San Fernando, CA: Shiver Me Timbers, This Chubasco Blew Me Away!

Chubasco Restaurant
11220 Laurel Canyon Blvd
San Fernando, CA 91340
Phone number (818) 361-7408
Prices: $$$$

What a great little place! With an unassuming store front in a small strip mall with far too little parking, Chubasco serves top-notch, authentic Mexican food at a very reasonable price.

"A chubasco is a violent squall with thunder and lightning, encountered during the rainy season along the Pacific coast of Mexico, Central America, and South America" (Wikipedia).

With a plane to catch at Bob Hope Burbank Airport just a few miles away in two hours, I needed something quick and tasty. I ordered two crispy shredded beef tacos ($2.25) and a cheese and onion enchilada ($3) à la carte as well as a side order of guacamole ($1.95). They brought me a complimentary basked of fresh, warm chips and some salsa (green or red) to eat with my guac.

The guacamole was the size of a $5 - $6 order at most places and seasoned perfectly and tacos were spot-on with hot, crispy shells, an abundance of shredded beef, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and grated queso fresco (fresh, white cheese). I added a little of the guacamole and some salsa, making these the perfect tacos, the tacos that I have been missing since moving to the Pacific Northwest. 

The enchilada had plenty o' cheese and onion, the homemade red enchilada sauce was sublime, a perfect blend of chiles (not tomato) and spices, and it was topped with more cheese and broiled before serving.

All in all, for just $12.50 including tax, this was one of the best values, when it comes to meals, I have had in recent memory. The service was fast and friendly and the place clean although very basic, with just a few small tables and chairs.

CombatCritic Gives Chubasco Restaurant 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

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Title: San Fernando, CA: Shiver Me Timbers, This Chubasco Blew Me Away!

Key Words: Chubasco Restaurant, San Fernando, CA, chubasco, LA, Los Angeles, Mexican, taco, tacos, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

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Seattle, WA: Decent Mexican Food In A Warm, No Frills Setting ... Olé!

El Sombrero Family Mexican Restaurant 

4868 Rainier Avenue South

Seattle, WA 98118

Phone number: (206) 722-1717

Website: elsombreroseattle.com

Prices: $$$$

In an attractive, early 20th Century neighborhood in southeastern Seattle we came across El Sombrero while searching for some chow. It looked simple and inviting, so in we went in.

The prices were fair as was the service and the chips hot, the salsa tasty, and the guacamole ($4.25) decent, although it needed some extra salt - we were off to a good start. My Negra Modelo (on tap - $4.50) was relatively cold, but yummy nonetheless.

My wife had a small Vegetarian Quesadilla ($8.55) that was actually pretty big, so I would not fathom to guess how big the large one might have been. It came with both a scoop of guacamole (still needing some salt) and sour cream (which she hates). I had a bite and it was as good as a flour tortilla with cheese and potato could be.

I had the Tacos Rancheros ($12.25), three deep fried corn tortillas filled with shredded beef and pork, and potato, then topped with loads of lettuce, a little tomato, and not so much cheese. However, they were very tasty and my arteries will never be the same, but those are the sacrifices I must make for my readers. I saved some salted guac for the tacos and was glad I did, while the server brought me some green chili salsa which complemented the tacos quite nicely ... OLÉ!

Being a California native, a 20+ year Texas resident, and a relatively new Portland, Oregon area transplant, I have been completely unimpressed with Pacific NW Mexican restaurants to date, but this experience gave me a glimmer of hope that there might be sunshine on the horizon. Not great by any stretch, El Sombrero was a good find, a decent value, and a tasty treat ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives El Sombrero 7 Out Of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Read Chris S.'s review of El Sombrero Family Mexican Restaurant on Yelp

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 

• 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

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Title: Seattle, WA: Decent Mexican Food In A Warm, No Frills Setting ... Olé!

Key Words: El Sombrero Family Mexican Restaurant, El Sombrero, sombrero, family, Mexican, taco, tacos, Seattle, WA, Washington, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, Portland, review, Yelp, Zomato

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Camas, WA: No Horsing Around, This Place Is A Definite Neigh ... I Mean Nay

Los Potrillos Mexican Restaurant

1735 SE 192nd Avenue, Suite 101

Camas, WA 98607

Phone number (360) 838-2431

Website: lospotrillosweb.com

Prices: $$$$

I do not know what happened since 2014 when Los Potrillos was selected "Best of Vancouver" (award in the entry), but if this is the best Mexican food in Vancouver, the bar must not be set very high. It was not the worse Mexican food I have eaten and there are more shoddy Mexican restaurants in southeast Clark County (there are two in Washougal), but this place is the poorest "value" by far.

Prices are very high by Mexican restaurant standards with combo plates running $13 to $15 and meat dishes (carne asada, carnitas, etc.) in the $17 to $19 range. One of the few positive things I can say is that the service here was very good. Everyone I came in contact with was friendly and efficient.

Only the margaritas have prices listed on the menu with all of the other mixed drinks, beers and wine displaying no prices. I do not know about you, but I am not going to ask how much a drink is and I refuse to order one not knowing how much it costs, so I normally bypass the alcohol at places like this. Because the margarita prices were listed, I decided to try a medium ($6.50), blended with salt. It was a decent size and not bad with a slight kick, probably being the best value on the menu.

My very small side of guacamole was $4.99 ("Market Price" - price not listed on the menu), the consistency was odd (probably cut with a cheap filler of some kind, probably mayo), and the flavor bland. $2.99 would have been a more realistic price based on the fact that it was probably made with less than one small avocado ($1 retail). The chips were most likely out of a bag, stale, and room temp - YUK - the salsa was oddly sweet and they were accompanied by a plate of cabbage with a couple of slices of jalapeño on top.

I ordered a large combo ($13.95 plus 75¢ for shredded beef on my taco - $14.70 total) with a chile relleno, cheese and onion enchilada, and shredded beef taco. The taco, like most places in the Portland metro area, came on a pre-fab shell (a large one nonetheless) with too much lettuce and not enough cheese - WEAK. I could not tell the relleno and enchilada apart by appearance and the flavors were nearly identical except for the green chile in the middle one. Both were somewhat flavorless.

For someone who loves good Mexican food - me - Mexican restaurants in the Portland and Vancouver metro areas have been a massive disappointment. There is a decent taqueria near our house and I found some pretty good Mexican places in Gresham, Tigard, and Tualatin, but, otherwise, there is a dearth of good Mexican food in the area. Unfortunately, this gringo can make better Mexican food than the supposed experts, so I will likely continue to eat at home, especially with inflated prices like those at Los Potrillos. It should be no surprise that the place was mostly empty at 7PM, having paid $34, including tip, for a dinner for one.

CombatCritic Gives Los Potrillos 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 

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Read Chris S.'s review of Los Potrillos Mexican Restaurant on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 1 Million Views!

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Title: Camas, WA: No Horsing Around, This Place Is A Definite Neigh ... I Mean Nay

Key Words: Los Potrillos, Los Potrillos, Mexican, taco, tacos, margarita, Camas, Vancouver, Portland, WA, OR, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google

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Suisun, CA: FINALLY ... A Mexican Restaurant That Knows How To Make A Freakin' Taco ... WTFO!

La Cabana Restaurant
325 Main Street
Suisun City, CA 94585
Phone number (707) 429-5871
Website: lacabanadesuisun.com
Prices: $$$$

The place was packed on a Sunday night, a good sign, the service friendly and efficient, and the food muy bueno (that's "very good" for you gringos). The chips were made in-house and warm like the should be and the salsa was NOT out of a container with a spicy kick that burned the lips just a tad. 

With Negro Modelo on tap, a 25 ounce glass was just $6.50, a relative bargain and much welcome after 8 hours on the links in Napa Valley. I also ordered a "side" of guacamole ($1.50 - not wanting the $7.99 family order for just me), being disappointed by the size at just over a thimbleful when it arrived.

The two crispy tacos ($3.99 each) had shredded beef and the corn tortillas toothpick holes where they were held together while deep fried. Unlike recent experiences at so called Mexican restaurants in the Portland area, the tacos were not dripping with grease and the shells were not pre-fab, holding up in one piece until completely devoured. YUM!

The cheese and onion enchilada ($3.99) was large and full of cheese and the sauce homemade, not out of a can. It was delicious, but, unfortunately, not as hot (temperature wise) as it could have been. I saved $3 and several hundred calories by foregoing the rice and beans and ordering à la carte.

Had the side of guacamole had been a bit larger, the enchilada a touch warmer, and the wait for my meal somewhat shorter, they would have received my highest rating. 

CombatCritic Gives La Cabaña 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better ... HOOAH!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Read Chris S.'s review of La Cabana Restaurant on Yelp

Yelp - "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18 

• 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 1 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Suisun, CA: FINALLY ... A Mexican Restaurant That Knows How To Make A Freakin' Taco ... WTFO!

Key Words: La Cabaña, la, cabaña, Mexican, taco, Suisun City, California, Suisun, Portland, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Facebook

Copyright 2018 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved