West Coast Eats: Mexican Meat & Potatoes (Pork Tacos & Papas Fritas!)

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DATE: Summer 2015
LOCATION: La Puerta
560 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Brrr... the below freezing winter NYC temperatures has me guzzling cups of hot chocolate, but to keep my mind on warmer times, I will go on a nostalgic high of this past summer. I spent 2 glorious, warm, sunny sky weeks in California back in August. The hubster & I did a road trip driving north, up the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego,  Santa Monica/LA, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Monterey and lastly San Francisco. So that I can still reminisce over my amazing vacation, I'll be taking this East Coast blog to the flip-side, with a mini-series of West Coast Eats, starting off with the 1st city we ate at: San Diego.


Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this blog, I just have to say I really enjoyed San Diego. Some of my favorite notable areas to visit were Balboa Park, Old Town and the Gaslamp Quarter. For fellow millennials & super foodies out there, Gaslamp Quarter was THE place to be. Blocks and blocks filled with so many great looking places to eat at, I can only imagine living around there and always having some place new to eat, drink and hang out at with your friends every single day.

Now, speaking of meat and potatoes... Out of the plethora of great options, we chose to eat at La Puerta, which is located in the Gaslamp Quarter. It was our first day in San Diego and I was not used to the Cali summer heat and humidity. Don't get me wrong, in New York, we deal with really gross, muggy, thick humidity but I've noticed one major difference roaming around town in the east vs. west coast... Air conditioning seemed to be far and few between in the sunny state unlike the arctic-like AC blasts during the NYC summers! I wasn’t feeling the most patient standing by the bar for an hour wait, especially after walking around all day and trying to bear the sweaty humidity. With that said, I was in a pretty cranky mood and made a mental negative that I had to stand around hot, hungry and humid, thinking this food BETTER be worth it.

And oh boy, it was!!!! My hangry mood quickly disappeared as soon as our food came to the table. I ordered the plate of mix n’ match 3 tacos, which was served with refried beans, rajas con crema (strips of poblano peppers with cream) and rice.
  • Pastor - Adobo Pork, Pineapple, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo
  • Carnitas - Slow Roasted Pork, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo
  • Cochinita - Achiote Pork, Pickled Onion


Unfortunately it's been 6 months since I was there, so I can't recall the distinct tastes of each taco. But I do remember initially thinking while the tacos were plenty good and tasty, I was just as happy with my NYC adobada tacos from Los Tacos. The pork at La Puerta was definitely a good-quality meat. It gave me the first of many repeated impressions of the differences between the east & west coast primary-taste factor of foods... flavor vs. quality. Neither way is better than the other, just a matter of taste preference and priority. So to each their own!


What I DO still remember after half-a-year are the Carne Asada Fries. Forget loaded nachos... loaded FRIES are where it's at! I am still dreaming and drooling over these fries topped with cheese, grilled onion, poblano, crema, guacamole, pico de gallo & arranchera steak. Worthy of saying, OH-MY-NOSH!! The melding of the cheeses, guac and steak juices was like a work of art. I was doubtful of wanting the carne asada since I already ordered a lot of red meat with my entree, but it was definitely worth getting. I only wish I wasn't so full from the tacos, this dish was just so enormous even for 2 people to share. I didn't care how full my belly was expanding, because this dish deserved to be devoured in its entirety. It felt like a failed challenge of Man Vs. Food, but we managed to put quite a dent into these perfect potatoes.

Bottom Line: Venture around the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego if you're looking for somewhere fun to eat, drink and hang out at. If you go to La Puerta, definitely order one of the "Papas Fritas La Puerta". The Carne Asada Fries still haunts my dreams.


Happy Noshing, Jeanne
Location: 560 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, USA

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