Between unpacking, doing ungodly amounts of laundry, back-to-school shopping and the actual first day of school starting today, I haven’t really been afforded the opportunity to actually unwind and reflect on what I’m daring to call our best vacation ever. That’s right. THE BEST VACATION EVER.
Michael and I set off early last Wednesday morning for sunny San Diego, CA for what promised to be a relaxing getaway without the kiddo. Yep, just the two of us. Holy cow. We called it a 1-year marriage anniversary gift to one another, since our ACTUAL anniversary is next month, but what I call it now is a huge blessing.
We arrived in San Diego late morning their time, lunch time our time. STARVING. Borderline hangry. But we were able to make it to the resort, check in, and freshen up before consulting with the valet man on where to grab a quick (NOW!) bite to eat.
We went with the closest suggestion, La Playa Taco Shop. In my head, I was kind of disappointed. Tacos? For real? We’re coming from Texas where there’s tacos a-plenty… yet here we are, grabbing tacos for our first vacation meal. I mean whatever, I was downright famished.
We arrived a few minutes later, being that the Taco Shop was right next to the resort on Mission Blvd., and what we saw was a tiny orange building, positively overflowing with people from every walk of life ever. You had your suit and ties, your day laborer, your surfer dudes and dudettes, your skater punks, your tourists (howdy, y’all!), your housewives and more.
There were no empty seats and a line out the door. Holy smokes. Once I saw that a table for two was about to be evacuated out on the patio, I used my specialized skill sets to claim it for the two of us, and stood ground until my hubby placed our orders.
Two tacos each. Me: Fish and Al Pastor. Him: Fish and Shrimp. After a decently long wait (tiny place, tiny staff, TONS OF PEOPLE), we were served. But in that time, we were able to relax. I was glad that I thought to bring a sweater. Never has 77 degrees F been so dang cold. Shivering body, chattering teeth… This wasn’t good. But hey, give me a break! I’ve gotten totally used to 102, 103 days here in Austin!
Anyway, when we were served, the tacos were like a breath of fresh air. They were colorful, bright and my word, they smelled heavenly. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was ravenous or if it was because they were amazing, but I dug right in, as did my man.
EXPLOSIONS. The al pastor taco was crazy good; bursting with fresh, clean flavors, it was slightly spicy and fully aromatic. The marinated pork was juicy, tender and slightly crisp on the outside, and with this first bite, I was in love.
I looked across the table at my love and he too was registering the amazingness that is the Taco Shop’s exquisite tacos. NO WONDER people were lined up out the door. No wonder…
After I expertly polished off that first glorious taco, I moved on to the quintessentially Californian fish taco. Now, I lost all ability to function after I took my first bite of this one. I just stared, wide-eyed at nothing and took a moment to collect myself. What WAS THIS PERFECTION?!?! I was now at the point of being fully convinced that these tacos were not tacos, or whatever it is that we call tacos here in central Texas are not tacos. It had to be one of the two. I later figured out that we’ve been dining on TexMex and these were real deal, true Mexican dishes. Hmm…
This fish taco was, like I said, perfect. Oh my gosh, it had SO much flavor, and that batter… OH that batter! It was light, crisp and perfectly seasoned. It was not at all greasy, and left me feeling satisfied and refreshed. I was ready for the day, as was hubby. But not before ordering a 5th taco to split!
Two days later, we couldn’t help ourselves, and headed back. I couldn’t quit this place if I tried. On our return visit, I got two fish tacos and Michael got the same as last time, fish and shrimp. Perfection, once again. Long lines too, but perfection.
Thank you La Playa Taco Shop, for starting our world’s best vacation off in a delicious way.
