Taco Nuts…

TacoNuts_001     Roach Coach, Taco Truck and now Food Truck, they’re all portable kitchens of goodness. Their infamy took a walk across the street one day and they exploded into the mainstream. You see them everywhere and anywhere…somewhere. From sandwiches to five star gourmet foods. Desserts, drinks, sea food. Everything. People on dates, family outings, meeting friends, trends, trendy, trending. Needless to say, I’m a snob, a food snob, I’m a traditionalist. (Don’t get me wrong here, this doesn’t mean I think I know what food should taste like or that I am an expert in any manner. I am merely an expert in the fame of myself and what I like.) I will seek out, stop, search and hunt down the food truck of my savory memory. The one you could spot at 2:00 a.m. in the morning by the small plastic table, with plastic chairs illuminated my the lights off a small trailer with a propane bottle attached at the rear. The one with the people gathered around standing, bellied up to the fragile wooden shelf as they exchange cold hard cash for a few tacos, shortly to be dressed with the salsa lined up on the counter inside plastic squeeze bottles and chased down with (insert your soft drink of choice) an orange Fanta. The smell of the night filled with happiness of food outside a local Spanish (Mexican) disco teca or maybe parked alongside a downtown building. You order and greeted with a smile, some laughter and the love of service. Laughter all around you, the sound of cars honking, the sound of life after dark. Can you taste it?! TacoNuts_004It’s hard to recreate, but finding the right truck, with the right people, with the right food will trigger those moments and take you back to those moments in your soul. The time on a late summer night, hot and tired and you head out to your favorite Mexican restaurant on East 1st and Pleasant Valley, now Ceasar Chavez, you know the one, Dos Hermanos, yeah, that one. You know that even though it’s after hours and closed, that the food trailer in the parking lot is waiting on you. Yeah, those moments.

Recently I was at trade show in Houston, a huge trade show. Among the thousands of people and dozens of food choices, I come across this one. Taco Nuts. Among the other trucks, the other food choices, this once called out to me. Even though I was only looking for a quick breakfast fix, this one was the one to cure this fix. Small with character and a chef to match. Not that I’m calling him small, but he was a character. Friendly, humble and a master in front of the grill. Even though it was a simple taco, potato, chorizo and egg, it was perfect and just what I expected. Fresh and fast. I wanted another, but the one was enough to launch some memories close to my palate. TacoNuts_005Charles Avant, if I’m correct, behind the counter and over the grill laughed and served up with a smile. Proudly letting me know of their claim to being in the top 4 Food Trucks in Houston during a past competition. I asked if they parked with other food trucks in any certain area around town or where one might find them in town. He let me know that they ran the truck outside bars, dance halls (disco tecas) and such, as well as other places. That was exactly what I wanted to hear as the flavors completed my thoughts. I don’t know, I like him, I liked the them, I liked the food, it was good. Not just flavors to the tongue, but to life. The spirit and the soul of food. The articlesTacoNuts_002 on the truck were good and gave me a little more history on who they were, these guys are just cool. We talked about riding, about bikes about which ones and where to. I know where to, another truck like this one, out there, somewhere…somewheretexas.

If you’re in Houston, looking for a place to park and enjoy one of Texas’ treasures, look these guys up. I’m sure they have a Facebook, instagram and the likes as well. You won’t be disappointed. Let them know we said “hey!”

TacoNuts_006   TacoNuts_003
#somewheretexas #taconuts #tacos #foodtrucks #food #life #outandabout #houston #foodmoments