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Nathan Sellers, a San Diego native who owns the quaint taqueria with his wife and father-in-law, is no stranger to south-of-the-border cuisine. He grew up making regular visits to family members living in Ensenada and Mexicali and came to cherish the foods you\u2019ll find on his succinct menu: grilled street corn, citrus-marinated chicken, pork adobo and frijoles laced with bacon, which is exactly the way his mother makes them.<\/p>\n
Still in its soft opening, the menu currently offers seven types of tacos in addition to nachos, loaded fries and side dishes such as chips with queso, the frijoles, and sweet corn slathered with aioli, cotija cheese and cilantro. Luscious and messy, they\u2019re some of the tastiest cobs in town.<\/p>\n
Seating is all outdoors starting with a front deck that connects to a covered side patio. Beer and wine are in the pipeline, although until Sellers obtains his license, visitors are permitted to bring beer into the eatery from the adjoining Barn Brewery or make due with excellent cinnamon-spiked horchata or hibiscus-infused black tea, both made onsite and served ice-cold from taps.<\/p>\n Sellers\u2019 signature \u201cchicali\u201d pays homage to the carne asada tacos of Mexicali. The meat is finely diced and cooked to a near crisp. It\u2019s accented with frijoles, avocado, onions, shredded cabbage, cilantro and a hint of salsa roja. Compared to three other tacos we tried, it called for extra zing from any of the four house-made salsas, which range from mild to super-hot.<\/p>\n Seared pork tinted rusty red from paprika-loaded adobo marinade filled the \u201cwhat a pig\u201d taco containing much of the same ingredients as the chicali, but with the additions of cubed pineapple and crema. The taco provided a mouthful of complex flavors while the supple made-to-order flour tortilla seamlessly matched the texture of the tender meat.<\/p>\n The \u201cMission Blvd.\u201d taco might best represent the Southern California slant Sellers set out to capture at Cruiser, which he named with the notion of riding a cruiser bike down the Mission Beach boardwalk.<\/p>\n It\u2019s filled with trendy deep-fried avocado, in this case beer-battered and topped with pickled red onions, cabbage and crema. Maybe it\u2019s just me, but in all of my encounters with the green fruit fried like this, I\u2019ve found its subtle flavor flies straight out the window and the texture becomes thinner and less creamy.<\/p>\n While my companion ate it with gusto, I proceeded to the \u201cbig chicken\u201d taco filled with citrus-marinated leg and thigh meat plus lettuce, avocado, onions and chipotle crema. No salsa needed, it ranked with the pork taco as my favorite.<\/p>\n Other taco choices include the \u201cSan Diago\u201d tailored after a California burrito filled with carne asada, french fries and cheese, but with the bonus of avocado and crema. For vegetarians, \u201cthe Maya\u201d equates simply to a bean and cheese taco while the \u201cMessin\u2019 w\/Texas\u201d puts fajitas-style Portobello mushrooms at the core.<\/p>\n We also ordered the chips and queso. Both are made in-house. The chips were just how I like them \u2014 warm, thin and delicate. The queso, however, was somewhat bland despite the inclusions of roasted chilies, cotija cheese and salsa. Sharper cheddar would do wonders for the recipe.<\/p>\n Also, at the time of our visit, he was awaiting his first delivery of gourmet popsicles from Viva Pops in Normal Heights, which he will carry regularly in five or six flavors.<\/p>\n![\"Swaddled](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Corn2-web-1.jpg\")
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Sellers said his menu will soon expand with additional tacos such as birria (stewed beef), chili relleno (contained within the flour tortillas) and another filled with beet root, sweet potatoes and goat cheese.<\/p>\n