There’s a New Seasonal Menu at El Torito

 El Torito Mexican Restaurant

18512 MacArthur Blvd. 

Irvine, CA 92612

1954, way before I was born. Gas costs only 21 cents a gallon,  Swanson's began selling frozen dinners, and Elvis Presley started his singing career. It's also the year that Larry Cano, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, managed a Polynesian restaurant in Los Angeles. The owner died suddenly, and his widow asked if he wanted to take over the restaurant. He did, and he immediately switched it from the tiki bar theme to a Mexican food restaurant, and El Torito was established. 

El Torito became an instant hit, and Larry quickly added more locations. Celebrity clientele, along with the average Angelino, discovered the frozen margaritas, tableside guacamole, the combo plates that flew out of the kitchen, and the decor that featured plenty of ferns, pottery, and archways that showcased what many Americans believed to be what they'd find in Mexico. Larry sold the restaurant in 1978 but stayed on as president for ten years after that. 

Not one to rest on its laurels, El Torito is moving forward. Now under the Xperience Restaurant Group, which also is home to Las Brisas, Chevy's, Acapulco, and two of my favorite Mexican spots, Sol Mexican Cocina and Solita Tacos, El Torito is not only honoring their past, they are moving forward by forming a partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, showcasing the talent of local artists. and adding new happy hour items and limited-time specials. 

The latter has brought me and my friend, Owen, to El Torito, just steps away from John Wayne Airport. We were invited here to try their seasonal menu and their new happy hour specials. We met with Ana Toledo, a friendly manager who knew many of her customers by name. She was very active in ensuring every guest was being taken care of, running food out to tables, and even filling in at the hostess stand when we walked in. 

We arrived at half past five on a recent Thursday evening. The Cantina was crowded, with many patrons taking advantage of the happy hour, which occurs every day from 3pm-7pm. Happy hour prices start at $4 and go up to a very reasonable $10 price point. Taco Tuesday is also a big draw, with $3 tacos and drink specials bringing in the people. We were seated at a booth with a great view of the hustle and bustle of the airport across the street. Let's see what El Torito has in store for us this evening. 

As dependable as me coming home to a pile of Amazon packages on my doorstep every day in December, you are most certainly going to start your meal at El Torito with their famous Chips and Salsa. Also, you will likely go through at least three baskets if you are anything like me. There's something just so addictive about them. So to go along with the chips and salsa, I selected their seasonal Sunset Margarita ($12) to start my evening with. This margarita is made up of El Jimador Silver tequila, agave nectar, and lime juice and is then topped with Line 39 Cabernet tableside. 

Since El Torito has been around for 68 years, you would assume they would have had a Mexican Pizza ($10 during happy hour) on their menu at some point. This, to my understanding, is the first time they have served this. A large crispy tortilla is topped with black beans, plenty of jack cheese, chorizo, pico de gallo, cilantro, red onion, cotija cheese, sliced jalapenos, and finished with a drizzle of crema fresca. Think of this as one really large nacho cut into pieces, but easier to eat than nachos. The toppings were spread out nicely, and the chorizo was a pleasant surprise. The cotija was a little distracting, so I might omit it the next time I visit. This could be a satisfying meal for most of you, but I had more to eat. Definitely an excellent value for only ten bucks. 

As the winter months have hit Southern California, more people are looking for ways to warm themselves up with soups and stews. El Torito has you covered with their Albondigas Soup ($8.75). This hearty soup comprises potatoes, fresh veggies, onion, cilantro, and meatballs. A comforting soup that will heat you up from the inside out.  

If you've read my restaurant reviews for any length of time, you can see a pattern in how I order. Most of the time, I only visit a place once, so I try to get as much variety on one plate as possible, which means combo plates are my go-to. This Chef's Combo ($17.50) allowed me to try their Birria Taco and Potato Chorizo Taquitos, both featured on El Torito's seasonal menu. This plate was rounded out with their classic cheese enchilada, black beans, and rice. The birria taco was nicely done, with equal parts jack cheese and beef birria filling the handmade tortilla. When dipped into the provided consomme, this became my favorite item on the plate. The taquitos could have been more balanced. The potato really overwhelmed the chorizo, making it obscured. The cheese enchilada, a true classic, is always a favorite. An excellent plate to try if you want to switch up your usual El Torito meal or if you want to get an overview of their seasonal menu. 

Not on the seasonal menu, but it would be nearly impossible for me to end my meal at El Torito with anything but their Home-Style Flan ($8.25). Their vanilla custard is topped with caramel sauce and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. A perfect end to our meal, as it was not too heavy but still allowed us to have a little sweet treat at the end of our evening. 

I give props to El Torito for its longevity and willingness to keep things fresh by introducing new items on its seasonal menus. It keeps things interesting for their returning guests, and they always know they can return to their classic combinations, fajitas, and specialties on subsequent visits. This visit also highlighted their commitment to providing an excellent guest experience. From the time we entered until we left, we felt that every employee we encountered was here to make us as happy as possible. They also seemed to take great pride in their workplace, which is very rare nowadays. 

I would like to thank Ana Toledo and her team at El Torito Irvine for making us feel so welcome, providing us with anything we could possibly need, and ensuring we had a great evening. Our server  Juan, needs to be spotlighted, as he was on top of his game, refilling drinks, getting the food out quickly, and answering our questions. One final thank you goes to Mia Schaffel from Cinch PR for contacting me and coordinating this visit. You are a rockstar, Mia, and it's much appreciated. 

For more information about El Torito, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.eltorito.com/

** I was provided this meal for free in exchange for an honest review of their service/food. No other compensation was received. 

Experiencing the Flavors of Baja at El Torito

El Torito

18512 MacArthur Blvd. 

Irvine, CA 92612

You can add me to the list of people that had probably written off  El Torito. I can't remember what the family gathering was for, but I can remember that we left the restaurant not too happy with how things had worked out for us during that meal. There were dinners that were missing, we had large gaps in service, and the food itself was pretty pedestrian. Needless to say, it was the last time we were at an El Torito for dinner, and that was close to five years ago.

It was sad that El Torito, a chain restaurant that had helped popularize Mexican food in the United States, had seemed to have lost its luster. Started in 1954 by Larry Cano, this seemed to be a restaurant that had peaked in the late eighties when they opened 54 new stores in one year. After being sold numerous times, they now operate 68 restaurants, of which, 12 of those are in OC. At least now they are owned by a company that knows a thing or two about Mexican food, Real Mex Restaurants. Real Mex not only owns El Torito, but they also own Acapulco's, Chevy's, and Las Brisas.

We were recently invited to try El Torito's new Flavors of Baja menu. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about whether I was going to like this special menu or not. I had asked around my work if any of my coworkers had been to El Torito recently, and no one had, except for Sunday brunch and a trip to Taco Tuesday. So I showed up at Katie's work and we took a short car ride over to the El Torito that is right across from John Wayne Airport.

I had expected the restaurant to be slow on this Wednesday night, but they had a steady stream of customers during our visit. The bar area was pretty packed, the large dining room had a lot of occupied tables, and even as we were leaving they had just sat a party of ten. We were sat promptly and met by Manager Ben Morales and Research and Development Chef Loreto, both of whom would be walking us through the Flavors of Baja menu. They both seemed very proud to share this menu with us, so I started to feel like this was not going to be like my last El Torito experience.

Not on the Flavors of Baja menu, but you can not come to El Torito and not experience their Fresh Tableside Guacamole. Sorry for the poor action shot of our waiter, George making this up for us, but he was pretty quick when mixing the avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and Serrano chiles. This was a good-sized portion of guacamole, but Katie and I really put a good-sized dent into this rather quickly. I would have liked this a little spicier, but I knew Katie likes things a little milder. It had a very good consistency, between being too lumpy and too smooth. George must be a real expert at making this after his five years on the job here.

After our little detour off of the regular El Torito menu, it was now time to see what the Flavors of Baja menu had in store for us. First up was the Baja Trio Appetizer ($9.99). Chef Loreto explained to us that he believes that ceviche came from Japanese immigrants who settled on the Baja peninsula. These tacos all had a different version of ceviche inside of them. My favorite of the three was the one with crab, red jalapeno, fennel, and ginger aioli. The crab was very fresh, and the taco heated up as I ate it. Big flavors working here. The halibut taco came with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and avocado. I thought this one was going to be a little boring, but I liked the simplicity of it, and the halibut was done nicely. The spicy shrimp taco was probably my least favorite of the three, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it. This unusual taco combined shrimp, jicama, green apple, Serrano chiles, and guacamole. The textures on this taco were the highlight of it for me. A very nice crunch with the jicama and apple.

Our culinary tour of Baja continued with the Mexicali Enchiladas ($12.49). This colorful plate was centered by three enchiladas basted with guajillo sauce and filled with chicken and manchego cheese. The enchiladas in Baja are not drenched in sauce, like other areas of Mexico. The result is a lighter enchilada, with some very tender pulled chicken inside. I also liked the use of the manchego cheese here, which helped to prevent this dish from becoming too heavy. This was served with a very nice roasted corn and pasilla peppers, which added some gradual heat to this meal. A very nice variation from the usual enchiladas served in Mexican restaurants.

Most of the time when people think of Baja, the food that automatically comes to mind is the fish taco. So it's no surprise that Baja Halibut Tacos ($14.99) are on El Torito's Flavors of Baja menu. These come three to a plate, with beer-battered halibut, ginger aioli, cabbage, avocado, and caramelized onions inside of a soft corn tortilla. This was a very solid fish taco. The breading was nicely done, with a pleasant crunch to it, and the cabbage and watermelon radish added some texture components. The tortilla was not rubbery like others can tend to be. El Torito does Baja well, with this rendition of the fish taco. I also must make mention of the Baja white rice that was served with this. The rice had some roasted vegetables and manchego cheese in it to elevate this from your normal humdrum Mexican style rice.

Now we were getting into my wheelhouse. I am a carnitas fiend, so I was excited to see that carnitas was part of the Flavors of Baja menu. These Carnitas en Tablita ($15.49) were a little different from others. The pork here is simmered in garlic, oranges, and other spices. The citrus tinge was very evident. I missed the fried tips of other carnitas, but these were some very tender pork pieces. The pork is served with all of the usual accompaniments; avocado, grilled onions, beans, and warm tortillas. I went without the tortillas and just ate the carnitas by the forkful. A very good version of carnitas.

Even after all of the food we had eaten, I was still excited when this plate hit our table. The Jalapeno Bacon Wrapped Shrimp ($17.99) was fantastic. These shrimp were huge and wrapped expertly with bacon, jalapeno chiles, and manchego cheese. Talk about big-time flavor. The shrimp was briny, the jalapeno added a little heat, and the natural deliciousness from the bacon made this dish a winner. I ate more than my fair share of these, as Katie started to feel the effects of this so far six-course meal. I wasn't complaining though.

Can't make up your mind about what to order off of the Flavors of Baja menu, El Torito has you covered. The Baja Sampler ($15.49) will take you on a trip around the Baja peninsula. This plate starts with a Halibut Taco, then continues on with a Chicken Enchilada, and finishes up with two of the great Jalapeno Bacon Wrapped Shrimp. The dish is then finished off with the addictive Baja White Rice. We had them wrap this up for us, as there was no chance we could have put a dent into this plate. It heated up nicely for lunch the next day, and made my coworkers jealous, while they were stuck with awful supermarket food.

It has been a long time, but we had to try the Deep Fried Ice Cream to finish out our meal at El Torito. This was a very generous serving size for dessert. The ice cream was coated in what I believed to be corn flakes and topped with whipped cream. It was just like I remembered it. I like the contrast between the crunchy exterior and the smooth, cool ice cream inside.

This trip to El Torito has definitely piqued my interest in this pioneering restaurant chain. All of the food we experienced on this night was flavorful, presented well, and satisfied us immensely. A far cry from the last time we ate at El Torito. If you would like to experience the Flavors of Baja menu, you have to hurry and get to your nearest El Torito soon, because this Baja menu is only available until the end of the month, when it is replaced with a menu featuring the food of Mexico City. We are really looking forward to that. Also, if you have no plans for Thanksgiving, or you just don't want to cook, all El Torito's will be open from 11 till 7PM, offering a buffet of turkey, ham, apple jalapeno stuffing, cream of pumpkin soup, Mexican favorites, and plenty more. The buffet is very reasonable, with prices at $17.99 for adults and kids costing only $6.99.

We would like to thank everyone at El Torito who made this visit so enjoyable for us. We were not only impressed with the Flavors of Baja menu, but everyone we encountered really made us feel at home. We would like to thank General Manager Ben Morales and Chef Loreto who took time out of their busy night to share insights about the food and answer our questions. We really enjoyed meeting both of you, and can not wait to see you both again soon. Our waiter, George was on top of his game and made sure our every need was met. Thanks for everything George. Lastly, we would like to thank Nerissa Silao who was kind enough to invite us to experience this special menu at El Torito. Thanks for this opportunity, Nerissa.

If you would like to experience the Flavors of Baja menu or get any other information about El Torito, go to their website here: https://www.eltorito.com/