Tacoholics

Two years ago, Jessie Pena pioneered the gourmet food truck craze that has hit El Paso. The Tacoholics team found success serving their signature brand of tacos and sandwiches late at night. That success has brought them to an unlikely brick and mortar location inside an Eastside gas station.

The new location also has a new ordering format. Options are endless when you can choose combinations of proteins, tortillas, styles and salsas. Tacos can be purchased individually or in groups of four corn or two flour. Choose between chicken, pork, sirloin or tofu in four styles topped with a choice of four salsas that are made fresh daily.

Plain style, which isn’t plain at all, is seared and seasoned with southwest flavors. A South Texan contains grilled onions and queso fresco, while Campechanos style is topped with homemade chorizo. The most popular style is influenced by a taco that has taken the country by storm thanks to L.A.’s popular Kogi Korean BBQ food truck. Tacoholics is the only place in El Paso where you can enjoy this style of taco. Meat is glazed with a Korean BBQ sauce and topped with cabbage, sriracha and sesame seeds.
If you’re in the mood for something heartier, order the Mexican Philly or La Torta 915 – creatively constructed sandwiches inspired by our region.

All ingredients are fresh and locally sourced, including the tortillas and bread. Anyone fortunate to be within 3 miles of the gas station can have their meal delivered for a minimal fee. On occasion, the food truck can still be found during the late hours of the night. 
Food truck: various locations and times, static location inside the Exxon gas station at 7450 Gateway East. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (or until sold out) Price range: $1.50-$6. Vegetarian friendly (corn tortilla tacos and tortas; flour tortilla contains lard). For info visit www.tacoholics.com, facebook.com/tacoholics ortwitter.com/tacoholics.

Maracas

If you’ve ever shopped at the Outlet Shoppes in Canutillo and gotten hungry, chances are you decided to grab a quick bite in the food court. You probably didn’t know that down the street in an abandoned gas station, Ray Ortiz is serving up New York-style Puerto Rican food.

Pressed sandwiches brushed with garlic butter that come in three sizes are the heart of the menu. The Cuban, and most popular menu item, has slow cooked pulled pork, ham, swiss, mustard and pickles. The Sandwich de Bistec is made with top sirloin tips that have been marinated in oregano and vinegar for two days. Sandwiches come with your choice of side, but most order the house specialty, garlic hash browns.

Stop in on Fridays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. for Puerto Rican specialties such as tostones (fried plantains), pernil (pork shoulder marinated in vinegar and spices), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and more.

Those that aren’t as adventurous can choose from breakfast items, burgers and classic sandwiches like the Philly Cheese Steak or Chicken sandwich.

El Pasoans should be aware that Puerto Rican food isn’t spicy and tends to be on the salty side. Maracas gladly accommodates by offering jalapeños upon request. All meals are served with a small container of Boston baked bean candies to help tame the garlicky aftertaste or to be used as maracas.

911 Talbot Ave., Canutillo, 915-877-7307. Hours: Saturday and Monday 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday-Friday 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Price range: $2-$10. Vegetarian friendly (veggie sandwich). For more info visitwww.facebook.com/maracas.

Three Legged Monkey

For all the reasons Three Legged Monkey has found itself in the headlines lately, what gets overlooked is that the Eastside bar is a popular spot to grab bar food during the day and late evening hours.

Typical bar fare can be found throughout the menu. The appetizer section has nachos, cheese fries, potato skins, onion rings, mushrooms, wings and quesadillas. Nachos are topped with homemade chile con queso, beans, shredded cheese, sour cream and your choice of beef, chicken or carne asada steak. Burgers, ribeye, chicken sandwiches and brisket tacos are also available.

Reasonable menu prices and good happy hour specials, along with an eclectic combination of sports memorabilia, large animal figures and arcade games make it a fun spot to visit. A court decision in December may change all that come February, so act on that of yours appetite now.

1550 Hawkins, 915-591-8817. Hours: Every day 11 a.m.-2 a.m. (kitchen closes at 12 a.m.). Price range: $3-8. Not vegetarian friendly. For more visit www.threeleggedmonkey.com (online menu differs from current menu).

http://www.elpasoinc.com/whatsup/food/article_d491e4ea-3989-11e2-a016-0019bb30f31a.html

EL PASO- As of lunch time Monday, November, 19 2012, the food scene in downtown El Paso has changed.

What was once an old parking lot across the street from the downtown Post Office, is now a gourmet hotspot named Foodville. The exact location: Mills and Stanton.

Three local food trucks parked their food trucks in this lot and will serve lunch 5 days a week from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The concept of gathering these food trucks is another in a series of steps toward a new downtown look and feel. These trucks will be serving their popular fares for an affordable price and they’re catering to anyone who lives or works in the downtown locale. The idea is to keep high pedestrian foot traffic for future endeavors.

Seated at newly constructed picnic tables, two adults can eat a hardy lunch for under $20.

http://www.ktsm.com/news/gourmet-food-trucks

Beatriz Diaz, center, received her order number from Drina Hernandez at the Create Gourmet East mobile kitchen in downtown El Paso Monday. (Rudy Gutierrez/El Paso Times)

Opening day for a new Downtown food truck court was deemed a success by the food sellers.

“It was better than we expected,” proclaimed Octavio Gomez Monday afternoon as he helped serve food from Crave Kitchen & Bar’s food trailer dubbed, “Crave to Go.”

People were lined up at Crave’s trailer and two food trucks at the court, named Foodville, around noon, said Gomez, Crave’s co-owner and one of the organizers of the court along with El Paso businessman Lane Gaddy. Gaddy and his partners own the parking lot on the 200 block of Mills, where Foodville is located.

Patricia Iñiguez, who with husband Jesus Iñiguez, operate MoshiBox, a new food truck serving sushi, and Steven Hernandez, owner of Create Gourmet Eats, a 2-year-old food truck serving gourmet burgers, agreed the food court’s first day was a hit.

“We had a line 15-(people) deep” for a time, said Hernandez later in the afternoon when the crowd had dwindled. “I’ve been wanting this (Downtown food court) for a long time.”

Brenda Astorga, a 22-year-old UTEP student and hospital pharmacy technician, said she and friend Jazmine Arnal, 23, drove from the Lower Valley just to buy some Create burgers.

“I think this is exciting for El Paso,” Astorga said. She said she also made the special trip Downtown because she wants to support the food court so it will be successful.

Arnal said she’s spent a lot of time in Austin, where food truck parks are common.

Rudy Romo ordered lunch at the Moshi Box mobile kitchen in a parking lot along Mills Street in the heart of downtown El Paso Monday.

Tacoholics, which serves gourmet tacos, will not be part of the Downtown park as originally planned, Gomez said. The plan now is to have Crave and Create Gourmet Eats as Foodville regulars, and have a different third truck rotated into the park each week.

The organizers also are studying whether it might be possible to fit a fourth food truck into the tiny lot, where wood tables and benches are set out for people to eat their lunches.

The food court, across the street from the Downtown post office, is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/business/ci_22029110/diners-welcome-downtown-foodville?source=most_viewed

EL PASO, Texas —  Foodville has opened up shop in downtown El Paso, giving nearby visitors and nearby workers new place to spend their lunch hour.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/news/foodville-brings-local-eateries-downtown-el-paso/nTBFy/

The food trucks are coming to Downtown El Paso.

Lane Gaddy, 29, an El Paso businessman who is part of an investors group that in recent months purchased three large Downtown buildings, is turning a small parking lot behind one of those new purchases into a court for mobile food vendors.

“We’re not making money on this, but it’s a good way to get foot traffic in the area” and help push further redevelopment Downtown, Gaddy said this week as he sat in his office at W Silver Recycling, an El Paso metal recycling company where he’s president.

“This is a good use of empty land, it’s aesthetically pleasing, and it will help the (food truck) entrepreneurs,” he said.

The food court, named Foodville, is scheduled to open Nov. 19 inside a recently fenced parking lot in the 200 block of Mills Avenue, near Stanton Street. It’s behind the Martin Building, which Gaddy and his partners bought in late 2011, and across from the Downtown post office. It initially will operate from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

The food court will feature Crave Kitchen & Bar’s trailer, dubbed “Crave to Go,” which will serve salads, sandwiches and other fare for prices ranging from $4 to $10; and food trucks Create Gourmet Eats, which serves $8 gourmet burgers, and Tacoholics, which makes gourmet tacos selling from $2.50 to $7 per order.

Another one or two food vendors may be added later.

“I think El Paso is ready for this,” said Octavio Gomez, 32, Crave co-owner and an entrepreneur instrumental in helping to develop Downtown’s Union Plaza District into an entertainment area.

 ”This is one of the small things that make a big city. I think it will help keep people from leaving Downtown for lunch,” Gomez said.

Steven Hernandez, 27, who’s operated Create Gourmet Eats for about two years, said he’s ready to get back Downtown after a policeman kicked him out of a parking space along San Jacinto Plaza in late 2011.

Other cities have places for food trucks to operate Downtown, Hernandez said.

Hernandez has been operating his truck mostly on the East Side.

Gaddy said he’s heard some Downtown restaurant operators are concerned about the food trucks taking away sales. But, he said, there’s enough business Downtown at lunchtime for everyone.

Joseph Odeh, who owns the 50 year-old Big Bun Hamburgers, which in August relocated to 209 E. Mills, across from the food court, said he isn’t happy about the incoming competition.

“I think it stinks. There are only a limited number of people (who eat) Downtown,” Odeh said. “I hope it brings in new people Downtown, but I don’t see it.”

Another Downtown restaurant owner is organizing restaurant owners to complain to City Hall, he said.

Virginia Howell, who with her son and husband owns Pike Street Market, has a different view. Her restaurant offers sandwiches and other food and is next to Big Bun.

“I like the idea of being part of a restaurant corridor,” Howell said. “I think it will bring more people to this area. But come and ask me in six months,” she added with a smile.

Frank Mares Jr., owner of Leo’s Mexican Food Restaurant and Luigi’s Homestyle Pizza in the 300 block of Mills, a block from the food court, agreed the food trucks could pull in more people Downtown. He said he doesn’t see the competition hurting his long-established restaurants.

Gaddy said wall murals and other public art will be added to the food court. Gomez said plants also will be installed. El Paso artist and photographer Peter Svarzbein will open a temporary art gallery, called a “pop-up gallery,” in about a month inside a vacant storefront next to the food court in another building owned by Gaddy and his investors group, Gaddy said.

If the food court succeeds, Gaddy said, he’d like to put another one in another part of town.

Jessie Peña, Tacoholics owner, said the Downtown food court will offer people a variety of foods in a central location.

“I think this will expand the audience for all the trucks in the food park,” Peña said.

Vic Kolenc may be reached at vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; 546-6421.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_21953882/food-truck-court-cater-downtown-diners

EL PASO, Texas — A new meaning to “meals on wheels” is created as the food truck business increases in El Paso.

Robert Coons used to work at restaurants and he also used to drive trucks, so after watching the food truck craze across the country, he said the decision to get into the growing business was a no-brainer.

“We can set a new standard for food trucks not only in El Paso but around the country,” said Coons.

A nearly $20,000 investment later, Coons’ brainchild, “The Magic Bus,” is up and running.

Coons said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to cash in on the food truck trend and bring mobile meals to the Sun City.

The El Paso health department said while food trucks aren’t necessarily new to the borderland, the new gourmet trucks are growing in popularity. Adding an extra challenge to regulate the kitchens – on the –go that never stay in the same place for too long. “Indeed that is the challenge. Mobile food vending, they are all over the city and so with a restaurant we know where they are all the time 365 days a year,” said David Sublasky, the Food Safety Program Manager for the city of El Paso Department of Health.

Last April, El Paso City Council made it easier for food trucks to get permits and set up their kitchens on the go.

While many are taking advantage of the business venture, Coons said they are still trying to find their audience, or rather stomachs.

“The food truck (industry) is really booming; it’s booming across the country,” Coons said. “I’ve talked to a lot of food vendors still building trucks; (they) were trying to put a spin on some of El Paso’s favorite Mexican food.”

But food trucks still face challenges that most restaurants don’t. Including, submitting water samples, driving the trucks to the health department for inspections and renewing permits once a year.

“The vendors submit water samples that go through the laboratory that does an analysis of bacteria counts and then determines if they pass or not,” said Sublasky.

Coons said a couple of vendors are trying to get a food truck park with lots of mobile eateries in downtown El Paso for the lunch rush.

“We want to give a new meaning to food trucks in El Paso. We want to set a new standard,” Coons said.
He said there is plenty of business to go around and many mouths to feed.

“There’s plenty of people in El Paso and everybody’s got to eat, and there’s room for everybody,” said Coons.

Coons said the school bus is a tribute to three El Paso area teachers who inspired him. Coons said his dad did a lot of the work on the school bus he flew to Pennsylvania to buy.

by Ed Morrissey | HotAir.com

The Institute for Justice won a big victory for mobile vendors in El Paso by having a protectionist zoning restriction repealed after filing lawsuits challenging their constitutionality. Street vendors had to conduct business outside of a thousand-yard zone where any other restaurants operated, a scheme that the city admitted had no basis in safety or health concerns. The local restaurant association pushed for the zoning restrictions as a way to protect their businesses, and the city responded by virtually outlawing mobile vendors from operating where potential consumers are:

IJ explained the fight in January:

Practiced since ancient times, street vending is more popular than ever. The Economist magazine predicted that in 2011 “some of the best food Americans eat may come from a food truck.” Vendors are the darlings of many food critics, and they even have their own reality show on the Food Network.

But El Paso, Texas, has recently made it illegal for mobile food vendors to operate within 1,000-feet of any restaurant, convenience store, or grocer. The city even prohibits vendors from parking to await customers, which forces vendors to constantly drive around town until a customer successfully flags them down–and then be on the move again as soon as the customer walks away.

Thus, while people across the country embrace mobile vendors for the vitality and creativity they bring to a local restaurant scene, El Paso has decided to threaten vendors with thousands of dollars in fines and effectively run them out of town. El Paso’s No-Vending Zone scheme is in place for one reason: to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants from honest competition. But economic protectionism is not a valid use of government power.

The idea that local government should protect one legitimate business from another is absurd. Even the almost-equally absurd attempts by Los Angeles to restrict fast-food franchises in low-income areas aren’t (explicitly) based on local protectionism, since higher-ticket restaurants are hardly rushing to fill vacancies in restaurant spaces in LA. Degrees of exclusivity in location are sometimes negotiated in private leasing agreements with landlords, but the city doesn’t have the right to tell one restaurateur that they can’t operate in the vicinity of another simply to protect one business at the expense of the second.

Do mobile vendors undercut restaurant business? Probably, but (a) only at the lower price points, and (b) that’s called competition.  People who want a restaurant experience won’t be eating from roach coaches or ice-cream trucks.  If the local McDonald’s or cheap eatery can’t compete on price and quality with the mobile vendors, why should consumers be denied the choice?

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/05/28/video-no-vending-zones-get-defeated-in-el-paso/

http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/05/food-truck-wars-victory-for-mobile-vendors-in-el-paso-video/

The Drifter, at first glance, looks like an ordinary food truck. And it is, in a way.

In late July when owners Ian Atkins and Reid Hanson hit the streets of El Paso with The Drifter, it was with the intention of introducing the type of mobile eatery that flourishes in large metro cities.

A good example, said Hanson, is Austin, Texas.

“There’s like five lots made especially for food trucks in Austin,” he said. “Food trucks are a growing trend nationwide in the restaurant industry, too, and are being used as a way to bring in extra revenue.”

Before taking the plunge, Hanson said, they had some big decisions to make.

“We both had jobs, and an idea,” Hanson said. “It came down to pulling the trigger, quitting the jobs, and going full time (with the) trailer.”

Built around food codes
Hanson and Atkins found the shell of a vintage steel trailer truck, stripped it and built their mobile kitchen from scratch. They studied the El Paso food codes before starting their construction and built their kitchen appropriately.

“We put in a new wall, wired it electrically, bought all the kitchen stuff,” Hanson said. “We’d seen the insides of food trucks and basically knew how we wanted it to be set up, but as we went, we changed our minds on different things.”

Inside, The Drifter is one big kitchen – four sinks, a griddle top, fryer, refrigerator – prep tables and a giant storage at the back. Food is served out of the windows on either side.

Y los tacos?
Some of the first reactions from El Pasoans, Hanson said, were “Where are the tacos?”

Indeed, The Drifter is no taco truck. They serve sandwiches, chips, drinks and a dessert of the day. They call it a “mobile gourmet sandwich diner,” with an international flair.

For example, there’s a pear-and-brie sandwich, a turkey pesto, a Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich with ham, cilantro, cabbage and jalapeño), and their special of the day. Last Friday it was the Cubano (sliced ham and pork on a roll).

They also do catering and private events. So far they’ve been booked at least once a week for a private catering event. They can deliver the food, or bring the trailer to your backyard, Hanson said.

Big biz on wheels
Quitting their day jobs and investing four months of construction and as much as the cost of a luxury vehicle into their business venture was a challenge, especially for two partners with no previous food or restaurant experience.

But they’re happier now, Atkins said.

“It’s exciting, we have fun now,” he said. “Plus I want to go back to school, so I needed some more flexibility.”

And, they say, the proof is in the pudding.

After experimenting with different menu options and trying them all out on their friends, they say they’ve reached a level of consistency that seems to be working well.

The biggest roadblocks, Hanson says, have been obtaining permits to sell food wherever they go.

“You really need the help of local businesses to do it legit,” Hanson said. “It’s a giant trailer, we can’t just sneak around.”

Catch a bite
The Drifter updates their schedule daily on Twitter, Facebook and their website, thedrifterelp.com. But for the most part, you can catch them for lunch 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. behind Mesa Street Bar & Grill or at Hope & Anchor on Saturdays from 5-8 p.m.

Sandwiches are $6 or $8, and that comes with a pasta salad or bag of Zapps Cajun Chips. They sell Hansen’s natural sodas and desserts like chocolate chip cookies or sea-salted Rice Krispies Treats.

They carry metal chairs and tables with them, so there’s usually a place to sit.

“The food is good, fast and different,” Eastsider Yanar Lizardo said. “I hope to see them on my side of town, too.”

http://www.whatsuppub.com/showArticle.asp?articleId=9964

City Rep. Beto O'Rourke

EL PASO, Texas — Food vendors got a big win on Tuesday when El Paso City Council repealed some of the restrictions imposed on them.

The Drifter, owned by Ian Atkins, is usually parked on Mesa and Executive for the lunch crowd. Regulations set in 2009 have made it difficult for his new business.

“It was really hard to find a spot to park,”Atkins said.

Atkins said he’s worked closely with City Rep. Beto O’Rourke to refresh city rules concerning food truck vendors.”

A lot of the rules weren’t addressed clearly, there was a lot of gray area leaving us food carts to be just pushed around,” said Atkins.

City Council decided on Tuesday to stop making it illegal for vendors to operate within 1,000 feet of a restaurant or convenience store and keeping vendors from stopping to wait for customers.

Three months ago, some El Paso mobile food vendors teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the restrictions.

Customers didn’t seem to mind strong winds as they waited for their meals outside the Drifter on Tuesday.

They said they’re glad the city’s rules have been relaxed because they enjoy the convenience and restaurant-quality food.

“It’s very close to work and we can just pick it up and take it back to the office,” said Rosie Oaxaca.”

I think it should be open market, be able to park and serve good food,” said Marco Rodriguez.

And just in time for Saturday’s Neon Desert Music Festival, food vendors will save $80 in temporary licenses.

“People who own their year permits that we’ve paid over $500 for … it used to be that they charged you another $80 permit and they finally did away with that,” said Atkins.

http://www.kvia.com/news/27680252/detail.html