Super Torta II Taco Truck
I have made it a personal goal to try every taco truck in the city. That, along with my sister’s wedding shower, will be my culinary project for the summer. I have no idea if I’ll succeed. But it certainly makes finding cheap, tasty and quick meals a lot more fun. I inadvertently started this quest last month when I found La Popular truck while doing a few errands. Shortly after that, a few friends and I spent a Saturday afternoon driving around Columbus’ west side in search of some awesome Mexican food for lunch. We finally settled on Super Torta II, probably because its yellow paint and huge “open” sign caught our eyes.
This particular truck is parked in an empty lot on Georgesville Road. It appears to be an old city bus that has been converted into a taco truck. There are several chairs arranged alongside the truck, and a grassy area that is great for impromptu picnics. The menu has an assortment of tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas, huaraches and a few specialty items. They also offer Jarritos sodas and agua fresca. On the counter, there are a spicy red salsa and the green avocado-tomatillo salsa that I love. I ordered a pineapple agua fresca and a huarache al pastor.
I consider myself fairly well-versed in Mexican food. Yet somehow, the huarache is a fairly new discovery for me. A huarache is a type of sandal worn in Mexico. It is also the name of a similarly-shaped culinary delight. The base of a huarache looks and tastes like a thick, oblong, fried corn tortilla. It can be topped with any number of traditional taco and torta fillings and salsas. Finally, there is a layer of cheese and crema.
Huarache al Pastor
While I waited for my huarache, I sipped my agua fresca. It was refreshing, and sweet but not overly so. The first thing I have to say about the huarache itself is that it was huge. It was almost too big for the dinner-sized plastic plate that it was served on. It was topped with a thin layer of chunky refried pinto beans. On top of that was a generous amount of al pastor. The beans and meat were covered in shredded iceburg lettuce and diced tomatoes. Finally, there was a drizzle of crema and a sprinkle of crumbled cheese. Unable to make up my mind, I topped it with both the red and green salsas. The thing I like so much about huaraches is all of the contrast they offer. The base is soft, but not mushy. The meat is tender and salty, the lettuce crisp and the dairy products creamy. The crema helps cool the heat of the salsas. And the agua fresca is the perfect contrast to wash it all down.
