Spring has sprung...burrito juice all down the back of my leg. The sun is out and so is the street food creep - FINALLY! My girl Hannah and I ventured into the blossomed streets of the Cook St Village to hit up La Taquisa. In the heart of the village in an ample outdoor alcove, La Taquisa sits solo (they where neighbored by Red Fish Blue Fish last summer...why they are not there? answers please!) with a great seating area and standing fire pit - still needed for the chilly breeze. The two cooks running the show (I want to say Bret and Derrek but I;m embarrassed to say that I think I'm wrong - corrections welcome) were super sweet even though I harassed them with a barrage of whiny questions regarding the sorry state of food cart numbers and Victoria's tardiness in following the Portland trend of parking lot food courts. This is when I got some friggin killer news: that alcove is going to be full of food vendors very soon! I am floored. You guys do get how amazing this is going to be and how much this could open up street food culture in Victoria, right?? I just know yer all with me on this one...so definitely more on that in the future.
We both ordered burritos straight up, with chicken - mine espicy. We struck up a conversation with another apparent connoisseur and thoroughly enjoyed the dripping mess that snuck out of the burrito (which I opened upside down...shocking - I know). This to me, is what street food is all about - making minute-to-minute friends, shooting the breeze about food and community and hanging out in the sunshine, or the rain or climate-change -rapture- induced deluges of blood - whatever.
La Taquisa is doing it right, in my opinion. they make their own flour tortillas right in front of you, the service is fast, friendly and engaging, made to-order and they actually ask you if you are enjoying it. It was fantastic...It's not just about what you eat but how the experience went down. I think sometimes people get confused and think that I just love to eat. Not the case...it's a lovely bi-product, but it's really about the way food is experienced as an aspect of a strong culture. La Taquisa is a fine example of this.
I look forward to getting back there to try the 5 tacos of your choosing for $10 and to trying out the other vendors set to make their debut, shortly.
Check out
La Taquisa on facebook to have some say in their expanding menu and to SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS!
Welcome to the second installment of what I hope will be a weekly feature! Red Fish Blue Fish continues to be bar against which all Victoria street food locales are measured. Operating at 1006 Wharf Street in Victoria, British Columbia at the foot of Broughton on the pier below Wharf Street, they are tucked away on an old part of the wharf out of view of the tourist throngs and pedestrian traffic; yet they still manage to draw a HUGE crowd. My bud Erica and I met up for our first taste of fresh, locally caught seafood of the Spring and arrived to find a decent line. The line can look daunting but is well worth the wait. The service is fast, efficient and above all consistently delicious. They also are an Ocean Wise eatery so you know not only is the seafood fresh but also sustainable - BONUS. I was disappointed to find that they were out of my favorite order - Quallicum Bay Scallops- so I settled for the daily special- smoked tuna tacone (perfectly seared smokes tuna ensconced in grilled tortilla hand rolls - taco-cone- with a custom aoli) and their new feature and an absolute MUST deep-fried pickles. Modest dock-side seating arrangements of overturned Ikea garbage cans encourage fervent protection of your order from skeazy seagulls- an aspect that turns the experience into an unchecked sport. 
Red Fish Blue Fish is never hit or miss - I've never had a bad experience. In my opinion, they embody all that is fresh and good about Victoria food and easily demonstrate our cities food culture. It's one of my most recommended spring and summer must-eat locales. So, if you are a tourist or were born and raised here put the time in to standing in line and battling the bad-mannered gulls and get some fish for your face. It'll thank you.
