That’s one HELLUVA party!

I am so blessed to have a ton of friends who are there when you need them to put together a party extraordinaire. And that’s what happened last night when the talented team at Soho Taco put together a showcase of their outstanding tacos and sides for a group of my friends — food writers, bloggers, social media gurus, foodies — about 40 of them actually!

Rico of Soho Taco and I came up with a catchy, but mysterious event title: Anita Unveils her Secret Lover to draw the people in to catch a taste of these exquisitely prepared morsels.

But food isn’t the only thing that is essential when it comes to a party. Location is also key and I was lucky enough to have Chef Dee Nguyen of Break of Dawn in Laguna Hills graciously offer up his space to hold the event.

So location and food are all set — all we need are beverages to go with it and that’s where Big Train, Inc came in to save the day. They brought in agua fresca: horchata and jamaica drinks as well as mango passion fruit green iced tea for everyone to sample.

The evening started off with succulent shrimp cooking on the cart’s hotplate and they were seasoned to perfection with the snap I’m looking for when I eat shrimp.

Our first two tacos were of course, shrimp and also, chicken. My guests were given a plate of 2 tacos to start and they made their way around the cart filling their tacos with condiments and some of the delicious beans and rice from a age-old family recipe.

Soho Taco surprised us with an even bigger treat by bringing along their tortilla expert Angelica who made fresh tortillas hechas a mano, or, hand made corn tortillas on the spot. Angelica would take a ball of maiz, or corn, dough in this case, put it through a tortilla press and then cook it on the grill.

The tortillas would then puff up on the inside and the outside would brown slightly on both sides before the toppings are placed on them and served to my guests.

Toppings are plentiful including mango salsa, pico de gallo, chipotle salsa and my “green crack” to name just a few.

The second lot of tacos came in the form of carne asada and the famous veggie taco with portabella mushrooms, peppers and spinach. EVERYONE I know who balks at the thought of eating anything vegetarian absolutely LOVES this veggie taco and it garnered high accolades from even the biggest carnivores who were in attendance.

And if you weren’t full yet after those 4 tacos, out came the carnitas and mahi mahi.

I love the mahi mahi because it is fresh, moist and not coated with batter so I can taste the fish’s natural flavor. Again, I couldn’t go without a drizzle of the jalapeno green sauce I call my “crack”.

At the end of the night, everyone had a WONDERFUL time, their tummies full of the best tacos I’ve ever tasted! Next time you have an event to plan, keep Soho Taco in mind, you’ll be sure the grub will impress and their professional attitude refreshing. Thanks everyone for making this event a HUGE success! Muchas gracias!

Soho Taco
902 W McFadden Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92707
Tel: 714-805-6218

Break of Dawn
24351 Avenida De La Carlota
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Tel: 949-587-9418

Big Train, Inc
25392 Commercentre Drive
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Tel: 949-340-8800

Photography by Albert Evangelista