Tacos El Rodeo

(food truck)
1000 Washington Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267) 997-3415
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Always on the lookout for top notch Mexican, I had seen/heard about the Tacos El Rodeo, and it got rave reviews, so I figured it was worth a try. My consensus, however, is that it needs to try harder. There were a surprising number of walk-up patrons at 5 PM on a Saturday, including a cook from Paesano's. He said it was hands down the best in the city. I immediately regretted ordering only three tacos and a burrito.

It had potential, with a spit of al pastor, and friendly folks working inside. Not to mention the sweet-ass mural covering the truck itself. A real beaut.

I took my offerings to Garage, which not only boasts a rotating food cart inside, but allows all outside food as well. I was excited for the fiesta about to transpire on my taste buds, but was left with a flavor siesta instead.

The burrito was well wrapped, the lard-infused tortilla looked so very promising – glistening in the setting sunlight, I could almost taste the fatty flavor. The inside had a sufficient amount of al pastor, but everything else must have gotten run out of flavor town.

The al pastor was chewy and mostly gristle; the rest of the components were just bland and kind of mushy. I wondered if they had run out of salt. The rice was missing that 'cooked with bouillon' flavor. Even the hot sauce had little to no spice, and was a watered down version of the traditional Mexican sauces I know and love. That tortilla was pretty much the most flavorful item.

The chicken tacos were equally as underwhelming. Sure, they were a deal at $2 a pop, but having eaten hundreds of street tacos (I spent my drinking years out west), these were just so boring. The avocado was a nice touch, but I couldn't get any bit excited about these. The chicken pieces were also without any noticeable flavor and again, the tortillas may have been the stand-out flavor. So disappointing.

I mean, when you're slingin' your wares in the hotbed of Mexican restaurants, you can't perform so lazily with seasonings. The people working were VERY nice, but my itch was not scratched. Maybe I caught them on an off day, or maybe I have become spoiled with my go-to spots around the city. I'll stick to my favorites for now...

Mi Pueblito Taco Truck

Girard at Frankford
(late night edition)
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Well, the old neighborhood has certainly changed. Long gone are the days of grabbing a seat at JB's on a warm night and relaxing. It seems the introduction of Frankford Hall and the ensuing gentrification has led to various levels of douchebaggery – from the influx of too-cool hipsters migrating from South Philly, to the college kids who can't handle their liquor, to South Jerseyites (no explanation needed) – the hood has turned into a shitty circus and lost its charm. At least they have this taco truck.

Mi Pueblito sits at Girard and Frankford on the weekend nights and cranks out some of the best Mexican in the city. Cheap, quality, and delicious, it's the triple threat. They also have guacamole salsa, which is one of my favorite things on earth.

Tacos are cheap, $2 a pop, and offer a variety of protein choices. Chorizo and pollo are two of my favorites.

The burritos, however, are the best thing going. Huge, loaded with flavor, and wrapped to go, you don't even have to worry about getting any drips on that expensive vintage-looking shit-your-parents-paid-for/popped collar polo shirt/anything from your personal "Affliction" collection.

The flour tortilla tastes fresh and lardy, like it was just rolled and grilled on the flat top moments before. It glistened in the glow of the street lamps and made my mouth water at first glance.

No joke, all of their meats are tender, juicy and full of complex flavors – and this isn't just the drunk hunger talking, this stuff is the real deal.

As I mentioned earlier, the burrito is wrapped tight and the tortilla's elasticity kept everything in order as I plowed through both. That's right, one of these monsters wasn't enough. I had two.

I'm hoping the crowds die down and that people stay in their own respective neighborhoods so I don't have to fight to get some of the best, most authentic burritos around.

The Dapper Dog

Food Truck | Special Event
Moore College of Art & Design
Website

I don't know how many people are familiar with Parking Day, but it occurred all over the world on Friday, including Philadelphia. To celebrate being part of the action, The Galleries at Moore hosted an event focusing on urban greening through a 'parklet' design competition and they invited The Dapper Dog to cater the event.

They're usually posted up at their small, stationary unit at 3rd & Poplar in Northern Liberties on the weekends, but for special occasions, there's a mobile unit that was recently put into action. Owners Harry & Seth:

The truck is outfitted with some fresh, killer artwork by local illustrator, Adam Smith.

For this occasion, they offered three menu items: a Coney dog, a Chicago dog and an Italian sausage. Because it was a catered event, there were no prices - the host set up the contract for 100 dogs and paid the invoice in advance. In order to recoup something, they sold food tickets for the wallet-friendly cost of $3, which got you a dog + drink.

The Chicago dog had fresh tomatoes, relish, pickled sport peppers, chopped red onion, a dill pickle spear and yellow mustard. Although this wasn't truly a classic Chicago dog, it was pretty delicious. It was missing the bright green sweet pickle relish, which lends an extra pop of (fake) color that I love – not to mention that tangy sweet flavor. Also, red onions? They have too much punch when raw, and in this situation, were a bit aggressive.

The buns definitely make their presence known in these constructions, and although they're quite good, it was difficult to get a bite that contained beef AND toppings. It was either one or the other. Maybe splitting & grilling the dogs would have taken care of the distribution issue. That said, all of the ingredients were high quality and well worth the struggle. Next stop, Coney Island.

Sort of. Dapper Dog's take on the Coney consists of an all beef dog, beef chili (Coney sauce), shredded cheddar and sliced green onion.

Again, they're really exercising their artistic liberties in the interpretations, but that makes it interesting, right? I really liked this dog, but it could use some more contrast in textures. Maybe the definitive crunch of chopped onion... but with all of the onion on the Chicago and given the limited menu, I can understand their decision in differentiating the two through varying ingredients.

I had no interest in the Italian sausage, but I'm sure it was also pretty good. All in all, the dogs were definitely dapper in appearance. The consumption part – not so much. Sloppy eating aside, they're tasty and worth consideration, especially for an affordable, catered event when you're looking for a gourmet spin.

Cucina Zapata

Food Truck, University City
S. 31st & Ludlow St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Twitter

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this truck, and after I heard that it was Asian/Mexican fusion, I figured it was worth a try. Oh, and they have a Cap'n Crunch crusted tilapia burrito for $6.

The line is longer than every other truck on Drexel's food truck row. Of course every other truck only offers regular Chinese food, cheesesteaks, hoagies, or all of the above.

When I was looking at the menu, I just couldn't figure out what to get. So I went kind of nuts.

I started with a chicken satay taco (top) and a short rib taco (bottom).

Both had an amazing amount of components for the price tag. The avocado was fresh and plentiful, the slaw crisp, and the Sriacha sour cream on the satay was absolutely delicious. The green chili sauce on the short ribs was also a winner. Of the two, however, I think I liked the satay just a bit better. The rich marinade cut through the rest of the ingredients, and was about perfect. The short rib itself was just a bit chewy, which was one of my few complaints.

The Cap'n Crunch crusted fish burrito was the best value of the meal. It was quite hefty, certainly a steal at six bucks, and made with the same love as the tacos, and although it had many of the same components, it tasted totally different. Crunchy, slightly sweet breading, with flaky fish inside. The spicy sauce mixed perfectly with the slaw, diced tomatoes, and avocado slices. I was probably most impressed with this offering, overall.

The chicken Katsu, which is a traditional Japanese dish, for anyone who is going to dispute my saying this truck is Thai/Mexican fusion, was also pretty good. An extremely crispy, thin flat cutlet of chicken, served over a bed of slaw, with a fried egg, rice, and Sriracha drizzle. My only complaints were that the egg yolk could have been just a bit more runny, and this dish could use a side of one of their amazing sauces. I ate a lot of plain white rice that was hiding under the egg, and needed something to jazz it up a bit. I am sure the owner, who was ridiculously accommodating, polite, and funny, would be more than happy to fulfill my diva-like requests for extra sauces in the future.

This is now one of my favorite trucks in the city. If you liked how good Tyson Bee's USED to be, you will LOVE Cucina Zapata. Get the fish, get a Thai tea, hell, you can't really go wrong. Just get something.

Yumtown Food Truck

I had not even heard of Yumtown USA before, so when I stumbled over to Girard Fest yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised/excited to eat my second lunch.

 

As I had already eaten two breakfasts and one lunch (I had been up since 5am and riding bikes), I didn't order the entire menu, though I wish I would have. The pulled pork had my attention, as I am a huge fan of the pork products of Lancaster County, and with a choice of sauces, I was trapped.

You place an order, the nice lady takes your money and you wait – pretty standard food truck practice. They also offered an organic cornmeal and chive corn dog, but that one will have to wait until our next meeting.

It took less than five minutes to get my sandwich. For $5, it was a healthy portion.

By healthy, I mean monster.

This was, without exaggeration, one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I have had, my own included. Not quite smoked-pulled pork, the sweet braised meat was exceptional. It had the requisite crispy bits, and a cool red cabbage slaw. I went with the spicy Carolina-style sauce, which could have been a bit spicier, but I have a much higher threshold for heat than the average sandwich eater.

Overall, this is one of the best values I have had in quite some time. I can't say enough about the tender, sweet pork, and once I uncover the mystery of Yumtown, I will be sure to go back. Does anyone know anything about these guys (and gals)?