The best drink I ever had as a teenager was a cold chocolate milk from AM/PM. It was good chocolate milk, none of that fake crud you see in stores today. A tall cold quart of Alta Dena chocolate milk. What made it ever better was the the fact that I was drinking it after a night of furious mosh pit and stage diving at Fender’s Ballroom in Long Beach. Even though I was sitting on the curb drinking straight out of the carton, I swear I’ve never drank anything better.

Appearances are deceiving my friend. What you see above, is just a plastic cup filled with liquid. What I see is a perfect Margarita. Sold often for less than 4$. This key is they make their own sour mix from scratch using fresh juices ahead of time. If you want a salted rim, they can do that- I don’t. My favorite location is the original Taco Mesa on 19th in Costa Mesa.

PS- you can nosh on the carrots and cauliflower while you drink. If you hurry you’ll finish your first margarita before your food arrives.