Una epifanía de los tacos - Mas Tacos Por Favor!

Holy crap! I was in the midst of a new San Francisco post, when I had una epifanía (an epiphany) regarding tacos (los tacos). As many who hang out in East Nashville know, there is a taco truck that parks at 5 Points most nights, in the midst of all the bars over here. (Perfect business plan...drunk hipsters + 11 PM + hungry = $$$)

The truck & business is called Mas Tacos and you can find out all about them on twitter & facebook (twitter.com/mastacos, etc.). They tweet/post the menu every night. I've been meaning to try it out for the last few months, but I'm never hungry or around when the truck is parked out on the street. Also, Dru thought the idea of food from a truck is totally sketchy, even though she (thoroughly) enjoyed the Silver Truck and Haven Bros. up in Providence.

Tonight I had a 9 PM hockey game, which makes for a hungry ben around 11...a perfect storm. I convinced Dru to get dressed and walk over with me. On the menu tonight:

• Chicken with grilled onions & roasted tomatillo salsa
• Fried tilapia with lime-marinated red onions and a spicy yogurt sauce
• Quinoa with roasted potatoes, grilled corn, red cabbage, cilantro, sour cream & roasted tomatillo salsa

After much hemming and hawing we decided to try one of each, on the condition that sweetie had to have a bite. The tilapia was perfectly spicy, with the creamy sauce mellowing and melding the flavors. The chicken was falling-apart soft, almost like pulled smoked chicken, and was delicious.

The quinoa though, was the best by far. For those who don't know, quinoa is a grain from South America and is pronounced "keen-wah." It is cooked and looks like couscous, and works as a substitute for that or for rice, but it has a rich, nutty flavor and is much more nutritious than the alternatives. Below, I've shamelessly ripped off a picture of cooked quinoa from a blog I found on the web. (The post is at http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2007/12/quinoa-salad.html. Check it out, it is a food blog out of San Diego and they have some good recipes and reviews.) Anyways, the quinoa taco was sweet and spicy and smoky and was totally delicious...good for Mas Tacos for having a real vegetarian option.


So! I highly recommend and I think Dru is a convert too. Come over to East Nash some night to eat a taco and drink a beer.