BULLISH ON EL TORITO
A Southern California legend [Gustavo Arellano’s “The Big Enchilada,” Jan. 7]. We should know more of people like Larry J. Cano, as he brings inspiration to do better-and-better things with our lives.
Alakrozer, via ocweekly.com
What an amazing account of this legend’s efforts toward building such a long-standing Mexican-food empire.
Reader, via ocweekly.com
I have never cared for El Torito and still don’t. The food is overpriced and not good. But El Torito Grill is fabulous. So different from El Torito, and those fresh tortillas with the spreads are to die for.
Long_Time_MB, via ocweekly.com
Great account, Gus. Oddly, I sit in the Hawthorne El Torito Grill as I type. I consider myself an excellent cook, and Mexican food is one of my specialties. I’ve yet to make anything as good as they do at El Torito. The carne asada is perfection, and the food in general is very good. I love the regional-specialties menus that rotate periodically.
ATG, via ocweekly.com
Gustavo, the thing you should take away from this is that Real Mex maintains distinct identities for its restaurants. El Torito—eh. El Torito Grill—much better. Chevys—quite good; you should make the trip to the one surviving OC Chevys. Acapulco—good, but toned-down spices. Las Brisas—no, it’s not authentic, but it is its own self and extremely good; you or someone at OC Weekly should give it a chance to be itself instead of complaining it isn’t what you want it to be.
Guest, via ocweekly.com
I worked with El Torito back in the day and am glad to see Larry get some of the recognition he deserves. We made everything from scratch—sauces, salsas, chips, tamales, you name it. And El Torito Grill was way ahead of its time. Larry was a leader and an innovator, but most important, he cared about quality above all else.
Raincheck, via ocweekly.com
NOT-SO-BULLISH ON BAUGH
The way Scott Baugh has treated good Republicans like Lynn Schott is disgraceful [R. Scott Moxley’s Moxley Confidential, “The Manchurian Party Chairman?” Jan. 7]. Tim Whitacre can fix this mess.
Frederick Rabbit, via ocweekly.com
Good article, Scott, and you furnished several good examples of why Baugh needs to be replaced. Going one step further in the Agran-campaign fiasco was that a prominent Republican Lincoln Club member actually raised money and ran the campaign. As the top dog in the Republican Party, Baugh should have put his foot down and controlled what his fellow party member was doing. Such party disloyalty should not be tolerated. Baugh’s failure to act, which allowed the most corrupt city council in Orange County to continue business as usual, is inexcusable. Why did Baugh assist in keeping Larry Agran in power? Could it be that other prominent members of the Republican Party and/or Baugh himself are partaking of the Great Park gravy bowl?
You didn’t mention it in your article, but I understand Baugh has also hosted fund-raisers for Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer in the past. Now, a man has to work to put bread on the table and shoes on his kids’ feet, but the head of the Republican Party in Orange County sure as hell should not be working for any Democrat.
It is clear that the entrenched good-ol’ boys will fight to save their turf and the power that goes with it. The bottom line is that the Republican Party needs to start working for the benefit of the many and not just the few. The time is ripe for change, and I say let’s give Tim Whitacre a shot at it. Semper Fi.
Ltpar, via ocweekly.com
This looks like a power struggle to me—not some heinous wrong by Baugh. He seems to be doing a good job on almost all counts. If the folks in Irvine want more Republicans on their council, they need to come up with better candidates who are well-known in the community and have shown enough leadership and intelligence to get the average person’s vote. How many people who are so concerned about Irvine live there? I don’t live in Irvine, so I don’t think it’s my business who their residents elect.
OctoberSurprise, via ocweekly.com
ALSO, ASIANS DRIVE BADLY! [BA-DUMP-PSSSH!]
If you think that is scary, you should drive in Garden Grove or Westminster [Hey, You! “Don’t Keep On Truckin’” Jan. 7]. Specifically, the areas where the Vietnamese live and work. I get scared every time I have to drive through there—when I don’t have to, I avoid it like the plague.
The guy down the street, via ocweekly.com
CORRECTION
In Jeff Stratton’s Dec. 31, 2010, article “A Time to Work and a Time for Spliffs,” the name of Rebelution drummer Wes Finley was spelled incorrectly. The Weekly regrets the error.
Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to le*****@oc******.com, or mail to Letters to the Editor, c/o OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Ste. 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.
