Carlos Salgado, named as one of the 10 Best New Chefs in the country in 2015 by Food & Wine is the proprietor of Taco María at the South Coast Collection in Costa Mesa. He is serving chicano style cuisine using seasonal ingredients and regional meats. Carlos is from Orange County and worked as a pastry chef for Michelin-ranked restaurants in the northern CA Bay area. He later returned to Orange County and opened a food truck business which he shut down to focus on opening his first restaurant, Taco María. Quite an accomplishment to earn Top Chef accolades two years into his first restaurant!
I happened to be in the area on a Sunday and stopped in to try them out. On Sundays they serve a three course prix fixe menu with a choice of two items in each category. The cost is not inexpensive, but the quality of the service and the food is exceptional! I was quite impressed.
Taco Maria is located inside the OC Mix @ SoCo Collection in Costa Mesa. It’s a group of locally owned boutiques and specialty food shops. A terrific place to browse and buy unique gifts and foodstuffs.
For my first of three courses, I selected their Yogurt & Fruit. They serve a locally crafted granola made by Daughter’s Granola. I was so impressed with it that we were informed you can order it online and they even offer a “granola of the month club.” The whole milk yogurt was made into a yogurt mousse and had a light and airy texture and divine taste. The jam and white melon were perfect accompaniments along with the touch of fresh mint. This may have been my favorite of the three courses, as it was so – not your standard yogurt & fruit dish!
For my second course, I selected the Buttermilk Pancakes served with nectarine jam, whipped butter and thyme maple syrup. Nicely portioned so it was not over-filling. The texture and flavor were amazing and the whipped butter and jam were an eloquent touch. Gee, now I know what to do with the rest of my nectarines!
Their Huevos Pescador was my final course. Large chunks of dungeness crab with a poached egg topped slice of brioche surrounded by roasted cherry tomatoes and topped with a shellfish hollandaise. The egg was perfectly cooked, my personal barometer regarding egg dishes. It was all quite delicious and visually appealing. A friend ordered their Chilaquiles that I photographed above and it was also divine.
We were three long time friends that had not gotten together for quite some time and the staff was very accommodating in allowing us to sit and visit well beyond their open hours. They never rushed us at all and were very considerate in helping us change tables when the sun became an issue. It was an extremely enjoyable afternoon at a terrific restaurant!