turns out, neither tijuana nor bob irwin will happen this visit. (oswaldo is right: he's an artist who's had a rather unusual evolution in practice over the course of several decades. the subject of a fascinating book by lawrence weschler: seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees).
so far, there have been several forgettable tacos and two standouts:
1) taqueria el gordo in chula vista. i'd been to the outposts in las vegas and this was as good. they do creditable buche and suadero but the real star is the adobada—spit-roast chile-rubbed pork with a crema/cilantro sauce, chopped white onions, and a little baton of fresh pineapple. a perfect bite, and the pineapple is necessary.
2) las cuatro milpas in barrio logan. nice flour tortillas and a decent fried taco but here the rice and beans are simple but outstanding. the beans especially: tender- and thin-skinned, with an internal consistency like a good, uncrystallised fudge. i'd come back for a bowl of just those, maybe with a tamale.
drinks—the friends i'm staying with rooted about in their wine fridge:
1) loring, clos pepe pinot noir, 2003. bitter almonds, sour cherries, plush but not florid. a bit of oak, but not obtrusive and, in fact, quite nice. loads of sediment.
2) ridge, pagani ranch, 2003. mostly zinfandel with some alicante bouschet and petite sirah. fruit still very primary, and super fresh. managed to keep a glass back for the second day—much calmer, cool, clean wet leather, black cherries. really lovely.
