Mike: Who knew? I'd never even heard of Raisin City, let alone experienced a great taco in this tiny town.

The counter in the back of the market serves up an unusual yet delicious taco. What stands out is the pot-roast texture of the beef. It was quite dry by taco standards and tasted more like the end of a tri-tip. No complaints here.

Add a hot salsa and some toppings, and the whole thing was impressive. Rating: 7.5.

La Poblanita Restaurant No. 4

Details: Four locations: 490 N. Farmersville Blvd., Farmersville; (559) 747-3502. Taco truck near 40570 Road 128, Cutler. Taco truck near 12479 First Drive, Cutler. 40360 Road 128, Cutler (559) 305-1453.

Price: $1

Joan: The handmade tortillas at the Road 128 and Railroad Drive spot were the best. These sturdy tortillas didn't fall apart, despite the runny salsa.

The chuck roll was crispy, but you can order softer meat, server Daisy Maldonado says. With paprika and lime, it was tasty with green salsa, a blend of green tomatoes, jalapeños, onions and garlic.

With toppings of onions, cabbage and cilantro, this taco is typical of Puebla, Mexico, Maldonado says. Rating: 6.75.

Mike: Tortillas, tortillas, tortillas. The rest of this taco was average, but the tortilla was so good that it didn't matter.

The rubbery meat turned me off, so it's good to know cooks will make it tender for melt-in-your-mouth meat lovers. At least the salsa hit the spot. Skip the red, and go for the green. It's plenty good.

Did I mention the tortillas were great? They should sell them by the 50-pack. Rating: 6.5.

Guadalajara Restaurant

Details: Three locations: 3020 N. Weber Ave.; (559) 268-9528. 5650 N. Figarden Drive; (559) 277-3870. 5730 N. 1st St.; (559) 437-9614.

Joan: OK, two locations aren't cook shacks, but the original one on Weber still is a charming hole in the wall.

Almost everything about this taco was a winner. The meat was salty and tender. The secret is the cut of meat. Guadalajara uses softer top sirloin, not chuck roll, manager Jimmy Morales says.

You'll also get an unusual, chunky salsa. Cooks chop onion, cilantro, fresh tomatoes, salt, garlic, black pepper and jalapeño.

The tortillas weren't freshly made, but that's the only strike against this taco. Rating: 7.5.

Mike: Remember that melt-in-your-mouth meat I mentioned above? Say hello to the originators. Guadalajara's meat is flat-out amazing. And that's just one reason to love Guadalajara. There's the layer of cilantro covering the meat and the scrumptious yellow corn tortillas, too.

Plus, as someone who prefers runny to chunky salsa, Guadalajara's chunky is on-point. Rating: 8.5.

Chris Meat Market

Details: 1323 Kern St.; (559) 233-8134.

Cost: $1.25

Mike: Simply put, Chris Meat Market has the best asada. It's tender and tasty, and the texture is different from that found at many other places, where meat tastes like it has been on the grill too long.

Each taco is loaded with so much meat, it's much bigger than other $1.25 tacos.

With cilantro, cabbage and salsa, it's an overflowing taco delight. Rating: 9.

Joan: I'm still trying to figure out how Chris gets that meat so soft — its chuck roll asada is far more tender than that of any other place we tried.

It's a good thing Chris' meat is excellent, because the rest of the taco needs work. Ask for extra salsa — the cooks give you so much beef that you'll need it. Cilantro and onions round it out, but again, you might need to ask for more.

Also, eat them quickly. They're wrapped in paper and foil, which makes the tortillas soggy. Rating: 7.