El Tio Carnitas Restaurant ~ 1903 N. Long Beach Blvd. Compton, CA 90221 ~ (310) 635-3587 (Taco Guide)
"Tio" is what my 2 year old niece calls me; though, for a while, everybody was "Tio". And lots of us are. When she intones those two magic syllables with a teethy grin, it fills me with a sense of mischief, and "Tio" becomes me. Today is El Tio Carnitas. Note the sign- a pig who's waving happily from inside a cooking pot is what any two year-old dreams of carnitas. CARNITAS spelled as big as a house, a long house. Inspired by taco compadre Daniel Hernandez, a devotee of carnitas who praises its consistent goodness, I entered the house of carnitas just across the street from the Compton Fashion Center.