Saturday, June 19, 2010

A Tale of Two Taco Trucks

Well, it's been awhile since we've posted a review. Sorry but life and Thailand have gotten in the way of us eating at taco trucks. We even had a review all ready of a truck down on B street between 7th and 9th but Aaron has all the pictures on his phone that he lost on his surprise, month long trip to Thailand.

That truck on B street...



was really no good. I can't remember the name and they aren't there anymore anyway. They pulled us in with their promise of 75 cent tacos (especial of the day...everyday) and they shooed us away with their dry, tasteless burritos, gristley meat and warm soda.

On to better things...

Tacos El Maguey way out Yosemite Ave not far from our new church! You can find it at the corner of Yosemite Blvd and Riverside here...


View Larger Map

If you're going there (and you should), enter from the Riverside side.

Chris: Unlike the google view above, there is no construction going on there now and the lovely people at Tacos El Maguey have made their truck a lovely place to come to.



Flowers and other plants adorn the perimeter of the shade shelter, the seating is ample...it's a nice little place to be.






Chris: My chicken taco was delicious, simmered in a unique sauce with onions and spices...it put me in mind of Adobo sauce (dark red earthy flavored sauce) which, in my experience, is not usually found in taco truck food. It was not too dry and not too wet and had a great flavor. The tortillas had a homemade taste. I loved my taco!



Aaron: I had ordered my standard for such reviews, a beef burrito. The lady who took my order was polite, but no-nonsense. This gave me a good feeling about this place. She's obviously focused on delivering high-quality Mexican food.

The burrito, which was ready in a very timely fashion despite the busyness of the place, was of average taco truck size, and came with a large amount of sliced jalepeƱos, radishes (if you like that sort of thing) and lime slices. It was delightfully surprising, with a sweetness I could not quite place. Theoretically, it was this "Adobo" sauce Chris speaks of, though further investigation on my part may be required.



Chris: I had a bite of Aaron's burrito which surprised me with that same great flavor nestled there in the rice...mmmmmm!



I heard more than a few of the "regulars" step up to the window and order Lengua (tongue) in their taco or burrito. This blog will never speak of such things from experience as we are strictly regular sorts of meat guys, but if you're that kind of adventurous type (and don't mind having your food taste you), from the buzz I heard around the truck, this might be a place to try.

Chris: Prices were competitive and they even had a 50 cent more "more meat" option which is nice.



Aaron: All in all, this truck was a welcome surprise, especially after our last experience at 9th and B. I would very much like to provide a 'part two' to this review (or at least an addendum) and try the chicken burrito. This place is everything you want in a taco truck.

A & C: For a nice sitting area and tasty chicken and the surprise unique flavor, we're going 4 out of 5 tacos for Tacos El Maguey.