On The Taco Trail - Nico's and Tacolicious Mission

   Today we speak of two taco joints that aim to expand on your typical fare in the Mission. Mr. Manson and I visited Nico's at 1310 Upper Grant a couple of Fridays ago with a Scoutmob coupon good for $10 off our meal (let me mention here, one reason I like Scoutmob is you put no money up front, so if your coupon expires before you use it, no loss). At the top you see Mr. Manson's burrito, of a variety which I do not recall. Suffice it to say, he thought it was just OK, it didn't rock his world. Also, a basic bean and cheese burrito here is $6.75, a pretty hefty price.
   I wasn't sure how big the tacos were going to be here, so I ordered three. On this particular they were offering the Friday Fish Taco Special (2 for 5) and I also ordered a Beef Taco (3.5).They add what they call Crakslaw to their tacos and burritos, and we both agreed that we could do without it. You can also order your tacos 'greengo' style, with a crispy inner shell and soft outer shell with a layer of avocado sauce in between. This might be the way to go in the future. You have a choice of hot sauces in the cooler where the soft drinks are. I'd be willing to give it another shot.
   And now on to the Mission, where a little slice of the Marina comes your way courtesy of Tacolicious. Their new location at 741 Valencia has barely been open a week or so and they've already had a protest group crying about the eviction of their upstairs neighbors, which of course they had nothing to do with. You can read all about in The Inside Scoop on SFGate. We're concerned about the food.
   I had time to kill before Tobias arrived, so I ordered a
well Margarita (9.50). I haven't checked the wholesale price of El Jimador Blanco Tequila, but I think $9.50 is a bit dear for the well. Some fine chips and salsa to help ease the pain; they use La Palma tortillas exclusively and fry the chips in house, and the salsa cruda is pretty good.

   When Mr. T. arrived we ordered some Fried Sweet Plantains (7.25) with Rancho Gordo heirloom beans and a cumin crema, along with the Drunken Beans (5) with bacon, onion and 'pickled things'. I neglected to ask what the pickled things were, but whatever they were, they didn't make anything all that more exciting. Both of these were a nice accompaniment to the tacos.
   Prices vary according to how many you order - we chose four for $12. These included a Fried Rock Cod, Cochinita Pibil (braised pork), Shot-And-A-Beer Braised Chicken and the Guajillo Braised Beef Short Rib. If you don't like cilantro, ask them to leave it off. You get a tray of sauces, including a tomatillo, a chipotle and an habanero. I liked my tacos well enough, but Tobias said the chicken and the short rib tasted basically the same.
   One thing that irked me was that we were presented the check without being asked if we were finished, and while we were sorting that out, the bartender removed the leftover beans in a flash. When I said I'd planned to take those with me, he said I could buy some to go. Huh?
   If you're looking for squeaky clean surroundings, this is the place for you, no pigeons nesting in the rafters. I will probably stick to Taqueria San Jose and Taqueria Vallarta, where said pigeons supposedly have been ousted. 3.5 on the Meter (1 to 5).