9-15 Taco column reg 4

As a new Oregonian raised in the heart of the Midwest, the novelty of a Mexican restaurant on wheels initially attracted me to the establishments.

The portion sizes, friendliness toward customers and nearly indescribably rich tastes produced in each truck have pulled me back multiple times per week.

Before arriving in Hermiston, the best tacos I had ever eaten were my mothers fried Indian tacos covered in cinnamon and sugar.

Those have now dropped down a few levels in my self-admittedly barely amateur ratings book thanks to all the mobile mood-enhancers in town.

Last week, I sampled the majority of the trucks in Hermiston by ordering one beef taco and eating it slowly a difficult task, as anyone who has consumed these dishes knows.

(One thing I know: a single beef taco isnt representative of the delightful range of stomach-filling choices on the trucks menus. Sampling six stands in two days requires light meals, however. Believe me, in a perfect world I would have eaten three al pastor burritos a day.)

The stands I sampled Nellys Super Tacos, Pinos Real Tacos, Rio Express Mexican Grill, Tacos San Pedro, Taqueria Tecoman and Tacos Xavi all sell their simplest meal for either $1 or $1.50.

For each one of the beef tacos I ate, the impact to my wallet was far less intense than the flavor Nile that flowed into my belly, though both were easy to absorb.

My taco at Rio Express Mexican Grill came complete with two seasoned shells and the usual suspects of beef, cilantro and onion on the taco with radish slices and a lime wedge on the side.

The Rio Express trailer appeared very clean on the day I stopped, though I found no table or chairs to use while I ate.

Maria Mejia at Taqueria Tecoman served a full-flavored, heaping taco with a smile. She appeared to cut her beef a bit smaller than the rest of the trucks cooks. Her mild green sauce worked well on the one-shelled taco, and a few more daring menu items such as lengua (tongue), cabeza (brain) and tripas (stomach lining) will most likely prevent me from staying away.

The service at Tacos San Pedro provided a taco for my pleasure in less than two minutes, and the stands green sauce might be the best in town.

The atmosphere at Nellys Super Tacos and Pinos Real Tacos were alone worth the dollars I paid for food. Helping out for the day, Teresa Fernandez cooked and served customers at Nellys. The taco she made me included tomatoes and lettuce two welcome and uncommon additions to a base-level order.

During my meal at Pinos, I engaged in great conversation with co-owner Jesus Guardado. After eating my regular sample dish, which included moist-but-not-dripping meat and a delicious shell, I enjoyed the tangy delights of a barbecue pork taco and mandarin Jarritos soda.

Luis Javier Diaz Benitez served me a well-made taco at Tacos Xavi that featured just-right beef; it was just moist enough to counteract the cilantros spice and its solid composure while I chewed remained until I was ready to swallow.

Benitez even offered me a sample cup of his special caldo, a traditional beef soup. After Benitez told me the process of slow-cooking the beef, I tipped back my serving and experienced a dish that tasted almost medicinal because of its richness.

Im disappointed I didnt make it to every single taco stand in the area; however, in my opinion, any person looking to try something new or enjoy a hand-crafted dish can expect nothing less than satisfaction from any of the taco trucks in Hermiston.