456833 Sat Nov 03 01:40:53 -0700 2007 5 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3091341 Don't know if this vendor has been reported yet, I wasn't really turning up anything in search. In the lot of the Dutton Road Lola's Market there was a pickup truck selling tamales, elote, duritos, cueritos (pickled pork skin) cole slaw and strawberry atole. Must be a legal operation as a police officer was chowing down on a tamale. The tamales are covered with crema and a choice of green tomatillo or red sauce. Chicken, pork and cheese tamales available. The tamales were dense yet moist. The chicken was spicy, but not sure if that was due to the salsa. The cheese turned buttery and the peppers were good. Of course, things go better with crema ... didn't try the pork ... $1 There was a huge container of what I was told was cole slaw ... for a hefty $2. They failed to mention the cueritos in it. The slaw was sprinkled with cheese. It was good. The cabbage/pig/cheese combo worked ... crispy slaw and chewy pork skin. The strawberry atole was hot and pleasant with the strawberry flavor similar to Nestle's Quik. Didn't try the elote, but it was cut off the cob to order and a big dollop of mayo and other stuff mixed in the cup. I took a wrong turn in the city of Sonoma and ended up by accident in Santa Rosa (don't ask). I had NO intention of being in Santa Rosa today. I've read so many reports about great Santa Rosa food, so I go to pull out my little notebook to see what might be good eats ... I left the notebook at home. I think that maybe I'll spot a name that will ring a bell ... nope. The heck with it ... it's dark ... I'm going home. So as I'm on Hwy 12 about to take the SF exit to get on 101, a big rig pulls on the road blocking my exit. Cursing slighlty under my breath, I speed up and take the next exit to turn around. I'm thinking sort of half-seriously that if there is food at this forsaken exit, I'm taking it as a sign from the food gods to stop. I spot a glowing light in the distance and drive toward it ... it's Lola's ... the one without the deli ... what the heck, I figure I'll check out what they have as far as pan de muertos. At the door is the tamale pickup truck. The food gods speaketh. It was kind of cool ... sort of festive with people crowding around the truck and a lady selling marigolds for the Day of the Dead. Lola's pan de muertos seemed like the boring kind the majority of panaderias sell so i passed. In this case some of the bread was sprinkled in the middle with pink sugar. So I drove down 101 back home, filled with tamales and happily sipping my warm strawberry atole with a little prayer of thanks to the food gods on my lips ... an probably a little residual lard. Sat Nov 03 01:40:53 -0700 2007 10264 rworange 1 3094430 I was there too on DoD - I noticed the lady with the Marigolds right out front of the door. The pickup truck has always intrigued me - but I have not tried anything from it. They have a second op in front of Rancho Mendoza just down the street. Had no clue that there were cueritos in the slaw. Do you know the provenance of those big duerito - wheat sandal chicharron salads? I asked EN,. Sun Nov 04 15:26:25 -0800 2007 3091341 14086 kare_raisu 2 3094454 YOU had no clue ... imagine what it is to be in a dark car chowing on what you think is cole slaw and you hit a pork skin. Once I got over the gummy worm sensation and shock, I did enjoy it. duerito - wheat sandal chicharron salads? Well, try a pork tamale for me next time you see it ... and some elote ... but eat the tamale there so you get the crema and salsa. While these weren't tamale greatness they were above most I've tried and the toppings upped the goodness. Well worth $1. Sun Nov 04 15:35:58 -0800 2007 3094430 10264 rworange 3 3094473 Wow...put that way - Id be pretty surprised as well! THose big rectangular slightly orange fried wheat (chicharronesque) chips that they usually put the slaw on/ What do they dress it with -crema? Please let us know next time you are up here! Sun Nov 04 15:40:46 -0800 2007 3094454 14086 kare_raisu 4 3094522 Oh, duro con cueritos http://www.chowhound.com/topics/327114 The guy who was selling them said he was from Pueblo and they were common there. Not sure about the crema. Yeah, I would have been happy to let you know I was going to be up there but I didn't know I'd be there. I thought about it, and was going to check my notes before leaving, but I got a late start and Santa Rosa seemed a stretch. I had the skewed perception in Sonoma that Hwy 12 hooked onto 101 ... well it does ... 18 miles later in Santa Rosa ... On-Star was starting to seem next on my to-buy list. Pretty ride though. Have you checked out the Mexican section on Hwy 12 around Aqua Caliente? One market near some place called La Favorita (I think) was grilling little chickens outside. At that point I wasn't hungry though. If you are ever in the San Pablo area be sure to check out La Loma #11 on Rumrill. That's where I bought the duro con cueritos. There is always something new and different there. Unfortuanately it is only one thing at a time and usually next to the cash register. Looking for the above link I've noticed I've had items like rompope empanadas, snack-wrapped tuna cactus (my first taste), and other first-time tastes. I did peek in on DOD to check out if they had anything special. Just some fried fritter-type things, but I was hell-bent on pan de muertos, so I didn't even ask. Sun Nov 04 16:02:23 -0800 2007 3094473 10264 rworange 2 3095802 As I thought about it... I am pretty sure they are of recent invention, and part of what I have discussed as Naco cuisine. Sort of the "Sandra Lee" approach to inventing new, profitable forms of Antojitos. Whether they are from Puebla or not... hard to tell. Last time I was in Puebla (city)... I didn't see anything of the sort, and frankly could not imagine them being popular in that very foodie town. Mon Nov 05 07:26:47 -0800 2007 3094430 42572 Eat_Nopal