Here Are the Facts About Mexico Sending Firefighters to Help with L.A.’s Wildfires
Despite online articles showing photos and videos and videos shared by influencers of the purported firefighters appearing at LAX or singing on their way to extinguish fires, L.A. TACO has verified that those videos are inaccurate and that firefighters have not arrived in Los Angeles.
‘This Is Not Human Driven,’ Officials Investigate Cause of Erroneous Evacuation Warnings
Kevin McGowan, Director of L.A.'s Office of Emergency Management, encouraged people not to disable emergency messages on their phones. “These alert tools have saved lives during this emergency. Not receiving an alert can be a consequence of life and death,” McGowan said. You can verify to see if you’re in an evacuation zone through alertla.org, lacounty.gov/emergency, or by dialing 211 for assistance.
The Ashes of Altadena, In Photos
Horrendous fires have tragically ravaged Altadena, the mountainside city of 42,000 residents, leaving more than 5,000 structures burned and lost, including neighbors' homes, businesses, cars, RVs, homes, and sheds. Entire blocks have been obliterated in this devastating, unbelievable tragedy, leaving multiple generations of families of all backgrounds without homes. Local photographers Maks Ksenjak and Suitcase Joe ventured into its streets in the aftermath.
13 Taquerías Offering Free Tacos to First Responders
Not only are these among L.A.'s best when it comes to serving great food, they're run by some of L.A.'s best people who are kindly offering famous tacos, mariscos, pozole, and more to those doing their best to help the city.
Mayor Karen Bass Flies Back From Ghana As L.A. Faces Historic Wild Fires
“L.A. County and all 29 fire departments in our county are not prepared for this kind of widespread disaster,” said the L.A. County Fire Chief Marrone. The County was prepared to respond to one or two brush fires, but not four. “There are not enough firefighters to address four separate fires of this magnitude," he said.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
You Can Now Buy Fresh Huitlacoche, Mexico’s Prized Corn Fungal Delicacy, In The U.S.
The ominous grey-blue mushrooms that grow on corn are a delicacy in Mexico, but up until this truffle dealer from CDMX started to import it herself a couple of years ago, you could only find it processed by being pickled in jars or cans in L.A.
The Closing of Guerrilla Tacos Marks the End of An Era For Modern Mexican Food In L.A.
Guerrilla Tacos was one of the city's first sit-down taquerías that offered a farmers market-led approach to tacos with a full cocktail menu. It was also one of the "big three" modern Mexican restaurants along with Taco Maria and Broken Spanish that changed tacos forever in the city and beyond.
Yuca’s Founder Socorro Herrera Dies at 89
L.A.'s cochinita pibil matriarch and the first ever TACO MADNESS champion—back in 2009—Socorro "Mama Yuca's" Herrera has passed away. She was a taquera powerhouse who was born in Merida and changed L.A.'s Taco Life forever when she opened Yuca's at a former 8 x 10 square feet shoeshine stand in Los Feliz in 1976. In 2005, against all odds, she won a James Beard Award.
This Weekend: Nigerian Goat Pies, Five Generations of Shumai, and Gambas Al Ajíllo With Basque Cider
Plus, Malay-style wings, a collaboration pizza-topped with Philippe The Original's French-dipped beef and hot mustard, and more in this week's roundup.
The Dark Origin of Rosca de Reyes, Plus the 10 Best In L.A.
Eating a rosca de reyes is a way to beat the post holiday blues. Here are where to find the best ones in L.A. and plus, the macabre origin of the religious holiday that involves murdering infants.
L.A. TACO’s Most-Read Investigations Of 2024
In the past 12 months, L.A. TACO published investigations that other media outlets ignored or overlooked about people experiencing the worst food poisoning of their lives at a swanky food event, the alarming increase in people legally carrying guns in Los Angeles, hardworking restaurant workers struggling to get paid, cops watching a $1 million bus burn to the ground, and an attorney general who says he wants to free innocent people from prison but has yet to do so.
L.A. TACO’s 14 Most-Read Culture Stories Of 2024
From revisiting famous Repo Man locations and being the only publication in the city documenting L.A.'s thriving underground punk scene, to highlighting the hard-working people of L.A., here are some of our most read feature stories.
News
L.A. TACO’s 12 Most-Read News Stories Of 2024
Our haters consistently tell us to “stick to tacos.” And yet, every year our analytics tell us that some of our most clicked on stories are actually straight forward news and culture pieces that sometimes have nothing to do with meat and tortillas.
More Than 70 People Reported Feeling Ill After Eating Oysters At L.A. Times ‘101 Restaurants’ Food Event
Ragusano is disappointed that the L.A. Times didn’t publicly disclose that there was an outbreak at their event. “Obviously they’re not going to print it in their paper,” Ragusano said. “But they‘re a newspaper and newspapers are supposed to share the news. This is how people usually find out about something like this,” she added. “It's ironic because it happened to them.”
Street Food Defender Edin Enamorado Still In Jail, One Year Later. This Is the Latest
His lawyer, Damon Alimouri, said Enamorado is “staying strong, and he's going to fight at every turn.”
Performative Justice: Nearly 2 Years After Launching Unit to Free Innocent People in Prison, Attorney General’s Office Hasn’t Reviewed A Single Case
Joseph Trigilio, executive director of the Loyola Project for the Innocent, says he doesn’t know why it’s taken the attorney general so long to start reviewing cases. But he could see limited staffing being one of the main factors. “I don’t know that they have that many lawyers and the small amount of lawyers they do have are tasked with creating this unit from nothing,” he said
Guides
L.A.’s 13 Best Bars With Games and Activities
The best L.A. bars for axe-throwing, cumbia nights, playing pool, doing graffiti, smoking, playing pinball, and other fun, possibly delinquent activities.
The 38 Best Books of 2024
Like listening to music, reading is an activity that recharges the spirit. It offers a chance to unplug for an hour to fill your soul and slow down. Here are 38 ways to free your attention span from doom scrolling and algorithms.
Rare, Pit-Roasted, Zacatecas-Style Birria —Estilo Moyahua—Is Being Revived In This Inglewood Backyard
This isn’t your average, made-for-Instagram birria. The estilo Moyahua dish is available in goat and also a beef version, for the chiva haters.
11 Dog-Friendly Places in L.A. To Eat, Drink, and Play with Your Loyal Pup
From sit-down taquerías to World Beer Cup-winning IPAs and a place that serves a sushi menu for you and your dog, these spaces go above and beyond for you to kick it with your loyal pups.
Neighborhoods
A Trucker’s Oasis For Peruvian Chicharrón Sandwiches, Leche de Tigre, and Camote Donuts In Vernon
Their chicharrón sandwich is the best $10 you can spend in the beautiful city of Vernon. This mom-and-pop shop opened by a couple of retired truck drivers is a bonafide strip mall gem in Los Angeles, overlooking the L.A. River, too.
Why Is a Major California Supermarket Chain Seeking a Restraining Order From a Favorite L.A. Taquero?
Ralphs has banned the owner of Gracias Señor from its stores and is trying to get a restraining order against him. The taquero who is a DREAMer with a business degree is at a loss to understand why, as he tries to focus on making a living.
The Ultimate Guide to the 25 Best Soups, Chowders, and Stews in Long Beach
Soup is good food. From ramen and pozole, to clam chowder, these are the best 25 soups in Long Beach—just in time time for the first rains of the season. But real talk, these soups hit the spot year-round.
La Virgen de Guadalupe’s Image Has No Borders, a Reminder of L.A.’s Latinidad
From Mexico to Los Angeles, La Virgen de Guadalupe has no borders. Her image can be found anywhere from corner markets to food trucks is a constant reminder that Latinos are presente (here).
