Habibi’s Birria, 138 Jackson St, Hayward, CA 94544
Oooh, Habibi’s offers Mediterranean and Mexican fare from a counter inside the Valero mini mart. They call it MexiTerranean food. And it’s halal. While the wraps, plates, falafel, gyros, and shawarma sounded tempting, I had to go with the birria since it’s in their name. On the Mexican side, they have quesadillas, tacos, mulitas, tortas, burritos, and loaded fries. For birria, they have burritos, ramen, fries, tortas, quesadillas, and tacos.
Quesabirria taco combo ($13.99) comes with 3 quesabirria tacos and consommé. The tacos were crispier than I’m used to for quesabirria. They were dipped in the birria broth to add flavor and spice. Each taco had two corn tortillas with cheese melted between the two tortillas. The tortillas are topped with beef birria, chopped white onion and cilantro. There wasn’t enough cheese, onion or cilantro. The beef was nice – tasted like it had been braised for hours without drying out. The consommé was mainly broth with a few slivers of beef and a bit of onion. It was too salty but adding lime helped. Adding onions and cilantro would have made it better too. A spicy salsa, radish slices and lime wedges were provided.
The food took about 10 minutes. It’s takeout only. $10 credit card minimum. Gas station convenience store ambiance.
3.5 out of 5 stars
By Lolia S.
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Dine-Out Meals of February 2023, Ranked
I ranked the following based on taste alone. I made no consideration for ambiance or the general dining experience or whatever. I included meals I got to go. I included food trucks, catered meals, and fast food.
El Sur will be a top ten meal. And I will eat there more moving forward.
Should you be interested in the pictures or reading the few words I had to say about each meal, click on the home page and scroll down or see the archives.
Baleados Con Todo w/Carnitas. El Sur Street Food Co. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.19.2023.
Oysters, Crab Cakes, Steak Tartare (shared apps), Burrata & Beets Salad, Surf & Turf Special, Asparagus, Crab Fried Rice, Brussels Sprouts (shared sides). Eddy V’s. Denver, Colorado. 2.28.2023.
Portobello Fries (Shared), The Wedge, Pan-Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops. Local 463. Ridgeland, Mississippi. 2.10.2023.
Lunch Catering (Beef, Salmon, Chicken, Veggies, Peach Dessert, Chocolate Dessert). Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center (Catering). Grapevine, Texas. 2.1.2023.
Sushi Rolls (Furakaki, Kemuri, Princess, Princess w/o Jalapeno, Zarigani, Kiss Me, Hawaiian, Miami)(Shared). Kemuri. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.4.2023.
Colossal Country Salad. North Bar. North Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.9.2023.
Flank Steak Sandwich w/Salad. Buenos Aires Grill & Café. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.8.2023.
Flank Steak Sandwich w/Salad. Buenos Aires Grill & Café. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.22.2023.
Ahi Tuna Niçoise Salad. Modern Market Eatery. Denver, Colorado. 2.28.2023.
Lunch Catering (Beef, Shrimp, Indian Salad, Assorted Desserts). Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center (Catering). Grapevine, Texas. 2.2.2023.
Chicken Mushroom Soup, Roasted Veggie Wrap w/Chips. 42 Bar & Table. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.17.2023.
Taco Salad. Cache. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.21.2023.
Caprese Panini w/Side Salad. Blackberry Market. North Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.11.2023.
Chicken Pesto Soup, Chopped Salmon Salad. Cheers. Maumelle, Arkansas. 2.23.2022.
Dinner Catering (Poke Station, Gyro Station, Paella Station). Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center (Catering). Grapevine, Texas. 2.1.2023.
Filet Mignon Crostinis (Shared), Jimmy’s Salad w/Salmon. Nardello’s Pizza Tavern. Mount Pleasant, Texas. 2.13.2023.
Grilled Trout w/Veggies, Rice & Beans. Flying Fish. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.7.2023.
Pineapple Pizza. Papa John’s. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.17.2023.
Pizza Assortment. (Shared All). Pizza Café. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.24.2023.
Chicken Spaghetti, Salad, Brownie. Trio’s (Catering). Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.8.2023.
Mexican Ramen (Birria Style). Camp Taco. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.27.2023.
Breakfast Catering (Breakfast Burrito, Fruit, Banana Nut Bread). Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center (Catering). Grapevine, Texas. 2.3.2023.
Breakfast Catering (Breakfast Burrito, Fruit, Banana Nut Bread). Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center (Catering). Grapevine, Texas. 2.2.2023.
Kelp Cacio de Pepe. Flora Jean’s. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.15.2023.
Unplugged Roll, Eel Roll. Rock’N’Roll Sushi. Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.16.2023.
Caesar Salad, Short Rib Sugo, Ricotta & Cinnamon Roulade. Zeppole (Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center). Grapevine, Texas. 2.2.2023.
Spicy Chicken Deluxe Combo. Chick-fil-A. (Markham) Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.16.2023.
Queso Blanco (Shared), Gabriella’s Chop Chicken Salad. 2.0 Taco & Tequila Bar (DFW Airport). Dallas, Texas. 2.3.2023.
Pizza Assortment. Sal & Mookie’s. Jackson, Mississippi. 2.10.2023.
Italian Beef Sandwich w/Fries. Portillo’s. Frisco, Texas. 2.13.2023.
Breakfast Buffet. Springhill Suites. Ridgeland, Mississippi. 2.10.2023.
Turkey Bacon, Cheddar & Egg White Sandwich. Starbucks (Airport). Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.1.2023.
Turkey Bacon, Cheddar & Egg White Sandwich. Starbucks (Airport). Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.13.2023.
Red Pepper Sous Vide Egg Bites. Starbucks (Airport). Little Rock, Arkansas. 2.28.2023. (No Photo.)
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I finished the year with 394 meals from restaurants in 2022 – up from 347 last year. These were my favorites – photos not in order. You can find my notes from each meal in the archives. And you can follow my food-ranking blog all year long at icleanedthisplate.tumblr.com. Also, the Arkansas Times published my top meals in Arkansas list recently.
Tonkotsu Ramen. Kimura. San Antonio, Texas. 4.1.2022.
Tomato & Onion Soup, Danny Trejo as “Machete.” Leverett Lounge. Fayetteville, Arkansas. 8.24.2022.
Grilled Octopus, Chilean Sea Bass, Crispy Duck Leg Confit, & Spanish Style Escargot. Paces & Vine. Atlanta, Georgia. 1.18.2022.
Fried Rice Croquettes with Tuna, Icelandic Lamb, Beef, & Pork Dumplings, Cappellacci, Seared Scallops (shared all). The Antler Room. Kansas City, Missouri. 1.7.2022.
Dry Aged Pork Chop. Allsopp & Chapple. Little Rock, Arkansas. 9.7.2022.
Brisket Melt w/Collard Greens. Meadow Neighborhood Eatery. San Antonio, Texas. 3.31.2022.
Birria de Cabrito Plate. Ruins. Dallas, Texas. 9.14.2022.
Salmon with Chorizo-Corn Hash. Pecan Point Brewing Company. Texarkana, Texas. 7.15.2022.
Hot Crab Couyon. Bearcat Cafe (Freret). New Orleans, Louisiana. 6.4.2022.
Catered Dinner (Beef & Mushrooms, Cheese Grits, Chicken Skewers, Calamari, Oysters, Gumbo, Key Lime Pie Bites). The Oyster Bar. Little Rock, Arkansas. 11.4.2022.
See previous top 10 meals here: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017.
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Melissa’s Tacos Birria Shack, 8535 Washington Blvd, Suite J, Pico Rivera, CA 90660
Melissa’s Tacos appears to be a newish taco stand in the Rio Hondo Center that specializes in birria. They have tacos, burritos, quesadillas, mulitas, tortas, loaded fries, birria ramen, birria pizza, breakfast, and beverages. You can order birria by the pound. Order at the window.
3 birria tacos dorados with cheese ($14.99): crispy corn tortilla tacos with beef birria, onion, cilantro, and cheese, a cup of consommé, sliced radishes, lime wedges, and 2 kinds of salsa. I didn’t see the part of the menu that said that their tacos are large (like twice the size of a street taco). The tacos were good – less greasy than the usual quesabirria tacos, but still hot and crunchy. Each taco came with two corn tortillas with a good amount of juicy beef birria, cheese, cilantro, and onions. There was no cheese skirt. The tacos were flavorful enough to not need salsa or consommé but dipping them in consommé did make them extra tasty. The consommé was just broth (no meat), topped with cilantro and onions. I wasn’t too keen on their salsas.
Melissa’s only has outdoor seating. There are a few tables in the front and more in the back.
4 out of 5 stars
By Lolia S.
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