Friday, May 12, 2023

More Highland Park Dining and Dominoes

 

Thursday, May 11, 2023

The morning was spent finishing up the last of the Varese Skorpions seasonal analytics breakdowns after their sixth game of the campaign, then the adventure ensued!

It was a beautiful day in Highland Park just made for another fabulous lunchtime food experience.

The question was "What type of cuisine today?"

Who was I kidding, in Highland Park the answer is almost always "MEXICAN!"

And so I headed to a new spot.

Villa's Tacos
5455 N. Figueroa St.
Highland Park, California

My phone's WAZE app got me here via a slightly convoluted route through previously unexplored neighborhoods of Highland Park.

Interesting.

When I finally reached the address for Villa's Tacos, I parked near this apparent food truck boldly proclaiming two things:
Back 2 Back L.A. Taco
TACO MADNESS Champs
and
Con Tacos todo es Posible

Although I would have to wait until after my lunch to chime in on that first claim, I 100% agreed with their second pronouncement that translates into this sage advice, "With Tacos all is Possible."

When I opened my car door I was overpowered by some amazing BBQ aromas.

This must be the place.

WOW!

I went straight to the truck where some serious grilling was in full swing. I spoke with the two chefs that were hard at work and they directed me to the actual Villa's Tacos hole-in-the-wall restaurant about 100 feet away but not before slicing me off a large piece of that meat you see here to whet my appetite.

It worked, the meat was DELICIOUS!

Located in a small strip mall
between Elle Nail Spa and
Maria Maria's Beauty Salon one
finds Villa's Tacos

There is no seating inside Villa's, just these two small wooden picnic tables out front, thus lots of people were ordering take-out.

Time to order . . .

The menu was small and simple

To me, this was a good sign. I like restaurants who make only a few things but to perfection.

I opted for the Villa's Trio Sampler consisting of three blue corn tortilla soft tacos with some amazing grilled, crispy cheese as the base.

The three different tacos were piled high with all the fixings including a large ball of guacamole. These tacos were made of a. Ranchera Asada, b. Papas con Chorizo and c. Black Beans con Pollo.

Add one of their pink lemonades in a large plastic container and I was ready to rock and roll.

But where to sit?

I asked a friendly looking couple if I could join them at their table and they happily said, "Yes."

It was fortuitous for me as the lady I dined with was a long time customer who told me the history of this Highland Park treasure.

Apparently Villa's Tacos started their business in their front yard as a fund raiser for the ailing Grandmother of the Villa Clan. It became so popular in that front yard setting that after a few months the Villas finally decided to take it to the next level and bought a food truck.

The Villa's Tacos food truck's popularity continued to skyrocket to the point that they opened this small brick and mortar location a few years ago. Given the steady line of customers that I observed, Villa's Tacos continue with their solid business model.

As for those three Villa's Tacos . . .
Jesus, Mary AND Joseph!

They were INCREDIBLE!

I think that they are now my personal "TACO MADNESS" Champs as well.

Once again I left Highland Park feeling fat and sassy as I headed to see my Mother in her skilled nursing facility.

Another round of Dominoes
was on the docket

I would need to gird my loins for what is becoming an intense, though one-sided, rivalry between us.

On Wednesday, my Mom dominated the tournament winning 14-8 in games and 239-114 in points.

Today wound up being no better for me as she throttled me yet again, 16-12 in games and 286-125 in points.

For the two days, Mom is now up 30-20 in games and 525-239 in points.

Truly, with tacos all things are indeed possible except beating my Mom in dominoes it appears.

Friday is another day . . .

The NFL and the Los Angeles Rams
announced their 2023 schedules today

More to the point, here is
the Rams Home Schedule

I saw this on Facebook, the
San Francisco 49ers concession
prices from the early 1950s

You could buy one of everything on this list for the grand total of $6.35!

Those were the days.

Even as the Varese Skorpions Prima
Squadra Spring season comes to
a rapid close . . .

The Skorpions are about to start their tryouts and practices for their youth tackle American football teams that play in the Fall.

The preparation never ends for the Skorpions' intelligentsia.

Big Game in Israel today

No word yet on how our friend Elad Ohanna's Ramat Hasharon Hammers club did in their quest to defend their 2022 Israeli National Championship in Israel's IsraBowl XVI on May 18th.

On Friday, Laurie joins me for lunch in Highland Park, the Dominoes tournament in Pasadena and, thanks once again to Paul and Joanne Sabolic, a Los Angeles Dodgers game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium, a.k.a., "Blue Heaven on Earth."

Stay tuned . . .

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