Being Schooled In Ecuadorian Food By Tacos Mexicanos
At first when I spotted the Taco Mexicanos truck on Maiden Lane (at Water) last week, I was excited for their tamales and tacos since I love both of those items. Then I started thinking about the fact that they had something that other places in the Financial District didn’t: Ecuadorian food. That’s right, they have hornado, encebellado, guatita and the favorite of late-night drinkers everywhere, salchipapas, aka hot dogs and french fries. After asking what all they had for the day, and what was recommended from the Equadorian offerings, I was steered in the direction of the hornado ($7) after being asked how hungry I was. Check it out in all its porky glory after the jump. 
For the uninitiated such as myself, hornado is a lot like pernil in that it’s roasted pork, but this was juicier and more tender. There was a mound of it topped with raw red onion, tomato and cilantro and it was tender enough that I could eat it with a plastic fork without having to break out a knife.
That bright yellow disk you see is llapingacho which the Internet tells me is fried mashed potato with a cheese center. I didn’t really taste any cheese unless it was mixed in with the potato, but it was delicious nonetheless. I was asked if I wanted rice or corn with my lunch and decided to go half and half. The “corn” was actually hominy and the rice was the plain white kind. Both were driven out of their blandness with the addition of the hot sauce that was flavored with chipotle and citrus, and some green sauce that was equally delicious, just not spicy.
Really the pork was the star of this meal although I’m guessing the other Ecuadorian offerings are just as tasty, if not exactly light summer lunches. So if you want a reasonably-priced meal that’s a little different than the Mexican, Cuban or other Latin options in the area, you might want to check out this truck. I know I’ll be back.
THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)
- They have more than the usual taco, burrito, tamale trifecta.
- I can get both a burger, pasta and a taco in one convenient location.
- It’s a better option than the Chipotle up the block.
THE — (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)
- They don’t have a Twitter account and I don’t want to have to track them down.
- The prices aren’t as cheap as I would like.
Tacos Mexicanos, NE corner of Maiden Lane & Water
Posted by Andrea H at 12:00 pm, June 15th, 2011 under Financial District, Latin, San Luis Taco Truck, Tacos Mexicanos, Truck.
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10 Comments
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I’ve been eating from these guys a lot. They have a printed menu that goes way beyond the signs on the truck. Burritos, tortas, lots of stuff. Ask and they’ll give you one after marking some price changes (mostly down). They had to move to Front at Maiden today, and will probably be there from now on. Hopefully they’ll get on twitter soon, but in the meantime, love their guac (nice and limey) and be careful: your burrito al pastor will include pineapple. Tasty, but surprising. Also the guatita (tripe) is tasty but not really tripey enough for a tripe-head like me.
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Hmmm…I wasn’t offered a menu! Looks like a return trip is in order.
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I walked by today but wasn’t sure what to make of it. I’ll be there tomorrow, and possibly many times after that! thx!
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I love everything in there! pork, hominy, onions, that sounds awesome!
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The potato thing was my favorite part, after the pork of course.
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a week or so ago, i got some rice and bean tacos that i liked a lot. that potato things looks worth going back for. there was no real menu when i was there, so something detailing what they have would be helpful.
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Speaking of schooled, at least you spelled Ecuadorian right by the end anyway. ;-)
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Fixed! Thanks for the copy editing…
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This truck was at Front and Maiden today (across from Adel’s). I stopped here after I made my way up the East side, having to pass several trucked that were mobbed (Bian Dang, Souvlaki GR, Korilla, Adel’s). There was not a soul in front of this truck.
I had the Hornado with hominy. The meat was juicy, tender and laced with chunks of fat and pigskin (in a good way…). The potato disc could’ve been browned a bit more and the guac was a bit too tart for my taste. Overall, a tasty and filling lunch alternative.
Oh, posting their prices somewhere on or near the truck would be a plus…
That looks excellent, as a pork lover, I need to try this.