El Tonayense Taco Truck

Cabeza Super Torta; $5.50: Beef cheeks, lettuce, tomato, onion, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa, and soft bun


Where:
Mission District
Intersection of 14th St. and Harrison (In front of the Best Buy)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415)550-9192




Review:


This is not your ordinary grease trap / mystery meat roach coach. El Tonayense taco truck serves up some of the tastiest tacos, burritos, and tortas around.


Being this is a samich blog review, I chose the path of the all mighty Super Torta. At $5.50, the Super Torta consists of lettuce, tomato, onion, guac, sour cream, mild or hot salsa, and choice of meat served between soft bread. El Tonayense offers a diverse selection of meat: from the traditional (pollo asado, carnitas) to the exotic (brains, tripe). A vegetarian option is also available for those who support the brutal slaughter of innocent vegetables. While the carnitas and pollo asado were very tempting, I decided to follow the advice often given in a monkey-knife fight: "Go For The Face", aka the Cabeza. Literally translated as "head", this cut of meat refers to the cheeks of the cow. Although the pollo asado would have been a more flavorful torta, the cabeza was incredibly moist and tender. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and salsa all helped balance the fatty cabeza, while the guac and sour cream added a nice, mellow creaminess.
The Super Torta was delicious as it was messy. Bread became a bit soggy, but everything held together. Good samich-handling technique and gratuitous napkin use is recommended. The service was no bullshit friendly and fast, especially considering it is was run by a crew of 2. The usual assortment of beverages were also available; including Horchata and Jarritos. I am a sucker for Coke in a bottle ($1.50), and the soft tacos ($1.75) are a must.


There are other El Tonayense trucks throughout the Mission, as well as a small restaurant. While this particular truck is not in the most scenic of locales, it is in front of a Best Buy.
As a movie-buff / samich-lover alike, the concept of holding a Super Torta in one hand, and say, a copy of JCVD's masterpiece Blood Sport in the other, tingles the mind and stomach.
Parking was a breeze since it's a stone's throw from the parking lot.


So whether it be flavorful asado, tender cabeza, or maybe even beef tongue ye seek, the tortas at the El Tonayense taco truck are a worth every peso.




4 / 5 slow motion, spinning split-kicks to the face


Teenage Mutant Ninja Torta