I will be eternally grateful to the participants at Chowhound because they taught me, many years ago, to love taco trucks. I now seek out taco trucks wherever I go and some of the best tacos I have eaten have been off of these mobile trucks in many different cities. My mouth waters to think about the tacos at the El Novillo taco truck in Oakland's Fruitvale district followed by a licuado nuez -- a milkshake with walnuts -- from the Ojo de Agua truck nearby.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate the community that springs up around taco trucks in many towns. In some places, I will be the only "jueda" at the trucks -- surrounded by mainly Latino families or workers on lunch breaks. The workers and owners of the taco trucks are usually immigrants to the United States and seem to work very hard at their jobs. Cleanliness is always a question when I bring friends to taco trucks for the first time, and contrary to popular belief, taco trucks are inspected by the Health Department and are held to general health and safety standards. Is every taco truck I have gone to immaculate? No, but neither is every "brick and mortar" restaurant.



Citing safety and health concerns, along with cries of "unfair competition" from brick and mortar restaurants in the area, the City of Salinas is considering an outright ban on "mobile vendors" or a severe restriction on their business. In January, the city set a cap on the vendor permits at the current count of 31 and no new permits will be issued causing a gradual fade-out of taco trucks in Salinas. Next week, an as-of-yet unpublicized proposal is scheduled to go before the city council that will further restrict the taco trucks. The proposal could include possible time restrictions instructing taco trucks to only operate between 6 pm and 6 am, could require that the vendors move their trucks every 15 minutes to one hour, or could cause taco trucks to have to move off of public streets and on to private property zoned for the business.

Melanie Wong, a frequent poster to the Chowhound boards, is often in Salinas visiting family and has been highlighting the wonderful food coming from the Salinas taco trucks. "I'm on the side of good food, and the side of the best tacos I can find, wherever that is," she says. And in Salinas, the best tacos seem to come from the trucks. In talking to other customers, Wong discovered that the Salinas taco trucks are a magnet for Latino families up and down the valley as the town is known for having some of the best food around. And according to a thread on the Chowhound boards this week, many Chowhounds agree about the caliber of tacos they tasted.



This is not an easy battle to fight. The Salinas United Business Association (SUBA) is in favor of restrictions on the taco trucks, and the taco truck vendors are not naturally organized enough to have a united voice to fight the issue. Fortunately, the vendors have recently retained counsel from the Central Valley. "The vendors couldn't get anyone in the area to represent them," says Wong, as the issue in Salinas is so divisive.

Restrictions or elimination of taco trucks seems to be a trend in cities throughout the nation. The city of Santa Ana has been trying to ban trucks over the last year, Nashville considered an ordinance, and Los Angeles has passed restrictions on taco trucks.

The ban bothers me because it seems like big business squashing the little guy in order to make a higher profit. While there may be legitimate health and safety concerns, in most counties there are processes in place with the county health inspector to handle any issues without the city council stepping in with an overarching ban. The same goes for vendors working without legitimate licenses. In both instances, the government should be going after the perpetrator instead of banning an entire class of food providers.

And I don't buy the claims of unfair competition from traditional sit-down restaurants. When I go out to eat at a restaurant, I don't usually end up at a taco truck. It may be legitimate that the taco trucks pull from franchise establishments like Taco Bell, McDonald's and Wendy's, but I don't see much crossover between restaurants and taco trucks. But even if it were the case that taco trucks were competition, how about making a better taco that attracts people to your business and letting the market decide what it likes best? There will always be the issue of cost, as taco trucks have lower overhead and can sell the tacos for less. But with value-add services such as liquor, sit-down service, and menu items other than tacos and burritos, it is possible to attract people to a sit-down restaurant over a taco truck.

Additionally, the Salinas taco trucks are providing food to a clientele that may not have much other means to eat out. There is a high concentration of very low-income agricultural workers in that area who either don't have the time or don't have the money to eat at higher-end restaurants. "The Salinas taco trucks are a vibrant part of the local community", says Jeanne Brophy who visited the taco trucks in December. "They are a great alternative for those who don't want to spend money going to sit-down restaurants and want fresher and tastier food than traditional fast-food franchises."

The possible taco truck ban in Salinas has overarching effects for all of us in the Bay Area. This could set a precedent that will soon come to our communities, and the ban will affect approximately 49 families in Salinas. Immigrant families that are trying hard to create a business and add value to their city by preparing and serving great food -- families who are a part of our greater Bay Area community.

If you are interested in having your voice heard about the Salinas taco trucks, contact the Salinas City Council before their scheduled meeting on June 19.

To visit the Salinas taco trucks, check out this map detailing the location of all the trucks (via Chowhound).

All photos courtesy of Melanie Wong and used with her permission.

Labels: jennifer maiser, salinas, street food, taco trucks

When you work in the restaurant business everyone you know, everyone you know's friends, in-laws and children, and everyone you've not met yet, comes to you for restaurant recommendations.

Needless to say I am extremely grateful that Chowhound also exists. For it gets quite tiresome to be absolutely everyone's go to for breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner suggestions. Especially when you consider I grew up in New York City, have lived in London and Napa Valley and the Bay Area is my permanent home.

All this being said, when I plan a trip to my old home, I very much look forward to what I will eat when I'm there. Will I visit the places where I know the chefs and pastry chefs? Will I haunt my old workplaces? Will I eat all my favorite foods? Will I shop and cook in my host's kitchen? Will I eat at brand name places so that I have something to talk about when I get back or will I just eat in the places no one but real New Yorkers go? Will I eat solely for memory or will I want to try all the new things I've read about since I was there last?

The truth is that I eat foods in my old home that I can't find in my new one. I'm fiercely loyal to old haunts, places whose menus I can trust no matter what the current trend and flash-in-the-pan hip happening thang is. I bring my money to the people I love and have the most respect for. Chefs and pastry chefs whose work is something that inspires me, fills me with hope that one day my California home town will embrace these innovations.

My upcoming trip to New York will look different from ones I've taken in more recent years. Because I met and be-friended some spectacularly talented people at the Pastry Chef Conference in May, I will spend some time eating and working with some of these folks. I'll go to Daniel just for dessert and then with their pastry chef, Dominique Ansel, we will eat at Devi, pastry chef Surbhi Sahnhi's post.

In the sweet theme, I'll make it into Chikalicious at least once. And if I have time, Pichet Ong's new place, P'ong. And then there's always a detour to Il Laboratorio del Gelato on Orchard Street in the heart of the real Lower East Side. Maybe I'll get a kasha K'nish at Yonah Schimmels beforehand so I can convince myself I've eaten dinner.

It's not a trip to New York without one surprising dinner at the diminutive Prune on First Street. Whether chef/owner Gabrielle Hamilton is there or not, I like to bring her a California gift. This week I'll be stocking up on jars of jam from newcomer Rachel Saunders so that I can present unique gifts to the people I love. Prune is my favorite restaurant in NYC.

But for the food I grew up with, there will be frequent visits to Veselka for pierogi, cabbage soup and a chat with my father and stepmother over blintzes. I always have to have one steamed lobster dinner at Pearl Oyster Bar on the tiny slanted street of Cornelia. When you grow up with steamers dipped in drawn butter and tasting of the chewy clammy sea, no nouveau California preparation of clams will satisfy.

It will be important for me to get sticky with coco helado on a street corner if it's hot, and of course I'll be noshing on my old stand by in Coney Island, ridged french fries at Nathan's and a cone of pastel green pistachio soft serve with colored sprinkles on Neptune Avenue!



For a post Coney Island Mermaid Day Parade de-tox I might head over to my favorite macrobiotic restaurant Angelica's. I have to get my fix of their kooky "cornbread," carrot spread and one small Dragon Bowl. And if I make it to Harlem I'll be going directly to M&G's for fried chicken. And if I want to roll out of my bed the next day to stand in line, I might head to Danal for brunch.

Saving the best for last, I am over-the-top excited that this will be the first time I'm going to Gerry Hayden and Claudia Fleming's restaurant The North Fork Table & Inn on Long Island. I used to work for Claudia Fleming at Gramercy Tavern in the Flatiron District. This will be my first time seeing her since I threw a party at Citizen Cake for her incredible book The Last Course, a must have for anyone who loves to bake seasonal desserts. The day I made the reservation to eat and stay at the Inn I could not sleep.



So, you can see, I will be eating well in my old hometown. Like most people, I tend to eat the familiar when I'm home. I have plans with friends and family, old lovers and new, bloggers, chefs and pastry chefs. I have adventures planned and I will be taking my feet to places they'll go without direction.

If you're looking for NYC restaurant recommendations, I still give them. But only if you're willing to try what a real New Yorker eats...

Labels: chefs, dessert, New York City, pastry chefs, restaurants, shuna lydon, street food

I'm still in mourning for the afterhour taco stand that was once wedged in front of Taqueria Vallarta. Huddled outside, bundled against the night air and only slightly buzzed, I've enjoyed many a midnight snack. At first, I alternated my orders, enjoying beef and pork, grilled and fried, sausage and offal. Eventually, though, the tender suadero owned me completely.

I know, I know. A 49 on the health inspector's score card justifies, in the modern logic of cleanliness and public safety, the shuttering of a restaurant. I only wish they'd let the taco cart stick around. Bereft, a friend and I recently wandered up and down 24th Street, sniffing the air for potential rebound consolation. We were in luck. A few doors down from our old taco love, inside a tiny space that was a butcher shop by day, an impromptu taqueria had been set up to serve the swing shift. A thin haze of smoke drifted from the shop, and once inside, we realized that three card tables and a portable grill were the only capital investments in this brand new micro-business. No fire extinguisher or ventilation hood in sight. No menu, no music, no English, and no smiles. Still, the minimalist approach was more than justified by the perfectly charred beef. We returned a few nights later but were disppointed to find only a dark, properly locked-up butcher shop.

For all its bragging about being a culinary capital, San Francisco is woefully behind the curve when it comes to good street eats. The occasional downtown hot dog stand and farmers' market tamale stalls are just not enough for this hungry girl. Where I come from, you can't walk twenty feet without someone grilling or steaming or frying or stacking or stirring something good to eat al fresco, but here in America, fast food ordered through a squawk box from your car is apparently safer for you.

Fortunately, immigrants from lands of good food persist in their attempts to share their treats. Whispers of "you want tamales?" from parked minivans have lured me to steaming bundles of masa joy, while contraband rice cakes reach me through trusted intermediaries. In between such priceless finds, though, it's the taco truck that assuages my need for street food.

Returning from a hiking trip in Big Sur one weekend, my hubby and I were craving some filling, warming soup. With San Jose just a few miles in front of us, we plotted a minor detour from 101 around Capital Expressway up Senter Avenue to one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants on this side of the Pacific. But before we got very far north on Senter, one stoplight to be exact, we saw a line snaking its way from a shining, white taco truck all across a parking lot to the curb on the corner. Hubby's quick reflexes pulled us right up next to Paisa Taqueria, our quest for pho and bun rieu immediately forgotten.


The best way to identify a good taco truck: a long line even in the middle of the afternoon.

Now, this wasn't your normal taco truck. This was a special tricked-out version that boasted large, squeaky clear display windows through which you could watch women patting and pressing corn tortillas to order. A trompo of glistening pork spun invitingly at the other end of the truck. A few feet away was the grill station: what normally served as a hot dog cart was lined with glowing, hardwood charcoal from Mexico. The salsa station included the usual fresh and cooked salsas, lime wedges, crisp radishes, and a delightfully creamy guacamole-style sauce. Large jars of agua frescas sparkled in the sun.

The taco truck was already passing all my usual tests, but when a patrol car rolled up into the parking lot behind us and then two cops strutted toward the line, I knew for sure. We were in for some good food. (And yes, the cops got to cut straight to the front.)


Non-stop tortilla production line.

Fornuately, the wait wasn't as long as my empty stomach feared it'd be. I ordered my usual suadera and carnitas, and then decided to try one of their mulitas, a sandwich of two grilled tortillas and melted fresh cheese. I had barely ladled and stacked my numerous cups of salsa when our food appeared in the window. Like everyone else, we scurried back to our car to eat. The tacos were exactly the way I like them: small and simple. A light sprinkling of chopped onion and cilantro were the only gilding on the meat, while the freshly made tortillas had that perfect balance of softness and toothsomeness. Gone were the soggy pile of beans; the limp, torn, stale tortillas; and the massive, messy hump of filling found in far too many so-called taquerias.

I'm not sure how often I'll get down to San Jose for a plate of tacos, even ones as good El Paisa's. I guess that means more midnight strolls sniffing the air and praying for benevolance from the street food gods.

MORE TACO LOVE

--Learn lots about tacos, including the Lebanese "sheep herder" roots of al pastor and the difference between lard-cooked carnitas, steamed cabeza, and luscious suadero at this informative guide to Mexican street tacos.

-- Spanish speakers can brush up on their taco knowledge while ingesting a bit of taco history at Mexico's official Taco Day site.

-- Anyone heading to LA should definitely compile a list of taco trucks from the impressively well-researched Taco Hunt blog.

Labels: los angeles, mexican, street food, taqueria, thy tran