You know when you describe a girl and you say she's "saucy" …?  Well I guess that could be good or bad.  On the one hand it could mean that she has attitude … or has leopard print press-on nails … or starts fights with other girls swearing that her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard (that song's still cool, right?).  But sometimes, just sometimes, it means that she is marinated carne asada smothered in a fiery red salsa.  Okay … so maybe it's just me that describes a girl that way.  Well that's what I found myself doing this week when I set out with our CSUN grub buddies, Barkev and Sevan, on the hunt for the one known as El Sauz.

As we walked into the spot, I could immediately tell that we were on the right path.  A simple menu laid out our options, following in the great tradition of do-what-you-do-great that is a tradition at all the top grub spots.  My interest really spiked as we approached the window to order and all I could see in the background were lines upon lines of charred jalapeños and turnips ... the garnish of all garnishes.  And really putting the cherry on top was that our GRUB advisors knew exactly what to order … say it with me boys and girls ... carne asada torta.  With that soft, grilled bun stuffed with deliciously marinated steak and all the mexican fixings … with a slight Armenian flare as Barkev pointed out (Hey … it's Glendale) … this was a feast to be reckoned with.  Sure this might be a normal staple of the 1AM crowd, but it was a pretty damn good 1PM chow down as well.

We threw in a carne asada quesadilla and a couple of tacos (one carne asada and one al pastor) for good measure to really round out the feast.  Everything had a nice hit of spicy, smokey flavors, and downright authentic Mexican greasy, goodness.  I guess CSUN really is the Harvard of the valley.  Because I've been through Glendale many a time in my day, but I don't think I'll be able to drive down San Fernando again without a fire in my belly craving … The Sauz.