Brian made Salmon Tostadas. He fried the tostado shells before coming to the party, and then assembled the tostadas just as we were getting ready to eat so they stayed crispy. In addition to the Salsa del Valle recommended in the recipe, Brian also brought three other salsas for us to sample. I liked the butteriness of the salmon with the sweetness of the tomatoes and the oil-based salsa. The recipe used white soy sauce, which I’d never even heard of before!

Austin made Celery Root Tacos. On top of the celery root was an apple-cranberry-swiss chard mixture which gave these tacos a sweetness I wasn’t expecting but didn’t mind, especially when offset with the Burnt Tomato Salsa.

Belle made Grilled Shrimp Tacos. The shrimp was topped with Thai curry and a Thai slaw of carrots and cucumbers. The Thai-inspired flavors were great, though there was a general consensus that these tacos were a bit on the salty side.

Anthony made Chicken Adobo Tacos. Avila got the adobo recipe from Margarita Manzke, another L.A.-based chef whose Filipino food I adore. Anthony didn’t make the recipe-recommended Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa, but he provided a bonus cucumber-tomato relish that added a nice freshness to the adobo. These scrumptious tacos were a party favorite.

Brad made Chicken Tacos. Avila describes it as classic, “There’s no BS like seared cauliflower, uni, slow-cooked meats, etc. You can get that kind of thing everywhere else in this book.” I guess I like “that kind of thing”, because while these were fine, I just didn’t think they could compare to the fancier items Guerrilla Tacos has become known for.

Amy made Albondigas. She thought about just bringing the meatballs without the broth for ease of transportation, but we were glad she brought the broth as well because it was delish. There were a ton of garnishes – lime, cheese, avocado, serrano and habanero chiles, and cilantro – which made for labor-intensive plating, but having a bite with a little bit of everything made it well worth it.

I made Taco Pasta. The recipe called for it to be served immediately, but having to transport it to the party made that impossible. I did snag a few bites when it was hot off the stove, and I have to say eating it at room temp did not do this dish justice. Other cookbook clubbers who took some of the leftovers and had the chance to try it heated up sent me messages saying they agree. Avila says “Kids love it. Stoners love it. Cooks love it.” I believe it.

Revi made a bonus Mexican Rice Pudding, since the Guerrilla Tacos cookbook doesn’t contain any desserts, but we love dessert! She paired it with a gorgeous fruit salad – delish!