Mexican Archives - Food Carts Portland

Guero

May 13, 2013 by dieselboi Leave a Comment

Guero

Location: SE 28th and Ankeny
Hours: Tues-Sun, 11am-9pm

The Story: A food cart born of passion, travel, friendship and…well…good cuisine. I give you Guero Tacos and Tortas.

Over the years, I have met food cart owners who are parents or boyfriends and girlfriends or fathers and sons. While most of these small businesses are single owners, many are the hard work of a few who have banded together to pursue a dream. I have fond memories of younger years when I and friends worked together to fullfill a collective dream. Granted, none were as ambitious as a full service restaurant on wheels, but I know the hard work it takes for people to come together for a single focused idea. At Guero, the three partners – Alec, Mike and Megan – all share in the duty to create the best cuisine they can. The idea behind Guero came from Alec’s time spent travelling and living in Mexico and then a transition to Burlington Vermont where he partnered with his mates and launched a mobile taco business named Taco the Town, a short lived service of delivering tacos by bike. When an opportunity to transition to a full service food cart, they jumped at it and opened Guero. But don’t fret, the delivery by bike is still a passion and may return.

At Guero, you can get tacos, tortas and bolos. Tacos are my crutch. When I see a chef hand pressing a masa tortilla, I’m blinded, seeing nothing else on the menu but the taco. The day we visited offered three different tacos – Carnitas el Guero, Cochinita Pibil and Jitomate. Each one’s description activated my tastebuds, but in the end, I chose the latter two. The Cochinita Pibil is a specialty from La Riviera May with pork slow cooked in achiote with shredded banana leaf and served with pickled onion. Take a bite and enjoy the savory pork, the acidity of onion along with the moist of the freshmade tortilla. Divine. The Jitomate taco is habanero-tamarind stewed tomato atop pinto beans and topped with crumbly Mexican cheese and a slice of avocado. I read it as a stewed habanero, so was expecting a spicy bite, yet it was a tomato with so much flavor, I couldn’t easily describe it. Another amazing example of the craft and care Guero takes with every single item they produce.

Tacos from Guero

As stated, Guero was born from a taco bike delivery service, so these guys know what Portland eaters seek. Located at SE 28th and Ankeny at a lot with covered seating, a London bus to hang out in and three other food vendors. The lot boasts Captured by Porches so you can enjoy a microbrew with your taco or torta. Drop on by, grab something new and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

Menu may change daily or weekly. Be adventurous, visit and try something new.

Carnitas al Guero Taco – $2
Cochinita Pibil – $2
Tortas – all served with cilantro aioli, cabbage, avocado; carnitas; cochinita pibil, huarachi – $7

Phone: 503 593 8846
Twitter: @GueroPDX
Facebook: GueroPDX

Filed Under: Debit/Credit Carts Accepted, Dinner, Lunch, Mexican, SE 28th and Ankeny, Tacos, Vegetarian Options, Weekends

El Taco Yucateco

May 9, 2013 by dieselboi 1 Comment

El Taco Yucateco

Location: SW 3rd and Stark
Hours: Weekdays, lunch

The Story: Elloy Martin makes an amazing panucho. Simple, satisfying and oh, so flavorful. Elloy Martin has been making Mexican street food magic in his cart El Taco Yucateco for a couple of years and now comes to serve the downtown eaters.

I first met Elloy a year or so ago when he was at Green Castle. I made the mistake of assuming his cart was the same as a similar named vendor out east. Lucky for me, it wasn’t a huge error as it was his brother’s cart I had visited. After some ups and downs at Green Castle, Elloy moved the cart downtown this year and opened up on SW Stark between 2nd and 3rd. The menu at the cart is what you would expect from most Mexican vendors – tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tortas. All fresh, made to order with pride. What stands out here are the panuchos, a special type of taco. Elloy has to go as far as Sandy to source his special masa paste for the tortillas. A panucho is different than a taco and served open face like a tostada. He makes a tortilla then quickly fries it, puffing it up. Elloy then pulls it out, slices it open and stuffs it with black bean paste. Back in the pan to finish up, he then tops it with lettuce, cabbage, shredded and seasoned chicken, pickled red onion, tomato and avocado. A panucho, done right, is one of those dishes you don’t want to eat – so beautiful. If I could, I would take it somewhere so they could preserve it for all time. Each bite is a treat from the avocado mixing with the marinated onion and the creamy beans. The tortilla isn’t hard, so you don’t have to worry about it breaking up in your hand. A couple of panuchos and a Jarochita on a sunny day is all this boy needs to make him smile.

Panuchos from El Taco Yucatecos

While waiting for my order, a few other patrons came along for burritos. One woman came up proclaiming that the cart “had the best taco salad in town.” I’ll have to try that next. Elloy is one of those vendors who smiles and engages his customers whether he’s busy or not and I enjoyed chatting with him about Mexican street food. Makes me want to take a trip. Drop on by El Taco Yucateco next time you have a craving for something new. Let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

Panuchos – $2
Tacos – beef, chicken, cactus – $1.50
Quesadilla- $3, add beef or chicken for $1
Tamale – $3
Taco Salad – beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, your choice of meat – $7
Burritos – $5
Tortas – $5

Phone: (503) 901-0768
Facebook: El Taco Yucateco

Filed Under: Debit/Credit Carts Accepted, Go Box, Lunch, Mexican, SW 3rd and Stark, Tacos, Vegetarian Options, Weekends Tagged With: panuchos

Tony’s Cucina

March 26, 2013 by dieselboi 3 Comments

Tony’s Cucina

Location: SW 9th and Alder
Hours: weekdays, lunch

The Story: What’s that phrase – for every door that closes, another opens? It seems the story of the ever evolving street food scene in Portland. Just as you fall in love with one vendor, they close and you’re faith in food is dashed. Lucky for us, when the previous owner vacated, Tony’s Cucina opened offering something special.

Tony Velasquez open his cucina early this year with a menu of Mexican/Italian fusion cuisine. After spending a quarter century in the medical field, he jumped ship and went to culinary school. When a friend asked if he wanted to try out a cart, Tony took the leap. The menu is inspired by childhood favorites – the best foods his mom use to make. Everything is made from scratch with care.

Sonoran Hot Dog from Tony’s Cucina

Tony lived in Arizona for twenty years where his love for the Sonoran dog came about. While there are different approaches on how to create this dish, Tony’s approach was to work with fellow fans to craft a signature dog in the style. Starting out with a bacon-wrapped dog on the grill, the bun from An-Xuyen, is sliced open just enough to hold the dog, beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato and then topped with a grilled jalapeno. It was so beautifully presented, I didn’t want to eat it. I will warn you, if you take that first bite, watch out for the pepper to roll off onto your hand, then your shirt, then the table. Lucky for me, I caught it before it hit the ground. The spice of the pepper mixed with the creamy beans, veggies and that dog create a wonderful mix of flavors. The bun is superb, one of the better buns out there with just enough chew, but not doughy.

Tony’s Cucina is a great new addition to the 10th and Alder lot. While there are other Mexican vendors, no one is doing the Sonoran dog nor are they offering dishes like an enchilada casserole. He will even make you a Cuban coffee. Drop on by next time you’re looking for something new and let Tony know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

Squishy Taco – corn tortilla dipped in hot oil with chicken, steak or chorizo – $2
Fish Taco – $2.50
Enchilada Casserole w/ rice and beans – $7
Quesadilla – $2.50
Tortilla Dog – grilled hot dog wrapped in flour tortilla with cheese – $1
Sonoran Hot Dog – $6

Hours: Weekdays, lunchtime
Facebook: Tony’s Cucina