Map

Restaurant Review #69: Baja Fresh

When I was a newbie to LA, I used to really like Baja Fresh, largely because they had three different kinds of salsa and understood the value of limes. I've recently changed my mind though.

But wait--why am I reviewing a fast food restaurant?

1. it's expensive for fast food and for the portions ($8-9 for a burrito and a soda)
2. the tortillas are crispy
3. a black bean burrito made me sick to my stomach for several hours.
4. Baja Fresh, unlike McDonald's, is a regional fast food chain, which means that those of you who are new to the area may not have eaten here.
5. The salsa is not particularly good, and one of them tastes like burnt...nothing. Just burnt.

My advice? Skip Baja Fresh and visit an authentic hole-in-the-wall instead. You're no more likely to get sick, and the food will probably be better and cheaper.

Restaurant Review #59: Border Grill, Santa Monica

Mmm, dipping sauces. A nice change from the usual plain ol' red. I loved the green salsa and ate a lot of it straight. It reminded me a bit of green chutney, but with a hint of. . .banana? I know, I'm crazy, and that doesn't sound appetizing, but trust me, it was good. I also liked the chips--they had a great crunch, and weren't greasy.



I really like Border Grill's margaritas. They are pricey, at $12 for the cheapest, but they are very tasty and damn strong--plenty of lime, tequila, sugar, and Cointreau. Just one kept me drunk for two hours. I like my food and drink on the intense side.



Plantains and rice are hard to mess up. Brazilian and Cuban restaurants do them better, but still. Yum.



I like it when a place has some kind of sampler so I can try multiple items. Ordering the Border Classics will give you a taste of three dishes. The chicken panuchos (center) used the same chicken as the quesadilla (below). I liked them, especially the guacamole on top and the colorful presentation. Though the chicken was on the salty side, the sweetness of the onions and guacamole balanced it out. The plantain and black bean empanadas (left) were delicious, very filling, and kept well as leftovers. The green corn tamales (right) really didn't taste like anything more than plain old corn.



They brought me a chicken quesadilla instead of the poblano one I had ordered, but it took so long that I didn't feel like sending it back. The chicken was very moist and had been marinated or cooked in "sweet adobo sauce," but it was too salty. The watercress salad it came with was really more of a garnish than a salad, I thought, and looked a little wilted. And why did they put a limp scallion on top of my quesadilla, I wonder? No garnish at all is better than a lame one.



Ceviche without shrimp made my day, since I'm allergic--until I tried it. I ordered the seabass amarillo ceviche (there are three kinds, another with rock shrimp and a third with halibut). The biggest problem I had with this dish though was how fishy it smelled and tasted. Fresh fish doesn't smell fishy, and I was afraid I'd get food poisoning from eating it, so I just nibbled at it. Maybe the fishy smell had something to do with the way ceviche is prepared--I'm not sure, but I wasn't taking any chances. I didn't get sick though, and I'm sensitive enough that I probably would have even from a few bites if it had been bad. Still, it was unappetizing.

The restaurant is very noisy, even before it gets full--the acoustics are just terrible. The service was sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and overall indifferent. I really like the colorful decor, particularly the style of graphics they use, which seems to be inspired by the Chicano group Los Four that did a lot of mural work in Los Angeles in the seventies and eighties (each artist also had a body of individual work). I don't know many people besides me who love their strange, colorful work.

Border Grill
1445 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.451.1655
Website

Restaurant Review #43: Tia Juana's, West LA (now closed)

Salsa

And I know that maybe someday's come...

It's been a long, long time since I've had authentic Mexican food. Since whenever the last time was that I went to La Tapatia in Houston. Though I speak Spanish and have lived nearish the Mexican border most of my life, and have even spent some time in Mexico, I have never been a huge fan of Mexican food. But my mom and brother were in town, and my immediate family's eating regimen only allows for Mexican, Italian, Cajun, American, and, very occasionally, Chinese. So when they were in town, I had a genuine Mexican recommend Tia Juana's to me as a good authentic Mexican restaurant. Sounded good. However, he is a mere half-breed, so that may have skewed his opinion somewhat. I am also a half-breed, but no one seems to consider English-German to be mixed. I'm just Anglo or Caucasian. How dull.



Nopalitos

I'll see you smile as you call my name

I was happy when I opened the menu. The food is cheap! Not cheap like a true hole in the wall Mexican place, but cheap like "Are you sure we're on the Westside?" I wasn't hungry at all, since my family eats dinner at the ungodly hour of 5pm, so I ordered a salad. I ordered cactus. It was about damn time I tried some.

Unfortunately, it was straight out of a bucket in the refrigerator. It was too cold, nearly icy. It tasted kinda like pickles. I'm sure cactus can be better than this. I got a kick out of getting my unadventurous kin to try some, though.



Albondigas

Start to feel, and it feels the same

The "meatball soup," as the waiter described it to my brother, was my favorite part of the meal. A few of us gringos have heard of albondigas (though admittedly, my brother would not be one of them). Unfortunately, it was not part of my meal. Mind you, I didn't touch the meatballs, but the broth was damn tasty. Not tasty like pho, but good and homey. Is this a sort of Mexican equivalent of chicken noodle soup? Does anyone eat chicken noodle soup anymore? Does anyone like chicken noodle soup, really, especially Campbell's, even when they're five? Don't you love how in America we're supposed to grow attached to a mass-produced soup in a can whose dominant flavors are sodium and tin as the taste of love and comfort, instead of a home-cooked dish?

I also had some of my mom's cheese enchiladas. My mom thought they were pretty good, and she's quite the Mexican/Tex-Mex/enchilada connoiseur. I have forgotten what they tasted like. I'd like to see someone do something interesting with a cheese enchilada. I should mention here that when I was in Mexico, I never saw a cheese enchilada. They all had green sauce, white sauce or mole. I never saw any cheddar cheese, either. Of course, that was only central Mexico, and I was only there for a month, but I have always been mystified by this.


Tortillas

No I won't do it again, I don't want to pretend

Straight up Mexican food doesn't excite me that much. I've eaten it sooooo many times. I've probably eaten more cheese enchiladas than hamburgers in my lifetime. Nor am I a fan of heavy food or large portions--not because I'm yet another anorexic Barbie, but because it just doesn't feel good in my stomach. I also don't care for corn tortillas, which is what they serve here--I prefer flour. With whipped sweet cream butter with a touch of honey. Yup, that's how they served the all-you-can-eat tortillas at Casa Gallardo in St. Louis, the least authentic Mexican restaurant I have ever been to. I looooved those tortillas, the butter, and the two flavors of salsa they came with. I did not love the $15 tab I always left with. College was all about the $8 Thai food.


Maybe someday always comes again...

Overall, Tia Juana's was boring. Next time I or someone I know wants Mexican, I'm going to re-try Marix Tex-Mex in Pacific Palisades.


Tia Juana
11785 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064-1211
(310) 473-9293