Burritos and Jarritos (El Fuego)

With a name that translates to "The Fire," El Fuego can be one of two things... a dance club for gay men or a small Mexican restaurant that specializes in "California style" burritos. Luckily for me, it is the latter (although there is nothing wrong with the former). El Fuego is basically a clone of Chipotle and Qdoba... except you get no choices. No choice of black beans or pinto, no choice of if you want corn or salsa, no choice of if you want cheese or guac. Nope, what they say goes. They're like fucking burrito Nazis. That's fine with me, sometimes I don't want to "have it my way." I just want to be told what tastes good and to eat it. But you know what? You should trust these dudes. They really speak Spanish... and they really know their burritos. Way more authentic than the random Asian dude working at the Taco Bell.



Their menu is pretty minimalistic, they do only burritos, bowls, tacos, and quesadillas. Yeah they have chips, but that shouldn't be counted as an entrée... ever. The fillings are pretty standard too... chicken, steak, chopped beef, chorizo, and vegetarian. If you were expecting cow tongue and fancy crap like that, sorry. Like I said, it's kind of like a Chipotle/Qdoba clone.



Except their burritos don't reek of mediocrity (full disclosure: I eat at Chipotle quite a lot and I am perfectly okay with their averageness). El Fuego makes a kick ass burrito that's too legit to quit. First off, at $6.95 it's a little bit more expensive than its franchised brethren, but that's okay... because you're getting a 10" atomic bomb of compressed meat. It's under a dangerous amount of pressure, with a thin layer of flour tortilla just barely holding back rice, beans, and meat from exploding right in your face in a glorious display of fat-based fireworks . This of course is awesome to me. The burritos are all the same... pinto beans, rice, lettuce, but they're remarkably well balanced. I ended up getting the chorizo variant which was rich in fat, subtle in spiciness, and appropriately salty... just enough to make me savor every last drop of my guava flavored Jarritos.



Their tacos aren't too shabby either. I ended up going back on a separate occasion just to try them, and to be honest I'm pretty smitten with their chicken version. The amount of juice the meat contains is actually quite absurd, and they're definitely not lacking in flavor.

Inevitably, I have to ask myself... is El Fuego so good that I'd turn my back on Mr. Memo? No. I'm really lazy. Going to El Fuego involves crossing a bridge! I don't even really know how to swim. It is good enough that I'd make a return visit if I were near Rittenhouse though, if that means anything to you.
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Bibimbap and Korean tacos (Giwa)

Yo, Koreana... I'm really happy for you and imma still eat at your restaurant, but Giwa in Center City has some of the best Korean food in Philadelphia of all time! Since the beginning of the year, when I found out about this restaurant that serves up Korean tacos, I've been itching to go have a taste. Unfortunately, due to my immensely busy schedule (i.e. my inability to efficiently manage time between class and food), I never got a chance to until last week, because, you know, I figured I should probably go get me some Korean tacos before the world ends in 2012. I'd be really sad if I died without ever having known the taste of Korean tacos. For shame. Anyway, after talking about this place for damn near four months, my expectations were obviously getting a bit out of control, like a teenager and hormones... and something bad happens? It was basically to the point where there was so much hype that I expected it to suck. Fucking (adjective... not verb) tacos. It's serious business.

Ha, I bet you thought after the jump I'd talk about tacos. Nope, I don't give it up that quickly. First we're gonna talk about their dolsot bibimbap. Now with 25% more SUPER STEAMING action. That's how you can tell it's hot. I actually burned myself on the pot trying to take pictures, but that's not what's important. What is important is that they make a fantastic bowl of spicy rice and other junk. By which I mean bean sprouts, carrots, greens, and beef.



After you pour in your desired amount of sauce (all of it), you get to stir like a champ. Until your arm gets tired. Then you switch hands and go at it with your other arm, until that one gets tired too. End result... a beautiful bowl of red rice and some other stuff that people like to eat. By which I mean bean sprouts, carrots, greens, and beef.



But none of those things are important. The only thing that you need to know is that at the bottom there exists a layer of rice unrivaled in flavor and texture. It's soaked in a pool of all the remnant sauce, and it's crunchier than a Crunch bar (those aren't actually that crunchy...). It is the greatest single bite of rice dish I've had for a long time. And it was good. At $10.75, I was somewhat filled with rage when I was paying, but by the end of the bowl my anger had disappeared. This pot of fiery crunch (and other junk!)... it is le beautiful ಥ_ಥ.



And then I had tacos! I know what you're probably thinking. Why would anyone eat a full meal consisting of a giant bowl of rice, then follow it up with more food? Because. They're Korean tacos. You don't say no to tacos with spicy marinated pork inside. So I obliged. At two for $5.95, I again felt slighted. That's three tacos from Mr. Don Memo. Their tacos are the bees knees. Was I going to be filled with an inappropriate amount of food related rage?



Nah, this stuff is premium. Legitimately delicious. They're actually stupid simple in concept... you take plain soft tacos and fill them with a sweet and spicy Korean marinated pork (which separates like a more solid pulled pork), add in some lettuce, onions, cheese, sour cream, spicy cabbage, drizzle it with some lime juice and cilantro, and bam. Genius in wrap form. Douse it with some of their curiously red spicy sauce and it's basically like Mexicans and Koreans are having a party in my mouth... with pinatas and kimchi. So... while I don't enjoy paying $18 for a meal, ever, this place is definitely worth it. If it weren't 18 blocks away... Koreana would be in real trouble.
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Artisanal tacos (Coup de Taco)

Towards the West, in a faraway land, there exists a very special food truck that serves tacos. "But tacos are just tacos are just tacos," you might say. Well, my friend... you'd be wrong. They don't just serve plain beef, chicken, and pork tacos, they make splendid interpretations of other cuisines into taco form, an idea that's as equally brilliant as it is bold. Flavors such as 'Sweet Thai Coconut,' 'Southern BBQ,' and 'Chicken Tikka Masala.' Indeed, they're what I call... artisanal tacos.

All hyperbole aside, there actually is such a truck. It's normally parked on 40th, between Locust and Spruce, and it's called Coup de Taco. I've been on some sort of Mexican food bender lately, going to the Mexicali truck and Tacos Don Memo more than I care to admit. When I found out there was a truck serving tacos filled with roasted chicken and sweetened coconut sauce, I was sold. I begrudgingly trekked 4 blocks (that's like 10 NYC blocks!) over to 40th and got myself some fucking tacos, like a boss. They're $3.50 per, or 2 for $6 (and supposedly 3 for $8, but that wasn't written), so they're not as cheap as Don Memo's are. Seeing as I'm a poor/cheap, I only got 2 of 'em. The first being the 'Southern BBQ' you see at the top.

The pork is soft, no doubt. It's basically pulled pork, plucked from the bone, drenched in a slightly tart BBQ sauce. The sauce isn't overpowering, and lets the sweetness of the meat really shine in the big picture. Finished with just enough rice to soak up the juices, a smattering of melted cheese, and just a hint of cilantro, this taco was good. Plain and simple. Not an epiphany of flavors, but definitely noteworthy.



What I really wanted to try was their 'Sweet Thai coconut.' Juicy shredded chicken is placed on a bed of fluffy rice, and smothered by a combination of sweet coconut sauce, a thicker, more robust peanut based sauce, and slivers of soft apple. A magnificent blend of the savory and sweet, I fell in love with the mix of sauces. If I could have a bowl of rice and just blend it in (they serve rice bowls for $6 btw), I'd be overjoyed. The aftertaste is a bitch... it lasts in your mouth for a while, and makes you regret not buying more...

Except I'm a student and I can't do that all the time. Sure, Coup de Taco does a bitchin' job at making fusion-artisanal tacos, but are they so good that I'd spend $8 on 3 (and be left hungry and wanting)? Maybe once in a while, but there's something that just feels inherently wrong about that.
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Tacos Don Memo

Having grown somewhat bored with repetitive visits to the cheesesteak and Asian food carts (despite what this blog seems indicate, I do eat other things...), I thought I'd take the opportunity to fill a craving I've had since I left NYC last year... Mexican food! I'll admit, I'm someone who's never been to the West coast, and never had a truly mind boggling taco or burrito experience (the best I've probably had is Tacqueria Y Fonda near Columbia). I'm definitely down with the whole Chipotle/Qdoba scene, so take my words how you will. Tacos Don Memo is legit.

Simplicity never tasted so good. That's how I feel about the menu. Short and sweet. I mean... just look at that Asian kid pondering what the he wants. He's got that chin on hand thing goin' on. You know everything on that menu must be good if he's having such a hard time deciding, 100% true. In all seriousness, their menu is crazy short. Burritos, tortas, tacos, tostada, and quesadillas, and that's it. Each comes with the option of beef, chicken, marinated pork, or seasoned pork (sorry vegetarians!). Like I said, super simple, but that's probably why their stuff is so good. They don't have to fuck around with trying to make 20 different types of food. What's that stupid programming acroynm? K.I.S.S. - keep it simple stupid.



And the pork torta (marinated please, for the juice content factor). For $6, it's a pretty hefty sandwich, stuffed with more pork than you'd think belongs in a sandwich 8" long. From a value perspective it's solid. Filled with shredded lettuce, jalapeno peppers, onions, black beans, and more mayo/pork than you can shake a stick at, this one probably isn't a meal suited for anyone who cares about their waistline, but honestly... who cares? The meat is pull apart tender and the vast amount of mayo and fat make the contents extremely juicy. In yet another engineering marvel, the sandwich somehow doesn't fall apart at any point during eating (which was confusing given how loose the pork was). This is the work of Mexican leprechauns... I swear it.



Chicken taco? Yeah, I'm not sure what I was thinking. I never go chicken on any taco... ever. I'm a big fan of eating cows and pigs, preferring my chickens to be fried. In this case though, it was perfect. Their tacos are $2, and adequately sized. By which I mean, I suppose I could buy 5 and make a meal out of it. Anyway, these are definitely above average (in the scheme of what I've tasted at least). The shells are soft and pillowy, although I have no proof of them being made in house, props to them if they are. The chicken was perfectly juicy, adequately flavored, and provided just enough oomph in the presence of the other fillings. With just a hint of spiciness, all the flavors played together to form a light, but still powerful taste... heavy in cilantro for those who like it like that (I do).

Is this the greatest Mexican food I've ever had? I don't know, I haven't really been to enough places to even begin comparing. Is it better than places like Chipotle? Hell yeah they are, with the added bonus of serving their stuff out of the back of a truck. I think all these places deserve bonus points for that. Anyway, craving fulfilled.
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