99 Cent Fish Taco from Tacos Baja - Cheap$kate Dining Video

Forever on lists of best taco joints in Los Angeles, Tacos Baja makes one of the most delicious Fish Tacos in town. These battered deep fried filets of perfection are also one of the best deals around, especially on Wednesdays, when they are sold for only 99 cents!

In The 99 Cent Chef's latest Cheap$kate Dining video review, you are taken inside and up close to one of Baja, Mexico's popular street cart favorites. (And be sure to come back here next week when I post my own cheap$kate recipe for a Fish Taco.)

Only 5 minutes east of downtown LA, this Whittier Boulevard seafood taqueria has half a dozen small seats inside, but has plenty of outdoor patio seating.

I showed up about 2 pm after the lunch rush and had 6 people ahead of me. The line moved fast and I placed my order in just a few minutes.

As expected, this is the busiest day of the week, but the cooks of Tacos Baja are efficient (they fry up a basket full of fish filets to stay ahead) and my taco was ready in no time.

The deep fried batter is well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. The fillet has a thick seasoned crust and the bass fish filet is flaky and moist.

I would have preferred one meatier fillet over two thin ones, so the fish flavor is more pronounced. But this is a very minor complaint. (I've been here a few times, and sometimes I do get one large filet per taco.)

 The Fish Taco is loaded down with a Mexican-style chopped tomato/cabbage slaw that is topped with cream and chile sauce. When you try to pick up the taco half of the slaw is left on the plate, so be sure to get a fork to finish it off with.

The chopped veggie topping has just the right amount of chile heat -- not too much. The combination of chopped red onion, tomato, cabbage and cilantro is a good contrast to deep fried battered fish.

This is a substantial Fish Taco for 99 cents. An order of two is plenty for most appetites, but if you are unsure, then order an extra one so you don't have to wait in line again. And you will definitely want more than one -- they are that tasty.

While you are waiting for your order make sure to visit the condiments cart. There is a tray of grilled light green "bell peppers" that are dusted in salty chile powder. They are brought out warm and are absolutely delicious. But be warned, the first bite is a spicy one, but stay with it as your taste buds settle in. The second one you taste will be even better. (And make sure to have a bit of water on hand to smooth the way.) The other condiments are sliced radishes and lime (to squeeze on your tacos.)

I haven't tried other seafood menu items, but I noticed a few of my neighbors enjoying large bowls of tomato and chile Caldos (broths or soups) loaded with pescado (fish,) camarone (shrimp,) and a mixo (seafood combination.) While the most expensive item on the menu ($8.99 - $12.99,) it's still a decent deal. There are also a large selection of chilled seafood cocteles or cocktails. And of course they carry typical grilled meat-filled tacos, tortas, burritos, plus rice and bean combo plates.

Make sure to visit Tacos Baja for their Wednesday 99 cent Fish Taco, or any day really, since they normally cost just $1.69. And watch my Cheap$kate Dining 99 Cent Fish Taco video for my 1 to 9 rating, 9 being best. I know it's a foregone conclusion, but you will enjoy the bustling scene and tasty food footage. Finally make sure to check back for The 99 Cent Chef's Fish Taco recipe.

  99 Cent Fish Taco from Tacos Baja - Cheap$kate Dining VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 48 seconds.

Tacos Baja
16032 Whittier Blvd.
Whittier, CA 90603
ph: (323) 887-1980For Tacos Baja website, click here.

99 thanks to Bob McGuinness for shooting The Chef. (Click here to see him in action, in last shot of video.)
To view Cheap$kate Dining Video on YouTube, click here.

Cheap$kate Dining Video - Wendy's 99c Cheeseburger

This is the first video in a new series I'm calling Cheap$kate Dining. (My video review is at the bottom of this blog post.) Being a chintzy bottom-feeder and living in Los Angeles, we have everything from mega-chain fast food joints hawking dollar Value Meals, to Salvadoran Pupuserias that sell stuffed tortillas, of meat, beans, or cheese, for 99 cents.

Locally, most food blogs and media writers review the latest groovy or high-end eateries -- that's not my beat. Hey, power to them. Number one, I can't afford them, also I'm not on the publicity gratis gravy train....yet.

But there are plenty of tasty and inexpensive places to chow down at, and I'm going to give you the lowdown. The setup is this: I rate an eatery on a scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best - anything above a 5 is worth a taste.

I'll be covering a bunch of places, including fast food Value Meal selections, or the best Al Pastor tacos in Los Angeles from the lauded Leo's Taco Truck. I'm including national fast food chains so all my out-of-town visitors can benefit (or be warned) of the best meal deals I think are out there.

When I'm working 10-hour days (and blogposting recipes, photos, and making videos) there's not a lot of time to prepare the most nutritious meals. (In a perfect world, fast food would be the last thing I would recommend, but some neighborhoods have very limited dining choices, and what they have can be too expensive for my blog.)

Since this is a new 99 Cent Chef series, I haven't set all the parameters yet. To start with, I'm tasting single items that cost around a dollar. And when I hit a fast food joint, I don't get the fries and sugary soft drink meal -- just a single deal. (While not the healthiest fare, at least it's a small serving, so I can keep my weight in check.)

So, between my tasty cheap recipes, food travelogues, comedic culinary hijinks, and photo food artistry, you can now add to the list, Cheap$kate Dining.

First up is Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger for 99 cents (plus tax). This hamburger chain began in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969 by Dave Thomas, and Wendy's is named after his fourth daughter, Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas. This is real Middle America fast food dining at its cheapest.

Cheeseburgers are a guilty pleasure, and Value Meal ones, while small, are sometimes quite tasty. And I would have to rank Wendy's 99-cent Jr. Cheeseburger, or Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe for $1.19, high on the list.

On the plus side, you can ask for all the fixings* on your burger, including lettuce, tomato, pickles, and red onion. I especially liked the ring of red onion. Additionally, they put only ketchup and mustard on the burger, so if you like mayo, then request it.

It's unusual to get such a cheap burger with all that, plus cheese. It's just plain American cheese, but I'm a patriot, so I salute them for it!

But something I'll never get used to is Wendy's square meat patty. It pokes out from the round buns -- so it seems like more meat for your money. As with most fast food burger chains, the cooked thin patty dries out sitting under those accursed heat lamps (or ovens). The meat patty is grilled on a flat-top range like McDonald's. So while the meat is good enough, it's not as fresh, cooked, and moist as your local Mom and Pop burger joint would do it.

So drum roll please...On The 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger a 6.

I'll keep going there from time to time for a quick cheeseburger fix -- it's a pretty good chea$kate deal.

*Please note that the Wendy's I went to just opened, so they gave me lettuce and tomato without extra charge. They have a value Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe for $1.19 that includes those extra ingredients. So I unintentionally scammed them. A typical Jr. Cheeseburger comes topped with red onion, ketchup, mustard, and pickle. I would still rate a Jr. Cheeseburger a 6 and a Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe a 7.

 Wendy's 99-cent Jr. Cheeseburger - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 1 minute, 24 seconds.

99 thanks to Chad Reder for his camerawork.
To view or embed from YouTube, click here.