Jul 29 2010
First Look: Mexicue Food Truck
I went at noon today to check out the brand new Mexicue truck parked at 52nd St. and Park Ave. The line was already 25 deep before they could even lift the service door and put out the menu sign. Such has become the norm these days when word spreads around Midtown of a new food truck in the vicinity. I got in a few words with the head chef about the concept and to get some recommendations. He was hanging outside the truck and told me he can’t actually be in the truck cooking until he receives his pending mobile food vending license. Today’s menu featured four different tacos ($3-$4 ea) and three types of sliders ($3 ea). He said his “baby” is the BBQ Beets Taco but that you can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu, especially the Oak-Smoked Short Ribs Taco w/ salsa verde, aged white cheddar and salsa fresca and the Chipotle-Rubbed Smoked Chicken Slider w/cherry smoke, charred poblanos and salsa verde. I took his advice and went with a short ribs taco, a house chorizo taco w/ goat-feta cheese, habanero aioli slaw and cilantro and a smoked chicken slider. After just one bite of each, I had no doubt this marriage of spicy Mexican & smoky BBQ is a winner.
The attention to detail and thought behind each taco and slider combination is readily apparent. Each component brings some serious flavor to the table. The short ribs had a beautiful smoky taste that meshes impeccably well with the white cheddar and salsas verde and fresca. What’s also readily apparent is that Mexicue is not cutting any corners on ingredients. The house chorizo taco is a hit with its bangin’ spicy flavor from the chorizo tempered by a nice habanero slaw and some cilantro. I was also a big fan of the chipotle-rubbed smoked chicken slider. The intense and lingering smoky flavor of the pulled chicken alerts you to the fact that some serious “low and slow” preppin’ must have gone into this baby.
All in all, some pretty amazing flavors popped in each of the tacos and the slider I tried. My only gripe is that I shouldn’t still be as hungry as I was after spending $11 bucks at a food truck. I ate each of the tacos in about two bites and the slider in maybe three. In terms of size, they remind me of what you would expect to get at one of those “Tastes of _____” events where the restaurants hand out bite-sized portions of their signature dishes. You can tell by the picture below just how teeny the tacos are. To make it more luncher-friendly, I think they should offer some sort of a combo meal for $10. Time will tell if I’m the only one who sees the portion-size to price ratio as an issue. You can’t really fault me for wanting more of a good thing.
Not only was I disappointed with the portion size, but everything I got (minus the beets, which were great) was incredibly bland. Quite disappointing.
Just ate at the mexicue truck today and loved it. Truly awesome combo of bbq and mexican. There were 10 of us from my company to try it out and all loved it unanimously. Def a must.