I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.
I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.
Fresno? I say FresYES
- Thinking of buying a Condo? We say FresYes! - September 18, 2020
- Tom Seaver, exceptional human, who led ‘Miracle Mets’ to glory, dies at 75 - September 4, 2020
- Is that good ol’ American front porch making a come back? - August 14, 2020
I have a friend named Mike. Mike really likes tacos.
Like, a lot.
Recently, Mike had a birthday and his wife Tanya decided it was the perfect occasion to make one of Mike’s dreams comes true. She hired a stretch vehicle from A Touch of Class and invited about 15 or so of Mike’s friends to meet at Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co.
After loading up the car with beer, we set out on a taco tour.
Hard to miss when a ride like this pulls up.
I mean, this really is a touch of class. It’s not just a clever name.
Happy Birthday, Mike (and hi, Greg).
Taco Stop #1
Our first stop was Tacos La Flor, located off Highway 99 in Selma. Did it feel strange to pull into a dusty lot in what is—let’s be real—kind of a douchey-looking ride? Yeah. I can only imagine what it must have looked like to see a bunch of grown adults pile out of a stretch vehicle, chatting excitedly about what kind of tacos they want to eat and whether or not they should load up now or pace themselves for maximum taco consumption.
We didn’t know how many taco stops we’d be making during our five-hour trek, so I opted to go the one-taco-at-a-time route, and I chose carne asada for my first taco. It was, of course, delicious.
Tacos La Flor is located at 12490 S. Highland Ave. in Selma.
Plenty of shaded seating.
I could eat a million of these. But I didn’t.
Taco Stop #2
Our next stop also was in Selma. Los Toritos is located on E. Mountain View Ave. near the Selma Flea Market.
Carnitas is Los Toritos’ specialty, so that’s what I ordered. And they were delicious.
Per my one-at-a-time strategy, I ate one full taco and then just the meat out of the other two. Cheating, but who cares.
A hungry crowd descends on Los Toritos.
I should mention here that all taco spots were chosen by Mike. As one of the organizers of Taco Truck Throwdown and the creator of TB&J (Tacos, Brews & Jams), a monthly taco event held at Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co., Mike knows where to find the best tacos all over the Valley.
Taco Stop #3
From Selma we headed north to Fowler, where we visited El Mexicano at 2833 E. Manning Ave. A brick-and-mortar restaurant, El Mexicano was a welcome stop, not just because of the air-conditioning and clean bathrooms, but also because it was the judge’s choice winner at Taco Truck Throwdown this year.
And honestly? Their carnitas were the best I’ve ever had.
Couldn’t have asked for a more fun group. Despite the heat, everyone stayed enthusiastic.
Photo doesn’t do this justice. Seriously, the best carnitas.
El Mexicano has a full menu of items to choose from.
Taco Stop #4
It was back to Fresno for our next stop, Taqueria El Premio Mayor, at Shields and Maroa. What can you say about El Premio Mayor? There’s a reason it’s a multiple Taco Truck Throwdown winner and recipient of Alton Brown’s “legit” stamp of approval.
We all had the carne asada tacos. They were—wait for it—delicious.
I could eat this every day. But I don’t.
El Premio Mayor has two brick-and-mortar locations in Fresno, one at Shields and Maroa and the other at First and McKinley.
Taco Stop #5
For our last stop of the night (time was not on our side and our stretch vehicle was about to turn back into a pumpkin), we hit up Chuy’s Tacos y Taquizas at 1623 N. Hughes, off McKinley Ave.
I’ll admit that at this point I’d reached my limit for food, so I hung back while everyone else enjoyed their last tacos (and quesadillas and more) of the night. By now, the sun was setting over Fresno’s west side, and it couldn’t have been any prettier.
Tacos at sunset. Can’t beat that.
You can get ojos tacos at Chuy’s. (Cow eyes)
A perfect Fresno night
From Chuy’s, we headed back to Tioga-Sequoia and then parted ways, each of us a little better for our shared experience.
If you’re interested in having your own taco tour, you can email fresnotacotours@gmail.com. Also, feel free to check out @FresnoTacoTours on IG and Twitter, or visit them on Facebook.
