La Garnacheria

I stopped by this fairly new food truck in La Plaza de los Food Trucks. I got a couple Tacos de Canasta with chicharrones, the Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo, and the Esquite with bone marrow.

All of the food is intensely and marvelously flavorful. The Tacos de Canasta are filled corn tortillas steamed over hot oil for one hour, then warmed up when you order. The chicharrone filling was the best I have ever had, hands down. Wonderful umami flavor and creamy pork fat. I was warned that they would probably fall apart and they did, but I didn't mind at all.

The tostadas were the traditional corn shell topped with a layer of refried beans, shredded chicken in a tomato and chipotle sauce, lettuce and cheese. They held up well on the drive home (I ordered to go). They are carefully constructed so that you can pick them up and they eat pretty neatly for a tostada. All the different flavors come through.

The Esquite is a corn dish, equivalent to what other Tex-Mex trucks call elote. At $12 for 12 ounces it is kind of pricey. But oh my, the flavor! (I know I'm saying flavor a lot. Flavor flavor flavor flavor). The bone marrow broth gives it an incredible richness. I actually finished that 12 ounce cup, which has not happened before. This has spoiled me for elote now.

The dishes came with two salsa cups. They are more spreads than liquid. There's a red one that has a pleasant kick and more delicious flavor. And a darker one that is flaming hot, but you can still get the flavor of the chile. The salsas are an achievement on their own, and complement the food wonderfully.

I wanted to try the Arroz con Leche, but she was still preparing that when I came and I chose not to wait. Based on the other dishes I think it would be great.

The owner was working the truck on her own and describes her food as home cooking. The prices are comparable to other trucks for a serving, but each item is really only enough for one (you will want three tacos if you're making a meal of them). The tostadas are a pair so you could share if you have a small appetite. I would definitely look forward to trying the rest of her menu. Can't really find anything to fault.

My Yelp Review