Guest fish taco blogger does Philly

Love fish tacos? Heading to Philly? Here's a review from guest blogger John Lyon!

I made the five-hour drive from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in order to see the Phillies take on the Mets. Wanting to expand the fish taco blog outside of the Lou, I had to try El Vez, Philly’s most famous Mexican restaurant. 

El Vez is located in the heart of Washington Square West. The colorful exterior is nothing compared to the décor that awaits you inside – think Tijuana meets Vegas glitz. The restaurant is filled with Day of the Dead chachkis, with a random assortment of goodies thrown in, such as Charo’s face painted on the bar stools and a low-rider bike dedicated to the boxer Oscar de la Hoya hoisted above the bar.

We started off with the Indian Red Lopez guacamole and without a doubt, it was the best I’ve ever had. It’s a mixture of fresh avocados, spicy crab, cilantro and salsa roja. Then it was time for the fish tacos; a tough choice between crispy mahi-mahi and sea bass. I went with the sea bass because it was prepared with a sweet potato puree, grilled scallions and fried jalapeno. I was curious, having never had a fish and sweet potato combination. The sweet potato and Baja sauce gave the taco a sweet and sour (yin/yang) taste. The tortilla is on bottom, so it is not eaten like a traditional taco. The taco size is rather small but stacked high and I found it very filling (especially after chowing down on the guacamole). The only downside was a lack of sides to go with the meal (not that I had much room to spare). I was glad to be able to walk off the meal and see the sights of the City of Brotherly Love.

And, oh yeah, the Mets beat the Phillies 4-3.

121 S. 13th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 928-9800

http://www.elvezrestaurant.com/

4 out of 5 fishies.

Cha Cha Chow!!

So when my friend Mike told me there's a taco truck in town and that it's actually good, I admit I was a bit dubious. But I immediately added Cha Cha Chow (@whereschacha) to my twitter feed and waited for a good day to check them out. Recently that day finally came. The bright yellow truck is a ray of sunshine on any street corner and cheerily calls you out to sample its goods. This is "street dining" in keeping with the times - everything is freshly made-from-scratch using natural ingredients. You can peek into the window and see them cooking stuff up in that tiny little kitchen. The menu is made up of a number of different tacos (including a fishy one!), as well as some sandwiches and salads. Tacos are reasonably priced at $3 each a la carte, or you can buy them as a platter that includes a side of beans or fiesta corn salad. The fish taco on the menu that day was a grilled tilapia, served on a nicely charred flour tortilla, topped with a crunchy red cabbage cilantro lime slaw and a creamy house cha cha sauce. Everything was simply wonderful and spiced just right (though definitely not on the hot side for those who require that). And the taco was a little drippy and messy to eat - just the way I like them. I also tried their summer preview special - the Baja Chicken Taco with fresh basil and a roasted tomato salsa. It was so good that I asked for another one, this time with fish. They were very accommodating and made me my special ordered taco whereupon I immediately went into a happy food coma. So don't be a luddite - go to twitter (or facebook) and see when the truck is parked near you next.

a moving target

http://chachachow.com

4.5 out of 5 fishies.

taco truck delight
so fishy and delishy
with a squirt of lime