Taqueria del Palmar – El Cerrito, California
Oh Man, this one almost slipped through the cracks of my computer.
So driving through the East Bay there are like a kajillion taco stands. In Berkley, you get the more yuppie versions like “TNT Taco” and “The California Taco Factory” – or some gay shit like that. But as you head north towards Oakland and you get into more sketch-ville you get the real deal. Driving down the main drag I was giving myself whip-lash looking at all the possibilities “there’s one….shit, there’s another, oh wow, that one has piñatas, sweet….that one has a Bohemia sign (thinking of parched throat)…Al Pastor…….. screeeeeetch!” So I settled on Taqueria del Palmar mostly because it looked as if they spent more than an hour decorating the front of their place. There were no spray-painted signs with typos telling passers-by they have “Seefood Tacos” or "Tacos wit Meet"
So there I am, 3:00 in the afternoon, hardly dinner time or lunch time but I was certainly jonesn’ for a couple of tacos and a beer or two. I walk in and there are two fat Mexican Chicas standing there thinking, “who’s THIS douche bag” but of course they are thinking in Spanish so it was probably something like "Quien es ESTA bolsa de douches?"....so I'm like "hola, como estas?" and they were like "uh...bien"
So driving through the East Bay there are like a kajillion taco stands. In Berkley, you get the more yuppie versions like “TNT Taco” and “The California Taco Factory” – or some gay shit like that. But as you head north towards Oakland and you get into more sketch-ville you get the real deal. Driving down the main drag I was giving myself whip-lash looking at all the possibilities “there’s one….shit, there’s another, oh wow, that one has piñatas, sweet….that one has a Bohemia sign (thinking of parched throat)…Al Pastor…….. screeeeeetch!” So I settled on Taqueria del Palmar mostly because it looked as if they spent more than an hour decorating the front of their place. There were no spray-painted signs with typos telling passers-by they have “Seefood Tacos” or "Tacos wit Meet"
So there I am, 3:00 in the afternoon, hardly dinner time or lunch time but I was certainly jonesn’ for a couple of tacos and a beer or two. I walk in and there are two fat Mexican Chicas standing there thinking, “who’s THIS douche bag” but of course they are thinking in Spanish so it was probably something like "Quien es ESTA bolsa de douches?"....so I'm like "hola, como estas?" and they were like "uh...bien"
Bonus: They have one of those menus on the wall behind the counter that actually shows a picture of the food. I like that – I know what the hell I’m getting - and if it don’t look like the picture, there’s gonna be hell to pay - ya chicas, you heard me there's gonna be HELL TO PAY. Those of you who know me, know how VIOLENT I CAN GET.......JUST LOOK AT ALL OF THESE CAPITAL LETTERS!!!!
So, in my soft little gringo voice: “Tacos Al Pastor por favor y uno Modelo Especial”......(longish pause)…. and then - cha-ching! ya baby, I’m in - order confirmed. Now, if I would have ordered in English and ordered a Corona, I’m certain there would have been some loogee sauce on my tacos.
Within 30 seconds there was a Modelo, lime, chips (real ones) and two salsas on my table. The Tacos were the real deal. No messin’ around with the carne - spices and slight crispiness around the edges - aye chinga. Double steamed tort……check. Jalepeno on the plate without asking for one…..double check. Chopped onions……..oh, shit, I forgot to tell them to hold the onions - oh well.
So, in my soft little gringo voice: “Tacos Al Pastor por favor y uno Modelo Especial”......(longish pause)…. and then - cha-ching! ya baby, I’m in - order confirmed. Now, if I would have ordered in English and ordered a Corona, I’m certain there would have been some loogee sauce on my tacos.
Within 30 seconds there was a Modelo, lime, chips (real ones) and two salsas on my table. The Tacos were the real deal. No messin’ around with the carne - spices and slight crispiness around the edges - aye chinga. Double steamed tort……check. Jalepeno on the plate without asking for one…..double check. Chopped onions……..oh, shit, I forgot to tell them to hold the onions - oh well.
So Ya, those little bastards (the tacos) were GOOD…….and what the hell was I thinking by only ordering 2 tacos…..was I high? Well, if I WAS high I probably would have ordered like 20 tacos…..and a Nachos Bell Grande®. I only ordered two, so that proves I WASN'T high.
Since it’s actually been a few months since those little delicious tacos were in my belly and my memory is pretty weak – I’m not going into the full-blown review, but am gonna go by my gut and say these tacos were about a 4.65/5.0……probably one of the highest scores I’ve given. Tacos like that are like crack - you always get the shakes when you think about eatin' em. Hmmmm, wait a MINUTE! - I'm eating tacos in Oakland California (crack capital of the west coast) and these tacos are givin' me the shakes......shit, I'm hooked!
Since it’s actually been a few months since those little delicious tacos were in my belly and my memory is pretty weak – I’m not going into the full-blown review, but am gonna go by my gut and say these tacos were about a 4.65/5.0……probably one of the highest scores I’ve given. Tacos like that are like crack - you always get the shakes when you think about eatin' em. Hmmmm, wait a MINUTE! - I'm eating tacos in Oakland California (crack capital of the west coast) and these tacos are givin' me the shakes......shit, I'm hooked!
Viva Tacos Palmar!
