Taco Tuesday

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I just hate it when blogs are posted far apart and irregularly. As much as I have tried to post at least every 5 days, I have obviously failed since the last time I posted was 12 days ago. Ahh! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I could blame it on homework or extracurricular activities or whatever, but it is basically just because of life in general. Everyone is busy so I won’t make excuses. Moving on…

Last Tuesday I had an experience that has been long awaited. I ate from a food truck! Did I ever mention that one time Jerry and I drove two hours to Durham to find out that food trucks don’t come out on Mondays? That was a real letdown… but dinner last Tuesday was worth the wait.

I went with Jerry to this little taco truck (or maybe its considered a trailer?) parked in a gas station parking lot. It was called Arturo’s Taco Truck. A Hispanic woman made our orders right there after answering our probably really ridiculous questions about the menu. It was so fascinating to see her cook everything on the flat top and then finish the food off with cilantro and onions or cheese and sour cream, also reassuring to know that everything is made fresh and hasn’t been sitting in a taco truck for hours on end. I ordered a sope and a taco, both with fish. I didn’t really know what a sope was before I asked the lady who showed me the base and I decided I was up for the adventure so I tried it. Evidently the base is a fried patty/disc made of masa. This was heated on the flat top until a golden brown crust formed and then topped with the white fish, cheddar/jack cheese, cilantro, sour cream, grated parmesan cheese, and a slice of jalapeno. I was afraid this would be super messy but it surprisingly wasn’t. The taco was two corn tortillas heated through and filled with the fish, cilantro, and onions. A wedge of lime, a tomatillo salsa, and (possibly) a habanero salsa came on the side. Bonus: my meal only cost $3.75!

Torta on the left and taco on the right.

The verdict: Simple yet “on the money” as Guy Fierri would say. The flavors went together unbelievably well. I probably would have picked a different assortment toppings if I had been asked, like lettuce and tomato with no cheese or sour cream, but these people obviously knew what they were doing. The lime enhanced all of the flavors and brought a citrus punch that lightened up the taco/sope. Both salsas were very tasty although very different. The tomatillo one was very good but not too hot although seasoned well. However, the habanero salsa had heat that wasn’t immediate but had quite a punch. The color made us think it had habanero  in it, and after eating several bites with this salsa the tingling sensation in my lips made me think we were right. Jerry got two steak tacos and a torta. Evidently a torta is a large roll stuffed with meat (spicy pork for him), cilantro, onions, cheese, sour cream, and more cheese. Then the whole thing was grilled and squished down. It looked really good.

I don’t know how authentic this was but we definitely enjoyed it and would go back. The fact that it comes from a truck and is only there on weekdays enhancing the ephemerality and mystery enshrouding the truck, although it does have a Facebook page. I feel like this is one of those places that you have to be in the know to try because it isn’t really advertised. Also, some people frankly find it sketchy to eat from a street vendor or food truck (I have absolutely no reservations, I assure you), but it wasn’t sketchy.  So, now you are officially in the know, so go try it! If you are a Davidson student, I urge you to try it before you graduate.