Brent Omeste is the taquero behind Centro Collective, the dueling taco-and-pizza shop in Lake Forest he opened this year with partner Chad Urata. Omeste makes all kinds of tacos, from a chicken with crispy wisps of meat easily mistaken for carnitas to a vegetarian with a fried-cheese disc enveloping squash blossoms, mushrooms and zucchini that even a carnivore would love. But his masterpiece might be the beer-battered fish he cradles inside a soft tortilla with a caesar-dressed slaw. But you shouldn’t stop at the tacos. Have a few of Urata’s pizzas, too. When you’re lucky enough to be in a restaurant that honors two of the most assimilated ethnic foods in America under one roof but isn’t a Pizza Hut and a Taco Bell, be sure to have everything.
24531 Trabuco Rd., stes. E-F, Lake Forest, (949) 305-5224; www.centrocollective.com.
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