we have a little Cuban family near work and its fast and delicious and under $6. Guess who i support
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Dec. 7, 2009 6:45 p.m. f86sabjf New Reader
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Dec. 7, 2009 8:47 p.m. xci_ed6 Reader
I'll be on the lookout for the brightly colored van covered in lights tomorrow
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Dec. 8, 2009 8:13 a.m. InigoMontoya Reader
Out here in phoenix we have a few places to go. One major one around the valley is filibertos open late and they do a nice set of items there, cheap too. I have picked that up on whe way home from second shift a number of times.
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Dec. 8, 2009 9:10 a.m. dxman92 Reader
Not sure how nation wide they are but Baja Fresh has a few locations in the PA area but I'm a Moes guy myself. I'll have to find the articles but they either have a law or trying to pass a law in Los Angeles regarding the taco trucks not being able to park in certain areas or certain streets.
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Dec. 8, 2009 9:34 a.m. mtn SuperDork
Well this thread just made me decide that as soon as finals are over on Thursday I'm goin to Taqueria El Porton
Storytime!! My brother and I once went to a Willie Nelson concert together. I was in the expensive seats, he was on the lawn. We meet up at the end of the concert and get in the car to go home, and I don't notice his bloodshot eyes. I'm about to turn, and he say "NO! Go Straight!" I start to notice that he's a little bit stoned. With a full tank of gas, curiosity, and really good knowledge of the whole county, I decide it will be entertaining to listen to him. He keeps saying "Turn here! turn here! Now!!" and we end up in Waukegan Illinois, a place known as little Mexico to people of Lake County. He has me turn down a couple of side streets and we finish our journey at a 24 hour taqueria. I go in there, its pretty busy for what is essentially a mexican diner at 2AM. You know its good when you're the only white ones there and the only English in the whole place is a homemade sign saying "Smile, you are in camera." To this day, I don't know how my brother knew about that place---it was his first time there too---but I do know that I've been back there about 4 times a year since.
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Dec. 8, 2009 9:34 a.m. neon4891 SuperDork
NYG95GA wrote:
DirtyBird222 wrote:
...empenadas and these potato balls that are filled with spiced up ground beef and deep fried.
Great. I just finished eating, and now I'm hungry again.
Now I'm wanting mex-am for breakfast.
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Dec. 8, 2009 9:44 a.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork
There's a chain in the Houston area called Taquria Arandas (don't quote me on the spelling), and they may be beyond Houston too. They are not Tex-Mex. They are Mex-Mex, there being a distinct difference. For example (with exceptions): Tex-Mex, no Tortas. Mex-Mex, Tortas. We used to eat there regularly. I strongly suspect they had an indentured servant system working. People would start working there speaking zero English, work 16 hour days for months on end, pick up some English then get a job somewhere else.
Yeah, you can always tell the best ethnic restaurants when you are the only Gringo in there. Indian food is the same. Raja's House of Sweets in Westheimer (west part of Hou) is like that. You walk in and you're it for the Gringos. Everyone else is Indian or Pak. Enough food for 2 people to pig out and have 2 meals off the leftovers, including tea and desert is like $15.
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Dec. 8, 2009 9:45 a.m. turboswede SuperDork
Bajio just opened here in PDX, they are a chain from down south and are sooo much better then any of the other chains around here.
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Dec. 8, 2009 9:52 a.m. captain_napalm Reader
Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY
http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/07/red-hook-vendors-soccer-tacos-guide-how-to-...
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Dec. 8, 2009 9:58 a.m. captain_napalm Reader
Wally wrote:
That was where I was thinking. One night I broke down on Roosevelt ave and 111st. While i was waiting for road service I went from truck to truck.
There are a lot of good places to eat on Roosevelt Ave. A lot of good places to drink and look at scantily clad women too. It's really a world unto itself. If you need it, it can be found on Roosey... Only if you're hispanic, tho'. Otherwise you'll have to limit yourself to eating, drinking, and being merry
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Dec. 8, 2009 10:17 a.m. 914Driver SuperDork
No problem at all having Street Meat off carts in NYC. Taco Bell isn't even a restaraunt to me, it's an appliance like a gas station, fills a void.
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Dec. 8, 2009 10:52 a.m. NYG95GA SuperDork
I wish we had those in Macon, but the regulations for street vendors are so Draconian that nobody's been able to figure out how to do it 'by the book' and profit. The closest thing we have is 2-3 hot dog carts a few hours during lunchtime downtown, and after talking to the guy that runs those, even he wishes he'd stayed out of the biz.
I knew a guy who decided to give the worksite lunchvan thing a shot, so he bought a van, and outfitted it with everything he figured he'd need. Then he went to get a license (turns out he should've done that first). They failed his van, and gave him a list of stuff to bring it up to spec. He spent a bundle on equipment and upgrades according to their list, then went back to the Health Dept. The inspector looked it over and said it looked like everything on the list was good. But there was one important thing NOT on the list.. the inspector wanted to know what sort of public restroom facilities he had! On a VAN! At that point the guy just threw up his hands and gave up. He ended up selling the outfit to a guy in Atlanta for a huge loss.
And City Hall wonders why we don't have more small business in town!
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Dec. 8, 2009 10:57 a.m. captain_napalm Reader
NYG95GA wrote:
I wish we had those in Macon, but the regulations for street vendors are so Draconian that nobody's been able to figure out how to do it 'by the book' and profit.
In the case of the Red Hook vendors, they're succeeding despite Bloomberg. The setup used to be a few tables, some tarps, with people cooking. Bloomy & Co and the health dept came down on the vendors, and they had to step up their game. The food trucks you see in the link are a fairly recent development, the vendors were forced into compliance.
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Dec. 8, 2009 11:15 a.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork
NG95GA has described briefly and in a microcosm why our entire industry is now in China.
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Dec. 8, 2009 11:17 a.m. NYG95GA SuperDork
Yeah, Captain, I read your link, and it's refreshing to hear about the "little guy" fighting City Hall and coming out on top. That's what prompted me to write about what it was like here.
Oh! I forgot the dumb story on the hot dog carts.. First time some of us stopped to get dogs, I wanted chopped onions and relish on mine. The guy tells me they can't serve those for 'health' reasons. As we became regular customers, I groused something about not being able to get onions on my dog, and the vendor looked around shiftily, drew closer and said, "If you can keep it a secret, I have some under here." I felt like I was buying crack in a Nathan's wrapper! Turns out the regs call for a "self contained refrigeration unit" to be used for certain perishables, which involved installing a refrigerator on an already cramped sidewalk cart. Since when is an ice cooler not a "self contained refrigeration unit"? The vendor said that's what they used (secretly), as the inspector didn't "interpret" an ice cooler as passing muster; something about the ice coming from an outside source.. Sheeesh! As if an extention cord isn't an outside source!
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Dec. 8, 2009 12:21 p.m. captain_napalm Reader
NYG95GA wrote:
Yeah, Captain, I read your link, and it's refreshing to hear about the "little guy" fighting City Hall and coming out on top. That's what prompted me to write about what it was like here.
It wasn't so much them coming out on top. It was comply, or catch heat from the authorities. I'm sure that it was tough to come up with the scratch to buy a van and equip it, and it'll take them a while to recoup that investment, but personally, I think it's for the best.
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Dec. 8, 2009 4:52 p.m. patgizz Dork
i like el pollo loco - there was one in chicago around the corner from my sister's apartment in logan square
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Dec. 8, 2009 6:26 p.m. MitchellC HalfDork
Dr. Hess wrote:
NG95GA has described briefly and in a microcosm why our entire industry is now in China.
Or it's wrapped up in sausage skin like so much offal. We really need more transparency of ugliness in America, so that the implications of living like we do can be seen.
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Dec. 8, 2009 7:38 p.m. thatsnowinnebago Dork
Living in southern California it isn't really that hard to find a nice authentic mexican place. My buddy used to live down the street from a 24 hour taqueria that has the best bean burritos I've ever had.
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Dec. 9, 2009 2:11 a.m. Wally SuperDork
It's amazing what you can buy off a truck in NY. Near my post we have Ric Shaws Dumpling truck, a German Wurst mobile and a french pastry van.
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Dec. 9, 2009 6:10 a.m. 914Driver SuperDork
Wally wrote:
It's amazing what you can buy off a truck in NY. Near my post we have Ric Shaws Dumpling truck, a German Wurst mobile and a french pastry van.
Appetizer, main course, dessert. Wally you da man!
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Dec. 9, 2009 10:02 a.m. captain_napalm Reader
Wally wrote:
It's amazing what you can buy off a truck in NY. Near my post we have Ric Shaws Dumpling truck, a German Wurst mobile and a french pastry van.
Tis why I love this city
