Taco Road Trip Anyone?

Now I'm really hungry. Let's take this tour and eat great tacos all along the CA coast. I could spend the day at La Super Rica in Santa Barbara.

Do rich people eat tacos? I had heard that wealthy Santa Barbara was a hotbed of authentic taco activity, but I was hard-pressed to believe it. A cruise down quaint, tree-peppered North Milpas Street, however, confirms it. The street is lined with taquerias, including the one that started the craze -- La Super Rica Taqueria.

Known to many as "the Julia Child joint" -- she was a loyal customer until she died two years ago -- La Super Rica is bright and airy, and the tortillas are handmade on the spot. On the cashier's recommendation, I pair a taco de bistec (charbroiled steak) with a queso de cazuela (a heavenly cheese baked in tomato sauce).

Just as I'm sitting down with the owner, Isidoro González, a white-bearded passer-by leans in. 'It's not just a taqueria, it's the best restaurant in town," he says. Heart be still, it's David Crosby. A fellow taco-hound! "You don't have to continue any further," he says, eyes twinkling. "This is it -- this is the place."