El Charrito: Taco truck in Stamford. We have arrived!
I take back all my badmouthing of Stamford's Mexican places. I take back my cursing of Mexican food in general in Connecticut. And, temporarily, I take back all the bad things I've muttered about living in this cold Mexican wasteland these past 7 years.
At least for now.
Because today as I was doing errands, I found El Charrito, a taco truck parked in West Stamford.
I actually first ate at this truck about a year ago. I saw it parked in the Shop Rite parking lot and had a good taco. Then I never saw it again.
Today, I drove by and slammed on my breaks when I saw it parked there. It's hard to miss - a big yellow truck with a big ole sign on the side that says, "El Charrito."
The husband and wife that own the truck are extremely friendly. The wife, a Stateside born Puerto Rican, who speaks perfect english takes the orders and will help you navigate what's good that particular day. The husband, from Mexico, does all the cooking. And he's good.
Today I had a huarache with carnitas. Man, it was awesome. Not just passable, but truly good. Think of a huarache as a thick tortilla, pan fried, about a foot long and 5 inches wide, topped with black refried beans, meat of your choice, shredded lettuce, crema and salsa. Man it was good. the carnitas was good and tender (not as rich as the best carnitas, but better than any other that I've had in Stamford). The huarache is all hand made from fresh masa, as are the sopes. For only $4.50, the huarache makes a great lunch. As far as I know, it's the only place in Stamford that sells huaraches.
Huaraches and sopes were the special today.
Their regular items include tacos, tortas hot dogs, hamburgers, quesadillas, etc. Plus, they have horchata too. Tacos are $2.50... not sure what some of the other items are priced. They also sell something called sincronisadas, which is something like a big old ham, cheese, beans quesadilla.
They said they are there from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. And, you can call ahead and order your food so it's ready when you get there. 203-940-0922.
I took a few pictures with my camera. Pretty crappy quality, but you get the picture. The first is of my huarache, the second of the truck.
They said the truck is parked in the same spot each day - across from Sachs Plumbing, on the side of that triangular jackie robinson park. For the address below, I'm going to approximate...
I hope it's as good next time I go.
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El Charrito Taco Truck
201 Richmond Hill Ave., Stamford CT
adamclyde
Apr 05, 2008 11:27AM
That's the best news I've heard in ages. Thanks for the alert, hope they are there tomorrow.
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they should be. She made it clear that they were there 7 days a week, from 11 to 9. But in looking at the flyer they left me, it looks like Sundays might be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. So to be safe, you are best off going during lunch I'm guessing...
I hope you like it. I didn't try the tacos. That's next. But the huarache was great.
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What is a huarache? Sorry I don't know much about spanish food?
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google it:
http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m1023TH03.htm#1
http://www.mexicanmercados.com/food/c...
i consider it just an enlarged sopes
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If you asked me 20 years ago, I would have said they were the sandals we always bought as kids when we'd go down to Baja...
Anyhow, those links are pretty good... have you had pupusas? They are sort of like oblong pupusa, though thinner, cooked on a dry griddle, then cooked again with a healthy amout of fat, resulting in a 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick masa tortilla of sorts. They sometimes have refried beans inside that tortilla (hence the pupusa reference).
Anyhow, it basically serves as an awesome vessel to deliver great toppings - refried beans, meat, sauce and cream. If you find a really special place, sometimes you'll find them topped with squash blossoms or other cool stuff. but here, it's the beans, meat, lettuce, cream and salsa. And they are really good.
Like cervisiam said, they are a lot like sopes, just a lot longer and sometimes stuffed with beans.
Hopefully the picture above gives you an idea. What it doesn't give you is a sense of the size. From this place, they are a good foot long and about 5 inches wide. And mighty tasty...
cteats, were you able to try it today?
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I found it on Sunday right where you described, across from Sachs Plumbing on Jackie Robinson Park. There were 3 or 4 SUV's parked and waiting for their orders.
I ordered two carnitas and two pastor tacos, and my kid got a chicken quesadilla. Both the tacos were very good, with the pastor being nicely crispy. I think I liked that better, although the carnitas was very good also and a lot better than Casa Villa.
The chicken quesadilla was pretty ordinary, with the same cubes of grilled chicken breast that's used at the Americanized places. My kid loved it, however.
No huaraches today, but they did have menudo (which is what the guys in the SUV's were picking up ... legend has it that it cures a hangover).
A great find!
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Adamcylde,
Which Shop Rite? You said West Stamford, so assuming Commerce Park?
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yeah, that's where they USED to be. I didn't see them for a year. Now they are at the location above (across from Sachs Plumbing on Richmond Hill. I've made up an approximate address for the Places function, which gives you a google map.
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Based on Adamclyde's picture, tried huarche today, calling ahead (since the huarache is not on the menu, butr a special). 10 minutes later, ready for pickup.
Incredible value. Ladeled across a sandle (huarach in spanish) fit for a Big Foot.
Because I'm NE gringo, have no basis for comparison. But very fresh, very tasty, and extremely comforting.
Best value going.
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just a quick update. I've now gone to this place a good 5 times now. It's been good every time.
If you have a chance to order the quesadilla mexicana, it's a real treat. seriously. Think a huge 12-inch CORN (not flour) tortilla, pan fried, a little thickish, folded over cheese, meat lettuce, crema, etc. Man, it was awesome. It will forever change what you think of as a quesadilla. I think they do flour ones too, but why bother? The corn is the real deal and just so stinking good.
I've also now had their carnitas tacos which were very good. Not as good as tortilleria los gemelos in port chester, but still better than anything in Stamford. Tacos al pastor are also good. It's not spit roasted al pastor, but you can't find that anywhere in fairfield county. And it's got better flavor than most non spit roasted pastor (not overly salty like too many places).
the salsas are good too... I wouldn't mind a little more heat/punch, but the flavor is very good.
I love having a place to go in Stamford for consistently good mexican. Finally.
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Hola Adamclyde:
I just want to thank you for your posts. I've visited the deli on Lake St and Robertos in White Plains and Los Gemelos in PC, all on your recommendations. Que rica!
A treat if you happen to be arriving sometime at Grand Central Station are the tamales sold on the street in front of the Mexican consulate on 39th St between Park and Madison.
Chowhound is not what it used to be but I always look forward to your posts.
-Peter
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ahh. great rec on the mexican consulate tamales... I'm in the neighborhood all the time. Between that and the churro vendor by at GCT (7 train), it's a nice little snack neighborhood.
To keep this on topic for this board... if you are in white plains, go to sunshine deli for tacos. Even better than robertos.
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adam,
Where exactly is the churro vendor at GCT? I used to take the 7 all the time and never saw the vendor. Thanks
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I think they move because they aren't licensed. I have seen them a few times as you wind down to the 7 train at GCT, in the last little nook before you see the tracks below you. If that makes any sense.
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Got it. I'll check it out next time.
Also thanks for your Sunshine rec. I also like the Cali Tex-Mex next to the Carvel in Elmsford.
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Adam: How does the truck compare to casa Villa. I went to Port Chester today and was so confused, I ended up having not so good peruivian food, I didn't like to ingridents they used. I had soup and it was so not broth made fesh but with MSG. i went on a fly and I didn't have my computer to see your suggestions. If you could just go to One place In Port Chester, where would it be and why? Thanks and have a great weekend.
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much better than casa villa in my opinion. It's unfortunate, but all my recent tacos at casa villa have been pretty darn average. The tacos at el charrito have been just awesome so far. And if you can get a huarache, I highly recommend it. They are just so satisfying. Fresh, tasty goodness.
Now, to be fair to casa villa, I have in the past had tacos there that were quite good, and my daughter's chicken taco there was pretty good recently. Plus, I haven't expanded beyond tacos there for some time. I think the last non taco meal I had there was so goat dish about 4 years ago... so... definitely could be a lot there that's worth exploring, but with this taco truck, it's pretty hard to convince myself to go elsewhere, unless I'm looking for a place to sit down.
**********
On edit... about Port Chester. My one meal would probably still be from Tortilleria Los Gemelos on Westchester Ave. Then I'd go from there to Paleteria Fernandez for Mexican Ice Cream. But there's a lot of other goodies there worth exploring.
I forgot to ask, which peruvian place did you try? (i find many of them are decidedly mediocre, by the way. But they are usually safe bets for either pollo ala brasa or lomo saltado.
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I got a chance to try a huarache from El Charrito today ... wow, where has that been all my life. The grilled fresh masa, crispy lettuce, smashed beans, crema , carnitas (on mine) ...
The lady working the front said that they do tamales starting in early Winter. That would be awesome to get some quality tamales in town.
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oh man. Tamales? That's gonna be the ONLY reason I'll be looking forward to colder weather... (and that says a LOT from this california boy).
I wonder if we can persuade them to make tamales oaxaquenos as well as the other kinds? Anyhow, for now I'll enjoy the summer fare! Few things are going to be better this summer than tacos or huaraches from this truck, with some cold horchata (which they sell too).
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So, Adamclyde, how do you know so much about Mexican food? Have you made it your business to check out all the Mexican joints in the extended area, or have you spent some significant time south of the border? Your recs are spot on...
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nice compliment. Thanks. I'm a geek when it comes to food and I just really like to eat. Bad food is a crime against humanity. So my goal (and I like to think the collective goal of chowhound) is to help everyone avoid crappy food. No one should have to suffer through a bad meal. It should be in the Bill of Rights or something, I think. Our presidential candidates should campaign for it, dang it!
As for your second question, yes I have tried to check out all the mexican joints in the extended area. I think I've tried everything from Norwalk through New Rochelle, with only a few omissions. (there are a handful on both ends there - Norwalk and New Rochelle - that I still need to check out, but I think I've tried pretty much everything in between).
Yes, I've spent some time south of the border, but not a whole lot. I wish I could spend more...
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you know, I saw these guys come in for their permit. I thought they were just boasting...Glad to know they weren't cause I've been looking for real Mexican for sometime...casa Villa didn't cut it with me.
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Adam: Thank you for the truck spot idea, I went and I love it. And I said I found about about them from my chowhound friend and they said you mean "adam", I said of course. It was clean and great. I will be back to try the al pastor, that sounds interesting. Have a great day! By the way they said that Fiesta restaurant in Stamford has very good Peruvian food, have you been?
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I've been to Fiesta. Good lomo saltado, if I remember correctly, but it's been 3+ years...
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mmmmmm....I have been looking for this kind of mexican for a long time! Had the huarache....fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/493447
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Thought we'd celebrate Cinco de Mayo properly and liven up a Monday at work. I can't recomend this truck highly enough. We had the huarache with carnitas, the carnitas tacos and the chicken tacos. Here are some images from lunch...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2...
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Now I made it to the truck, had the spicy pork tacos - should have ordered three or 4 - loved it!
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Adam: Anew place you will probably be very interested in, there is a new huge huge spanish supermarket about to open in Bridgeport, I believe it is called El So or Sol. It is on main street, right near walgreens closer to 95, I hope they have homemade food also. Tell me if you go what I should buy to make at home and how to make if you know if not someone will. Take it easy.
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Finally tried El Charrito yesterday. What was I waiting for??? My husband had to take care of an errand on that end of town and showed up at the pool with huraches for us and burgers for the kids. Mind you, I don't have a lot to compare this against; my experience with taco trucks starts and ends with yesterday's meal. But I thought it was outstanding, and I can see myself frequenting this place regularly, especially on those days when I can't stand another salad for lunch.
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Thank you so much Adam!!! Had the huarache today and my best description is a big.....WOW. This was the best Mexican dish I have ever eaten. Really, and I've been to way too many Mex restaurants in the area. People who run it are exceptionally nice and kindly explained all the different dishes. Liked the chicken better than the spiced pork which my wife had in her sope but both were terrific. Downside is that I will be making the half hour trip to Conn. from Dobbs Ferry quite often now. Can't wait to try the tamales which I understand is a winter dish. Maybe, if enough of us request tamales on a certain day......?
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Adam, just so you know there was an article about this place in today's Stamford Advocate. You were mentioned by name. You're FAMOUS now! :)
I've been planning on checking this place out for quite some time. Trying to get an office lunch excursion this Thursday....
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Tried it,loved it and as is the case in so many places, wishing (selfishly, I know) that they were still in obscurity.
Still, wish them the best because their food is wonderful.
End of article made me wipe a few tears off my cheek.
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Finally made it down there today for lunch with a few co-workers. I cannot say enough good things about this place. Not only was the food excellent, they were very polite and explained everything perfectly.
My boss and I went with the chicken burrito while another co-worker got the mexican quesadilla. I of course went with the hot sauce, which was not super hot, but very tasty. The wait was worth it, it was one of the best burritos I've ever had. Will be making lunch runs down there next week as well for sure. Hoping there might be some specials, like the huarache Adam mentioned.
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how funny about the advocate! I couldn't find a link, so I'm guessing it's just in print? Anyhow, I'm glad and hope the continue to get more popular. If they do, then hopefully other mexican places around will recognize that serving above-average mexican fare is well rewarded.
Glad you liked the place, and definitely try the specials, like huaraches, sopes, tamales, or mexican quesadillas. Apparently, they are offering fish tacos on occasion too. That's something I'll have to try. Though, I'm a little hesitant, since my benchmark for great fish tacos are the traditional baja style fish taco, which I haven't seen done well anywhere east of California.
Though I did have some good fish tacos of a completely different sort in Mexico City a few months ago that so I'm more open for other variations... so I've got to give El Charrito's a try.
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I should have done a search. I found the article: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10...
I'm happy for them. They really are the nicest people... and they make great food to boot.
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Awesome, adamclyde! You must feel so happy to have had such a positive effect on their business. I live in lower Westchester, but now I want to go to Stamford just to try them out!
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So, I finally hit it this weekend, and it was everything I expected from the reviews.
Had a carne adobada and an al pastor taco, Dad went for a lengua and a tripa versions--and was highly excited about the notion he could get tongue and tripe! Very tasty! Highly reco'd. A nice mix of single laborer type Latin guys hanging in the park, Latin families, African Americans from the neighborhood, and gringos like me (including a guy in a Mercedes who was a regular). A regular multicultural extravaganza, just hanging out in the park eating great Mexican food.
FYI, if you want a beer, order first, then walk west down the Post Road to the gas station, and grab a beer...by the time you get back, your food is set.
Definitely going back...I think this will be a regular lunch stop before the weekend grocery run at Shop Rite Commerce Park!
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I had the Carne Adobada torta today and was blown away! That place is truly a hidden jem. Perfect pork, tender and juicy with just the right ratio of meat to crisp skin. beans and cheese were both very fresh and the bread was perfectly warmed to give a nice crunch. For $5.00 there is no better "bang for your buck" in Stamford.
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Hit up El Charrito again for lunch today. had another Carnitas torta that was just as good as the last one (nice to see they consistently put out great food). also tried my first tongue taco. Incredibly moist and flavorful chunks of tongue made for an amazing taco. The "mild' salsa was flavorful and still had a nice little kick.
I really hope the couple running El Charrito have great success. They obviously work very hard, are passionate about what they do, and they turn out an amazing product.
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this is not fair. I can't think of any errands I need to do in Stamford. May be, they'd like to go south for the winter to Scarsdale?
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Break some of your plumbing. Then go to Sach's plumbing in Stamford, which just happens to be right across the street! :)
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Now there's outdoor seating!
The Stamford Park people (who do a sensational job in this town) put a couple of picnic tables at Jackie Robinson and now you can eat seated al fresco, not just standup or take home.
It's not for Alex and Carlos... but the public to make this once seldom used park even more people friendly.
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Sat there on Saturday at noon, before the biblical downpours in the afternoon and evening, with a chorizo, an al pastor, and an adobaba taco!
PS, don't forget to pay them! I placed my order, waited, was handed the plate, ate, got back in the car, and got all the way back to Darien before realizing they never asked for payment, and I totally forgot about it myself. Had to drive all the way back to square up...
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Thank you all. Jfood was doing errands near the truck and figured he would give it a try. If the lady tells you the story of some dumb gringo who had no idea what he was doing, pleae believe her, it was jfood. SInce he only had a few minutes and having no idea what to order he asked for help. A beautiful smile a couple of pointers and jfood walked away with two round disks of sweet rolled dough with some pork. On top he added the mild sauce and he took his first bite. It was fantastic.
So whenever jfood is in this neighborhood, he'll definitely stop and order more than one.
Thanks again all.
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My son and I finally got there for lunch today, and it is everything that everyone has said -- just delicious! I had the hurache with the spicy pork and my son had the chorizo tacos. We both had the spicy salsa with our orders, which was really spicy and very delicious. Though we live in southern Westchester, we will make every effort to get there whenever we are in Greenwich or Stamford. Yum!
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today are huaraches special again (had it with pork adovado), learned tomorrow will be tacos dorados de chorizo and Monday there will be tinga!!! the tacos al pastor aren't authentic but still tasty. Agua de horchata the perfect drink (if you didn't bring your own cerveza). this is like the street food of mexico :-)
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yeah, there are a few places in White Plains that have al pastor on a spit, but none in Connecticut. But for marinated pork-style al pastor, it's pretty good.
thanks for the heads up on tacos dorados tomorrow...
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Just for the record Taqueria Michoacana in Bridgeport uses a spit for their al pastor(only during the weekend). There is also a Taqueria in West Haven that uses a spit as well.
All this taco talk has got me hungry!!!!!!!
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true... I keep forgetting about Bridgeport. I still need to get over there and check out your recommendations there...
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Spotted on the truck line two weeks ago: a Zagat rated 29 Chef. He labeled Carlos a real artist. He and his brother shared huarache and tacos, and were blown away by the taste and the value. Tho they would have liked more pineapple on the al pastor.
Sitting with Alex and Carolos at one of the picnic tables, they talked with them about their dreams of opening a restaurant someday.
Wow, this place is gaining quite the rep. The power of CH, when there's no agenda but a really good find.
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