316 Rosecrans Ave. ~ 310-545-4241 ~ Manhattan Beach (TACO Map)
I had been to El Tarasco near LAX on Sepulveda and wasn't too stoked on the 2nd rate Chile Relleno burritos I had forced upon a friend visiting from Argentina. But the vibe at Manhattan Beach's original location was better; less generic, beachier, crammed, and jumping with local residents who have been loyal for 20 years or more. The walls of this tiny, crowded hole-in-the-wall are slathered in cool stickers advertising indie surf companies and esoteric artist collectives. I met up there with fellow taco-nut and nightime-body surfing legend CBro, who will weigh in on El Tarasco as well.
I went straight for a carnitas taco. The first thing that struck me was the size of the meat cuts. They were giant, as was the taco itself. The carnitas had a nice golden brown color with a slightly glazed coat and rough-hewn edges, that unfortunately did not crumble into mouth-melting strings of juicy pork as my vivid imagination was hoping...
The pork seems baked instead of stewed. If they ever were stewed, it was a long time ago. There's no juice in them, an essential ingredient for great carnitas. I thought the salsa was sort of bland, and besides the generous dousing of gauc, it really didn't excite my tastebuds very much. I found the carnitas to be too dry, too big, and a little too like chicken to really notice much value in this choice at $2.55.