"Dude Food" Series: Fish Tacos...Where Do You Hook a Good One?

When I think of total, great tasting, well seasoned, got to have it, "Dude Food," my first thought is always Fish Tacos!

If you are a follower of my Dude and Dude comic strip (www.GoComics.com/dudedude) you know by now that it is the only food necessary for sustaining total dudeism in the eyes, and stomachs, of Dude and Dude. I tend to agree! They crave them, as do I, on a daily basis and the Dudes will do anything, EVEN WORK, to scrape up just enough fundage to score one, two or twelve whenever possible.

For them, there is no place better to make that score than Tina's Taco Shack where they don't dare miss a Taco Tuesday. Tina's place sits on the sand of Beachtown, USA. Her fish is delivered fresh daily from the docks nearby, her Secret Fish Sauce is awesome, and Tina is a hottie! A great combination!! This place is Dude Heaven!...But it's also fictional, so I'm posing the ultimate "Dude Food" question to all you Dudes out there...WHERE DO WE GO TO GET THE BEST FISH TACOS?

I know that everyone's favorite place will most likely be location based, from your present or past, and we may have never heard of your places, or you of mine, but we all need this crucial 411! So, take the time to describe why we should go out of our way to get to your "Fish Taco - Dude Heaven." Give us contact info like websites and Facebook sites as well. I'm a Left Coast, OC guy, so my favorites all come from my turf - but I'm always traveling, and when I come into a town I'm usually hungry and would love a local's insight on where to score a good fish taco or two, or twelve...wouldn't you!?!

My Top 4 Dude Food Fish Tacos Come From:

#4 - Rubio's Baja Grill (http://www.rubios.com/) 200+ Locations throughout CA, NV, AZ, UT, CO
The grilled fish tacos are excellent. Great sauce and not too much cabbage. A bit pricey, so be prepared. Their fried fish tacos are cheap on Tuesday's ($1.50) but you get what you pay for. These are small 3 biters with not much inside. Not bad, fourth place. Dude worthy.

#3 - Wahoo's Fish Tacos (http://www.wahoos.com/) 54 Locations throughout CA, CO, TX
All the food is fresh and tastes great. The Blackened Spicy Fish is the best. Order them with the White Spicy Beans (they're not too spicy) and you've ordered a "Dude and Dude." Pricing is medium sized and so are the tacos. Just ask for a Dude and Dude (then explain what it is so you get what you want...it's gonna be a thing someday!). The Bronze!

#2 - Chronic Tacos (http://www.eatchronictacos.com/) 36 Locations throughout CA, NV (1), ID (1), Canada (2)
Get ready America (and Canada) these little whole in the wall restaurants are popping up everywhere, and for good reason...The Food Rocks!! They almost take first in my "Fish Taco - Dude Food" search. You can get them grilled or fried, they're both awesome. Lots of fish and the Baja Sauce for these is so good you could put it on anything and it would taste better, even brusselsprouts! Middle priced, and you get to decide what to put on them. They were doing this long before Chipotle showed up. Way to go, Chronic! I close second!!

#1 - Baja Sharkeez (http://www.sharkeez.net/) Only 6 Locations in So Cal.
Man, I wish there were more of these out there for all you dudes to experience, because these tacos are the ultimate Dude Food and my Number One choice for the best FISH TACOS I've ever tasted. They offer 3 varieties and all are great, grilled, blackened and Baja style. I can't even remember which way I ordered them last time, because they are all soooo good. Lots of fish, cooked just right, with plenty of sauce dripping all over. They even do a Lobster Taco that kicks!! They are all $2-4 on Taco Tuesdays. Three will be a chore to finish! I've run over people on the streets trying to make sure I get there in time. Those who have been to Sharkeez know what I'm talking about. Great vibe there also. Big Screens everywhere, great people, great fun! A total winner. Thanks Sharkeez!! You Win!!! Do I get FREE FOOD?...dude.

There are my four winners. Now, show me, and all us dudes, what you've got! Get us "hooked" on your fish taco place. I need Dude Food travel info from you Dudes who know! Peace!

Keith Poletiek writes and draws Dude and Dude, a daily comic strip seen at www.GoComics.com/dudedude, Distributed by Universal Uclick for United Feature Syndicate. All Rights Reserved.

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Awesome Dude Series: No. 7 - The VW Van (Surf Bus)

Dude, they still turn heads! The VW Van, Surf Van, Hippie Van, Surf Bus, Kombi...call it what you will, it still remains the signature vehicle of dudes throughout the world and that's why it's No. 7 in my Awesome Dude Series. It doesn't matter if it's old, rusty and beat up, or cherried out. It doesn't matter if it's original looking or decorated in the most funkified way, the VW Van has been and always will be one of the best looking vehicles on the road.

Designed in the 50's, adopted by hippies in the 60's, sought after by "Surfing Safari" goers in the 70's, hard to come by in the 80's & 90's, and still the coolest thing on the road today! What is it about them that make them so popular? Dude!

 

When I see one all tricked out or completely restored, I say to myself, "I want to drive it!"

When I see one all oxidized, rusty and dinged up, I say to myself, "I want to fix it up...then drive it!"

Dudes, you know what I'm talking about.

Whenever I pass one on the road (they rarely pass you), I wonder where the dudes inside are going. I always imagine it's a much better place, and better time, than I'm going to have. I've never seen anyone driving one that looks bummed out or even angry. These babies just go with the flow. If everyone owned one I think road rage would be replaced with, "That's cool, man, take my lane." VW Van drivers know it's all about the journey, not just the destination.

One of it's great features is it's ability to be personalized. No other vehicle is open to free expression more than the VW Van. Paint it up yourself in psychedelic spender, get it professionally done with an amazing graphic, shorten it, stretch it...whatever you do to make it your own usually has people saying, even today...Far out!

I still want to own one today, as a second car, or weekend travel car...don't you? Do you stop and check out everyone with a FOR SALE sign on it and dream? As an artist, I start designing the finished product in my head knowing I can't afford it and don't have a place to park it. That's what this Van does to you! Right?!

Here's all the interesting facts and the history of the Volkswagen Type 2 Transport Bus (Surf Van) on Wikipedia (A good read!).

Send us a pick of your VW Surf, Hippie, Kombie Van, so we can all envy you...dude!

Keith Poletiek is the creator and cartoonist of Dude and Dude, a daily comic strip about two dudes who look at everyday as casual Friday, on www.GoComics.com - Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS.

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Dude and Dude's New Digs at GoGomics.com....Nice!

Dude, if you're a fan, a subscriber, faithful follower or friend of Dude and Dude, then you are totally aware of the transition that just took place on June 1st. If you're not aware, or you're new to Dude and Dude, here's the 411.

United Feature Syndicate, who held the online distributing rights to DnD, sold the distribution rights for Dude and Dude, along with over 100 other comic strips, single panel and editorial cartoons, to Universal Uclick, making UU the largest single cartoon syndicate-mecca in the world!

It also sent the Dudes packing and off to new digs on the cyber super highway and their home on the www is now at GoComics.com( www.gocomics.com/dude-and-dude ) instead of Comics.com (United Features closed site).

This is awesome news, especially for a newer comic like Dude and Dude, who now share a site with over 300 of the best cartoons in the business - Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbs, B.C., Pearls Before Swine, Get Fuzzy, Fox Trot and Bloom County.

We all know newspapers are suffering in this electronic age, and comics pages in print are slowly dwindling, so websites like GoComics.com are the strongest presence right now and for the future of cartoonists everywhere. The more they grow, the more the readership, the better for Dude and Dude to become a household name...The goal, dude!

Will newspapers survive?

I believe they will, just like bookstores will always be around. I just think they will have to redefine themselves, find an audience, become more local news driven and carry great comics and editorial cartoons.

Advertising sales have been dropping steadily for the past few years, but I believe they will level out and keep the hope of syndication alive for myself and other aspiring cartoonists. Dude, what would life be like without the funnies?! Not fun!

Where do you see the newspaper business going? Will all our news come from the internet, TV, smart phones? I'd love to hear what you have to say. So would the Dudes!

Keith Poletiek is the cartoonist-creator of the daily comic strip Dude and Dude, available for viewing at GoComics.com and Distributed by Universal Uclick. All rights reserved. Subscribe to Dude and Dude and build your own personal comics page from over 300 other great cartoons at www.gocomics.com

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Awesome Dude Series: No. 6 - Naugles Restaurants (Bring Them Back!)

                                                      

Naugles Run!!!!!!!!
This was the call of the wild when I was in High School! When starvage hit me, or anyone, it was grab anyone’s ride and get there! Naugles was also the most popular hangout for dudes after a Friday night football game, or any night you wanted to hang with friends and eat awesome Mexican food! Big food! It was also a cheap date, and a way to impress the ladies because they dug Naulges also! I had a friend actually get the okay from his Prom date to make Naugles their dinner option before the Prom! Dude, stories like that, the great taste and the memories are what make Naugles a member of my Awesome Dude Series!

My favorite was the Macho Combo Burrito, double wrapped, extra cheese! Dude, beans, meat, cheese, more cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, Macho sauce and more cheese heaped high in two warm, monster flour tortillas (it took two to hold everything in)! Awesome!

Speaking of cheese, they also had the only Cheese Burrito known to man! And what about their famous Egg Burritos! I can remember sitting in the parking lot for 15 or 20 minutes until 11pm hit, just so I could score one or two of those bad boys!

Del Taco, who bought the Naugles franchise in 1986, has now become my favorite late night munchies option, and I know that Del Taco kept many of the Naugles favorites on their menu, but, dude, it’s just not the same!

For my readers who never had a Naugles in your area…total bummer! For all of you who missed out, and for you Dudes outside the US, here’s the scoop on a So Cal fast-food icon from the 1970s and 80s!

Naugles 101:

Naulges was a Southern California fast-food Mexican restaurant chain that existed from 1970 to 1988. It was founded by former Del Taco employee Dick Naugle. The first Naugles Restaurant Location  was at the southwest corner of Fourteenth St. and Brockton Ave. in Riverside, California (now a Del Taco). Dick's motto was "Prepare food fresh, Serve customer fast, Keep place clean!"

Harold Butler purchased Naugles in 1979 when the chain consisted of three restaurants. Butler built Naugles up to 225 restaurants by 1986, when he sold the chain to Collins Food International. Naugles merged with Del Taco in 1988. A few of the Naugles menu items, such as those with the "Macho" designation, found their way into the regular Del Taco menu. Also, the Naugles Taco Sandwich (Del Taco called it a "bun taco") can still be ordered from Del Taco even though it does not appear listed on the menu. A few independent franchises kept the Naugles name until 1995.

Email Del Taco and tell them to bring Naugles Restaurants back!! I contacted Del Taco to inquire about a Naugles return. I’ll have the results in another blog after they get back with me.

NAUGLES FANS: I know many of you dudes have Naugles stories that we all want to hear!  

Tell us your favorite Naugles story. What was your favorite Naugles Menu item?

Where was your Naugles hangout?

Also: Facebook is looking to remove or archive the Naugles Fan Page. Say NO to FB, keep the page alive! Naugles Run!!!

Keith Poletiek is the creator of Dude and Dude, a nationally produced comic strip distributed by United Feature Syndicate and seen daily on www.Comics.com. Follow Keith and Dude and Dude on Facebook.

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1986 OP Pro Riot at Huntington...Dude, I was there!

As a kid, the Op Pro Surf Contest in Huntington Beach (my hometown) was always a WILD event to attend for all of us. But, in 1986 it went from an event to a full blown RIOT! In the seventies, young beach kids from my neighborhood would flock to the Op Pro! It was an awesome chance to see our favorite surfers up close and watch them rip it up. We only saw snapshots of them in magazines otherwise! I was luckier than most kids when it came to seeing all the action. Most people had to hang out and watch from the bleacher on the sand, or be at the beginning of the pier looking out or at the end of the pier looking back. The prime location was near the lifeguard tower at the middle of the pier, but that place was saved for VIP's only. Or, for a young grommet like me and a couple of friends who were tight with the head of Parks and Rec - who gave us passes every year to go wherever we wanted. Dude, we were hooked up! We would stand for hours, hanging over the rail just below the tower and cheer for pros right in the waves below us. David Nuuhiwa, was my idol at the time. I even had Dyno David Nuuhiva Surfboard that I couldn't surf because it was too short and too fast for me. Everyone wanted to buy it off me. No way, dudes!

I watched as the Op Pro swelled with people every year, and the numbers did tend to get out of control. Then there were sponser changes, I grew older, I went off to college, got married and didn't make the scene for years. I even lived "inland" because of my job location. I should have stayed at the beach and commutted for sure. Once you have that salt air in your system, it's hard to get rid of. I'm back in Huntington Beach now...Amen!

In 1986, my newlywed wife and I decided to brave the Op Pro once again. It had been a long absence. Too long! My wife's family had a friend who owned a home on PCH right next to the Wind and Sea surf shop and he was hosting an open house if we'd like to come down....Yes!

We watched some great surfing. Watched the crowd grow. Felt the heat rise. Then headed back to get some food. My wife wasn't interested in staying for the Miss Op Pro Contest, and for the first time ever, either was I. Marriage will do that to you!

The rest of the event, and that whole day, is still kind of a blur.  From inside the house we could hear people shouting, then screaming, then running by the house in panic. Someone ran upand yelled, "It's all kinds of crazy at the pier! It's a riot and it's out of control!"

Though the stories differ from one person to another, the best analogy we gathered was that some girls on the pier decided to show the crowd that their racks were just as hot as the Miss Op chicks, who were getting all the attention, so they flashed everyone. The crowd called for more and the girls responded until the police decided to put a stop to it, and when they did, the crowd decided to put a stop to the police for putiing a stop to the show and "Boom" it all went crazy!

I watched in horror as people fought police and lifeguards, police cars and ATVs were turned upside down and lit on fire. Bottles flew over the house I was in, breaking on the asphault and on cars in the parking lot. People pushed one way, then riot police with shields push the other way. I've only been scared a few times like this in my life! Thank God the crowd didn't decide to trash our house and our cars. Some dude walked up to me and said, "Do you have a band-aid, man. I cut my foot on broken glass." His foot had a 3 inch slice that almost went to the bone!

"Dude, you need more than a band-aid! Get to the hospital!"

Believe it or not, while all this was going on, there was still a surf contest happening! Here's a trivia question? Who won? I think it was Occy, but I'm not sure! Not many people cared! "Live now, surf later!"

Arrests were made. The contest was cancelled for awhile. New rules were put in effect. I believe the Miss Op Contest went away, and I was left with an incredible surfing memory that is still talked about today, and still makes me say...dude!

Where were you Labor Day, 1986? Were you there? What do you remember?....Dude, we'd all like to know!

Keith Poletiek is the creator of the Dude and Dude comic strip. A daily cartoon distributed by United Feature Syndicate and seen on the web at www.Comics.com/dude_and_dude Sign up and receive your "daily dose of dude" each day along other great comic strips on your own personal comic page email.

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Surfer Steve and Hank Cutter Join "Dude and Dude"

Writing and cartooning Dude and Dude, the comic strip, has given me a fun outlet to create a community where two guys (dudes) can live, think, explore and enjoy life.
How much do they resemble my past?
What part of them is a good representation of my present?"
All the good parts," is what I'd like to say.

But, unfortunately, most of their mishaps; their poor attempts to impress the ladies, their longing to appear younger, hipper and cooler to their peers, and to this new, emerging generation, parallels much of what I battled with at age twenty-three...and still wrestle with today.

As humorous (I hope) as they are, they would not be nearly as funny if it weren't for the bizarre group of people I have surrounded them with in Beachtown, USA. A mixed bag of nuts for sure.

With nuts in mind; two characters I am looking forward to introducing more are Surfer Steve and Hank Cutter. They represent key people we all seem to run into in our lives - whether we choose to or not.

Surfer Steve, though he has appeared in earlier strips, will be playing a bigger role in the future of Dude and Dude because he carries with him flashbacks of the 80's and 90's, a time when I began to seriously think about the direction for my life - including the possibility of life as a cartoonist.

He is also an ex-Pro Surfer ( the ultimatedream) who partied himself into what would appear to be a less than glamorous lifestyle. But, he is at peace with himself, we think.

I pass by a large group of "Old Souls" nearly everyday. Surfers who gather to surf for a few minutes and then talk for hours about the past, about life, about that killer 8 foot set they conquered, and about anything that makes them laugh and say, "Dude, I know what you mean!"
I'm not sure many, if anybody, knows exactly what Surfer Steve is ever talking about when he speaks; but he does, and that's fine with him, and whoever else is in his head. Some say he's a wise guru, others - a loon.

Hank Cutter, the newly appointed Captain of the Lifeguards at Beachtown, represents all the pretty boys who took our woman, and our self-esteem, every weekend with their muscles, their confidence and their fake charm. Hank's ego is almost as big as his biceps, and the Dudes thought they were rid of this gas-bag from their high school days until he walked into Simmer Down Coffee Shack, where the Dudes work, and announced that he was back in town, incharge of their beach, two percent body fat and that chicks still dig him. A blast of hot air that bellows as loud or louder than it did in years past and, unfortunately - rings with truth. It took Hank all of two minutes to line up a date with Dude's number one hopeful, Tina....dude!

Check out Dude and Dude the comic strip at www.Comics.com/dude_and_dude and give me some feedback about the community we are creating here. Sign up there to receive Dude and Dude by email everyday and get your "Daily Dose of Dude." Vote each day and Comment with other dudes. Let me know what characters from your past, or present, need to meet the Dudes! Join our Facebook community, that has just begun, by a LIKE at Dude and Dude on Facebook

Peace, Love, Dude!

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Awesome Dude Series: No. 5 - Larry "Rubberman" Bertlemann

I was about 12 years old when I and some buddies were riding our bikes down to the river jetties (the most consistent spot to surf in Newport Beach, CA) to check out the surf action. In those days (the early 70's) the short board had just arriving on the scene, although most surfers were still riding larger or mid-size boards. Back then attempting to mimic more of a Gerry Lopez style of surfing - being more in harmony with the wave was more popular. Kind of like a team, rider and water, working together to create a sense of oneness.

Well on this summer morning, some DUDE was breaking all those rules. In fact, this guy wasn't into peace and harmony with water at all, this dude was going out of his way to cut each wave he caught into pieces. This wasn't oneness, this was man versus beast, and MAN was winning. All of us on the shore just stood there watching this guy, and we ooh'ed and ahh'ed at every maneuver he did to continue his assault on one unsuspecting wave after another. He shot upward, forward, backward, downward, slicing the bottom of the wave with a violent slash,  then tearing the lip off the wave with a powerful rising burst.

"Who is this guy" we shouted? He was hawaiian looking for sure with two distict features I remember; a stronger build than most of the slimmer surfers in the water, which gave him the strength to do what he was doing to each wave he attacked, and a giant, unforgettable, and awesome, brown fro so intimidating that even the ocean water couldn't knock it down on his head, or tame it.

Then someone shouted, "It's Bertlemann!"

"Whoa, Bertlemann ( I still use that same expression when I think of him today)!" This was the guy who in my estimation single-handedly changed the way surfing was done back then, at least for me and all my friends, and he was here in our backyard! This guy was the best, and that's why he makes my Awesome Dude Series for sure...dude!!
His full name, Larry Bertlemann. His nickname, "Rubberman"! Why? Because he could turn himself and his body in such obscure directions while riding that you thought at times, "That's not possible! No one with a  skeleton could ever bend like that!" But Larry could and he did; and he changed the way an entire generation of surfers surfed. Out went the longer boards and in came the short boards. Out went one fin and in came boards with twin fins, tri fins, whatever it took to be able to maneuver a surfboard on water in any direction desired, and all being done so someone could say they pulled a "Bertlemann!" Larry Bertlemann Footage

There were two defining factors that made Larry surf the way he did. One: As a youth he found a 9'6" board in the bushes near his home, and he surfed it night and day until one day when he snapped it in two. Instead of chucking it, he took the smaller front of the board, glassed a fin on it, turned it backwards and "tada" the short board, for him, was born. Two: Larry was an avid skateboarder and longed to attempt the maneuvers he could pull off on land in the water. This new short board finally made that possible and so he would invision himself skateboarding while attacking waves. His moves were so influencial, that even in the 2001 Award-winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, with legendary skaters Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta and Jay Adams referred to their slide-out turns as "Berts."

Though he didn't dig the competitive side of surfing much, he knew that was where the money was and so he turned pro and finished in the Top 16 in 1976 & 1979. He also was seen on 9 cover shots for surf magazines between 1974-1984 (most by any surfer), and the endorsements came in which not only made him not only a household name to surfers everywhere, but also very rich (Sponsors included Op, Toyota, United Airlines, Southwest Air).

Another thing that truly makes him a "Dude" is that in 1980, at the peak of his popularity and success, he vanished off the surf radar. Rumors of where he might be fluctuated throughout the surfing community, with no one actually sure where he was, or if he was even alive.

He was alive alright, hiding out in Florida, surfing in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Rio and being a totally, kickback, don't hassle me, "Where can I get a good fish taco?," Dude!

"I've surfed at places no one has ever seen!" He stated, once he resurfaced.

Today, he continues to shape surfboards and skateboards, having contracts with Rebel Boards and Santa Cruz. He also continues to get in the water and surf, but does more "cruising" than "slashing." I can't picture that! The most progressive surfer of our time will never just ride waves, he will always own them...dude!

Who's your surfing legend?

Keith Poletiek is the creator of "Dude and Dude," a daily comic strip distributed throughout the nation by United Feature Syndicate. Check out Dude and Dude at
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