Comme Ci Comme Ca’s Tilapia Special Rivals Kwik Meal
Even with all the moving of spots and excessive ticketing, the Comme Ci, Comme Ca Truck has been continually offering weekly specials since June. For example last week Chef Samir served grilled tilapia over pasta, and he is still serving it this week. I’ve been thinking about these guys since their recent Vendy Award nomination leak and so I found myself in line at their colorful lime green truck ready to dig in.
Grilled tilapia usually makes me think of one thing: Kwik Meal. I knew it would be tough to try Chef Samir’s fish without comparing it to the perfectly cooked specimen at Kwik Meal (topped with some of their signature green chili sauce). It’s by far the best fish I’ve ever had from a mobile food vendor.
But Samir’s is a bit different. It’s a great summer dish that’s light and flavorful and might even be a bit more refined than Kwik Meal’s. The tender tilapia is served over a bed of greens and soft rotini pasta, that’s been tossed with cherry tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil, and crispy pieces of cooked tuna fish. These are classic flavor combinations and they work well here. Samir drizzles some of his hot and white sauce over the tilapia, which livens up the usually mild fish.
I think I might slightly prefer Kiwk Meal’s version because of that amazingly complex green sauce and the mastery of the cooking. But this tilapia is a worthy alternative and a really nice lunch for these last days of summer.
Samir tells me they will be parked at their new-ish non-metered spot on 36th and Broadway today and will try 52nd and Park again later in the week. But be sure to check the ML Twitter Tracker to make sure they aren’t forced to move again!
Posted by brianhoffman at 9:45 am, August 23rd, 2011 under Comme Ci Comme Ca Truck.
2 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
Agreed the tilapia is good (I also have never ordered fish from a truck before), but it just doesn’t work with the tuna fish in the pasta. I would prefer the option of getting the tilapia w/ the cous-cous and veggies or just hold the tuna; it’s too pungent. I’d suggest anyone getting this to try asking for an alternative to the tuna.