Author: Jacob Goldstein
If you’re a fan of political correctness, Pink Taco is probably not the restaurant for you. Upon entering the West LA outpost of this hip chain of Mexican restaurants, you will have to pass by an oversized, wall-mounted statue of the Virgin Mary underneath the restaurant’s spray-painted logo. Then there’s that name, Pink Taco, which-for our more innocent readers-is slang for a certain female body part. There is no debating that it’s a clever name; whether it is distasteful is open to interpretation.
Ironically, Pink Taco has garnered press for everything except its food. First, there is Harry Morton, the restaurant’s unconventional CEO. If his name sounds familiar, it is most likely because of his very public romance with Lindsay Lohan in the summer of 2006, during which the two were nearly inseparable. Morton also happens to be the son of Peter Morton, making him the heir to the Hard Rock fortune (as in the Hard Rock Café and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino).
Not surprisingly, the restaurant’s name has also garnered controversy. When Morton opened a branch of the restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, mayor Mary Manross publicly demanded that he change the restaurant’s name (he refused). Morton then further thrust Pink Taco into the spotlight by offering the Arizona Cardinals baseball team a reported $30 million to name their new stadium “Pink Taco Stadium.”
Amidst this drama, Morton opened a Pink Taco in LA in June of last year, and the restaurant became an instant hotspot. (It certainly didn’t hurt that Morton’s connections have provided the restaurant with its fair share of celebrity sightings.) On my recent visit to Pink Taco, however, I was most interested in the food. Media attention waxes and wanes; if Pink Taco was to be a successful venture, it would need a menu that could survive without an endorsement from Lindsay Lohan.
The restaurant’s most impressive aspect is definitely its interior, which is best described as modernist design meets Hispanic street culture via Dia de Los Muertos. Skeletons and luchador masks hang everywhere, mingling with statues of the Virgin Mary, pimped-out, low rider bicycles and hallways wallpapered with vintage pictures of Mexican pin-up girls.
In terms of atmosphere, there’s more than a hint of a Hooter’s vibe. Waitresses wear low cut tank-tops with “Pink Taco” not-so-subtly emblazoned across the bustline, and remixes blare over the stereo. Combine all this with the restaurant’s large bar and extensive drink menu, and it is easy to see why Pink Taco has become a Friday and Saturday night destination.
For the most part, the food holds its own against the atmosphere. The menu offers an array of appetizers, salads, tacos and entrees; my dining companions and I settled on a trio of tacos. The chicken tacos were fresh and flavorful, combining delicious grilled chicken with lettuce, cheese, salsa and guacamole. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the carne asada soft tacos-the featured “grilled skirt steak” was under-spiced and overcooked.However, the restaurant’s namesake panuchos (pink tacos) redeemed the meal. The tacos feature a mixture of spicy grilled chicken, refried beans, rice and avocado, topped with pickled onions (pink in color) and served on a pink corn soft taco. The resulting combination of flavors is orgasmic and the pickled onions provide an unexpected kick of spiciness.
In terms of cost, Pink Taco rests on the higher end of the college-student affordability spectrum, with tacos and salads costing between $8-13 and entrees in the $13- 18 range. However, portions are generous and most entrees come with a helping of Spanish rice and black beans.
If there’s one thing that will keep me from returning to Pink Taco, it’s the restaurant’s location. Located in the Century City Mall near Westwood, the restaurant is far from campus. Factor in the inevitable West LA traffic and you’ll be looking at a 30-45 minute journey.
That said, Pink Taco offers an enticing mix of fresh, high-quality Mexican food, affordable prices and a club-style vibe-with the added bonus of an occasional celebrity sighting. If nothing else, telling your friends “I went to Lindsay Lohan’s ex-boyfriend’s restaurant” is guaranteed to make you sound hip and well-connected.
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