While browsing through some of the recent entries here at Carpe Durham, I noticed that we’ve experienced a serious taco drought lately!   So I set out to cure this problem with a trip to Toledo Carniceria & Taqueria (2223 East NC Highway 54 # F)  in the Park Terrace plaza.

The menu at Toledo offers typical taqueria fare – tacos, gorditas, tortas, quesadillas, burritos, etc. A hand written note taped to the bottom of the menu board informed me that the weekend’s special was menudo and pozole. I was excited to …

Taqueria 3 Hermanas is a fairly recent addition to the diverse  ethnic food scene near the intersection of Highway 55 & 54.  This taqueria actually shares space, including the seating area, with the Jamaician restaurant “Jamaica Jamaica” which set the stage for some strange musical dueling (Bob Marley vs. Univision soap opera theme songs).  The staff at Taqueria 3 Hermanas were really friendly and spanglish was being freely spoken in the kitchen,  so ordering was really easy for this gringo.

Since  I was stricken with a mid-afternoon taco craving, a couple …

If you’ve ever read this blog before, you know we’re kinda enamored with taco trucks, and especially with one in particular: Benito’s (aka the Sabor Latino truck).  A couple of months ago he left his old spot in North Durham and recently found a new home closer to downtown: near the corner of N. Roxboro and Avondale (across from Los Comales, next to a billiards place).  He’s there on Thursday through Sunday nights, from about 9pm to 3am.  Everything I’ve eaten from his truck (which is quite a lot) has …

Our numero uno taco truck will be at Duke Law tomorrow (Tuesday) starting around 12:15pm (in the parking lot on Towerview, near the corner of Science Dr), serving up tacos to Duke Law employees.  You’re welcome to stop by for some lunch if you’re on campus!

Is it just me or is the thrill of happening upon an unexpected taco truck you’ve never been to, especially when you’re hungry, one of the sweetest feelings there is?  You can imagine my excitement when, while wondering what to do for dinner at 11pm on a Sunday, I drove by Rico’s Tacos (outside Ray’s Billiards, at 3205 University Dr).
We got Birria de Borrego (lamb), asada, and al pastor.

All three were tasty, as were the salsas.  I especially liked the birria de borrego, which I’d never had before and I …

You might have thought (hoped?) that we were done with tacos for a while.  But no, somehow we are not sick of them.
There’s a new truck parked outside of the Sabor Latino club (4527 N. Roxboro Rd)–now it’s Taqueria Lopez truck #3. (Are there really 3 of them?)

This truck offered quite a few meat options in their tacos, including some of the ones you don’t always see.  We got four: carnitas, al pastor, asada, and campechano (which is chorizo and suadero (brisket)). They got them all out to us disconcertingly …

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8IMfDBv-G8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

… with its own truck parked right outside their restaurant (which appears to have been converted into more of a nightlife spot) at 3316 Guess Rd.  I didn’t get a good look, so I definitely might be wrong, but it seems like it has expanded into the space formerly occupied by Bull City Bakery.

The truck only had tacos when I went, but the menu says they will have pupusas and some other treats.  As far as I know, this will be the only place to get pupusas from a truck in …

Ya, we know, you are sick of us writing about taquerias.  But with the taco documentary nearing completion, it is all we are thinking about these days.  And besides, tacos are awesome.   Today we tried Taqueria La Esperanza (1028 Holloway St. — next to Paschall’s) for the first time.

Awesomely, the only thing in this place is a window.  Literally.  Even though there was no menu, ordering was a breeze because one of the cooks spoke English fairly well.

We had lengua, asada, and pastor tacos ($1.50/ea).  All were very good, definitely …

I finally returned for the huilote en mole.  It did not disappoint.
 

 
Again, the mole was deep and delicious.  It photos terribly, but so does art, and both are beautiful.  The quail itself was much better than the smaller ones I had grilled previously.  The meat was much jucier and easier to remove.  I liked putting chunks of the chicken/pork tasting meat on a fresh tortilla and slathering it with a little more mole.
I saved the leftover tortillas and mole.  The next day I made a quesadilla with mole on top.  Awesome.  …