A perfect taco can be a thing of beauty. To achieve such beauty, a warm, handmade tortilla is imperative, followed by meat cooked with skill and passion, a splash of something caliente, and a sprinkle of onions and cilantro diced with a thin, sharp knife.
On a warm, Friday night, alongside the buzz of White Horse Road, under the lights of Sol Mercado in the oddly named Hallmark Square, I found taco nirvana.
On this night, I was joined by Jason Janson of Broadwater Shrimp, Julian Loue of Rise Bakery and Marty Nicholson of Travelers Rest Farmers Market — taco enthusiasts, all. I invited them to meet me in this parking lot only because I knew there were five or six trucks in it.
We started with Antojitos Mexicanos, not a truck but a trailer, and it happened to be the closest one. For me, a lengua (tongue) or al pastor (shepherd style) taco is the calling card of a great taqueria, and these were impeccable. At Antojitos, the handmade tortillas were sublime, the meats cooked with passion, the onions cut into perfect little squares. Wow. Enjoyed with a delicious horchata, these were the best tacos I’ve had in Greenville.
Next up was Alo Catracho, its truck painted in the blue and white colors of Honduras. Their pupusa, which is similar to a johnnycake, was dotted with chopped pork, served with pickled carrots, pico de gallo and shaved cabbage. All of it was handmade and wonderful.
Anyone that’s driven down White Horse Road should recognize Dilcia’s bright orange taco truck. It sits on the edge of this busy road and serves one of the most memorable tacos in town — cabeza, or head meat. Back in south Louisianan, we called a terrine made from simmered and chopped hog’s head meat “hog’s head cheese.” In France it’s referred to as fromage de tete. Cabeza is all beef, simmered slowly, fatty, unctuous and delicious. We all agreed that the cabeza taco at Dilcia’s was spectacular and maybe the best surprise of our evening.
We headed across U.S. Highway 25, then down to the grilled chicken at Estrellita (Little Star). This is a bright-blue trailer in the parking lot at 6227 White Horse Road and most evenings there are several hot grills cooking spiced chicken. Our goal for the evening had been visiting six taco trucks. When I ordered “pollo para cuatro” we ended up with enough food to feed a family of eight. Grilled chicken, a dozen tortillas, and plenty of rice and refried beans. When I lifted the first tortilla from the foil wrapper and inhaled the delicate aromas, I knew these were handmade. One of the cooks grinned with pride and patted his hands back and forth.
“Hecho a mano, señor,” I said, then gave him a thumbs up. “Muy hermoso.”
The first three trucks can be found at 6300 White Horse Road. Estrellita is across the street. The hours vary and none have websites.
“City Juice” is a colloquial term for a glass of tap water served at a diner.
