Tres Jalapenos is a “safe” Mexican restaurant. It has bright, festive decorations and checkered table cloths. As the safeness and slightly cheesiness should have hinted at, the food was lacking in authenticity. It was not an unpleasant meal, just nothing was memorable. However, if you don’t have lunch plans tomorrow, there is a special you should know about.
Taco Loco is a truck on 4th and Washington with a simple Mexican menu. They serve tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas, and sodas. Tacos are $2.50 each, nothing loco about that. I got 2 of them. A nice day like today is the right time to sit on the plastic chairs they keep on the sidewalk next to the truck and watch the world go by as your wait for your food.
Today’s Groupon is pretty awesome, $28 worth of Mexican things for $14 at Los Taquitos de Puebla. Half off carnitas, quesadillas, and eyeball tacos? Hurray! Don’t forget to enjoy the wall art.
Jose’s Mexican Food is a Mexican taco joint that is a perfect example of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” with its bleak, dirty brick facade and a sign on either side to indicate you are in the right place. As we crossed the street, I had to swear to my timid friend that she was going to love it. Inside the small restaurant are a few tables to sit at and a busy grill top area behind the counter where some of the magic goes on. Jose’s seems to be big on take out, but either way you are better off calling in your order ahead of time. And even if you don’t call, it is still worth the wait.
Whether from a truck, a cart, a hole in the wall, or a sit down restaurant with hipster waiter service, I like tacos. What I don’t like is paying a lot for them. Las Cazuelas, a Mexican restaurant in Olde Kensington, has found a perfect middle ground of authentic food, an unpretentious, homey-cute atmosphere, and low prices. And as it turns out, I ended up eating a lot more than just their tacos.
Today Morgan is reporting on Bossam bar, a fast, affordable Korean fusion spot on 7th and Sansom. With the recent love for Korean Tacos, Burritos, and Ssam (Korean Wraps), I am shocked this place has not been publicized at all.
Like many Philadelphians, I imagine, I’ve heard a great deal about the Korean taco trend but have not had a chance to try them. I heard the buzz when they hit Ansill (now closed) and have been meaning to try them since chef David Ansill moved over to Ladder 15. From there the trend has spread, Jamie got an early preview of Giwa’s version, but I had still never had the opportunity to cross paths with a Korean taco myself. So I was super excited to hear about Bossam Bar, a Korean/Japanese fusion restaurant that opened in the Jewelers Row location formerly occupied by Tampopo.
I was a little confused when I walked in, but the guy behind the cash register quickly explained the procedure to us. The menu is projected on the wall near the entrance. You’re meant to tell your selection to the man at the register, pay, then seat yourself. They bring your food out to you on cafeteria trays as it’s prepared. Then you bus your own tray to the racks in the back of the room. The set-up reminded me of my college’s dining hall. Besides this new, relaxed method of service, the interior is wholly unchanged from the Tampopo days.
Earlier this month Meal Ticket reported the opening of Chris’ Taco Stand on the Temple University Campus. Considering the number and variety of food trucks on the campus, it is a surprise it has taken this long to get some taco action up there. According to Meal Ticket, Chris went to Temple and his credentials include working at Tinto and DiBrunos. I asked Chris about what set him on his taco venture and he answered, “I started with the taco thing because of experiences that I had traveling through Mexico. I think that tacos are the perfect street food. I love that the meats were being grilled right in front of me and perfectly complimented by the the heat and acidity of the salsa.” I have to agree with him there. It is fun to watch Chris work the grill, making every taco to order inside his tiny, shiny cart.
The menu is straight forward so far, usually with 3 different tacos every day. The steak ($3) and black bean ($2) are available daily and he switches off the pork carnitas and chicken. As all good taco stands should, Chris offers a selection of Jarritos and sodas in glass bottles. I got to try all of Chris’ tacos and I got some intel on how he makes some of his products.
