Hidden Gems – Pedro’s

Welcome to Pedro's Mexican Restaurant in Glendale, AZ. Photo by Michael West.

On my Hidden Gems Tour, compared to where I live in Tempe, I’ve been South with it.

I’ve been East with it.

I realized I needed to get North with it, pronto.

That’s where Pedro’s in Glendale steps in.

My Mexican Food Slideshow/Dubby Dub Original Rap

Our assignment for Online Media class was to make an audio slideshow of pictures I have taken.

Since this blog is primarily about my undying love for hole-in-the-wall Mexican food joints, I figured I might as well make a song of my own, because no other song out there would be able to express what I’ve seen, where I’ve been and what I’ve eaten.

For whatever reason, I’ve been making an array of original songs since about 2004, and figured that by concocting up my own lyrics and thinking outside the box a bit, I could make an audio slideshow that was less of a slideshow and more of a detailing of where I’ve been and what I’ve eaten… with a little bit of humor thrown in there as well.

My initial end result was a one minute, 20 second song is titled, “I Love Comida Mexicana.”

But for a 100 point assignment, our task was to create an audio slideshow longer than 90 seconds that pertains to our blog topic. So with the teacher giving me the OK, I extended the original song to be close to two minutes and 30 seconds, freshly strapped with a repeat of the chorus and a new verse.

Enjoy.

And Nancie, grade nicely.

All lyrics written by Michael West.

All photos taken by Michael West.

Credit to Sean Divine on the instrumental.

Hidden Gems – Los Favoritos

Outside of Los Favoritos Taco Shop in Tempe, AZ. Photo taken by me.

Stop número cinco on my Hidden Gems journey takes me to a little place that’s just a five minute drive away from the ASU campus in Tempe called Los Favoritos.

Hidden Gems – Taquitos Jalisco

¡Bienvenidos a Taquitos Jalisco! Photo taken by me.

With the fourth installment of my Valley Hidden Gems Tour now completed, my appetite for cheap and quality Mexican food took me to the city of Mesa and a little joint called Taquitos Jalisco.

Hidden Gems – Los Taquitos

A view of Los Taquitos from the outside. Photo taken by me.

Stop número tres of my Hidden Gems trek around the Valley brings me to a little place off of the 10 freeway in the South of Phoenix called Los Taquitos.

Located just off the 10 East at the corner of 48th street and Elliot Road at the edge of Phoenix and Ahwatukee, Los Taquitos was a place that I had thought was a secret until I found out that Guy Fieri had featured the place in an episode of his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

* Video courtesy of the Food Network and uploader Eeldarb.

I had initially found out about Los Taquitos through their positive reviews on yelp.com, but hey, if Guy Fieri and the freakin’ Food Network want to take the time to head down to Los Taquitos to see what they’re all about, then I might as well, too!

Hidden Gems – El Nopalito

Round two of my Hidden Gems tour around the Valley takes me to the city of Phoenix and a little Mexican food joint called El Nopalito… and man am I glad I went here.

Hidden Gems – Carolina’s Mexican Food

Today marked the kickoff of my quest to find the best local Mexican food restaurants that the greater Phoenix area has to offer. Through my first two years living in Phoenix and Tempe, I really hadn’t found a Mexican food joint that could throw together some good, authentic meals. I knew that this year, that had to change. This past summer back home in California, me and a handful of friends scavenged the local streets to find the best authentic Mexican food and came across an abundance of great places to eat. I figured I might as well take that mentality with me back to ASU and see what Arizona’s Mexican food was all about. My first stop on the tour: Carolina’s Mexican Food in Phoenix. Having read plenty of positive reviews about the place, I thought I might as well hit up a good lunch spot with some friends between classes.