Taco Asylum - New Food Fridays

We have pioneered a new lunch tradition at work "New Food Fridays" - whereby we visit a new Orange County eatery every Friday. I will start blogging about these as we eat there. Hopefully you will find a new place to enjoy a lunch or dinner....

Today was TacoAsylum, a small taco shop at the 'Hipster' mall - the Camp in Costa Mesa. The tacos are far from traditional with tacos like "Grilled Octopus" and "Wild Mushroom" on the menu. Not knowing what would be good everyone in the party ordered the "Flight of Eight" which is smaller versions of their top 8 tacos:

1. Grilled Octopus: Kalamata Olives, Oregano, Feta, Tomatoes - an excellent taco, very rich. Octopus cooked to perfection, firm, not chewy or slimy. I would rather see these without olives as I am not a fan and I do not think the olives add a needed flavor to the taco.

2. Pork Belly - Carrots, Daikon, Onions, Cilantro - the best taco by far. If you have not had Pork Belly do yourself a favor and try it when available. It is a fatty pork between bacon and pork shoulder. Very very tasty, very very rich.

3. Short Rib -Pickled Red Onion, Salsa Verde, Cotija Cheese, Cilantro - another great taco. This one is tied with the Octopus for the second best taco. Though I do not think I could eat an entire full sized one.

4. Curried Paneer - Raita, Tomato Chutney, Scallions - I do not like mexican curry so this was a definate no go for me, however the others at lunch were quite happy with it.

5. Wild Mushroom - Chickpea Puree, Parsley Salad, Fried Chickpeas - a very good Hummus and mushroom taco. Probably the best veggie taco I have had. Though again, a large taco would be way too large.

6. Lamb - Olive Tapenade, Ratatouille, Mache - Horrible taco. We were all looking forward to this taco, but I had to spit it out. Should never be served to human beings. The four of us were in agreement with this one.

7. Duck - Camambert, Dijon Creme Fraiche, Purple Fingerling Chips - This was enjoyable, the duck was very rich and there was nothing to cut the fat. I would love to see something with vinegar as an ingredient to cut the fat, also not a fan of Dijon, so I would have used half the Dijon powder in the Creme, but added some paprika to set it off. A good taco, well liked by all at the table.

8. Steak - Chimichurri, Buttermilk Fried Onions, Potato Hash - Not good, not bad, very boring. would not order again.

All in all a great experience, even with the tacos that I did not like. It was great being able to try all the tacos (except one, which I will get to) in a demi size. I would recommend anyone to try this dish once as it utilizes flavors that are hard to find elsewhere.

However, there are a few issues I have:

1. The menu has 9 tacos, not 8. The ninth is a Ghost Chili Pork taco with a nice heat. Spicy and flavorful. Way too spicy for a large taco for one person, we cut it into fourths and it was excellent. Would be nice to see it on the "Flight".

2. There was not one taco I would be able to eat as a large taco and they do not offer a smaller version of their tacos in an ala carte fashion. If they offered a 4 for $10 flight I would go back, since I could see eating smaller versions of a couple tacos I would go back, but all 8 is too much.

3. The waiter. This one does it for me and why I will not be back, not even to show new people the place. We wanted to suggest the 4 for $10 idea. This was something we all felt would bring us back to the restaurant when nothing else was coming to mind. His attitude was terrible, very hipster know-it-all and we were all offended by his flippant reaction.

Ultimately we wanted to like this place and come back, but it will not be happening, sadly.

Tri Tip Delight - Appetizer

This is a rather simple appetizer that is excellent as a party starter when dinner is a while out, or when Tapas (or finger foods) are the main course.

Essentially it is roasted Tri Tip with caramelized onions and blue cheese on toasted Baguette. A major crowd pleaser.

Step One: The Tri Tip
Prepare a simple rub:
1/3 c Kosher Salt
1/4 c Pepper
1/8 c Garlic
4 tbps Paprika
4 tsp Ground Red Pepper

Mix and thoroughly coat the outside of the tri tip.

Step 2: Prepare the toast
Slice the Baguette into 1/2" thick slices on the bias. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Toast in the oven at 350 deg f. for 7 mins, or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven. The residual heat will toast them a little bit more. Place in a basket with a towel to keep them warm.

Step 3: Caramelize the Onion
While the bread is toasting slice some onion into very thin and small slices. Start a pan on the stove at medium heat. Melt 4 tbsp butter in the pan, add the onion, add 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp brown sugar. Cook until onion is clear. Remove from heat.

Step 4: Cook the Tri Tip

Cook the tri tip at high heat for 5 mins, flip and cook for another 5, rotate, 5min, rotate, 5min. Remove from the heat and rest for 5 mins.

Step 5: Prepare the Toast
For each piece of toast spread blue cheese or Gorgonzola cheese on the toast. Slice the Tri Tip on the bias and place a slice of tri tip on the toast and top with caramelized onions. Rest for 2 mins before serving. This will allow all the flavors to mingle a bit.

Notes: You want the juices from the meat to soak into the bread a little and the meat needs to be pink or red. Tri Tip should be served no more than medium rare. Any more and it will be hard to chew. I also try to cut the tri tip so that each piece is a little larger than the bread it covers. It give the impression of a lot of meat, as opposed to being stingy with the meat on the bread. Chooses a good balsamic that you really enjoy the flavor of, a pomegranate or berry balsamic will work here well.

Sammy's Favorite Sandwich

This is my daughter's favorite sandwich. Like many other ones, I learned this one from my dad.

I will add pics next time I make it.

Ingredients (* - do not substitute this) for one Sandwich

2 - Slices White Bread

2 - Large Eggs

1 - Slice Velveta or American Cheese

1 - Klausen Kosher Pickle

Mayonaise

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Easy to make:

1. Lightly toast the bread

2. Spread mayonaise on the bread

3. Slice the pickle.

4. Fry the eggs, salt and pepper to taste, over easy - keep the yolk soft

5. When you flip the eggs place a slice of cheese on top and cover the pan.

6. When the cheese is melted place the eggs on the toast, slice into triangles (2) and serve hot.

The yolk should seep from the sandwich, I recommend sopping it up with the sandwich halves.

The Point

Welcome and come in. You have stumbled to Dad's Kitchen and I'm your host, Dad. The resident cook of my family a skill I learned from my father starting at a very young age. We learned to cook based on color and palate, not recipe and structure. If you do not like something found in my recipe's leave it our, or tell me and I will make a suggestion. Do not expect to find Culinary Institute approved technique on this site, because I do not have it and do not believe it is ever necessary. We are making food - the only Quality Control we need is the ones we are born with.

Please, come in, site down and enjoy.

Disclaimer: All recipes are free to use and share, but not for profit. You may not republish the content or any part thereof without the express written permission of the owner (me.) The exception is if you have a personal site you may reproduce my recipe's or content, but a link MUST be provided in a conspicuous location to the original text found on my site.