Big D's Grub Truck

This is becoming a food truck trilogy this week. Today, however, I'm reviewing something less sweet than the ice cream sandwiches from yesterday: Big D's Grub Truck. Of course they have a twitter, like all the other cool Manhattan food trucks, and thy usually pack it in by around 3PM.

Look for the Yellow Truck

The tacos are great, and at three for $7, they're a pretty good deal and you can sample different fillings in each one. I tried the spicy chicken, spicy pork, and bulgolgi. They are full to the point of overflowing with well seasoned meats and topped with cucumber and either scallions or cilantro. Fresh lime to squeeze on top adds lovely acidity to these somewhat oily proteins.

From Left to Right: Spicy Chicken, Pork, and Bulgolgi

The spicy pork was my favorite. They were actually hot enough to merit the adjective, and flavorful with the kimchee purée and whatever is in "Big D's secret spice mix." The bulgolgi was tender and well marinated but needed a little of the sriracha to kick it up a bit. The spicy chicken itself was somewhat flavorless except for the heat from the mayo and the fresh coppery flavor of the cilantro on top. Next time I'm trying the ginger chicken instead.

Pork dumplings were a last minute addition at four for $3. Two sauces for dipping were free, and I chose spicy mayo and sriracha. They were a slightly worrisome pink inside, but otherwise delicious. They were extremely flavorful and garlicky and the spicy mayo was an excellent choice of sauce in which to dip them.

Dumplings and fixin's

You won't be winning any good feelings standing too close to coworkers after eating here, but this truck is a great deal for some very solid food in Manhattan. I hear they have breakfast, too...

-SdJ

Seoul food truck, manhattan

I've heard about this truck from a coworker for months, but I never actually made it out to try it until this week. The line of people was a dead giveaway that something worthwhile was down the block between Madison and Park.

Crowding around for Seoul food

I had the burrito with brown rice, sweet 'n' spicy pork, and the spicy mayo. I made a pretty solid choice, but it wasn't as spicy as it sounds, and for $9.25 after tax, it was just ok.

Sweet 'n' spicy pork burrito

The brown rice was firm and toothy. Hearty and filling, certainly, but not exactly memorable. The "sweet and spicy" pork was sweet and oily, but not very spicy, and the mayo didn't do much to make up for this.

Don't get me wrong: Seoul Food's burrito was still flavorful. It just wasn't what it sounds like on the menu. Ask for sriracha or something to add some heat if you actually like spicy food.

Bottom line: it's good but not amazing, and you can get a lot more for you money in midtown, especially if you're eating at a truck.

-SdJ

Rachel's, 5th avenue, Park Slope

We've ordered from Rachel's before. Giant burritos that were competent but more stomach than mind blowing. But the exterior screams so loudly for attention every time we walk by that we finally relented and walked in on an evening when a taco craving hit us.

Readers should know that we take tacos very seriously in the du Jour household. Even though they are a relatively recent invention in the history of Mexican cuisine, there are plenty of different interpretations. While we are by no means purists, insisting on only one proper way of preparing these perfect pairings of tortillas and toppings, we expect them to be two things: plentiful, and delicious. Like beers, they should never exist in the singular.

It was threatening to storm when we arrived, so when we were asked if we'd like to sit inside or out back, my first reaction was to choose an inside table. Once seated, however, we could see that the backyard "beach" is covered anyway. The overly Disney-fied Mayan statues made it seem like a great place to go H.A.M. on their basic but cheap margaritas, but since we were here to eat and not drink on this visit, inside was just fine. Lots of stuff on the walls (including a flame-painted hammerhead shark and swordfish,) gives this place a feeling of an Applebee's in a SoCal surf town.

Blind yet? No? Maybe there needs to be more lights and flags.

When we sat down, we were handed in order, chips and salsa, menus, and water. (the chips were thick and crunchy just the way i like. The salsa, however, was watery and tomato-y and not very flavorful at all. Wah wah.) The staff was speedy in getting us started, but subsequent refills of water required us to flag down people who were too busy walking past us to eat chips out of the big metal tub at the prep station or get back to their conversation about hitting the gym. You go, girl.

The specials menu had a dish of three soft double corn tortilla tacos with mesquite grilled pork, onions, cilantro, and salsa verde which caught my eye and my lovely companion went for something smaller-sounding: a cheese quesadilla with guacamole.

Half a quesadilla

The guacamole was really good. Lots of chunky Haas avocados, cilantro, lime... Not spicy but really fresh tasting. The quesadilla was actually pretty huge, using the largest flour tortilla they make, and full of really tasty cheese.

One and a half tacos

My tacos looked perfect, but at 3 for $14 I felt they were either too few or too small. I didn't taste any of the mesquite, or indeed any grill flavored at all in the pork, but it was juicy and tender with some nice spiciness.

After two experiences with this place, I think I'm going to put it in the category of drinking-places with food, rather than food-places with drinks. I may give them one more try to test the barbecue options, but ultimately the vibe is better suited for some margaritas with friends or some post-bar food if the kitchen is still open then. There's way better Mexican for cheaper in the neighborhood.

Food: 7/10
Value: 5/10
Ambiance: 8/10 if you're drinkin'
Service: 7/10

-SdJ

Mexican brunch at Fonda

We've been walking by this place for weeks now and saying we need to try it. Fonda on 7th avenue between 14th and 15th is apparently the second location of this restaurant by Roberto Santibanez. (the other being on avenue B in the East Village, and not to be confused with "Fonda Nolita" on Elizabeth street.) Its a pretty little space that looks like a lot of money went into making it look really simple.

At 11:05, we were the second table there, and it didn't pick up too much by the time we left around noon. (does everyone in Brooklyn sleep really late on weekends? Or are there just too many options for great brunch here?)

Coffee only comes in a French press for two at $5 and was superb, despite a hairline fracture in the carafe that caused a slow leak throughout our breakfast. Both of our spoons and one of our mugs being delivered with dried bits of food stuck to them could have ruined what turned out to be an excellent meal.

Most of the food options were what you'd expect to see on a Mexican inspired brunch menu, and I ordered Huevos Rancheros ($12, made with organic eggs) while my lovely companion chose the Burrito Texano (ditto.)

The huevos were perfectly cooked and stacked on a nice pair of crispy tortillas sandwiching refried black beans, (the beans here!) chorizo, (which was bright red and a little too timid for my taste,) and diced onions, and topped with queso fresco, crema, and cilantro. This was all smothered in a very red salsa ranchera which was a little too tomato-y at first bite, but turned out to be rather complex with cumin and then chile with each bite building heat. By the end I had finished everything but a plate of sauce, and resorted to using the complimentary rice and beans to soak up every last drop.

Let's talk about rice and beans. Every time I see a combination platter on a Mexican menu that includes rice and beans, I flee to the a la carte section. Almost every mexican place I've eaten presents the same pale orange rice with some flecks of red pepper (or worse, the obviously frozen peas and cubed carrots!) and some taupe colored refried bean paste. The equivalent of fries and a crappy soda in your fast food combo meal which aren't actually worth the extra you pay over the price of your Baconator or whatever, but they offer "perceived value." There are exceptions to this rule, and this place was one of them. In the bean category, at least.

Fonda's rice is bright sunset red, frozen vegetable-free, but still pretty mild. I get the feeling that a lot of chefs in Brooklyn balk at a little heat for fear of scaring off their guests, but maybe I've just missed the spicy food here so far. (Please, send me any comments or recommendations about spicy food in general!)

Fonda's beans were transcendent. That's a word I don't throw around lightly. When I first learned the meaning during my art school days, I understood it to define something that surpasses the medium in which it is created. The Last Supper, (to stick with the food topic,) did to wet plaster what most people couldn't have done to a canvas and oil. These beans, purple-black, still somewhat chunky, but wet enough to be a sauce or a salsa or a stew or whatever else you might want, are so much more than beans. They are smokey and full of earthy flavors like wood and spice and cocoa. I'm sure there's chocolate in there, which would be a beautiful way to play with the variations of bean in Mexican cooking. I could eat them straight, dip tortillas in them, or put them on every bite of my entree. Which I did.

My companions burrito was big and full of scrambled egg, chihuahua cheese, that same timid chorizo, and roasted potatoes, and covered in a delicious avocado colored tomatillo sauce. A few dollops of a spicy brick red chile sauce offered some longed-for heat.

Both entrees were perfect and filling and we wouldn't have had room for an appetizer or a dessert. Tables near us ordered the Chilaquiles Rojos, and the made to order guacamole for two (served in a lava-rock bear bowl, it's on the main menu, so don't forget that there's more than just the brunch menu they hand you.) Both are on my to-eat list. Come with more friends so you can share an try more dishes, or sit at the small but well stocked bar.

Deal alert: While the menu promises a free mimosa, rosalita, or Fonda bloody "mery" with each entree, our server never mentioned them. (Just as well since we weren't planning on turning this into an all day brunch.) Still, $12 for a large entree and a nice beverage to start the day right is not a bad deal.

-SdJ