Tacos El Rodeo

(food truck)
1000 Washington Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267) 997-3415
Facebook

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...

Union Taco

712 W Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(267) 455-0445
Website

I read somewhere (FB) that a new spot was opening at 7th and Girard and for their inaugural lunch, they were handing out free tacos. Now, this is a long way from my office in Center City, but when I read that, "Attendees get two tacos on the house," (thank you Michael Klein) AND that "Opening torta and taco options include Pork Carnitas with Pomegranate, Spinach and Barbeque Sauce; Sliced Kobe Beef with Figs and Housemade Tres Queso; Flash Fried Mahi-Mahi with Soy Ginger, Carrot Slaw and Cabbage; Grilled Seasonal Vegetables with Huitlacoche; Pork Cheeks with Pickled Tomatillo Salsa and Pork Jus; and Pulled Chicken with Chile Relish," I COULDN'T RESIST THE TREK.

UGH. So there I was. All the way up in no man's land, expecting to get two mouthwateringly described tacos from a joint whose logo is more like that of a tattoo parlor than an eatery. And so we entered.

There were a bunch of people there and when I got to the counter, they took my name, not my order. If you don't already recognize it, this is Tiffin's old pizza shop. I was a big fan of the Tiffin pizzas, but I guess they closed up shop. Now, if you know something I don't know about Tiffin, Etc. do share...

5 minutes later, my name was called and I got ONE taco. One chicken taco, which I guess had chile relish and some crema. Now, the reason you see two here is because I convinced a coworker to make the destination lunch trip with me - we both had high hopes.

Alas, we were thoroughly let down. Bland and slopped together with old iceberg and a random smattering of other chopped bits, it was not very memorable. Mind you, this was three weeks ago, but my notes remind me of the vividly disappointing memory well enough.

Maybe they've improved, maybe their food is better than it was on opening day, we all know how that goes, but the false advertising is what really let me down the most. The sweet painting was no consolation.

If you make a public claim, you'd better stand by your word. It is this failure to fulfill their announcement and their delivery of one (well two in this case) flavorless taco that leaves Union Tacos at the lowest end of my list of recommendations.

Korean Salsa

To go with my short rib tacos, I wanted a bit of a Mexican-Korean salsa to garnish them. I bought about 10 plum tomatoes, and 10 tomatillos. I threw them on a pan with some salt and olive oil, and put them in the oven at 400 for about a half hour. You will hear the tomatoes pop when the heat gets to be too much, and this is okay. After 20 minutes, check them every five.


When they are sufficiently roasted, pull them out of the oven, and throw them in a pot. In the pot you should start with some minced garlic, sliced onion and oil and cook for a couple minutes. Throw in the tomatoes, add a cup or so of water, the juice of 2 limes, a tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon of sesame oil and a cup of chili sauce or gochujang. Let this simmer for about a half hour on low medium heat.


When that has reduced and cooked together a bit, throw the whole mix into a food processor and blend until there are no remaining chunks. When it comes out, add more lime, or chili sauce to taste. I also tossed in some sesame seeds at this point and stirred them in. Let it rest in the fridge, but try and give it enough time to come up to room temperature before serving.



This would also be great for a unique twist on any Mexican dish. The spicy sweet chili sauce combined with the smoky roasted tomatoes is a delicious combo, and I am glad I made extra that I can use in the future. It should last up to a month in the fridge.