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Business & Tech

Taco Trucks: Fast Food Redefined As Fresh

Find the food cart nearest you for a flavorful alternative to the burger and fries blahs.

Taco trucks and other food carts are all the rage in many metropolitan areas. Seattle has its fair share and Portland is practically a food cart heaven. Outlying areas like Kirkland have started to catch on the street food trend.

While far from a food cart battle zone, Kirkland now has three separate taco trucks blessedly spaced throughout the city so all residents have nearby access. These taco trucks are not affiliated with one another and each has its own specialty.

Friends in the Houghton neighborhood swear by the burritos at El Guero now located on 108th Avenue across from Metropolitan Market. My family has been picking up asada tacos at El Burrito Mojado in Totem Lake for a couple of years. The service used to be maddeningly slow, but a management change seems to have cleared up the speed issues and even improved the salsa.

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Last week, my husband and his boss patronized Taqueria Guadalajara several times. This taco truck sits behind the 76 station on the corner of where Market Street turns into 100th Avenue and NE 116th Street becomes Juanita Drive.

Though food carts appear to be mom and pop operations (or, in the case of taco trucks, mama y papa), Taqueria Guadalajara is actually owned by a corporation with several taco trucks on the Eastside, according to Alfredo Cordova, the cook in this truck. A Kirkland resident, Cordova has helped run the truck since it opened nine months ago.

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Yolanda Ramos, the friendly but shy cashier, also serves as a food prep assistant. Ramos’ grasp of English may be limited, but it hardly matters as the menu is simple and Cordova is always available to answer questions.

Salsa is all homemade and sides like rice and beans are prepared in house. Cordova grills the small tortillas before filling the tacos with one of four choices including asada (beef), carne (pork), pollo (chicken) or, his favorite -- lengua (beef tongue).

“We only sell a few orders of lengua each week,” says Cordova, surprised that some Americans seem to like it.

Cordova labels the food as Mexican and American. Mexican people, I am told, might receive a few more Mexican components in their orders to suit the tastes of their homeland.

The Taqueria Guadalajara taco truck offers a few bar stool seats in front of the ordering window for customers who don’t want to eat in their cars. This is the best way to enjoy the crisp texture of the grilled tortilla.

The food can also be made to go. They only accept cash, however, so come prepared with some green. Tacos are $1.25 each ($1.50 for lengua), burritos and quesadillas are $4.50, and they even serve Mexican sandwiches called tortas for $4. Customers can sip the authentic Mexican cola Jarrito or get an order of house made horchata.

At $5 for four asada tacos, it sure beats a Big Mac.

Taqueria Guadalajara is open Monday through Saturday; 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

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