Wahoo's Fish Taco by Ed Milich
		Wahoo’s Fish Taco is yet another great SoCal chain that has accomplished a lot with their Mexican/Hawaiian/Asian fusion cuisine. I usually hit the location on Torrance Boulevard, which is just a few minutes walking distance from my house. Their menu is primarily lunch-centric and you can expect a long but efficiently processed line around noontime on just about every day of the week. Wahoos takes the basic Mexican menu items such as enchiladas and Baja style tacos and makes them their own. They also feature soups, bowls, and other Asian and Southwestern influenced menu items. The unifying theme is that all Wahoo’s’ menu items are pretty awesome. I usually order one of the combos- for less than $6, you get a combination of tacos, enchiladas, or a burrito along with a side of beans and rice. I always add a side of chips and salsa, and then use the chips to scoop up and eat the beans and rice. Mmm, mmm. The asada that they use in their menu items is short strips of spicy, tender beef. It’s just chewy enough to be enjoyable, and the flavor explodes in your mouth.  The fish is fried up and stuffed in corn tortillas, and are served with the typical cabbage and white sauce that you’d get with street corner tacos in TJ….only these are definitely not as sketchy. On menu items such as enchiladas, you often have your choice of red or green sauce. The red sauce is based on a spicy red chile salsa, and works well with just about everything on the menu. The green sauce is exceptional, too. It’s creamy and spicy at the same time, and it’s fairly unique among the Mexican comfort food genre.  Wahoos features whole black or white beans instead of fatty refried beans. The rice is always cooked to perfection and is slightly lime-ey. Based on their cursory use of deep frying (primarily just the fish) , and the use of largely unprocessed foods such as the rice and beans, it’s fairly easy to eat healthy at Wahoos.  Another favorite of mine is the Carne Asada quesadilla. I mean, it’s just two tortillas, some asada filling, a bunch of cheese and a heap of salsa. The result, though, is greater than the sum of its parts. The outside of the tortilla is slightly crispy in contrast to the inside, which consists of warm gooey cheese and those little asada strips that explode with flavor when you bite into them. The tortilla soup is also very good. It’s based on a chicken broth an features vegetables and some tortilla chip strips.  I usually run out of the crispy chips in my soup about half way through the bowl, so I have to crumble up a handful of chips from the basket I always order and toss them in. I should mention that I have to actively limit myself at Wahoo’s because I get excited when I order up. Between wanting to order a combo entrée, a quesadilla, soup and chips, I can easily end up spending $15 for lunch and than have a bunch of food left over! That’s how good it all is. The interior of the Wahoos establishments is SoCal all the way. Surfboards, skateboards, sports jerseys and other memorabilia decorate the walls. Stickers advertising bands and brands have been slapped on every available surface by Wahoo’s regulars. There are television monitors that continuously show surf and skate videos. Wahoo’s has created not only a great menu, but a great youthful, sunny SoCal ambience. The Torrance location also has outdoor seating among a sculpted patio. Wahoos have combined a number of southwestern comfort food favorites and made them their own. The chain is wildly popular and successful and their excellent lunch offerings have surely contributed to their success. Gold Star.
	Wahoo's Fish Taco 3556 Torrance Blvd Torrance CA 90503 (310)540 7725 www.wahoos.com