Travels in Tacoville

AS I TRAVERSE the city, continuing to hunt down the perfect
taco, I’ve been asked, “Why tacos?”

While it’s true many of the taco trucks I’ve eaten at have so much
more to offer than tacos, I feel the small foldable gems represent, in
their simplicity, the perfect litmus test for any truck.

A taco does not allow the meat to be hidden. It is laid bare to be
experienced in full. A burrito is too complex. It’s too easy to hide
poorly prepared meat in a wash of rice, beans, salsa, and guacamole. If
you find good meat in a taco, that same quality will be represented in
whichever menu item it appears. So it’s tacos now, everything else
later. Here are this month’s trucks. (Note: Hours are subject to
change, as the whims of the truck are unpredictable.)

Taquería la Express #1

Roaming NE Portland

Open daily from when they start until they stop

$1.50 tacos

There is a semi-secret community of taco trucks that flit like
dragonflies from one workplace or job site to the next. Recently, while
driving south on MLK, the smell of carnitas began wafting through my
windows. I suddenly noticed I was two cars behind Taquería la
Express. Giving chase, I followed the truck to N Columbia and Congress,
where it stopped in front of a towing company. They seemed a bit
startled when I walked up to order.

If you’re lucky enough to happen upon Taquería la Express,
order the asada. The meat is slightly charred from the grill but deeply
tender and moist. It’s very flavorful, seasoned in part with cumin, and
just spicy enough. The truck features a self-serve salsa bar that
includes four types of salsa, sliced radishes, and an outstanding spicy
pickled carrot and jalapeño mix. Onion and cilantro
standard.

El Brasero

SE 12th & Hawthorne

Open daily 6-3 am

$1.25 tacos

A proud member of Hawthorne’s cluster of late-night carts, El
Brasero has the gumption to close for only three hours every morning,
keeping the foodie parking lot humming throughout the day. There is a
full complement of Mexican specialties, but of the tacos, the pastor
and chorizo are easily the best bets.

The pastor is far less saucy than what I’ve found at other trucks,
making it very easy to eat. It lacks the serious spice of some pastor,
but does have a bright and subtle sweetness that makes the meat taste
light. The chorizo is another matter. The spicy pork sausage has
excellent heat, with a subtle maple sweetness that is enhanced with a
squeeze of lime. The added citrus makes this taco bloom with a deeply
complex flavor. Onions, cilantro, and lime standard. Certainly veg and
vegan friendly. (Cactus, anyone?)

Tacos y Tortas Morelia

SE 52nd & Foster

Open Tues-Sun 10 am-9 pm, Mon 10 am-6 pm

$1.25 tacos

Sometimes you come upon a truck that offers tastes so foreign to
your surroundings that it’s necessary to collect yourself for a moment.
Such is the case with the birria taco at Morelia, made with goat meat.
Goat has a funkiness that I have always enjoyed, similar to well-aged
goat cheese. The slightly greasy but deeply savory goat taco prepared
at Morelia retains a good deal of that goaty funk. However, the coup of
the Morelia birria taco is its additional dark dollop of mole
sauce.

On the second bite, there it was, rich and creamy with that
cocoa-esque mole twang blending perfectly with the goat, creating a
balanced and complex taco flavor that removed me from my own reality
for the duration. I did manage to return. Onions, lime, and cilantro
standard.

Taqueria Los Gorditos

SE 50th & Divison

Open Mon-Sat, 11 am-8 pm

$1.75 tacos

Of all of the strange things I’ve eaten from a taco truck (head,
tongue, stomach, etc.), perhaps the strangest is tofu. But tofu and
soyrizo (vegan chorizo) are what keep this Southeast gem hopping from
open ’til close.

Don’t get me wrong. Los Gorditos does wonders with meat as
well—their Stacey burrito fueled my late-summer evenings last
September during the Time-Based Arts festival.

Still, the tofu taco is not to be trifled with. Far from bland, the
chunks of tofu taste like they’ve been marinating in a savory broth for
days before being fried. The texture is excellent—reminding me of
a perfectly juicy lengua taco—and the refried beans that line the
tortilla work to add that extra oomph. Veg and vegan friendly (notice
how difficult it is to read the meat menu). Cilantro and onion
standard.