Last night Mrs. DanGarion went to a sneak preview media event at Taco Asylum in Costa Mesa. Taco Asylum is the newest concept from the minds that brought us the Haven Gastropub in Orange. They specialize in non-traditional gourmet tacos showcasing interesting ingredients ranging from Mediterranean-style grilled octopus to East Indian-style curried paneer. Executive Chef Greg Daniels uses unique tortillas, marinades and sauces made in-house and from-scratch, with fresh ingredients, sustainable meats and seafood, and products from local farms and vendors when possible.
The tacos at Taco Asylum were wide-reaching. For Mrs. DanGarion and I there were some definite hits, but also some misses. But just because they were misses for us doesn’t mean they would be for someone else. With their dynamic menu items they will please those that are adventures and those that aren’t. Here are our hits of the night.
(prices listed at for 6″ tacos, tacos show are 3″ flight tacos eight for $18)
Flour tortilla, confit beef heart, pickled turnips and peppers, harissa $5. Before having the corazon, we both thought this one would be out of our comfort bubble of food we would eat, but we were both pleasantly surprised of the perfect texture of the beef heart and the melding of flavors, it really won us over.
Flour tortilla, camembert, dijon crème fraîche $6.
Flour tortilla, chili threads, pork cracklins $5. The last taco of the night was the star, pork shoulder with just the right amount of heat from one of the hottest chilies on the planet. The heat was there but it wasn’t overpowering. Mrs. DanGarion especially loved the chili threads, while I loved the pork cracklins.
Flour tortilla, pickled red onion, salsa verde, cotija cheese, cilantro $5. A very solid short rib taco, probably one of the more “traditional” like tacos of the night.
In addition to these I also liked the Curried Paneer, Wild Mushroom, and the Duck tacos. Misses for us both were the Grilled Octopus (just not our thing) and another taco that’s not on the menu. Overall we can see this place thrive at this location (it’s at the Camp shopping center), it fits in good with the existing shops there.
Here are pictures of all the items we sampled.
taco asylum debuts at The CAMP in Costa Mesa
Thursday, January 13, 2011
And on a final note, being that this was a media event all food was free. No promise of a review favorable or negative was made.
Taco Asylum
2937 S. Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92707
Twitter: TacoAsylum
