Taco Trucks

Loving street food has become a foodie cliche, thanks to the stylings of Anthony Bourdain, who has at long last confirmed that, yes, one can be both gritty and pretentious. The world had been wondering since the Marquis de Sade first raised the possibility. I like each equally. But, cliche aside, street food can be very, very good, and some of the best can be had from taco trucks. Spokane currently has a bounty of taco trucks. The question is, which is worth your time?

In the past week or so, I have been to the four trucks nearest to downtown. I ordered tacos, and when I could talk Jeremy into having mexican food again (it's not his favorite cuisine, even though we met in a Mexican restaurant and he lived in San Francisco, home of the Mission burrito), I ordered a burrito. I made sure to try the rice and beans at each place. The menus at all the trucks are pretty similar: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, sopas, and tortas ( kind of sandwich/Mexican sloppy joe). They all have a similar selection of meats: chicken, pork, a couple of beefs, chorizo, and -- a surprise to me -- lengua, or beef tongue, which is excellent. The texture is a little like pot roast. The good news is, all four trucks are all pretty darn good. I do, of course, have some favorites and some observations.

Patty's Taco Truck, on Division just north of Garland/Empire. Of the four I visited, this is my favorite, even if the truck itself is pretty, shall we say, low impact. Their pico de gallo is wonderfully fresh and lively, the guacamole is creamy and abundant, and the refried beans are wonderful, clearly the best of any of the trucks I tried. There are (I read on-line -- not the most rock solid research I have ever done) two Pattys who co-own the truck. The woman working the counter when I was there (Patty the niece, I believe) was incredibly pleasant, and told me that they have only been open since June. On her suggestion, I tried an enchilada, which was elevated by a lovely hit of salty lime.

Tacos Tumbras: On Division, just north of Rowan. I believe there is in fact a Tumbras chain, including at least one other truck out in the valley, and a sit down restaurant. The tacos are lovely, the refried beans well seasoned, and if you prefer some texture in your refried beans, you might even prefer theirs to Patty's, which are very smooth. The pork burrito was lovely, with tender meat and a great spicy kick. I am dinging them for very bad chicken, which was rubbery, not carefully cut up, and flavorless. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this one.)

Tacos el Sol: This very fancy truck is parked downtown, in a parking lot on Washington in between Sprague and First. The great news about this place is that it is open both for business lunch and for late night cravings: they are open until 3 am! Again, very good tacos, especially the beef, but the refried beans taste canned, and the salsa lacked punch and freshness. Also, as one might expect from the fancy digs, this was the most expensive of the trucks I hit, although only by a fraction of a dollar.

El Mariachi, located on Hamilton and Augusta, just north of Mission. I will admit, this was my fourth truck, and I was getting more and more adventurous. Here, I tried both the tongue and the beef cheeks, and both were excellent. The barbacoa (beef braised in chile sauce) was, in comparison, mushy and uninteresting. The burrito was Jeremy's favorite, because he prefers pinto beans to refried, but I found it bland. The big disappointment was the rice and beans, which in texture was like a Cuban rice and beans, but without the flavor. Also, as much as I appreciate the cheeky, musical theme of the truck, I was put off by the fact that you couldn't see inside to see the food prep at all, and by the length of my wait. Still, it's proximity to work means that I'm likely to return.

There are a lot of arguments to be made about taco trucks. Some say that they are an easy way for a business owner to play fast and loose with all sorts of rules that should not be played with: food safety laws, worker's benefits, even taxes. I'm sure this can happen, but I think Patty's Tacos is an example of the other side of the argument. This is a low capital way for someone to become a small business owner. To me, this sounds like a venture worth supporting. So, go out and be brave. And if they have named some of their tacos, those are the ones to get. Otherwise, try the tongue!