HELLO my name is BBQ

Fine new food truck on Savannah Hwy.

portions

Also, there's this:

http://www.marriedtothesea.com/071108/tastes-of-the-swine.gif

shuffle

Bob and I stopped in Monday at La Michoacana, recently relocated to Rosebank Farms. I'd been disappointed to not see them lately at Tienda Puentes, so the truck was a welcomed sight. We also had the chance to chat with Sidi Limehouse (who knows that the quezadillas are the best offering) and his trusty Labrador for a few minutes. Altogether, a nice lunch.

I've also stopped a few times lately at El Mercatido, next to the Pig at Maybank and Bohicket, where I had my first authentic tacos stateside many years ago. They've undergone quite an evolution since then. But don't be discouraged by the generic gabacho mexican decor or apologetic menu items; their tortas and tacos de carnitas are the real thing.

The new orange truck on Maybank Hwy. near the Habitat store looks promising, but I haven't caught them open yet.

c/s

Michoacana

Today I stopped in for lunch at Taqueria Michoacana. They seem to be parked at the Puentes tienda on Maybank Highway fairly regularly these days.



My first stop at Michoacana was sometime last year when they were advertising "¡PANBASOS HOY!" It seemed to be a special treat, so I ordered one. The delicious sandwich - like a torta covered in mild red sauce - was a mess to eat, but enough to bring me back a few times.



Today the taco was alright, though made with a store bought tortilla and the pastor served in a sort of sauce, like that at El Progresso in Hanahan. The handmade tortilla of the quesadilla, though, was excellent; that and the friendly manner of the woman who operates the truck made for a fine lunch.
...

One casualty of the economic recession sadly has been El Jalisciense's residence at Rosebank Farms. I hadn't seen them for some time, and this weekend the woman at the market there told me they had suffered as a result of less new construction on the nearby resorts. I hope to see the climate change in El Jalisciense's favor; his was certainly one on the nicest lunch spots in the area.

cultura

Hello, old friends.

Last month I attended the Festival Hispano at the County Park in North Charleston. There was some good music, a capoeira troupe, and what seemed to be some nice authentic food (though not nearly enough of it, which meant three unnavigably lengthy queues in a crowd of about 2,000 people), but unfortunately little else: a cellphone dealer or two, some Sponge-Bob souvenirs, and some generic soda and beer vendors. With respect to the effort involved in the production of the event, it was a little poor.

Where were the living history reenactments?, I thought. Where were the strange couples' party games? Where were the custom car artists with their beautiful Silverado pickups? Where were all the taco trucks?

I do admit that, as an enthusiast of the growing presence of centro- and sudamericana culture within our own, it may have been too easy for me to be disappointed by the event. Folks seemed to be having fun, which I reckon is the point. But the event left me with the thoughts of how we all tend to take many of our most distinctive cultural details for granted.

Not much of a revelation, I know; it's just something to consider. Which aspects of your culture do you think outsiders would find most interesting? Which do you think might be most important to your grandparents? To your children?

Oh, yes. Unfulfilled from our outing, my friend and I stopped in at La Fortuna de Hanahan on the way home for a couple of tacos and a gordita.

New truck on Johns Island

Dave and I stopped at Rosebank Farms this week hoping to lunch on El Jalicience's exquisite quezadillas, but were surprised to find a new Los Parados truck parked there instead.




The operator of the truck was one of the friendliest I've met, and was eager to show us the reverb-laden boom of his CB radio.

According to Dave, the quezadillas don't measure up to the bar set by Jalicience, but few do. I ordered a torta al pastor and a Sidral apple soda and was not a bit disappointed.

The best torta of my life:

Fiesta

Ron and I stopped by the church picnic at La Iglesia del Santo Espiritu last Sunday and found a friendly scene of music, games, cultural exhibitions, and homemade food.

The guisado and tamales de puerco were both good, and the mild agua de tamarindo was especially nice on a hot afternoon in the countryside, but the highlight for me was the savory and tender tacos de birria:

Pickens, SC

In the heart of the tomato-based barbecue region of South Carolina:

Friday

Torta de pastor and an agua de jamaica at El Progresso yesterday:

And a new coat of paint

I had a very nice lunch at El Jaliciense today with my friend Bob and his son. It had been almost a year since the last time I'd visited my old favorite , and I was a little surprised to find the truck parked in the old spot.

They also look to be about to get a new paint job for their mobile kitchen:



I was in the mood for tacos for sure, but I couldn't pass up their delicious quezadillas. So, I ordered one of each - both al pastor - and picked up a coke from the cooler.



The pastor was better than I remembered, and cooked with perhaps a little more pineapple than usual - somehow especially nice on a warm day like this one. The new picnic table in the shade a few less of those pestering chickens make the whole experience at El Jaliciense ever more pleasant.

In the news

Taco Truck Battle Heats Up in Los Angeles

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90149577

Sweet Corn

Oh, and the tamales rajas. Aye!

Huitlacoche

This spring, I discovered a seemingly obscure delicacy of Mexican cuisine. I had decided to take a break from eating meat for the season of Lent, which was easy until I found myself at "La Fortuna de Hanahan," an exceptionally friendly family-run grocery store/butchershop/restaurant/video-rental just off of Remount Rd.



Tempted as I was by their delicious tacos al pastor, I decided to stick to my guns and ordered two quesadillas: one mushroom and one huitlacoche. I wasn't sure what it was; it looked a little like spinach, tasted a little like mushroom, and the waitress and the butcher tried to think of an English word for it, but all I understood was that it had something to do corn. Whatever it was, I had a new favorite.



When I ordered another the next week, and tried again to find out more about the nature of this delicacy, the waitress showed me an illustration on the label of a tin can. I was baffled. This is what was represented on the label:



Considered a blight by most North American and European farmers, corn smut has been cultivated by the people of Mexico for centuries. The Aztecs purposefully exposed young corn plants to the spores of the fungus in order to promote the growth of the truffle-like galls. Those who have had the fortune to enjoy the sweet and earthy taste of this unfortunately rare delicacy know why.

Parados

I had lunch last week at Los Parados, where the aguas frescas are served in very generous proportions.

After the blizzard

I spent the first couple of days of this year in beautiful Leadville, Colorado. At over 10,000 ft. above sea level, it's the highest incorporated city in our country as well as home to the Beck/Bower family - my generous hosts and patient ski instructors.

It's also home a substantial Chicano community; the small Victorian mining town is home to at least one tienda, one taco truck, and a few authentic-looking Mexican restaurants. While exploring the town on my first morning there, I stopped into Manuelita's on Harrison Avenue for an early lunch and enjoyed a delicious torta de adobado.

Dear faithful readers (or) Hey, Jonathan

Apologies for the lack of coverage lately. I forget about blogging sometimes. I don't, however, forget about tacos. Here are a few highlights of the past season:

Reuniting with Blanca, our favorite waitress from the old Las Lupitas, at El Progreso.


Taking my friend Jack, an experienced Los Angeles taco truck lover, for his first lunch on Remount Road.


Discovering a new favorite, La Fortuna, a grocery/carneceria/taqueria in Hanahan. Friendly folks, deliciously spicy guacamole, excellent gorditas, and a wonderful shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe.


Enjoying a fine tamal de rajas with arroz con leche at Michelle's Cafe in Baltimore.


Followed by a tamal dulce, filled with cinnamon and raisins.


My pregnant vegetarian sister patiently keeps me company while I sample Jesus and Michelle's tamales.


Thanks for reading, everyone. Keep those letters coming!

Hasta pronto.

Los Angeles, day 3

Late Thursday morning I was headed for the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City when I happened to pass a Oaxacan place I had heard about and stopped in to check it out. It's more of a restaurant than a stand, and I took a seat in the semi-outdoor dining room, which is separated from Venice Ave by only a clear plastic wall and a bus stop.

I told the waitress I wasn't very hungry, but that I wanted to try something particularly Oaxacan. She was happy to make a couple of suggestions, and I decided on a memela, one taco de tazajo, and a glass of horchata. In a moment she returned with the horchata, along with fresh chips and some delicious crisp, spicy, dark salsa, which was surprisingly refreshing in the heat of the morning in the basin.



The memela, a thick fresh corn tortilla covered in beans, lard, and cheese, was fantastic. And the tezajo, beef cooked in the regional style, was also good, even if a little tough.



But the highlight of the meal really was the horchata: quite sweet, but still distinctly ricey, and topped with a pinch of crushed nuts - easily the best I've had.

I had hoped to pick up a sweet tamal to go, but unfortunately they wouldn't be done for another hour. I thanked my hosts for the good meal - and the horchata in particular - and contently got back into the traffic. I didn't even really mind that the museum was closed.

Los Angeles, day 2

After work Wednesday, I headed to Los Feliz to check out a taco stand on Hillhurst Ave recommended by my friend Jack.



Yuca's was opened by Jaime and Socorro Herrera in 1976 and has been meet with great praise almost ever since. Hanging out at my table in the canopied dining area for just a short time, I could tell this taco stand was a staple of the mostly norteamericano neighborhood surrounding it.

Given that Yuca's specializes in Yucatan style cuisine, I decided on tacos de cochinita pibil. The tortillas may not have been handmade, but they were good, and they were doubled up, which I always apppreciate. And the shredded pork was wonderfully fruity and more tender than any I think I've had. Altogether, a great meal.

Los Angeles, day 1

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Southern California. Having never seen that part of the country, I was pretty excited about the trip - to see the desert, the Pacific Coast Highway, and of course, the tacos.

I arrived late Tuesday afternoon, dropped off my things at the hotel, and headed straight to East Los Angeles, intending to check out King Taco, an old chain of LA taco stands that seems to be well-loved. I pulled onto Olympic Blvd around dusk and there, among the smog emission stations and carnicerias, taco trucks were lining up for business along the sidewalks, and I changed my mind. My first stop was El Korita.



I was a little self concious in my flashy rental car, and being the only gringo on the block, but the warm smile of the man walking up to the truck at the same time and offering for me to order first (wearing a black shirt in the photo) put me right at ease. I ordered one taco al pastor and one de lengua, then stepped into the grocery across the parking lot for a bottle of Coke.

In no time my tacos were ready, and served through the window of the truck in beautiful, fresh, handmade tortillas with onions and cilantro. The lengua was tender and delicious, and the pastor, mildly sweet and spicy and juicy and cut from the rotisserie behind the window of the truck and, may have been the best I've had.

Dinner on the trunk of my rental car:


Though satisfied from El Korita, I was excited to try more, so I stopped at a truck across the boulevard and ordered two more - one chorizo and another al pastor. The man preparing the food signed through the window to ask whether I wanted roasted jalapeños and onions and I smiled back and nodded yes. I picked up the tacos and got back on the freeway.



As the sun went down, I drove west toward Santa Monica and took in the city. I parked on the pier, found an empty bench by some guys fishing, and sat down for the rest of my meal. The tacos may have suffered a little from the forty minutes in the car, but along with the friendly faces on the pier and the cool ocean air, it all made for a great welcome to the west coast.

Los Parados

I found myself on Ashley Phosphate Rd yesterday afternoon and stopped by Los Parados, an old favorite spot that I hadn't visited in almost a year. In that time they've grown from a small place with a few tables and a bar looking into the open kitchen to a much larger restaurant that includes the adjacent storefront. Thankfully, their delicious tacos al pastor seem not to have changed a bit.