PhoTACOphy is Spectrum’s latest recurring project. There will be a feature on a different taco establishment every week. The features will include photos and a review written by Daily Bruin photographer Brandon Choe. Be sure to keep your eye out for the latest on tacos on Spectrum.
El Chato Taco Truck
Location: SW corner of Olympic and La Brea
Hours: T-Th 9 – 1:30 a.m.; F-Sat 9 – 3:30 a.m.
To Try: Asada & Combo Quesadilla
I won’t waste time rehashing the already-known praise and glory of El Chato because for the unaware, the hearsay is true: this is one of the best taco trucks operating in LA. And, don’t be fooled by their plain appearance – those dingy light bulbs adorning the front or that commonplace pastoral mural stretched across the back, their dollar tacos and quesadilla will forever spoil your late-night snacking standards.
Tacos:
All of Chato’s meats have been prepared to their maximum savory potential. I rarely have sampled such immediate smokiness and seasoning compounded with a medium-well finish and to pique they’ve carefully dosed a dollop of the very salsa roja which created Chato’s heated reputation. Seldom has the delicate harmony of spicy salsa and the marinade of asada been balanced. And the same goes for the other meats; the chorizo has that fine but not sandy texture and richness absent in most average taco joints and the pollo has a deep and resounding cure that provides for a full-bodied flavor that usual chicken tacos lack (usually adjusted for with excess salsa). And to ail the residual heat of the salsa, the treat of crisp slices of cucumber provide that hydrating respite from your eating-sweat. This truck consistently delivers quality plate after plate without ever cutting back on service.
Quesadillas:
However, as I scarfed the above selection of tacos with undeniable relish, a passerby (who initially inquired for the reason to my elaborate photographic setup) recommended that I try a quesadilla con asada y pastor. This has been the best tip a stranger has ever given me. An off-menu item (the quesadilla is on the menu but the choice to stuff it with the meats of your choice is not obvious), the asada-pastor quesadilla is the godsend of Mexican late-night, food-snacking lore and paired with more of that salsa roja maybe a borderline religious epiphany. The cheese effortlessly weds the asada and pork into the best polygamous marriages outside the state of Utah. And, (really) to describe it any further with these incapable words would swindle you of your chance in heaven because the only way to get a taste of heaven is to die. So, go forth to the southwest corner of Olympic and La Brea after 9pm (any night) and rest in peace on those crisp, lofty rolls of tortilla of El Chato.
Review by Brandon Choe