85168 Fri Nov 28 22:30:19 -0800 2003 21 3 California 0 471403 After some wine tasting this afternoon, I asked my designated driver to take us home via the east side of Salinas, the Alisal district, to see what sights and smells of Mexican food we might find. First we cruised E. Alisal Street which was lively with restaurants, grills, taquerias, panaderias, and grocers. But before I could decide where to stop, I asked that we loop around E. Market St. That's when we sighted the taco truck row. Bingo! Along the 600-block of E. Market, there were four taco trucks, plus a hot doggero, parked on both sides of the road. This stretch of road is darker at night than Alisal Street a block away. Still mostly commercial, but fewer eating establishments, stationary ones that is. First, we stopped at the hot doggero, Jaquez Fast Food Service, identifiable by the umbrella over his cart and a sidewalk sandwich sign that offers "Hot Dogs, Champurrado, Elotes". It's next to JJ's Auto Stop and Save lot. There was a small crowd here waiting for their orders. Then a van pulled up, two caballeros dressed in full gear for a mariachi band performance jump out to get a cup of warm champurado. The hot dogs wrapped with a spiral of bacon are cooked and kept warm on a small glass-enclosed flat top. The buns are warmed on the flat top to order. A hot dog "con todos" is dressed with a squirt of mayonnaise, then piled with chopped fresh tomatoes and onions, two pieces of quartered jalapeño escabeche, relish, ketchup, mustard, and finally a squiggle of crema. They're served on a square of aluminum foil to eat out of hand, which we did, wolfing them down on the sidewalk. These masterpieces are $2.50 each. The champurrado has a faint amount of chocolate and is very smooth and creamy with hardly any graininess. A small champurrado is $1.50 and a large is $2. We window-shopped three of the four taco trucks. Interestingly, they all offer a good selection of mariscos in addition to the meat antojitos. One, El Kiosko, had a sandwich board listing the day's specials which included various kinds of ceviche (e.g., jaiba) and the coctel of the day. Tacos el Rigo had the largest selection of meats, including buche, barbacoa de cabeza, sesos, birria, and more. I settled on La Perla (701 E. Market St.) parked in front of the insurance office at 600 E. Market St., just down from Freedom Bakery (604. E. Market) because it had a serve yourself salsa bar set up on a TV tray on the side walk with some good looking hot sauces. We tried two tacos - chicharrones and lengua - a buck apiece. The chicharrones was cooked at that moment with a medium spicy tomatillo salsa which kept most of it crunchy in contrast with the meaty bits and parts that were spongy. The lengua was soft and paired well with the smoky roasted pepper red salsa from the bar. The doubled small tortillas were very tender and good quality. We liked both tacos very much. The cilantro and onions for our tacos were chopped to order. While we stood next to the truck eating our food, we noticed that the cook did this for each order. That extra bit of freshness counts. The truck can be found at this location 7 days a week, and on Tuesdays, tacos are 2 for 1. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/23052#86949 Fri Nov 28 22:30:19 -0800 2003 0 Melanie Wong 1 471412 Thanks for the mention. Sounds like a worthy stop on my next trip up back to SF. Mon Dec 01 00:36:33 -0800 2003 471403 0 Stanley Stephan 2 471413 I hope I've finally redeemed myself in Ruth's eyes. (g) The quality is very high for the two vendors we tried, well worth a stop. The area on E. Market Street is only about three or four blocks from Hwy. 101 exit/on ramp, so convenient too. Mon Dec 01 00:53:29 -0800 2003 471412 0 Melanie Wong 1 2193234 Reading the news of proposed restrictions on mobile food vendors, http://www.thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120303 I made a beeline to East Market Street when I returned to Salinas on Sunday evening in search of tacos. To update my posting from 2003, I spotted another La Perla truck, and two more trucks called Mayra and El Taco Rico. Parking looked easiest by the La Perla taco truck, located in front of a vacant house for rent at 715 E. Market Street, so I took the path of least resistance and stopped here. Image of La Perla 1 - http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/359198274_9a786f5e02_o.jpg The young man on duty was most apologetic that he was sold out of carnitas, also tripas y chorizo. I ended up with one each of lengua, cabeza, chicharron, and birria. Image of menú - http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/359198277_3a8ef3ceba_o.jpg Made with small size doubled corn tortillas, these buck apiece tacos held up pretty well for the ride home. Again, the onions and cilantro were fresh as can be and chopped to order. This truck had only one tub of self-serve salsa, but it was a goodie, a very flavorful and fiery roasted tomatillo salsa. And my bag included wedges of lime and sliced radishes. Dad scarfed down the cabeza taco, yet I can say that the smidgen of meat that I plucked was deliciously beefy and smooth. Mom thought the lengua was good, cut into buttery chunks, and paired especially well with the green salsa. This time the chicharrones were more stew-y with the spongey rind soaking up all that hot, hot green sauce. I liked the seasoning of the birria, made with beef, but the texture was too stringy. Once again, a very solid and satisfying performance. Down the street I stopped at the Jaquez hot dog stand to get a steamy cup of champurrado on this freezing cold night. Now $2 for a medium-size, I liked this better than my earlier report. Voluptuously smooth and heavy textured, it had a more definite chocolate statement and richness. Tue Jan 16 07:38:59 -0800 2007 471403 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2196114 Without getting into the politics, have you noticed an increase in street vendors since 2003? Going to the churros question, have you cruised the Catholic churches around Sunday mass ... the Spanish masses are usually later around noon. Wed Jan 17 01:04:58 -0800 2007 471403 10264 rworange 2 2196274 Hard to tell because the local economy is depressed right now and some of the usual vendor may be off the streets. Otoh, some say that vendor activity increases in a down economy. But judging from my drive-bys in that area the last three days, I've only spotted the one new truck and confirmed that he started 2 years ago. There do seem to be many more paleta pushcarts even as cold as it is. And, i haven't seen any presumably illegal tamale vendors, e.g., blanket-wrapped pots in grocery store shopping carts or big insulated coolers. My forays can't take in Sunday mass for a few months, have heard that one of the stands during the summer rodeo makes churros on site. I was hoping to find one working now. Out of Place? Street vending in Los Angeles - http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~cupers/streetvending.html Wed Jan 17 02:05:51 -0800 2007 2196114 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2616913 As someone originally from Fresno, but who has worked all over Asia, Africa, and Latin America over the last 35 years--you guys are really, really lucky to have such a vibrant street food culture. Street food in most, but not all, parts of the world is gaining deserved respect and recognition. Many travelers take home some of their fondest memories from local markets, food sold on the plazas, and sidewalk stands. The hard working entrepreneurs almost always give one a delicious, clean, and "from home" eating experience to be cherished. Thu May 31 09:13:31 -0700 2007 471403 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 2618314 As you can see, my original post for this thread dates back to 2003. I truly regret that I had'n't taken up the banner to highlight how good the street food is in my home town until now. Enjoy it before its gone --- I owe rworange a more detailed explanation on what distinguishes Salinas tacos in the other topic. In August 2001, I posted "Taco Trucks de Santa Rosa" ( http://www.chowhound.com/topics/17230 ) about the taco truck row in the center of Sonoma County. Some years later I met a Bay Area wine merchant who remembered that piece and said that I described tacos with the same detail and passion usually reserved for a fine Musigny. That report and others from intrepid chowhounds in the same time frame were the inspiration for Tara Duggan's piece in the SF Chronicle that won a James Beard award. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/10/21/CM161079.DTL&type=printable Then several other major media outlets started reporting on street food in their locales and the "other" became more familiar and less foreign. However, what I've gained in my taco pursuits in Oakland's Fruitvale, Sonoma County, Napa Valley, King City, Redwood City, Vallejo, and San Francisco's Mission is the eating experience to know that Salinas has some of the best taqueros to be found in Northern California. So, i'll keep trying to find them, describe them here, and maybe the gringos will be flocking to these trucks as they do in San Francisco and Oakland. So far the only two where I've observed non-Latino customers were: El Grullense http://www.chowhound.com/topics/379614 El Jaliscience http://www.chowhound.com/topics/362532 Here are my updates on the other vendors along this stretch of E. Market Street. Taco de Carnitas @ La Perla truck, Salinas, 1/07 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/362204 Mexican-style Hot Dog al Jaquez (Salinas), 4/07 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/390476#2469221 El Kiosko taco truck in Salinas, 1/07 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/361866 Salsa de Molcajete and Gordita @ Mayra's Catering Truck, Salinas, 1/07 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/362452 El Taco Rico truck in Salinas, 1/07 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/362203 "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot, With a pink hotel, a boutique, And a swinging hot spot. Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." ~ Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell Thu May 31 14:24:38 -0700 2007 2616913 10039 Melanie Wong 3 2620968 Well, if Salinas only had a pink hotel, boutique and swinging hot spot .. the taco trucks are the most interesting thing food-wise. Is the El Kiosko truck mentioned in the OP the same as this one that was reported but doesn't mention seafood? http://www.chowhound.com/topics/361866 Fri Jun 01 11:37:30 -0700 2007 2618314 10264 rworange 4 2621040 Actually that song is rather ironic for me, as our family owned two commercial buildings condemned and razed by redevelopment to become part of the pubic domain. We had going-concerns operating in both of them. They're both parking lots now -- the one across from the Steinbeck Center on the 100-block of Main Street where the Oldtown Farmers Market sets up on Saturday and the lot for Salinas High School on the 600-block of S. Main Street. I've found two non-Mexican venues that are worthy of stop. However, the taco trails have consumed all my typing time. I'm here a few days each week until I have some travel planned starting 6/20, so let me know when you'd like to explore some of the local chow. In the OP from 2003, both El Kiosko and La Perla offered mariscos, but have discontinued seafood. But never fear, I've found two marisco trucks . . . working on a post now . . . and one is quite superlative. Fri Jun 01 11:53:49 -0700 2007 2620968 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2621006 Note the popularity of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" series. Fri Jun 01 11:46:24 -0700 2007 2616913 14515 Stephanie Wong 3 2621366 And Andy Chin's on streetfood in Asia. Fri Jun 01 13:10:05 -0700 2007 2621006 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 2622675 Hey Tony B! Come to Salinas! Fri Jun 01 23:14:51 -0700 2007 2621006 10039 Melanie Wong 4 2712687 Planning to route our trip to PG through Salinas this Wed. in order to hit a few of the vendors I just realized they will probably not be out on Quattro de Julio. Now wondering if many of them will be open on Sat. when we return? If not will probably have to make a run back to E. Market and environs on Friday. Mon Jul 02 07:45:49 -0700 2007 2622675 18150 PolarBear 5 2715265 PB: I think you'll find most of them out. Just a hunch, but they'll be where the $ is. They have been out on Sat and Sunday the past few months. At least La Grullense and the marisco truck down the street. If you like markets, try Mi Pueblo Mkt a few blocks east of the freeway. Great bakery. Real rendered lard in clear tubs. Dark and creamy looking. Fresh tortillas etc. The only bakery I've ever seen that labels all the names of the different pan dulces. Huge meat and seafood counter. Mon Jul 02 22:18:28 -0700 2007 2712687 11234 toodie jane 6 2716148 Thanks for the reminder about the market, TJ. We'll plan on stopping by going both ways and report back on the holiday/weekend situation. Tue Jul 03 09:06:52 -0700 2007 2715265 18150 PolarBear 5 2728677 Sorry, I've been out of the country. Hope you didn't go hungry in Salinas --- what did you try? Sun Jul 08 00:57:10 -0700 2007 2712687 10039 Melanie Wong 6 2729289 On the way over Wednesday (July 4th) we stopped at El Grullense, K and I each had an al pastor taco that we both proclaimed best ever. I also got a tripas, again a whole other level than what I've become accustomed to, and she a pescado, apparently so good that I wasn't offered a bite ; >P I went looking for Mayra's, Julio Valdez' and Jaquez to satisfy my craving for a Mexican hot dog but they were MIA. Looking back now at my notes we may have been there too early (@ 12:30). Instead we found Mr. Taco and had a couple of the quesadillas de maiz con al pastor that knocked our socks off. I think I wolfed down a tasty lengua taco as well. Return trip on Saturday, again just after 12 pm, so most of my targets were missing. Stopped at Mr. Taco again, K wanted two of the al pastor quesadillas for herself, I got one along with a tripas taco, absolutely love his crunchy flavorful version. I'd noticed "Mariscos" on his truck but received a funny look when I asked for a taco pescado. After again not finding Mayra, I looked south on Kern St. and noticed that the El Grullense truck wasn't there, so headed south on Griffitth to La Paloma. K had a taco carne asada that she thought was OK, I went with one each of the al pastor and cabeza. These were both good but done in a different style, the cabeza tender and good flavor but the al pastor didn't have the carmelization or any crunch like the other two places we tried. Very nice friendly couple manning the cleanest most polished interior we've ever seen. Would probably order differently next time, perhaps tripas, lengua or pescado if they have it (sorry, failed to notice. I saw an article in one of the local papers that the Salinas City Council was going to meet (Thurs?) to determine if there would be two time periods that the vendors could choose between, and a few other things I can't recall. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to follow up to see what was reported afterward. Now I just have to find a way to get back to your hometown for a Mexican hot dog or two, some elote, and score some of Julio Valdez' tamales to bring home. Sun Jul 08 09:49:12 -0700 2007 2728677 18150 PolarBear 7 2734761 Thanks for the report back and for spending some of your chow dollars in Salinas! Especially gratifying to hear from a Fresno-ite on the local food, as I know you have some very good Mexican offerings in your own town and can critique with an experienced palate. The proposed ordinance goes before the City Council on Tuesday, July 10, at 7:30pm. I purchased a copy at the city clerk's office today and it is still pretty onerous though some progress has been made that is favorable to the vendors. Here's the Monterey Herald's article, perhaps the one you read, http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_6310852 . If you're interested in sending a letter to Mayor Dennis Donahue, here's his email address, dennisd@ci.salinas.ca.us . I talked to a childhood friend today who had stumbled upon the taco truck reports and has been making the rounds. Like you, she feels El Grullense and Mister Taco are really special. I'm concerned at Mister Taco as he's parked in front of a church. He doesn't operate on Sundays during services, but under the proposed new ordinance, vendors are prohibited from being within 300' of a church at any time. That's going to be a tough one in this town as Salinas has even more evangelical and other churches than taco trucks and you're never far from one. Lastly, I wanted to do an identity check. On Griffin Street, did you stop at Paloma, as shown here, http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1371/538069820_6fe073a283.jpg?v=0 or at Acambaro, depicted here, http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/536352636_24ce29c3f7.jpg?v=0 ? Mon Jul 09 22:32:37 -0700 2007 2729289 10039 Melanie Wong 8 2735291 Thanks for Mayor Donahue's email, Melanie, I'll definitely shoot one off to him. Yes, that was the article I read in the Herald, I recall being dumbfounded by the church restrictions but somewhat heartened by the Orange County precedent. We did indeed stop at La Paloma on Griffin, don't recall seeing the Acambaro trailer type unit anywhere. Heading back up Griffin we noticed the El Kora truck parked in the lot of their b&m location and wondered if that would be a good spot for K to get her fish taco fix and me a coktel, ceviche tostada, or other seafood delight? I'm still amazed at the vibrant Hispanic core of culture that makes up that loop east of 101 between Market and Alisal to Sanborn Rd. Here in Fresno it's more of a hopscotch layout scattered all over the southeast sector covering 10 sq mi or so, how great to have it all within a few blocks. We need to get out and walk around more next time, it's too overwhelming to try and take it in while driving by. Tue Jul 10 07:20:50 -0700 2007 2734761 18150 PolarBear 9 2742796 Thank you and others for writing in, I'm sure it made all the difference. Here's my post on the dénouement of this political drama . . . or maybe it's a suprise ending. Salinas Mobile Vendors Declare Victory! http://www.chowhound.com/topics/420366 Other cities across the country have been watching and waiting to see the outcome in Salinas as they grapple with the vendor situation in their own areas. I hope they'll have the same wisdom and foresight to regulate and enforce, rather than banish. I need to get out and walk more too in order to check out some of the small bodegas. In your taco truck crawl, be sure to walk from El Grullense on Kern to La Paloma or Acambaro on Griffin by strolling under the freeway on East Alisal street. You'll find some gorgeous murals under there. The district is alive with commerce and pedestrian activity, making it unique in the city. According to this article, it brings in more sales tax revenue than the large shopping malls with big box anchor stores. "Money Makers - Thriving East Salinas shopping district pumps cash into city coffers." May 31, 2007 By Michelle Caldwell http://mcweekly.com/issues/Issue.05-31-2007/news/Article.news_3 Thu Jul 12 08:20:24 -0700 2007 2735291 10039 Melanie Wong 2 2730052 Sam thanks for your post about street food around the world. We just got back from Japan yesterday where we went to visit our daughter who is studying in Kyoto. Her favorite thing to do is to hit the takoyaki stands. We got to try this while we were there and really enjoyed it. Can't wait to try some of the places that Melanie writes about-- we do our usual trip through Salinas on the way to historic car races in August! Sun Jul 08 15:32:55 -0700 2007 2616913 12307 dimsumgirl