Gentle peeps. Many of you need no hints on how to order when at the Taco Truck. However, just last night, whilst making runs for auto parts, this humble servant to the culinary world observed a most gorgeous young person making the egregious error of ordering chips and salsa at the Taco Truck at Perkins & Summer. The gentleman proprietor leaning out of the window reacted with incredulous shock; a brief giggle was heard from his chef inside the kitchen on wheels. No man, he said with only a hint of impatience (there was a small crowd of us regulars waiting to place our order). We got tacos. The young person smiled and raised his hand almost as high as the gelled spikes on top of his head. OK then! Ill have a - Theyre not the crunchy kind. the proprietor pre-empted. No nacho flavor. No hamburger. Theyre soft. Oh. said the confused young person, wrinkling his gorgeous young brow. Ok then. and he left. Darlings, consider this. You are at home. There is in the house, a succulent roast. Someone lovingly prepared this roast just for you. It might be roast pork, or roast beef, or a whole roasted chicken. But sides? where are they? no pasta? no rice? no bread? Ah - but there are corn tortillas. Soft, with a hint of sweetness from the whole grain corn, and fresh with moisture from the dough that was made just the day before. Tender and lovely - they are begging to be steamed. So you steam them, and then you rest them on a warm griddle while you assemble a fantastic little snack: First, the main thing: Pulled pork, seasoned with a bit of garlic and a few other gentle spices. Nothing particularly alarming - just fantastic comfort food flavors for a fall-off-the-bone roast. Or think of some of the better rotisserie chickens youve ever had. Or a well done pot roast. Go ahead, toss a generous amount on there. Second, sprinkle on just a hint of sweet minced fresh onion. A dash of freshly chopped cilantro. This is the way of the Taco Truck. Now its time to transfer this steamed and griddled delight to a styrofoam plate. hurry - now its just losing warmth with each and every second that passes. Throw on a quick garnish - a couple of radish slices, and a pickled slice of carrot. Maybe youll get lucky and theyll toss in a wee little whole flame-seared serrano pepper. Maybe not. There you have the essential basis of all that is Taco Truck. No cheese; if cheese were involved, that would be a Mulita, and the chewy white cheese (think mozzarella with personality) would have been deliberately scattered onto the griddle to sizzle and crisp up before its cozy installation with the meat and onions between two corn tortillas. But thats it. No cool ranch. No nachos. No chips. Of course youll need to customize it with as much (or as little) of the zippy red sauce, or of the mysterious and incendiary Creamy Green Sauce as you like. Yes, salsa verde is one ingredient in this smooth, ivory-green elixir, and so is a touch of avocado, but what else, I havent yet quite figured out. I love the stuff, but as I say, it is a bit incendiary. And thats it. 99 cents for the taco; two little tortillas stacked, stuffed, and folded, with garnish. Two bucks gets you the same thing smothered in cheese and layered between two small tortillas instead of folded over. You cant loose with either choice. My husband swears by their burritos, and last night, Friend Gunder tried the white flour tortilla-encased quesadilla (also met with the eyebrow of disapproval from the trucks head chef). We washed it all down with the sweetest, cinnamony-est of horchadas, served in bathtub-sized containers for a very reasonable price. This is fine dining on an autumnal evening, second to none. So in summary, please visit the taco truck at Summer and Perkins, dear peeps. Theres seemingly always a line, but they get those orders up quick. Just promise me, promise me, that you wont order the chips & salsa.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 19:27:26 +0000