Tacos, for most people, conjure up the idea of comfort food. Either a comfortable family dinner night at home around the kitchen table or, like for me, the last thing you eat after a long night of drinking. Either way they provide a feeling of comfort.

My first encounter with authentic Tacos was from a cart on a street in Tijuana, we had parked in San Diego and walked across the border for some cheap drinking and a bite of eating but it happened to become a great bonding experience as the evening progressed and we dared each other to eat from sketchier looking Taco carts. We all survived and now it’s just another fond Taco memory.

Now, after 20 years of regularly eating Tacos from all over the world, I consider myself to be a bit of a Taco aficionado. My definition of what a Taco can be has evolved to include almost any food folded in a tortilla-like wrapper. Of course some purists may disagree, but they may also argue that a taco must have a corn tortilla to be qualified as a real authentic Taco or that it must only contain chicken or pork–but I enjoy food, I enjoy the process of discovering new foods and I enjoy the new flavors the chefs and yes, even cooks, bring to the Taco experience.

So, with that being said, I’ve decided to start planning The Redondo Beach Localista Taco Tuesday Tour to bring these experiences and flavors to a, loosely organized, weekly event right here in Redondo.

We start by visiting three well loved local Mexican restaurants; Ortega 120, Riviera Mexican Grill and Coyote Cantina. Each restaurant has a unique theme and a unique taste but each provides consistent quality and a good atmosphere all at a fair price.

[themify_button style=”large red rect” link=”http://www.localistamagazine.com/redondo_beach/2014/08/20/taco-tuesday-tour-first-stop-ortega-120/” ]First Stop: Ortega 120[/themify_button]