You'll Go Crazy for Taco Asylum's New Menu - CLOSED

Taco Asylum

2937 Bristol St., Suite B102

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Sometimes, you just have to start all over with a clean slate. That's the feeling I got returning to Taco Asylum. A new head chef, a new general manager, a new menu, and a new owner. Before May of this year, Taco Asylum was part of the Haven Collective, which included Haven Gastropub and Provisions Market. Former partial owner of Taco Asylum, Ace Patel, has now taken over the entire reign of this restaurant and brought in his own people, including new Executive Chef Carlos Anthony.

Chef Carlos has quite the restaurant pedigree. He's worked at the critically acclaimed Searsucker in San Diego and at Michelin-starred Redd's in Northern California. He takes over the kitchen at Taco Asylum with a lot of energy. We had the privilege of speaking with him at this new menu preview at Taco Asylum, and his personality is definitely infectious. Katie and I could sense his excitement for the tacos here, and he assured us that he had many taco ideas running around in his head. He excited both of us about what was coming out of the kitchen shortly.

One big thing they have changed here at Taco Asylum is doing away with the small, street-sized tacos. All tacos are served on a 6-inch tortilla. The menu features 11 specialty, four vegetarian, and four classic tacos. I'm glad they included classic tacos, including carnitas, chicken, carne asada, and a fish taco. When we were here before, we saw two parties looking at the old menu and walking out. This new menu allows less adventurous eaters to eat here and be more comfortable with the food. I was also pleased to see they got away from their sides of lentils and quinoa, which they amusingly called "beans and rice." Not sad to see those items go. If you'd like to see our old review of Taco Asylum and how far they have come, click here. 

Back to the present day, though. For those of you who are not aware, Taco Asylum is located on Bristol in Costa Mesa, inside the Camp shopping center. For all the changes to the menu and staff here, the inside of Taco Asylum is the same. In a small space, a tiny bar seats four or so, facing a large HD TV above their six rotating craft beer tap handles. Let's see if all these changes are positively impacting Taco Asylum.

While waiting for the other food media to arrive (slackers), we munched on some Chili-Lime Tortilla Chips ($3.50). These were served with salsa verde and salsa rojo. I'm always a little more partial to red salsa, and that was the case here at Taco Asylum. The chips were crisp, and they had just the right amount of seasoning on them to not overpower the chip. I managed to eat these sparingly, as I knew there were tacos in my future.

I know I promised you tacos, but the beverage program at Taco Asylum is definitely worth mentioning first. They, of course, have their six rotating taps, but they also have a great selection of canned beers, which range in price from $6 to $8, and $2 off of those during happy hour, which is Monday through Friday, 3PM to 5PM, and a late night happy hour from 9PM til closing. I was impressed with the beer selection, and I liked that they were listed on the menu from light to dark, so even a beer novice like myself could act like I knew what I was doing. Sydney runs the beverage program here and does a great job. She steered me to this Bikini Blonde Lager by the Maui Brewing Company. It was a lighter beer but still had plenty of taste. A perfect pairing with the tacos that were coming up next.

With 20 tacos on the menu, it was hard for me to pick three to try at Taco Asylum. I went with the Carnitas, Bacon PB and J, and Duck Mole. Let's examine each of these tacos closer.

The first one was what others called Chef Carlos's "baby," the Duck Mole Taco ($7.50). He got his mole recipe from his grandmother, and he has definitely made her proud with this. This is an Oaxacan mole with braised duck leg, queso fresco, and salsa crudo. It was not as sweet as other moles I have had, but it was a great compliment to the very tender duck. They definitely did not skimp on the amount of duck they used in this, either. An excellent taco, and it's easy to see why the staff here has such an affinity for it.

I was happy that they had some classic tacos on their new menu, so I had to try one of them. Carnitas Tacos ($3.75) is my usual barometer for judging Mexican restaurants, and this taco passed with flying colors. They use bone-in braised pork, salsa rojo, and pico, garnished with a lime wedge. A straightforward take on a pork taco. The carnitas were moist and flavorful, the pico was fresh, and the hint of citrus the lime added gave this taco a pop of flavor. Nicely done.

When I saw Bacon PB and J Taco ($4) on the menu, I had to try it. You might not think this would work like Slater's Peanut Butter and Jealousy Burger, but you'd be wrong. Included in the flour tortilla were roasted peanut butter, a carrot-ginger jam, greens, a strip of sweet and spicy bacon, and pickled Fresno chili. This was a very balanced taco. The carrot and ginger jam added a nice sweetness, while the plentiful amount of bacon here added a smokiness. It was all evened out by the smooth peanut butter. This is a taco I can see myself getting on every trip to Taco Asylum.

Katie also selected three tacos this evening. The Paneer ($4.25) was listed under vegetarian tacos, so I had a bias against this one even before it hit the table. I can admit I was wrong. This Indian-inspired taco contained a curried paneer, raita, and a crispy herb salad. I almost did not miss the exclusion of meat in this taco. The paneer was very well made, and the raita, which I learned is a yogurt-based Indian condiment, helped smooth out the flavors of this taco. The Banh Mi Taco ($5.75) takes the whole fusion thing from India to Vietnam in a few time zones. This one is stuffed with spiced pork, mint, cucumber, cilantro, carrot, radish and ponzu sauce. This was probably my least favorite of the night, but one of Katie's favorites. I expected a little more from this. The pork got lost here, and I would have liked a little more ponzu sauce. The third taco on Katie's metal tray was the Shrimp Pad Thai ($6.75), but she's no fan of shrimp, so she substituted chicken. The chicken was pan-fried with Thai basil, crushed peanuts, onion, sprouts, crispy rice noodles, and red Thai chili. Katie felt this taco lost its way by not getting the pad Thai experience. Maybe because she changed it up from shrimp to chicken. She still liked this taco, as the contents were fresh, but she just expected a slightly different experience with this one.

I lied earlier when I said I only had three tacos. Chef Carlos has a rotating taco, which he has dubbed The Chef's Prescription. That night, it was a Pork Head Cheese Taco (Market Price). Many people have a squeamish reaction to head cheese, but this is not like the head cheese you have seen in the lunch meat section of your local grocery store. They took all the delicious parts of the pig's head and threw it in a taco with some blackberry Cabernet salsa, Stilton cheese, and a little Dijon. The result was a delicious pork that was a little more dense than normal carnitas and flavorful. The blackberries were an excellent add-on, giving this taco a Thanksgiving feel.

On our first visit to Taco Asylum, I lamented that they did not have traditional sides here; instead, they served lentils and quinoa as their version of beans and rice. Yeah, I didn't get it either. Anyway, I am happy that they have expanded their menu's side items area to include black beans and rice and other offerings like Brave Potatoes ($3) and Corn Off the Cob ($3). Both of these were much better than the old sides. The potatoes were fork-tender, with plenty of flavoring from the garlic, mint, lemon, and fantastic fire-roasted aioli topping. The corn was also a favorite, with bits of bell pepper, onion, garlic, and a corn crema. Big improvement.

I would be remiss if I did not mention their awesome hot sauces at Taco Asylum. Honestly, I only tried one this time because it was so good, the Roasted Ghost Chili. During this visit, this bottle was my best friend and did not leave my side during my meal. It had a good amount of heat, but it was tempered a bit by the smokiness, which was definitely evident. This allowed for a slow buildup of heat to accumulate, which grew during my use. I planned to sneak this out of the building when I was given a bottle to take home. Thanks so much, Sydney. You saved me from a life on the lam of being a hot sauce thief. Since I got this home, I have used it almost daily for everything.

Another new addition to the Taco Asylum menu is dessert, which is always a nice thing to add. The first of the two desserts was these Dessert Nachos ($7). These tortilla chips are dusted with cinnamon, orange zest, sugar, and chili, then drizzled with Mexican chocolate and topped with red chili anglaise. This was not a sweet dessert nacho. The sugar and cinnamon provided enough sweetness, but the chocolate was not as sweet as American chocolate, and the chili added a bit of spice to this, which woke up the taste buds. Really a well-done dessert.

As much as I liked the dessert nachos, the Churro Bites ($7) fell flat. These are described on the menu as Mexican donuts rolled in cinnamon and sugar, then drizzled with a dulce de leche. I would have liked these better, but the insides were too dense and needed to be lighter, with more sweetness. It was not exactly what I had expected when I heard churro bites.

All of the changes at Taco Asylum have made this an even better restaurant than it was before. They are more mainstream for less adventurous eaters but still have some wild, over-the-top tacos for people who want to step outside their comfort zone. We loved Chef Carlos's exuberance, and his passion is shown in the tacos he created. We look forward to seeing the other hundreds of tacos he said he has in his head. Owner Ace Patel says they want people to eat here every day, and with the variety on this menu, that will be easy to do.

We thank everyone at Taco Asylum for sharing their new menu with us. General Manager Jenelle, Beverage Coordinator Sydney, and Chef Carlos could not have been nicer and answered our crazy questions without hesitation. Thanks also to the man behind Taco Asylum, Ace Patel. You have something special here, and we look forward to returning many times. Lastly, we thank Bryn Mohr at Food For Thought PR for inviting us. We had a great time, Bryn, and it was fantastic meeting you.

For more information about Taco Asylum, go to their newly launched website here: http://www.tacoasylum.com/

Checking In to the Taco Asylum - CLOSED

Taco Asylum

2937 S. Bristol

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I will be the first to admit that my taste has changed since I started this blog. I used to be a really traditional kind of guy. I liked my steaks without steak sauce. I enjoyed my hot dogs with mustard, relish, and maybe a little chili if I felt daring. I looked at some places we had been to when we started the blog, and I sometimes felt that restaurants were trying a little too hard to make themselves different. At the time, I did not understand that they were trying to break out of the mold of what everyone else was doing. Coming up with new twists on items to help make them their own.

Before the blog, I had preconceived notions of what I thought Mexican food was. Pretty much almost anything on a Don Jose's menu. When I heard the word taco, I assumed it would contain beef, chicken, or pork and usually comes with a side of beans and rice. Now, of course, I know better. In this age when food trucks have brought fusion foods to the masses, I have learned to open my mind to many more things. That's the way I approached our recent visit to Taco Asylum.

We are the last food bloggers to have made it to this restaurant at The Camp in Costa Mesa. Taco Asylum comes to us from the guys who gave us Haven Gastropub. At Taco Asylum, Executive Chef Greg Daniels focuses on non-traditional tacos, emphasizing global cuisines. His partner, Beverage Director Wil Dee, has created an eclectic group of beers and bottled sodas. There are no fountain drinks here.

We got to Taco Asylum at about six on a Saturday night. Usually, parking in this shopping center can be a little hairy, but the parking gods were with us that night because we got a spot in the front row. Taco Asylum is located smack dab in the middle of The Camp. It is a small place, with maybe ten tables with some seating outside on their small patio. They had a large TV hanging over their bar, which was muted so the music could play through the speakers. The music they played here was a wide array of stuff that had Katie Shazaming almost every song. Despite the large crowd at The Camp, Taco Asylum was not overly packed. They maybe had five tables full during our visit here. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to you. We waited about ten minutes for the food, which hit our table.

Okay, you have to wait a little longer because I wanted to mention the hot sauces they brought to the table. These ranged from mild to hot, going right to left. The three on the right (the Cayenne, Keeper Sauce, and Red Salva), I did not try. Katie tried them all and did not report they were too hot for her. She is a wimp when it comes to spicy things. The spicier of the two are the Habanero and the Ghost Chili. The Habanero was good but did not pack the punch I expected. I used it more to actually add moisture to the tacos. I was a little nervous trying the Ghost Chili sauce, but it did not overwhelm the flavors inside the taco. It definitely added some heat. It did not get me sweating, but it did make my tongue tingle. Really an excellent hot sauce. I also liked the labels they used for these. Since this is an asylum, the hot sauces would come with a prescription label. Nice touch.

As you can see from the picture, this is different from your average run-of-the-mill taco spot. Let's start with Katie's plate first. They used to have Taco Flights on the menu, which were street taco-size versions of their tacos. They have done away with that and gone the taco plate route. With the Taco Plate ($14.50 for this one), you can choose three tacos and their own version of bean and rice. Katie was in love with the side items here. These are far from being the rice and beans you are used to. The beans were a cold lentil salad with red wine vinaigrette and chevre. The rice comprised quinoa, bell peppers, cilantro, and onion. I felt both were okay, but Katie was over the moon with the quinoa. She even finished mine in trade for some extra bites of her tacos. A trade I will gladly make at any time. Let's break this down taco by taco.

Katie's first choice was the Wild Mushroom Taco. This one, of course, came with mushrooms but also a chickpea puree, parsley salad, and fried chickpeas. Predictably, this taco had a very earthy flavor. Katie really liked the texture provided by the fried chickpeas. She also remarked that the flavor would lead her to get this taco again.

Next up was the Sichuan Fried Chicken Taco. This taco was filled with buttermilk fried chicken, five-spice yogurt, black bean and garlic puree, and scallions. A lot was going on with this one. The chicken was less greasy than we had expected, but it still had a good flavor. The bean and garlic puree was good, but we only got a little garlic coming through. The yogurt sauce was odd but did not get in the way, adding moisture to the taco. This was my favorite out of this plate.

The last of Katie's tacos was the Steak and Potato Taco, which came with a root vegetable potato salad, blue cheese, and fried leeks. This one would be my favorite, but it had some tough pieces of steak, and the blue cheese was not as prominent as I would have liked. I did like the crunch that the fried leek contributed.

Of course, I was also going for a Taco Plate ($15.50). I was not as enthused by the side items as Katie was. I liked the lentil side item better. The chevre was a nice little touch, and the vinaigrette gave it a little punch. These two will not replace my love for traditional beans and rice, but for one night, they were okay. The main benefit is that these were not heavy side items at all. Now, on to the tacos.

I love pork belly, and I always tell people to order it if they see it on the menu. You will not be sorry. So, it is no surprise that I was most excited to try this Pork Belly Taco. At Taco Asylum, they braise their pork belly in coconut milk, then add it to some pickled mushrooms, Fresno chilies, a kaffir lime emulsion, and cilantro. With the coconut milk and the pickled mushrooms, this veered toward an Asian-style taco. I really liked this taco, but I would have liked it more if it had more pork belly included. The pork belly that I did have was very well cooked and tasted even better. Probably my best taco of the night.

It's not every day that you see a Rabbit Taco on the menu, so I had to try it. This rabbit was poached in olive oil, then joined in the tortilla by celery root puree, roasted celery, a few celery leaves, pickled mustard seed, burnt scallion puree, and a carrot-cumin hot sauce. There was a lot of celery and other things going on with this taco. First, I really liked the rabbit. It was cooked very well and could easily have stood on its own. Even with all of this stuff in this taco, the whole vibe of the taco was mellow. It could have been due to all the celery used here. The carrot and cumin hot sauce really got lost in this taco.

The Short Rib Taco is the most traditional-looking taco on the menu at Taco Asylum. The short rib is paired with pickled red onions, salsa verde, cotija cheese, and cilantro. It would not be far-fetched to see this taco on other restaurant menus. After all the other tacos, this one was boring. The meat was a little on the dry side, but some of the ghost chili hot sauce helped to cure that. I should mention the tortillas used here. They are pretty pedestrian, and their only job is to be a vessel for the fillings inside, which I have no problem with. These tacos are not overly stuffed, so this is an easy task for these tortillas to perform.

It's not part of the taco plate options, but when I saw it on the menu, I had to try the Surf and Turf Taco ($6).  This one was made of surf and turf, including lobster and pancetta, and then is topped with arugula and Siracha mayo. I was disappointed with this taco. The pancetta was totally lost here. I did not get a whiff of it at all. They also piled on too much arugula, which is easy to take off, but in doing so, you also lost a good deal of the Siracha mayo, which was very thin. The saving grace for this taco was the big hunk of lobster that I got. It really added a big wallop of flavor to this otherwise bland taco.

While at Taco Asylum, we saw a young family come in and sit down. After looking at the menu, they got up and left. I can imagine that this happens quite a lot. Not because the food is terrible but because the tacos they serve at Taco Asylum are not what people imagine when they hear the word taco. I do not believe this restaurant is for everyone. If you have a preconceived notion of what a taco should be and are unwilling to change, you should do what that family did and just walk out. For the rest of you who like to be challenged and are not tired of the normal but want to try something a little out of the box, this is the place for you. I was not blown away by the tacos here, but they were good for a change. It's not a place I would always eat, but they rotate some unique tacos in and out of place, so it could pique your interest enough to visit. The service when we were here was excellent. Courtney talked to us about the restaurant, gave us suggestions, and even gave us a few of her favorite places to go in Fullerton. I'm not going to lie. The prices here are on the high side for the amount that you get. I did not leave Taco Asylum stuffed to the brim, but it did give me room to stop by Blackmarket Bakery and have a cookie or two on the way out of the Camp.

Out of five straight jackets (for obvious reasons), five being best to zero being worst, Taco Asylum gets 3 straight jackets.

For more information about Taco Asylum, click here: http://www.tacoasylum.com/