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Zaratez Taco Truck, a closer look
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Aloha!
2/26/11 - Yep, life is a balancing act. Family, friends, acquaintances. Facebook, twitter, Linked-In. Physical, mental, spiritual. Work, play. Inner circle, outer circle. I guess us puny humans do what we can to survive and hopefully thrive in this world, the best ways we know possible. When our number finally gets called, and we're in that great netherworld outside of even time itself, it's difficult to comprehend what we'll be feeling then. I guess it's one of those things we'll never know until we get there. Meanwhile, the stargazer often stubs his toe, and life has a tendency to smack us upside the head if we don't tend to its simple, every-day realities. I mean, all we're left to do is to remain healthy, stay positive, and live the best life we can with what we got, right?
My buddy Ruben is a positive kind of guy. He's always busy happily working on something, like a kid in a candy store. His latest project is a series of videos for his Island Perfection T-Shirt company, where he roams the island offering little snippets of Hawaii life, which could mean anything from manapua and poke to cliff diving and a Budweiser-drinking gecko! Some fun and creatively good stuff! Check out his many YouTube vidoes here, especially the 2 most recent ones:
I mean, just finding a park bench for lunch somewhere is one of life's little pleasures, and something we all should do whenever possible. After grabbing a few plates from Zaratez Taco Truck, it was all but a 3-minute drive down to Queen's Beach in Waikiki:
Not sure if you've heard about the Eat the Street Lunchwagon events, the last held just last night (too bad I was working!), but Zaratez is one of the many trucks involved in these highly successfull and very crowded gatherings. Find out times, places, and general info here at www.streetgrindz.com.
Zaratez' truck has found a semi-permanent home just off of Kapahulu Avenue. The easiest way to find it is to locate Burgers on the Edge at the Safeway Center, then head in the opposite direction on Mokihana St. (right there) until you see the new Waiola Shave Ice Store. The truck is in the very next lot.
This particular operation has been creating quite a stir at Kumi's workplace, where no less than 3 different co-workers, 2 of them Mexican and all of them recent transplants from the Mainland, have been singing its praises, one even saying it was the best Mexican on the island! We definitely had to try it out!
Owner Paul Zarate is a cool guy who learned how to cook mostly from his mom and grandmother, using family recipes on their short but sweet menu:
Through our 2 plates, Kumi and I got to sample all of their meat choices, although we didn't get to try their quesadillas, meatless offerings, or mulitas, the last of which was described to us as a kind of corn quesadilla.
Kumi's order was a 2-taco plate w/fixin's ($7):
$7? That's highway robbery from a street-side operation in Tuscon or El Paso, but to us in Hawaii? Doesn't get much better!
The 2 meat choices come from carne asada and carnitas. First, the beef:
Very nice flavors. Spiced right, very soft, and super-tasty. With a bit of fresh onion, cilantro, and rojo, it was perfect!
Speaking of rojo, I didn't ask about verde, so I'm assuming red is all they have. Not that I'm complaining; their sauce was obviously fresh-made, with bits of blackened, grilled peppers, and would have gone extremely well with a bag of chips and guac, as well!
But our favorite was the pork, which was even softer, even juicier, and absolutely fantastic, tearing apart like a good kalua pig and redolent with an herby/spice marinade:
You may have noticed a few things about their side dishes, especially the beans. Nope, they're not re-fried, which is good for healthy-minded folks, but for guys like myself... a little extra lard goes a long way! The rice also appeals mostly to a certain set, as it is very, very lightly seasoned, and nothing like the Spanish rice we usually see in Mexican restaurants. I suppose healthy is the operating word here when it comes to side dishes!
I guess I should have ordered a burrito and a mulita, just for varieties' sake, but the higher price tags of ala carte made me stick with a combination burrito/taco plate ($9):
At first, I thought I was being shorted, as it says all combination plates come with rice and beans, and all he threw in my plate was a taco and a burrito. He then explained that the same amount of sides are actually given, only, they are placed within the burrito itself (though he did proceed to add extra beans and rice even outside our burrito, just for good measure!). Shoulda known, actually, as these giant burritos are a traditional solution for a simple, hand-held, all-inclusive meal-in-one. They also make for great dumbells.
I mean, check out this mountain of contents:
Inside lurks our third meat choice, chicken, which was done just as excellently as any other meat. Its strips were tender, moist, and well-seasoned with a mildly-hot mix of Mexican spices.
I had high hopes for our last choice, a chorizo taco, but it actually ended-up being my least-favorite:
Not that it was too bad, but it seemed a bit over-grounded and a bit more mellowed in taste than I'd expect from a chorizo. Or maybe everything else was just so good! Remember that a good option here is a mixta, and includes, for an extra $1.50, a mix of all 4 meats!
Gotta once again apologize for my lunchwagons page. It really sucks! Several years ago when I first opened this site, it woulda been fine, but the last few years have seen such a dramatic increase in the number and sheer variety of trucks that it's been pretty darn impossible for me to keep up! Even through the tough economy as of late, new restaurants and eateries never cease to sprout like a bad case of nutweed. Wouldn't have it any other way, though, as that's a good sign of a healthy, vibrant food industry in the islands and nary a dull moment for anyone interested in good grindz!
Zaratez Mexican Taco Truck
3121 Mokihana St. in Kapahulu
Tuesday-Friday 11:30-8pm
Saturday 11:30-4pm
(Lunchwagons being notorious for moving, make sure to check out their Facebook and Twitter page links above for the lastest, most up-to-date info!)
Hope you're all having a great weekend! Rain? What rain? They've been saying that every day, but all we get is nothing but gorgeous blue skies and perfect beach weather!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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