Tacos El Carnal 1 & 2 ~ Downtown
Tacos el Carnal 1 & 2 ~ Alameda St. & The Santa Monica Freeway
Orale Tacos El Carnal #2!! What’s cookin’ good lookin’? Cuban and Hawaiian sandwiches, huaraches, sopes, desayuno, burgers, tortas, cemitas poblanas…Mmmmnnn, sounds like my kind of girl; Flexible. Talented. And multi-faceted too. Plus, she’s got an attractive friend, El Carnal #1, right next to her. She just likes to watch, I gather.
This colorful truck is slanging tacos mostly to truckers driving into the lot to bust a stream of diesel into their tanks. When I approached it from afar, it was settin’ there by its lonesome, wondering why nobody could appreciate a lady with so much to offer. I locked my eyes on and scanned the goods. But yes, they had none of their listed birria and no suadero, so I stuck to the same ole, same ole pastor, asada, carnitas routine. There was a long list of taco meats available though. Some of which I bet they have on occasion.
I liked the carnitas a lot. It was not a traditional stewed, wet carnitas, just marinated, sliced, roasted pork mingling with cilantro, cebolla, and salsa roja. The tacos are little dudes, but full of generous chopped cuts of meat, and a slightly fried outer tortilla adds a lot of flavor and texture to the experience. The carnitas were extremely soft, offering no resistance as they crumbled in my maw, and the salsa is fairly spicy. This is exactly what I wanted to be eating at the time. You know that feeling?
The pastor came exactly like I likes it. It is crunchy. A crunch-fest! Captain Crunch should land and colonize its ass. It also has a lightly charred taste. The pastor’s flavors are deep, sometimes zesty, sometimes mildly tasting of tomatoes and adobo. These pastor tacos were so rindy, chewing them only squeezes out more flavor as they condense like miniature sponges under your teeth. A divine texture if crackily pastor floats your boat. You also get a lemon AND a lime to flavor your food.
Now for the bad news, Carnal. The asada disappointed me. Hey, trust me, I didn’t want it to, we were in it together really, but it just couldn’t hold its end of the deal. Gray, dry cubes peeked out from my tortillas and I wondered if I hadn’t got some lengua or buche slipped in my shite. The asada was flavorless and the consistency was a turn-off. Just boring. There might not be a second date on that one. Also, the horchata can be skipped. It looked homemade, coming out of one of those giant glass beehives, but the taste of powder rules the watery cup of tame sweetness.
But hell, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad and Tacos El Carnal hits the bullseye with its carnitas and pastor, which take more expertise anyway. I would definitely recommend hitting El Carnal when and if you’re downtown and leaving or entering the Fwy. They seem to have something for everyone, as evidenced by our Cuban brothers who took over the taco train riding on El Carnal’s fragile frame as I was leaving. Que bola man? It ain’t no fun unless we all get some!
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(4 tacos)
Scott Andrews wrote:
This business model is one that has grown out of a real service need for businesses that have employees that did not have the ability to get food with a short break. Fine. This type of mobile catering truck fit those needs. Here is the rub. When these trucks started to roam the streets they have now created a business model for the city that is out of touch with what a brick and mortar restaurateur must contend with. The lower operating costs and the ability to intercept clients before they have a chance to support a traditional restaurant is simply unfair business practice. This law should be expanded and should apply to all parts of the city. Taco trucks are taking valuable business from those that have invested in their community and to have a mobile business operating in the vicinity of their business that has a higher overhead and no ability to move freely is at a disadvantage to a taco truck. This unfairly damages a business owner that has made a substantial investment when the taco truck is simply taking advantage of the lack of laws and low overhead simplicity. Personally I believe that all persons have a right to make a living but it should not be done in such a way that disadvantages a long standing business model that is properly placed. Taco trucks should continue to do what they where designed for, to take food to those that are not able to get it easily due to working or locational considerations. Parked on the side of a major city street causing traffic congestion and litter are only the obvious issues that taco trucks are causing. Community health is not a viable argument people found food in their communities long before these opportunistic taco trucks decided to cross over from mobile catering trucks serving workers to illegal mobile restaurants. This was a created market that is being developed at the expense of properly permitted and correctly placed business establishments.
NO MORE TACO TRUCKS AS MOBILE RESTARAUNTS! THIS IS UNFAIR BUSINESS!
PS: I am not in the food business, but rather another business owner in an unrelated field. S
Posted on 01-May-08 at 7:49 am | Permalink
bill wells wrote:
Los tacos del ‘Taco Carnal’ se ven como los tacos al pastor de Huajuapan de Leon, Oaxaca. No sé como saben pero hay buenos en San Bernardino. Ahora Van Morrison está cantando Frank Sinatra desde Nueva Orleans a Oaxaca. Globalización, es un mundo chico ¿no es cierto, guey? ( Asi hablan mis alumnos, (Je, Je.) Exraño LA pero el internet me salvó. Bye, El gabacho Oaxaqueño.
Posted on 11-May-08 at 2:34 pm | Permalink
bill wells wrote:
Oh, y ¿arriba los ambuLantes!
Posted on 11-May-08 at 2:46 pm | Permalink
bill wells wrote:
Sorry for the typo, echo culpa a Bill Gates.
Posted on 11-May-08 at 2:47 pm | Permalink
bill wells wrote:
Long live the free market ! Down with regulation of business!
Posted on 11-May-08 at 2:51 pm | Permalink