Ta'CoNChile

I've been wanting to try this food truck at the Gosling Express Food Truck Plaza for awhile now, and managed to get there the other evening.  They have a reputation as a Mexican, more than Tex-Mex, truck.  Ordered a Mexican hot dog, a quesabirria, a cup of Mexican street corn, and a horchata agua fresca to wash it down.

The staff were very friendly and helpful, and my wait was not long--worth it for fresh-made food.  I very much enjoyed the Mexican hot dog.  It comes with grilled onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, bacon and cheese, and a Mexican cheese sauce to bring it together.  Great flavor combination.  It was a fantastic value at $4.  They keep the price down with dollar-a-pack hot dogs and cheap buns, but really for the money it's well worth it.  I would get it again.

The street corn was a great starter.  Layers of Mexican cheese and taco sauce mix together for a tasty corn casserole in a cup.  I love Mexican street corn and this was a good example.  The horchata was very good, with a stronger kick of cinammon than usual.  Definitely worth getting an agua fresca with your Mexican meal

The quesabirria is their specialty item.  It is Mexican beef stew meat and cheese in either flour or corn tortillas, finished on the grill to make it nice and chewy.  The birria sauce is served as an au jus so you have control. This dish has a very specific appeal--if the sight of a puddle of orange grease at the bottom of the plate makes your mouth water you will like this item, otherwise I would recommend trying their traditional tacos.

The salsas are served in little squares of plastic wrap, tied off.  So you have to poke them with a fork to get the salsa.  The red sauce has a serious kick, the green less so.  They are OK but the quesabirrias didn't need them.

They have bolis on their menu for dessert, which is ice cream frozen in a plastic wrapper.  I'm not a real fan so I did not get one and can't evaluate it.

It would be hard to say you should come to the food truck park specifically to eat here.  I went several times during their google maps posted hours and they weren't open.  They are consistently open Fridays (that's the day they post on Facebook) and seem to be trying to settle into a Thursday-Sunday evening schedule.  I would say take advantage of them if you see them open.

My Yelp Review

Ceviche Ria

This place is a successor to TJ Baja Tacos and Very Fresh Ceviches and Snacks.  They are now back in a restaurant-size space.  I came in the other day to give their new venue a try.  Ordered a Diabla shrimp tostada and a pineapple agua fresca.  You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table if you eat in. Service was polite and everything is made fresh so there's a little wait but it's well worth it.  

The shrimp in the dish is popcorn shrimp.  They were perfectly cooked and fresh, with a nice snap.  They offer mild, medium or spicy heat levels.  I would say the overall spice level is low.  I'm above-average sensitive--I ordered medium and just barely detected any heat.  If you like your spice, order it spicy and maybe tell them to amp it up some more.  The dish was a beautiful warm shrimp salad--lots of shrimp, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and other flavors with a tasty diablo sauce.  Nice savory flavor and a good boost from the sauce.  The tostada was crisp and firm enough to pick up if you wanted, though it is piled high so I ate it with a fork.  

The pineapple agua fresca was tasty and refreshing, not too strong but with great fruit flavor.  Went very well with the meal,  They also have horchatas, smoothies and shakes.

I've had their corn snacks in the past, and they are an excellent afternoon pick-up.  The mix of corn, cheese and spices is very satisfying.

The interior is very attractive and goes perfectly with the seafood theme.  Those who visited TJ's may remember that the interior was quite elaborate--not quite so much so this time, but more restful with some very nice artwork.  The bathrooms had just been cleaned so were of course ready to go.

The food is priced for fresh chef creations--my lunch set me back $23 but it was well worth it.  This is a seafood place, first last and always--no non-seafood items on offer unless you count the brisket options on the kids menu (so they'd probably make an adult-size version if you wanted), and vegetarian options are limited to the corn snacks.  If you are looking for Mexican seafood this is the place to go. 

My Yelp Review

Dutch Bros. Coffee at Gosling and 2920

This place has made a big splash in the neighborhood so I stopped in.  I ordered an Annihilator, which is a chocolate macadamia nut breve, and a lemon poppy seed muffin top.  You have options on the classic drinks--I had mine over ice.

All Dutch Bros. shops are drive through or walk up only, so they are forgoing the market for people to sit together for coffee or pull out their laptop and work.  Instead of having a speaker box for the drive through, they have staff outside taking customer orders at their cars--a nice human touch.

The customer service was excellent at this location.  The place was extremely busy, but the line moved quickly.  They handled any customer issues generously and effectively.

I wish I liked what I got better.  The coffee drink was sweet and milky--I didn't taste any chocolate or macadamia, or much coffee for that matter.  No caffeine kick that I could detect and I am somewhat sensitive.  The muffin top was a frozen item that got kind of gummy as it thawed.  Not real appealing.  I might need to get something more, or less, traditionally coffee-oriented.  My wife has had a better experience and has been back a few times.

Their marketing game is strong.  They give out collectible stickers that are a hot item.  But I'm not sure why one would switch from Starbucks, and you really can't if you want to sit somewhere.

My Yelp Review