*UPDATED with more pictures from TUF*

Pollos La Carbonera is that bright orange and yellow building you pass right near the Fayetteville exit of I-147. Bull City Wings was its last incarnation, but now it’s a Mexican stand with a drive-through window around the side and another window up front to order from on foot. There are a few picnic tables to sit at that provide a nice view of downtown and a breeze. Carpe Durham had some good comments on the food soon after they opened.

You can only get there by car if you are heading south on Fayetteville on the overpass. There are two drive-thru lanes but use the one on the right—-the car on the left side is parked there by one of the employees. Don’t be fooled by the handwritten menu posted by the drive-thru window.

They have a larger menu that the cashier will hand over of tacos, tortas, hamburgers with torta-like toppings, quesadillas and sincronizada (the “cheese-covered” section!), gorditas, huaraches, and . . . charbroiled chicken platters! You didn’t notice that “Best Charbroiled Chicken in NC” slogan on the sign, did you? Even the chickens are excited about it.

After trying their chicken taco (in the background), I’m inclined to agree.

It’s definitely great charbroiled chicken, and an interesting change from the marinated chicken common to most tacos. I think the full platter of chicken would be pretty darn good. Both tacos come topped with cilantro and onions, and the taco in the forefront is barbacoa. The meat was somewhat fatty and chewy and tossed in a very light barbecue sauce. Both tacos held up well with only one tortilla to support them. The tortillas definitely seemed fresh and were nicely browned.

I also dug the gordita beneath these copious toppings.

It was at least a third of an inch thick and really tasty. The meat, carne azada, was less impressive as it was still a bit chewy and fatty as it was in the barbacoa version. It had a decent level of spice but not a lot of flavor. The gordita was also topped with beans, jalapenos, lettuce, cilantro, onions, and tomato. Both the tacos and the gordita came with a side of either salsa roja or verde. I asked for the spiciest and the cashier said they were both about the same level of spicy, which I must say, was pretty hot at first but mellowed out after I’d been eating for a while. I would hazard a guess that roasted habaneros were involved in the red one.

Pollos La Carbonera offered all the standard taco-stand meats including lengua, pastor, and chorizo. I can’t remember any of the others, but I do remember that those tortas looked interesting, especially the one that came with an egg as one of the fillings.

Here’s one of their tortas:

And a gratuitous picture of tacos. Mmm, tacos.

Pollos La Carbonera
606 Fayetteville Road
Downtown Durham
$2–$8 per item

Reviewed 7.30.10.

I’ll keep this short  since we have reviews of other Chubby’s locations here and here. I have to admit I was excited to hear that Chubby’s had opened up a new location in RTP. Though it’s not yet listed on their website, this location is very much open, and judging by the line out the door when we left, the word has spread. We ventured in around 11:45 and were greeted by a large menu board and smiling faces. The decor is bright and there is a nice amount of varied seating. It has more of a sit down restaurant atmosphere then perhaps the ninth street location. There are regular weekly specials posted, but we all stuck to the standard menu. This week’s special was a Pollo Hawaiillano (a concoction at the suggestion of customers of diced chicken and pineapple).

Between the three of us we ate the spicy tinga chicken, the steak fajita, the pastor, the grilled shrimp and the carnitas tacos. Rice and chips were also enjoyed, as well as each flavor of salsa. My personal salsa favorites were the guacatillo and the chile de arbol. Both are almost creamy in texture and all the flavors are very pronounced and not outshadowed by heat.

All of the tacos were served in a pair of thick, but soft, corn tortillas, and generously filled. My shrimp was cooked perfectly, and with great flavor, but did have a piece or two that was a little fishy. I really enjoyed the chipotle cream sauce and the pico which (had fresh diced jalapenos and ripe tomatoes). The carnitas were good, but I think I personally prefer chunked (like those you get at El Toledo) to the shredded variety I had at Chubby’s. My dining companions enjoyed the pastor (which includes pineapple), the steak fajita (including onions and bell peppers) and the tinga chicken. I think the only complaint we could come up with would be that it’s not even closer to our work. Oh and get there early to beat that lunch rush!

Chubby’s Tacos
2806 S. Miami Blvd.
Durham, NC 27703
919-558-6611

Open M-F
10:30am–2:30pm

Inside the market building, vendors were selling bean pies, smoothies, cakes from “the cake lady”, roasted nuts,  tortas, fried chicken and biscuits, agua frescas, elotes con queso, and hot dogs.  There was even a Cuban Puerto Rican family selling mofongo!  Outside in the open air market, taqueria offerings abounded.

A lady selling tamales from a giant steaming pot seemed to be a popular choice with patrons, so I sampled a chicken tamale ($1.00) .  The tamale was wrapped in a banana leaf and the chicken tucked inside the lovely masa was bathed in salsa verde.  Really tasty.

At another vendor, I got a taco al pastor (with pineapple!) and an excellent pupusa pollo y queso with slaw.   On my way out of the market, I spotted an old latino lady making sopes by hand.  The finished product looked so good, I couldn’t resist the urge to stop for a large sope al pastor.  The next time you find yourself with a weekend hankering for authentic street food, do yourself a favor and head on down to the Durham Green Flea Market.

Durham Green Flea Market
1900 East Pettigrew Street
Hours:  Saturdays and Sundays 7:00am to 4:00pm
Phone:  (919) 308-7657 or (919) 599-6166
http://www.durhamgreenfleamarket.com

On the corner of University Dr and Old Chapel Hill Rd., just behind the Target, is a bright yellow and red money order/check cashing place. In the back of this hard-to-miss establishment is El Buen Sabor Taqueria y Pupuseria.

Some may remember this as Coma Rico, which was reviewed here in 2008. I loved Coma Rico for the occasional take-out pupusa and was really sad when it shut it doors. I’m not sure how long El Buen Sabor has been open in the same spot, but I’m glad it’s there.

First off, I’m a sucker for pupusas. Fried bread and cheese, what’s not to like? I had a pollo y queso pupusa and a taco al pastor and my husband ordered a frijoles y queso and a plain queso pupusa (he’s veggie). The pupupas were solid – large and oozing with cheese. They seemed pretty much the same as the ones Coma Rico used to dish out. The only difference being that now the vinegar cabbage is self-serve in the salsa bar verses already piled on top.

The taco was surprisingly good – large chunks of pineapple, well-seasoned pork, cilantro and an avocado slice on top, which was a nice touch. El Buen Sabor also brings chips and salsa to the table. The chips were the round, forgettable bagged variety but the salsa seemed homemade and had a nice peppery punch.

We left full and happy. The total for three papusas and a taco with tax came in under $9.

3411 University Dr

Durham, NC 27707

(919) 401-4619

My mouth is still on fire from the sweet, spicy BBQ pork taco from Bulkogi, the Korean taco truck that has set up shop in the Wachovia parking lot on 9th street.

Apparently the same truck used to make appearances at the Raleigh Fair Grounds. I talked to the very nice lady who is running Bulkogi and she said that they are just starting but that they plan on setting up in the same spot nightly from 5/6pm until 8pm. Got that? Korean tacos will be sold every night in the Wachovia parking lot on 9th Street. Cheers to living in Durham.

Their menu consisted of five tacos, a kimchi or cheese quesadilla (the only veggie option I saw), a burrito, three sandwiches and two special dishes (a curry plate and a spicy beef plate). The tacos will run you $2, the sandwiches $5 and the plates $7.

Between Daisy Cakes, Only Burger, the new Indian truck and the various taco trucks around town – is it just me – or does food just seem to taste better when it comes from a truck?

PS. The taco was awesome. The pork was sweet almost like it had been marinated in pineapple juice, cabbage added a nice crunch, Sriracha (I’m guessing) the right amount of fire and lime juice the perfect zing.

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 see various beer choices on the menu, but when I ordered a Pacifico the gentleman taking my order told me they were all out of cerveza.

After placing the order,  my dining companion and I browsed around the store while our food was being prepared.  The carniceria is at the back of the store and has a variety of fresh and frozen fish, beef, chicken and pork products.

In case you were wondering, that mess sitting on top of the counter is a big ol’ pile of house made chicharon!  Here’s a close-up for anyone who’s into chicharon porn!

We didn’t have long to browse the carniceria, because our order number was called pretty quickly so we sat down to eat.  Now, typically when I go to any taqueria I try to order a variety of items, but on this visit I couldn’t muster the willpower to resist ordering a taco trifecta, one taco al pastor, one pollo and one choriqueso.  The corn tortillas were griddled and served hot, but these were much “cornier” in taste than at other area taquerias.  Of the three tacos, the al pastor was my favorite.  Even though the al pastor didn’t have any pineapple, it had grilled onions a nice spiciness.  The choriqueso was, surprisingly, a little on the dry side and didn’t seem to have a lot of flavor.

My dining partner had the chicken quesadilla plate which was good but not especially noteworthy.  The chicken filling was of the diced variety, not shredded, and came with a large portion of lettuce, avocados and pickled jalepenos.

Not only does Toledo’s have a carniceria and taqueria, but they also have a decent selection of grocery and convenience items.  On the way out, I bought a huge bunch of really fresh cilantro for $1.00! There are a lot of good things going on under this one roof.

Toledo Carniceria

2223 NC Highway 54

(919) 405-4240

Since  I was stricken with a mid-afternoon taco craving, a couple of tacos al pastor ($1.75) were the first order of business.  The menu said that the al pastor came with pineapple but, unfortunately, neither of my tacos had any.

The al pastor was nicely marinated and had just the right oil content.  Not too dry and not too greasy.  The tortillas are made fresh with each order, though these were a little more dense than the offerings at other area taquerias.   These tacos had to share my affections with this nice gordita de pollo ($2.50).

The chicken filling in the gordita was very moist, but ended up soaking its corn vessel and contributing to the untimely structural collapse of the (starship) gordita enterprise.  My dining partner enjoyed a torta de pollo ($6.00) which, though very tasty, suffered a similar soggy fate towards the end of our meal.  Next time, I’ll be sure to provide photographic evidence of the delicious destruction.

Though I didn’t order any of the weekend specials on this visit, Taqueria 3 Hermanas offers menudo ($9.00) and birria de chivo ($10.00) on Saturdays and Sundays.  The menu’s description of the birria de chivo  special makes me a little regretful that I didn’t get it:  ”Meat goat [sic] is seasoned with spices and hot peppers and cooked in a pit barbecue.”  I’m definitely going for the goat next time.  In summary, Taqueria 3 Hermanas is a nice addition to Durham’s embarrassment of taqueria riches.

Taqueria 3 Hermanas

4853 Highway 55
Durham, NC 27713

(919) 884-0170

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 been delicious–even the chicken is something special, and you really have to try one of his quesadillas even if you’re usually a taco person.

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 don’t think is usually on taco truck menus.  I rarely drive by this area at night so I don’t know if it’s a usual spot for Rico’s.  Has anyone seen it around before?  It’s definitely a truck I’d seek out in the future.