Poor Micheal, you have suffered the same as I did after moving up here from my pad in OB, half a block from Roberto's. I was on a Jones for two years, until one day, completely by accident, I found the ANSWER! (and I apologize for making you wait, I hoped somebody else would tell!) In Palo Alto is a little place, which recently moved from a little dive to a nice restaurant a block down, called Senor Taco. Yes, dumb name. They are in Palo Alto, on El Camino, just south of Oregon/Page Mill. They used to be the third light, now they are a block or two farther. West side, past McD's, FRY's on the left, and a light or two more.. (To be honest, I've been dieting for two years, so have only eaten at the new place once, but the rolled tacos hadn't changed.) They have the true and proper machaca, chorizo, and fish tacos just like Roberto's, because the owner studied Roberto's before coming up here to open this place. I spoke to him about it after eating there every day for two weeks. Some dishes have changed, but you will not be able to tell the rolled tacos or the chorizo & egg from SD's own. The changes include the afore-argued rice and beans if you order the Grande, or the Works, or Everything. Micheal was confused because "chorizo & egg burrito w/ the works" in SD means a half sausage, an egg, chopped, grilled, and placed on a large flour tortilla. I guess "the works" at Robertos means they add a spoon of salsa fresca before rolling. (I always order sour cream, makes chorizo SOOO good!) Others have said: > [email removed] (Will Borgeson) > (such as San Diego County, blessed with the excellent-for-a-chain > Roberto's, and a zillion other hotspots) Damn right, I lived on Roberto's for my entire Navy career. mwise reveals his severe withdrawal symptoms with: >Carne asada (por supuesto), Salsa fresca, and sometimes quacamole. Yup, just like you remember them, just be sure not to order the big plate bender size, just order the right size, and you get the right item, and I might add, at the right price, like in SD. The honking huge ones are $5 or so, but leave out the crap and they are closer to $3 or so. I think they call it Regular Size. > Basilio Amaro > If you find a good place for fish tacos let me > know, because I'll move in next door to it. Actually, I had better fish tacos by the fish market in Rosarita Beach, fresh fish, fresh tortillas, fresh salsa, and 4 for a dollar. But these hold their own, even if the fish is fried from frozen. Another true San Diegan... > [email removed] (Peter MacLeod) > A carne asada burrito from a Roberto's-like place (all over San Diego, with > names like Royberto's, Roberta's, Alberto's [the original clone, I'm told], > etc.) contains: carne asada, guacamole, maybe some salsa. Many of them are > 24hrs, drive-through. You haven't lived until you've eaten a carne asada > burrito and "three rolled tacos with guacamole" (which are more like what > get called flautas around here, or sometimes taquitos) at 3am. Ah, yes, the rolled tacos! I was in such sad shape that I had completely forgotten these. I had ordered various things up here, looking for them, but had been so disappointed that I had erased them from my mind until I saw them on the menu at Senor Taco. EXACTLY like at Roberto's. And Finally, Machaca. Machaca is beef stew dried on a grill with an egg chopped in. At Roberto's, a beef burrito was the same stew w/o the egg. The ingredients were several cans of argentine beef, twice that much of chopped peppers, an onion or two, and that was about it. Boil for one day, then dip in and grab with tongs (let drain), and fry on the grill. Chop in an egg to make Machaca. I'm not sure, but I think they would just add more beef and peppers when it got low, so they never lost the accumulated flavor. They always had two or three giant pots like this in progress, one serving, others boiling. So, Micheal, I look forward to your response to Senor Tacos... And sorry it isn't in SF. (actually NOT, cuz' I live down here!)
San Francisco Bay Area, CA