Taco and Salsa Truck, Mills and Main

When I started this blog 10 years ago, I wanted to talk about tacos, surf shops and coffee. Since then, I've discussed guitars, ukuleles, watches and anything else that comes to mind. I realized that a few new taco trucks have popped up, and I haven't said anything about them.

I've also decided that tacos are pretty easy, and there isn't much to distinguish one from another. I've had tacos from this truck before, and at $2.75 each, they're on par with most other tacos in the area. If you need a taco, these are fine.

Reading their handwritten sign, I asked what a 'Quesabarba' was, and the guy at the counter said that it's a quesadilla with barbacoa meat. I asked how big it was, and he showed me an 8" corn tortilla. Another customer said it was good, and just order two. I did, but didn't ask the price, ready for a shock when I was wrung up. "$9," the counterman said, a price I was willing to pay.

In spite of my ethnicity, I don't really know much about barbacoa. The definition on the internet says it's slowly cooked and seasoned meat, usually goat or lamb, but also beef head or possibly pork. It's usually served with barbacoa dipping sauce. 

After a few minutes, I got my order. On the ride home, my car filled with the smell of barbacoa, and I was pretty excited.

Opening up the quesabarba, it was as advertised, a quesadilla filled with beef barbacoa.  A cup of barbacoa sauce came with it, which I dipped into before each bite. I caught some of the smokiness, onions, garlic, and cilantro in the sauce, which made the quesabarba tender for every bite. 

I had a Modello Dark here at home, which went perfect with the meal.

Again, I haven't had barbacoa that often, and don't really have much of a reference for it. The sauce was actually very similar to the birria sauce that they use at Pablito's Tacos over on the Avenues. 

I'd like to explore birria/barbacoa more, to mix up my taco diet.

As for Taco and Salsa, I'll be back.

Philz Coffee, San Francisco

 

I haven’t written about coffee in awhile, mostly because I’ve hit all the coffee places in Ventura and don’t really have anything else to say about them.

But I’m in San Francisco at the moment, and while walking by the Marina Yacht Club, I spotted a coffee truck with a bit of a line, and thought it must be pretty good for people to wait for coffee on a 45 degree foggy morning.

Philz coffee is all over the Bay Area, but I’m not up here that often to know. They do pour-overs made to order, and the line was moving fast. I ordered one of their dark roasts, the Tantalizing Turkish. They describe it as “cardamom, herbs and tobacco” but I got more chocolate and smoke, with a hint of mint at the end-they add mint leaves to the coffee. There was no bitterness to it, and it went well with the cream, sugar and cinnamon that I normally add to my coffee.

At $3.80 for a medium cup, it wasn’t outrageously expensive and well worth the wait. Definitely a place I’d come back to.

Pablito's Tacos

Pablito's Tacos

Coronavirus or no, I still love tacos.

In the background, here in my backyard, the soundtrack to some 'Bollywood' film is playing. Not sure why I have this...

Pablito's Tacos is across the street from the Red Barn Market, in the parking lot of Iglesia Apostolica. (this church would sometimes serve tacos out of a pop-up). The Red Barn actually rates it's own entry, and maybe I'll get to that soon. They've got good meat and a good deli section. 

I'd initially planned on getting a bean and cheese burrito from the Red Barn deli-the beans are good, made in manteca, the way my grandmother would have, and it's only $3.50. But I noticed that Pablito's was open, and so changed up my plan.

I ordered the birrias taco, and I was just going to get an asada taco to go with it. The kid at the window suggested the gordita, and if he felt good enough to suggest it, I figured that I'd give it a whirl. I also got a can of Dr. Pepper to wash it down, for a total of $7.50.

At that price point, the bar is pretty low-if it's edible, it's probably worth it. I noticed that on their signage, they mention $1 Tacos on both Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, which I'll have to come back to try.

The wait seemed a little long, but not bad, and the food-well, it was pretty good. Everything was fried, of course, but not too greasy, and the birria sauce had a good smokey flavor with just a bit of spicy. There was plenty of meat in both items, and enough birria to dip both. The gordita looked more like what I would call a crunchy taco, with cheese and lettuce, but with some birria sauce, it was quite tasty. And he fished the Dr. Pepper out of a cooler of ice and water-Nothing quite like an ice cold Dr. Pepper.

No chairs or tables were out, so I plopped on the steps of the church in the parking lot. The lot was in the center of a complex of buildings-the taco truck is owned by the church-and several men walked by, seeming to do different things and all asked if I enjoyed the food and thanked me for stopping by. 

So, does it match up to my favorite taco truck on the Avenues of Ventura? No, but this one is open in the afternoon, so I'll be back.

 

World Famous Franks truck

World Famous Franks

Ventura/Oxnard Area

The wife made corn dogs the other night. 

I don't like corn dogs, and since I had to pick up some kid from some practice or another-and the kids'll eat corn dogs, I left the house a little early headed toward Primos Tacos 805 (11/1/14), but on my way I saw World Famous Franks in front of Hypno Comics, which is open until 9 on Wednesdays.

There are actually two comic book stores within 10 blocks of my house, and both seem to do pretty good business. Hypno Comics is the newer of the two, with Ralph's Comic Corner being the larger, older store. Except for a brief time when I was living in San Luis Obispo when I would follow the exploits of Lobo, I was never much for comic books. I'd read the ones my cousins read back in the 60's, and Mad in the 70's, but that was it. I assume both comic book stores are good-they always seem friendly enough when I'm in-but I really can't say. 

Back to World Famous Franks. Loud music blasting as I pulled up, and one of the truckers was advising two women on both the grilled cheese and hot dogs. I didn't need any coaching up, and went straight for the Sinatra, an apple/garlic sausage with sour kraut, grilled onions, mustard, and interestingly, sliced apples, and a bottle of Coke, which set me back $11-more than I would have spent at Primos Tacos, but within the realm of truck food.

I walked into Hypno Comics while waiting, which was hoppin' at the 8 o'clock hour, with a group playing some sort of game in the back and browsers taking in the various comic books. I heard my name, and got my dog. That first bite was good. I wasn't sure how the apples would work against the sausage, but the sweet/tart of the apple against the spiciness of the sausage and deli mustard combined in an interesting and tasty way. On the whole, it wasn't bad. If there'd been a bag of chips, it would have been a pretty good meal. As it is, I'd eat there again-if I wanted a hot dog specifically.

I looked at the grilled cheese menu, too. Some interesting choices there, but nothing that screamed out to me on this visit.

The Primos Tacos 805

The Primos Tacos 805

Corner of Ash and Main

(In 5 Day Tire Parking Lot)

Tuesday through Sunday 6 PM to Midnight

A new taco truck!

Driving my daughter from one side of town to the other, I noticed The Primos Tacos 805 a couple of weeks ago, and when I stopped in, I asked how long they'd been there. It's their third week was the reply, and business has been pretty good.

The trailer looks new and very clean. The price list was written by hand, and the woman at the counter still didn't have the prices memorized. They serve tacos, burritos, hamburgers, hot dogs, and what I was in for tonight, quasadillas. 

The owner was up in front when I walked up, and he suggested that I go with the carnitas in my quesadilla, which sounded good to me. The quesadilla and can of Coke came out to $7.25, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Looking in at the menu, tacos were a buck seventy-five, and I'll try some the next time I'm in.

It came up quick and was certainly tasty enough, served with pico de gallo inside and guacomole and sour cream on the side. Nothing to write home about, but certainly worth the stop. Everyone was friendly enough, the owner explaining that, like many in the food truck business, he'd been working in restaurants for years and wanted to finally do something for himself.

I wished him well. Close to the house, clean and fast, I'm sure I'll be back.

ConFusion Sushi Roll Tacos Truck

ConFusion

Sushi Roll Tacos

Food Truck

A recent Friday had me driving by the Pacific View Mall, inadvertently passing by on the third Friday of the month-Food Truck Friday! I was hungry, and knew there'd be no dinner at home, so it was the perfect chance to get a bite to eat.

All summer long, I'd been passing by the ConFusion food truck, and there it was. Usually, I see it parked on Main Street across from the mall, but every time I passed, I was either going someplace or simply wasn't hungry. So, though many interesting trucks were parked in the lot, ConFusion was the one that I most wanted to try.

The friendly counterman greeted me, and I figured I'd start at the top-the $9 Taco Combo. A quick look at the fillings list led me to pick the bulgogi cheese steak with onions and peppers (Korean style marinade) and the more adventurous candied bacon with napa pineapple slaw and citrus chipotle sauce. The plate came with corn, beans, and surprisingly, a 24 oz. drink.

It took a few minutes longer than I expected, especially since there was no crowd at the time, and was warm but not hot. It wasn't a whole heck of a lot of food, either. Still, it wasn't bad. And sure, if I had continued further on to the Avenues I could have had four tacos and a Mexican Coke for the same price, but it was nice to mix it up.

I didn't find the bulgogi to be all that amazing. It had different  flavor than regular asada, but not necessarily better. The candied bacon, though, had a sweet/spicy mix of flavor that wasn't bad, and something that I'd order again. I think the flavors might have been more pronounced if the food was warmer, though. 

The corn and beans were okay, too, and would also have benefitted by being warmer.

In the end, if I saw this truck again, I'd give it another try.

Tacos de Barbacoa El Guero

Tacos de Barbacoa El Guero

Corner of Vineyard and Simon Way

(El Rio) Oxnard CA

I don't get to the El Rio part of Oxnard too often, and seldom am I there when I'm hungry, but on this particular day lunch was only two Taco Bell Doritos Tacos, which I enjoy but obviously don't think of as Mexican food, and I knew there'd be a few hours before dinner. 

This taco truck, parked in the parking lot of the Vecinos Market Indoor Swap Meet looked sufficiently clean, with a small line in front. So rather than find another Taco Bell, after getting my taxes done I swung in for two tacos, and two tacos only.

With 'barbacoa' being in the name, that seemed an obvious choice, along with the lengua (tongue) that I normally get. Taking a look at Wikipedia to see what 'barbacoa' actually is, I don't believe that their meat was cooked slowly in hole, nor do I believe it was made of whole sheep. I guess I could have asked, but my guess is that the meat was steamed cattle heads.

The barbacoa taco was fried in a tortilla, and cost slightly more than the other tacos. It was moist and flavorful, and quite good. The lengua was moist as well, but didn't have much flavor. It was covered in a red salsa that wasn't bad, but didn't blend with the meat. It was just on the meat. The grilled onions on the side were good, too, but I wasn't brave enough to try the pepper. 

So, two tacos for under $5, one good and one okay. If I have more time, I'll have to poke around the indoor swap meet, too. Not worth a special trip, but certainly eatable.

Tacos Chifo, Ventura

Tacos El Chifo

Parking Lot

Sam's Central Market

Ventura Ave.

Ventura, CA

I always like tacos, but sometimes I want a good, meat and cheese quesadilla. It's like comfort food for me, even though my mom never made quesadillas. And the one that I seem to crave the most is out on the Avenues (which the businesses all seem to refer to as the "West End").

In the last few weeks, I've ended up sitting outside Sam's Central Market a couple of times, eating a hot quesadilla in the cold evening air, cheese burning my fingers as I tear the quesadilla into bite size pieces.

The quesadilla at Taco Chifo (I tried to look up "Chifo" to see what it means, and came up blank on Google) is large and for $6 is heavy on the cheese and asada, with tomato, lettuce and salsa verde. The cheese is so hot a gooey that I have to be careful or it'll burn me, and the smell stays on my hands for hours, but it's really good and warming the way that hot soup is warming. It warms from the inside in the cool night air.

The guy at the window is pretty nice, though his English was difficult to understand. The menu here is a bit wider than Tacos Jerez, which is about two blocks away (see my Feb. 29, 2012 post). The truck is big and clean, and the food fresh. I've had the tacos here also, and they're also good. Service is very fast as well.

They serve burritos and tortas, too, but  I'm not that hungry when I'm there in the evening. They look good, though, when I see them being ordered. There's always a few people milling about and one table to sit at. I didn't check the hours, but I've been by as early as 6 PM and as late as midnight.

The Yelp reviews are good, too.

Aaron's Tacos-The Blue Light Diner

Aaron's Tacos-The Blue Light Diner

Chestnut and Thompson

I noticed this taco truck a few months back, and thought I'd give it a try. Though this is closer than the places on the Avenues, I'm not usually going down Thompson in the evening. It's actually in walking distance-a good quality for a place that really adds to my calorie count. I'm not sure what this food trailer calls itself. It says "Blue Light Diner" on the the baby blue menus and has blue lights all around, but the side of the truck reads "Aaron's Tacos." Since I do plan to go back, I'll ask the next time I'm there.

Driving up, there was a few ethnically, and socio economically (I've been taking a college extension class), diverse people eating. I found parking in the Tire Man parking lot where the trailer is located, and the smell emanating from the truck was enough to start my mouth watering. The trailer itself was a bit smaller than most, though it did seem exceptionally clean. Three guys were working inside, and all looked up and acknowledged me as I walked up to peak inside. Another was sweeping the lot and wiping down the outside counter.

At night, quesadillas always seem to be a good choice. Something about the hot cheese, I think. It's warming on a cool evening, and if there's some meat, all the better. Contrasted by a cool soda, it's comfort food, Mexican style.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Usually, I'd order a quesadilla with asada, but I wanted to mix it up a bit, and had saudero, which according to Wikipedia is brisket and the guys on the truck is meat from the ribs. It tasted like a better version of my wife's roast, and on the whole was pretty good-though I didn't notice on the menu that jalapeno's would be in the quesadilla, too. Between that and the green salsa, it was just a touch spicier than what I wanted. Good, though. My other knock is that for $6, it seemed smaller than other food truck quesadillas.

While I was standing at the counter outside, a young guy walked up and ordered a chicken taco and a bacon wrapped hot dog. I watched him eat the taco, which he seemed to like, and then his hot dog came up. It was $6 also, and was huge, a Nathan's sausage wrapped in a thick slice of bacon, bell peppers, grilled onions and jalapeno, and a full box of fries. The menu didn't give me any indication of the size, and I asked him to make sure it was just their menu bacon wrapped dog.

We then struck up a conversation, which the counter guy chimed in on when he wasn't working a customer. I asked how his hot dog was, and he said that it was good. He finished, and offered me his fries. 

Ordinarily, I wouldn't take food off a stranger's plate, but in the interest of this blog post, I went ahead and tried one. Then I had several more. Good fries, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, lightly salted in what tasted like fresh oil.

And while I was watching, I saw what I wanted to order next time being prepared on the grill-Asada Fries. Asada Fries are french fries, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapeno, salsa, and of course, asada. $6 as well, and a reason to go back.

They're open from 6 to Midnight, Tue-Thurs, and until 3 on Friday and Saturdays.


Sept. 28, 2013 Update

Stopped by again last night and this time just had a couple of tacos. I had lengua and asada-both were loaded with meat, grilled onions and cilantra, and both were very good.

And another thing-there's no tip jar.

October 5, 2013 Update

My son and I were hungry and tried the bacon wrapped hot dog. I watched as it was prepared, and my arteries immediately started to harden. They wrap bacon around the Nathan's hot dog, then deep fry it with the french fries for a short time. After the hot dogs are pulled out, they are split in half and grilled next to where the buns are being toasted in mayo. When the buns and dogs are pulled off the grill, the pico de gallo is also placed on the grill for a quick zap of heat, and then on to the dog it goes.

With the full tray of fries, it was a great deal for $6.

Haunt Dawgz Food Truck

Haunt Dawgs Food Truck

Simi Valley and Environs

I was excited today, ready to knock back a cup of joe at Latte 101, one of my favorite places to have coffee. And as I walked up, Latte 101 was gone! Something called "HealthQuake Nutrition" was in it's place. They have a full range of Herbalife goods, for whatever that's worth, but no coffee. Since at that point I'd already swam, and I had just walked 3/4 of a mile to get there, I was already feeling pretty healthy, and didn't need a zillion calorie health shake to improve. Off to Peet's.

Latte 101, by the way, has gone fully mobile, so if I happen to be where they are, I'll still have a cup. I'm just not going out of my way to find them.

Which brings me back to the title, Haunt Dawgs. A food truck advertising gourmet chili dogs, I was stoked when they showed up and have been thinking about a good hot dog for a few weeks-to the point where I made a somewhat unnecessary trip to Cosco. They talk about their chili, but I knew immediately what I wanted when I read the menu-The Frankenstein Dog, sauerkraut infused with bacon and garlic on top of a hot dog. What could be better?

I was at the window before it opened, and talked to others waiting. The one person ahead of me got the Werewolf Dog, their chili dog, and walking away it looked pretty good.

I ordered the meal, which was the Dog, a can of Coke and some pretzels, which came out to $8 ($7 would have just got me the dog). A touch high, but a price I was willing to pay for a fix of bacon, garlic and sauerkraut.

Service was quick, which I liked, but the dog....well, I dunno. I thought the wiener was a bit small and ordinary, and the bun pretty plain. The kraut wasn't very sour,  I could barely notice the bacon, and the garlic not at all. Pretzels are pretzels. The Coke was cold, so that was good. 

I talked to a few people who went with the chili dog, and they had the same impression I did-it wasn't all that special. I wouldn't avoid it, but it wouldn't be my first choice. I've whipped up an equally good kraut dog at home with minimal effort.

I wouldn't avoid them, but wouldn't race to their location either.