Tacos el Gordo

I feel truly sorry for Americans who consider themselves fans of Mexican food based on their excursions to places like Baja Fresh and On the Border. As a California to East Coast transplant, it wasn't often that I could enjoy a fresh carne asada taco, but I at least knew the difference between MEXICAN food and Tex-Mex growing up. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for Tex-Mex, and I can get down with some fajita plates at Don Pablo's, but I'll always come back to my love of the street taco and lobsters caught that day from the waters around Ensenada.

Considering our proximity to Mexico, it's not difficult to find a great taco anywhere on any given day in San Diego. Still, there are a few joints that truly raise the bar for authentic Mexican food in America. Our friends have been describing the delicious delicacies at Tacos el Gordo on H Street in Chula Vista (less than 10 miles from Tijuana) and with promises of street tacos as good as any from a peddler in Baja, we jumped in the car and barreled down there to sample a few of their offerings.



Obviously, we had to try the tacos de lengua (tongue) and cabeza (head meat), and if you are squeamish about the thought of eating an animal's head, I've got some advice for you- stop being a pussy and just do it. I assure you that the meat skipped over by so many ridiculous Americans is some of the best meat off the animal. It's not like a giant raw tongue in a corn tortilla- it looks exactly like any other shredded meat in a taco shell. Having gotten those ordered, I spied the adobada, and having previously experienced some of the greatest meat flavor available, I added one to our order.



It took approximately 2 minutes from the time we ordered to the time we were paying for our tacos and racing to a table to devour the items on our plates, whose scents were wafting up in a cloud of glory into our nostrils and coating our tastebuds with tantalizing promises of deliciousity. We started with the lengua, which was simple, glorious, and hot off the grill. Tender, juicy strips of meat were stuffed inside a double corn shell, with only the marinade, onions, and a bit of cilantro marrying together in a symphony of fantastic. Still, I thought that was good until we started in on the cabeza. Did I say the lengua was good? Garbage compared to the cabeza. This taco was crowned with a dab of tomatillo green salsa, and was even juicier and more flavor-packed than season 3 of The Surreal Life.



Can it get better? The adobada proved that yes, it could. Heaven in my mouth, this taco blew all other tacos out of the water. Inexpensive, authentic, unbelievable tasting- the only thing that Tacos el Gordo has going against it is it's smack in the middle of a suburb, so unless you're a resident of Chula Vista you're going to have a bit of a drive. Still, it beats crossing the border for some cheap eats, so for a Mexican experience without needing a passport, this place is highly recommended.