Raging Taste Buds

Hollywood

Everybody in So Cal has their late night Mexican spot. You know, the place you go to in the middle of the night after taking your 10th shot of Jose Cuervo, gagging, and then punching your friend in the face who bought it for you. Then you run to the bathroom thinking you have to puke and you just end up sitting there staring at the toilet only to suddenly realize, Dude…I’m sooo Hungry.  Then you hop in a cab with your buddies and you’re like “Take me to Albertoooooos, or Chanossss, or Pepe’s,  (in this case Cactus’)”and the cab guy is like “What is this cacktose place you speak of?”… And you’re like “I just want a burrito damnit! “  …”Cacktose?” …you end up having the cab driver take you to the nearest destination that would make sense to him. “Take me to Yum-Yum’s donuts you tard!” then you end up having no cash and NO cab driver wants to take credit card. So you end up having him take you to the nearest ATM which is always 5 miles away. Then you stumble back to your Mexican spot and finally, you and your friends are ready to put on some serious pounds and feel it in the morning! Wooo that’s what Cactus’ is…at least for the Hollywood goers’. Unless of course they are busy at the nearest Hwood late night after party trying to do a celeb sighting so they can immediately post a mobile upload to their facebook wall. Why? Because it makes you RAD!

Give me some of that raging AL Pastor!

I read about Cactus’ Al Pastor tacos and I didn’t know what the hell that was …so I had to look it up to get the notion out of my head that my priest was in my taco. I’m weird, dont worry about it. It’s marinated pork on one of those vertical spin things like shawarma. According to Wikmypedia Lebanese Immigrants introduced this to Mexico. I’m part Lebanese so it definitely had to be my great great grandfather on a hot one! (I know so much about Lebanon that I had to use spell check to get it right).

So I got to Cactus Mexican Food on the corner of Santa Monica and Vine and felt like putting my sweatshirt hood up would help me fit in. I looked through the little walk up window and saw that Al Pastor spinning in the kitchen. I personally though it looked like an AlPaca had mated with a Pig-ostrich and the offspring got slapped on a swivel. Bring it on! I will have two Pastors please. The tacos come very traditional Mexican style…meat on small corn tortillas. I have to say the salsa’s at the little outdoor salsa bar were some of the most authentic I have ever had. And the hot one was effing HOT!

I actually loved my Pastor, it was so tender and tasted good with a little fresh lime juice sprinkled on it. It was also like 2 bucks for my meal which was the cheapest meal I have purchased since 1992. The atmosphere also rocks for a late night mexican joint. Murals of a Mexican Hollywood hill, plenty of seating, and nice people working. My biggest problem was that I went completely sober at regular dinner time…now I have heart burn. I will be back because its good… but I wont necessarily remember. As for them claiming “Hollywood’s best tacos”…you’ve got my vote so far.