The Sage Connection

Mexican-food trucks: Ole!

Posted

Recently some of my family members spent some time in Cabo San Jose, a resort town at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California. I, who did not, received daily updates and photos of exotic dishes, drinks served in tropical fruits, and one night, a picture of a lobster the size of a small child.

Not to be outdone, I, who stayed behind to feed the chickens and dogs, decided to do my own version of Mexican feasts… and do homage to another love of mine …paella.

Paella is not Mexican cuisine of course. It originated in Spain. I was introduced to it by the Basque brothers I met in California and have been searching for more ever since. Happily, while browsing at the Olympia Farmers Market the other day, I discovered Paella Pro. More about this neat place next week.

My credentials

In the meantime, I have been visiting some of our local Taco Trucks. Please note I too, have spent time in Cabo, so I feel I have the credentials to compare.

While in Cabo San Jose I, and the friends I was visiting, usually ate by the water. We ate in diners that could only be reached by Jeep, fancy dining places on the waterfront and the local farmers’ market.

We in Thurston County have access to similar eateries (Equal Latin is one of our favorites) but I do not recall seeing taco trucks in Cabo, so off I went – eager to explore this new (to me) culinary experience.

Besides Thurston County, I have also lived in California, Arizona, and Texas, each with its own versions of Mexican cuisine, but I do not recall seeing taco trucks there. Perhaps I was not looking in the right places, or looking at all since I didn’t know they existed. I know, better late than never.

First of all, let’s look at the décor. One of the things I love most about Mexico and its people is their bold use of happy colors, and none of the taco trucks I visited disappointed me. Bright splashes of colors abound on the outside of these meals on wheels.

Colorful pictures of their menus, along with the ingredients for the dishes, are on the outside so you can take your time deciding on what you are in the mood for before you order. And everything we tried was cooked to order, so you should know it is not your “drive-through” experience.

You should also know that this will automatically require more visits because you cannot possibly consume everything that sounds good in one trip.

I brought my daughter who is visiting from California with me and we decided this time we would just do tacos.

Meeting the M&Ms:

The first stop was at Taco 2 Hermanos, owned by Mario and Monica Galicia.  Mario is very friendly and helpful and told me I could just call him and his wife the M&Ms.

They have been located here for the past four years and operated their business at  Fort Lewis for five years before moving to their current location at 3044 Pacific Ave SE, in front of The Green Lady, in Olympia.

We tried their chicken and beef tacos and loved both. Their tortillas are homemade and their sauces were delicious.

Fiesta Tacos:

Next, we noodled over to Fiesta Taco. Tucked away between State Street and Fourth Avenue, it sits across the street from KRXY (Roxy) Radio Station. I only mention this because there is no address posted – just a phone number: 360-522-2013.

Fiesta Tacos also does catering and events and is owned by Luis Rivera. He has been here about two years and has a full menu.  We again ordered beef and chicken tacos. We immediately noticed a roasted onion and jalapeno pepper came with the beef tacos, which were a big hit.

No fish!

Fiesta Taco does not serve fish and Taco 2 Hermanos does but was out of stock. Neither of these folks have websites. Just great food.

I know there are many more of these culinary delights around Thurston County and rest assured I will continue to seek them out and try their menus. If you have any suggestions feel free to pass them along. I am hooked!

Kathleen Anderson writes this column each week from her home in Olympia.  Contact her at  kathleen@theJOLTnews.com or post your comment below.

Comments

1 comment on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • wolfmanner

    Um, Don't you think that is hurting local restaurant s ?

    Friday, May 27, 2022 Report this