June 25th, 2011
Tacos Don Memo, Authentic Mexican Food, Food Trucks, Food Truck Grub, Review, Philadelphia…Did you Think I was leaving the City of Brotherly Love without checking the Food Trucks?
I don’t think so. Getting hungry, is what I told Michael as we finished checking the Eastern State Penitentiary. We had a target Food Truck in mind; Don Memo. Michael had found it; it has been the Food Truck talk of the town for years now.
A food truck craze, it seems. I know there were always food trucks coming to work sites. Now, they are all over the place. In Philadelphia, the food trucks are diverse; just like the City.
As with anything, some food trucks are better than others, some more gourmet and some specializing in different types of foods including desserts.
I love street food and eat it with total abandon. In Puerto Rico, food carts are a way of life. That’s where I grew up. Starting with my piraguas, or snow cones, to alcapurrias, churros, tacos de jueyes, piononos, etc….I still remember the kiosks in Luquillo Beach.
It was lunch time. Tacos Don Memo is located at 38th Street between Walnut and Sansom. Right behind the University of Pennsylvania. Tel. 610-529-2039. Website? www.donmemophilly.com.
There were several food trucks there, but I understand that during the school year there are even more.
Don Memo had a line. It happens every single day. You can call your order in. Otherwise, be prepare to wait. First of all, everything is prepared to order. You can’t rush food, you know that.
Food Trucks are an evolution from the traditional food cart. Actually, I found that Don Memo’s was more like a cart. It was small but immaculate. I am not kidding. We were all anxiously waiting.
Leo Saavedra is the grandson of Don Memo. Him and the other gentleman did all the cooking.
It was time to use my Spanish. Oh, well, by the time our food was ready they knew I was, originally, from PR and that Michael would be stopping by again and again. Michael was mortified.
There was a menu on the truck. Customers had a choice of meat: bistek (steak), pollo (chicken), pastor (marinated pork) and carnitas (seasoned pork). It seemed that the pastor was the most popular one.
When we arrived Leo was putting together some burritos. They looked gigantic. Then he was ready to fold them. Wait until you see mine.
I almost got a Torta. This is a Mexican Sandwich. The roll is almost like the one from a sub. You start with your choice of meat and then they will add mayo, beans, tomatoes, queso fresco, lettuce, jalapenos, onions, pickles and fresh sliced avocado.
What they called a Tostada was a puffy taco. The customers waiting were ordering mostly tacos and burritos.
Michael got 3 Pastor (marinated pork) Tacos. The taco shells were doubled; made out of corn flour. Tomatoes, onions, a fair amount of heat and packing a lot of flavor. The diced crispy pork was very very good.
I ordered the Burrito. This was an education; Burrito 101. It was so big. I also got the Pastor choice of meat. Then it was stuffed with Mexican rice, beans, avocado, onions, cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream. Heat? Of course. He was surprised. He said the Puerto Ricans that have come to eat there did not want any hot sauce. Are you kidding? I could not belive that.
This burrito. Take a look. Was so perfectly folded. I could have thrown it up in the air and it would have stayed intact.
The inside was so good; great combination. Loved the cilantro and the freshness of the ingredients.
We sat on a bench on the street and ate it all before my brain started to register; about to tell me that food coma was next.
After we finished we took a walk back to the car, but not before checking a few of the other trucks on that street.
The Sugar Philly Truck had French macaroons, which were already sold out. Apparently, very popular. It also had chocolate molten cake, pineapple custard, creme fraiche cheesecake and even creme brulee. The majority of the trucks cook everything on site. This particular truck fixes the desserts at a different location and bring them in. Their website is www.sugarphillytruck.com.
There was the house of Pita.
The chicken truck.
The Japanese Truck.
The Fruit Truck.
And, the Caribbean Soul Food truck.
We saw other street food bounty trucks by Drexel University, as well. But, they would have to wait for another time.
For all food truck aficionados there is a website; http://www.mobimunch.com, where you can find food trucks all over the country.
Note: Tacos Don Memo has a restaurant located at 57 Garrett Rd., Upper Darby, PA 19082. Tel. 610-352-2376.
FYI: If you are in Philadelphia, please check www.wawawelcomeamerica.com. Going on at the present time; festival, showcasing “The Taste of Philadelphia”. Fireworks will be at Penn’s Landing and the concert with The Roots as the headliners will be at Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Info is on that website so check it out.
Have a great week-end…talk to you later….
Tags: City of Brotherly Love, concert, Don Memo, Festival, Fireworks, Food Truck Grub, Food Trucks, Mexican Food, Philadelphia, review, Tacos Don Memo, Wawa Welcome America
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[…] I discovered the Don Memo’s food truck through a friend, who had told me about an amazing place where Penn students had originally gone for BYOs before it closed down. After the location closed down, the Don Memo’s food truck on 39th and Spruce was born. I am originally from California, and until Don Memo’s I had struggled to find some authentic Mexican food. As soon as I saw the menu, I knew this was a legitimate Mexican food truck; only they sell Jarritos! Source: AboutMyBeaches […]