You know the place. In a bit of a sketchy part of town. Unappealing curb appeal. You wonder how it can stay in business. You feel like you need to wash up just for seeing it. Ya, you know what I’m talking about.
It’s sometimes worth taking a chance on rather dodgy looking place though. Look past that queasy façade. Stop, get out of your car and smell. Do you smell food?? If so, that’s a good sign. Look at it. Does it have a crowd around (or in) it?? Yes, again, a good thing.
In Huntsville, Alabama at the corner of 9th and Governors in a rather unfortunate looking parking lot, you’ll find El Cazador (the hunter). Affectionately known to locals as “The Taco Bus” it’s the brain child of owner Filiberto Pelayo.
Filberto, originally from California opened the parent restaurant, Taqueria El Cazador on Memorial Parkway (Huntsville’s spine). He’s added three satellites, (one in sister city Decatur) with the bus becoming an institution. It’s made the list of Huntsville’s 10 Oddest Eateries and getting the reputation as being the best Mexican food in town.
From the outside it looks, well, like a bus. Not a fun looking one either like the Partridge family’s but almost more like a prison transfer bus. There’s also a covered picnic area beside.
The inside is pure functionality. Stainless steel lines the “Dining area” and kitchen. The menu is posted on a wall beside the cash register. A lone, over worked fan keeps the air moving inside in the absence of air conditioning.
The cramped kitchen is where all the magic happens. Food is prepared on site with the support of the main restaurant by one or another of the Perayo family.
If you’re a little nervous about the cleanliness, don’t worry, The Taco Bus scores in the high 90’s on their health rating.
Our visit was just after the 11am opening so we pretty much had the run of the place. A quesadilla and a bunch of tacos made up a nice, fresh tasting lunch.
So let’s get a look at the goodies.
We skipped the local soft drink products for the Mexican varietals. Mrs. Sippi’s grapefruit soda was a bit like Fresca but a lot less sweet. My sangria flavoured soda tasted like a non alcoholic sangria. It was pretty refreshing and certainly a nice change.
We got squeeze bottles of the two house sauces, red and green. Both were spicy and full of flavour. They didn’t over power with heat but merely elevated. I particularly liked the green tomatillo sauce.
The chicken quesadilla was the best I’ve had. The bar I used to hang out in made a terrific version as do I. This one was simply better. A great balance of meat and cheese.
The pork and beef tacos were exceptional. The beef was especially complimented with the salsa verde. The taco shells packed a big corn flavour.
So we ordered more tacos. This time beef tongue and cheek. I’m new to tongue and have enjoyed it very much but this was only okay. The beef cheek was very tasty on it’s own but probably a little too delicate for the taco. So both were good but not as good as the others.
They make a really good chicken tamale. The chicken had a more subtle flavor than I was expecting but the masa packed a great corn taste.
Not to be out done the carnitas tacos were fantatic. Especially with the salsa verde to kick up the heat. Their fresh corn tortillas are fantastic.
Perhaps the best thing on the menu (so far) is the birria. This beef stewed in a chili broth is packed with flavor. The warm tortillas and garnishes provided an extremely tasty and filling lunch.
You may have noticed some carrots in the pictures. The above picture shows carrot, chili (Serrano) and onions. They were all pickled (probably together) and had a good vinegary taste and a pretty good amount of pop to them as well. They aren’t blow the doors off hot but quite fiery still. I will again point out that everything had a nice fresh taste. There was a certain lightness to it as well. We ate a fair bit of food for two people yet didn’t have that “Oh god, I ate too much” feeling after.
You can find The Taco Bus at the corner of 9th Ave and Governors Drive NW in Huntsville, Al.
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Well that’s all for now folks. See ya next time in the food court.
Davwud
Based on the delectable samosas that we sampled on the Bakery Tour a group of us decided a full visit to Simba Grill was in order. Specializing in East African and Indian food, Sultan and Rashma Jessani opened their small restaurant in Toronto's East York neighbourhood in 2002.
Separated by the Indian Ocean sit India and East Africa. While these two regions may seem like they're an ocean away they do share cultural similarities. Not the least of which is found in the food.
Perhaps no better example of this is the Samosa. A pastry, most often fried with a savoury filling. Samosas can be pretty much broken down into two categories. One type is tetrahedral in shape and has a dough that is very similar to that of an egg roll. It's no surprise either. If you were to reconfigure an egg roll to the samosa shape and add potatoes, you could pass it off as vegetable filled.
The second style is flatter and more like a thick triangle. The dough is similar to phyllo and is probably comparable to a fried spring roll. This second style is more prevalent in the south of India and East Africa.
Another staple found on plates on both sides of the ocean is Daal (Lentils). Often found in curry dishes in India the EA version here is fried in a fritter which is more like the Indian Pakora or the Mediteranian Falafel but puck shaped.
You may start to realize that a lot of these foods are not just shared by these two regions but are variations of foods found in other countries all over Asia and Europe. This is all true and can be explained by two signifcant things. First and foremost, the old Spice Route. European traders would head east, following the Spice Route through East Africa, Central and South Asia. Indians and Asian alike were also making the journey south or west. Cooking techniques and style began to migrate all through the areas. Food cultures would collide in the earliest forms of "Fusion" which is all the rage today.
The second significant reason for this is conquest. I've heard Anthony Bourdain espouse the theory that while bad for the indigenous population, the conquest of one country by another is wonderful for developing a countries cuisine. The more countries you've been invaded by, the better your food. It tends to have a reciprocal affect as well.
Well enough of the history lesson, on to the food.
The first thing to come to our table was a tray with 4 different sauces or chutneys. A tamarind sauce that reminded me somewhat of plum sauce. I felt pretty much the same about it as I do plum sauce. It didn't do anything for me. It wasn't bad as a dressing for the salad that came on the grilled meat platter. As a sauce though, it seems I just don't "Get it."
There was a green chili and coriander sauce. It had a bit of a punch and a good coriander (aka cilantro) flavour.
My second favourite was a coconut sauce. The coconut had a nice fresh flavour and was good opposite the next sauce.
The red chili sauce was fantastic. Hot with a bit of a salty and garlic flavour it was great everywhere I used it. The great thing is it wasn't just hot. It was hot with lots of flavour.
First up in the food department were the samosas we so enjoyed before. No different this time either. These babies are the best I've had in the city and I've tried quite a few.
Cassava fries named mogo were also served. They were fine. Cassava doesn't have a lot of personality so these were good for dipping in the different sauces. I really liked the combination of coconut and red chili.
We were then served daal bhajia. A Zanzibar style lentil dumpling. It was really tasty. Especially with the red chili sauce.
Next up was a grilled meat platter. Beef cubes, beef short ribs, chicken cubes and grilled chicken. It had salad as well.
The beef and chicken cubes were quite good. They're kabobs that were taken off the skewers. Cooked well too. They weren't all dried out.
The beef ribs really didn't do a whole lot for me. They weren't bad but nothing special.
The grilled chicken was amazing. Marinaded like tandoori chicken but grilled instead. It had great flavour but without the smokiness of the tandoor. I missed that but have no complaints.
I didn't understand the spicy fries that were served with it but who cares.
Ugali is a cornmeal mush similar to grits or polenta. In this region of the world it's balled up and dipped in a curry or made into a bowl shape and used like a spoon to carry food from communal plate to mouth. It had all the taste of a spoon too. It was somewhere between terribly overcooked rice or cheap grits. I'd say the whole point though was to remain more as a role player rather than a star.
With the ugali came a grilled king fish and two curries. I'm not a big king fish fan and this one was a little over cooked for my taste. Paired with the coconut and spinach curry it was delicious. I think this was more a product of the curry being very flavourful though. I was less impressed by the black bean curry.
The pickled carrots that came with it were really good.
The best was certainly saved for last though. I love butter chicken. Granted it's probably the gateway drug to Indian food and done to death but hey, if you're gonna make it this good, you do it. My first reaction was it wasn't the best I'd had. I've had a slightly spicy version that enjoyed more. This was very buttery but pretty tame. The addition of that red chili sauce vaulted it into "Blown away" status. The chicken was marinaded tandoori style and cooked to an impossible tenderness. I can't imagine how it could melt in your mouth and not be spongy, how it was able to keep it's shape and not just fall apart in the sauce. This dish was worth the entire night.
The side of naan was rather forgettable though. It was spongy, it had none of the smokiness and wasn't slathered in ghee.
A rather bizarre "Mouth cleanser" was served after dinner. It was kinda like eating perfume. It was so strange to me that I couldn't even say I liked or disliked it. It was just weird.
Well anyway, that's my tale. Hope you liked it.
You can find Simba Grill on Donlands, just south of O'Connor in Toronto, Ontario.
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You can visit them on the web as well.
That's all for today. See ya soon
Davwud
Filberto, originally from California opened the parent restaurant, Taqueria El Cazador on Memorial Parkway (Huntsville’s spine). He’s added three satellites, (one in sister city Decatur) with the bus becoming an institution. It’s made the list of Huntsville’s 10 Oddest Eateries and getting the reputation as being the best Mexican food in town.
The inside is pure functionality. Stainless steel lines the “Dining area” and kitchen. The menu is posted on a wall beside the cash register. A lone, over worked fan keeps the air moving inside in the absence of air conditioning.
The cramped kitchen is where all the magic happens. Food is prepared on site with the support of the main restaurant by one or another of the Perayo family.
We got squeeze bottles of the two house sauces, red and green. Both were spicy and full of flavour. They didn’t over power with heat but merely elevated. I particularly liked the green tomatillo sauce.
The chicken quesadilla was the best I’ve had. The bar I used to hang out in made a terrific version as do I. This one was simply better. A great balance of meat and cheese.
The pork and beef tacos were exceptional. The beef was especially complimented with the salsa verde. The taco shells packed a big corn flavour.
So we ordered more tacos. This time beef tongue and cheek. I’m new to tongue and have enjoyed it very much but this was only okay. The beef cheek was very tasty on it’s own but probably a little too delicate for the taco. So both were good but not as good as the others.
They make a really good chicken tamale. The chicken had a more subtle flavor than I was expecting but the masa packed a great corn taste.
Not to be out done the carnitas tacos were fantatic. Especially with the salsa verde to kick up the heat. Their fresh corn tortillas are fantastic.
Perhaps the best thing on the menu (so far) is the birria. This beef stewed in a chili broth is packed with flavor. The warm tortillas and garnishes provided an extremely tasty and filling lunch.
You may have noticed some carrots in the pictures. The above picture shows carrot, chili (Serrano) and onions. They were all pickled (probably together) and had a good vinegary taste and a pretty good amount of pop to them as well. They aren’t blow the doors off hot but quite fiery still. I will again point out that everything had a nice fresh taste. There was a certain lightness to it as well. We ate a fair bit of food for two people yet didn’t have that “Oh god, I ate too much” feeling after.
