I grew up in rural northwest Ohio. I first heard the name “The Great Black Swamp” at Bowling Green, where I spent my freshman year in college. I haven’t heard anyone refer to the rest of northwest Ohio by that name though.
And here’s some more ideas!
Whenever I see or hear of a vending cart, I can’t help thinking of Karl’s Disco Wiener Haven.
Salsa y Catsup!
Salsa y Catsup!
Salsa y Catsup!..
I went to one of the taco trucks today for lunch and noticed that “fajitas” was listed as one of the kinds of tacos that was available. I didn’t ask, but I presume that it refers to steak tacos. Also, I just remembered that “fajita” at Chipotle means that on your burrito, you want peppers and onions instead of beans (along with whatever meat you have in the burrito). So maybe it’s not as clear as I thought what the term “fajita” means to most people.
Is the grilled onion served as a whole (from green tops to white ends) inside the taco? Also, do you know what cut of meat the carne asada is made from? Are the boiled beans like cowboy beans, or are they black beans? Do you know the name for the roasted tomato and serrano salsa? What are some other salsas that are traditionally served?
Sorry for all the questions and thanks for the info on the real thing. My problem is that I’ve never seen a real asada or carbon stand so I’ve been going off descriptions. I would like to keep it authentic and hold to some kind of tried and true standard, at least.
Thanks for the great links, Pulykamell. They help to sort this out a bit, and gave some great history and ideas. Thank you, Thank You, Thank You.
The Baja Fresh chain served grilled cebollitas for a while. Theirs were the size and shape of green (spring) onions. They quit doing that several years ago, and it may have been because there was some other restaurant that had problems with insuffficently clean cebollitas just before Baja Fresh quit serving them.
It would probably be a good idea if you were to visit a few of the already existing Tex-Mex chains (that do just the simple stuff) and some Mexican street vendors before you try to do this. Visit Baja Fresh, Chipotle, and Moe’s Southwestern Grill (but not Taco Bell, which is awful). Visit one of the American cities where there are lots of recent-immigrant Mexicans who have stands or trucks that do this kind of food. If you have problems ordering because literally all of their customers order only in Spanish, then you’ll know you’ll be getting authentic Mexican food. I had problems ordering from the roadside truck where I got tacos yesterday because the woman working there spoke very little English (and this was in College Park, Maryland).
I have been to a Baja Fresh out of state, but there are none of the new “fresh mexican” or “cali-mex” restaurants in all of the area. Another reason for my interest in this kind of business-- no competition and a market ready for it. We have lots of great mexican restaurants but nothing close to either of the downtowns I’m considering. People love their mexican food around here and I think a simple fresh alternative to Taco Bell or the usual sandwich or hot dog has real potential. I have been to two genuine Taco Stands before (again, out of state) where the daughter had to translate or I was barely understood and had to break out my High School Spanish. Unfortunately, both had great tacos and other specialties but no carne asada. So I’m kind of going blind here, but I have a good handle on BBQ and making salsas and hot sauces and some F&B experience so my Tacos might be Gringo tacos but I don’t want them to taste like it. I want a taco with integrity and heritage.
2 things, coming from a Texan aficionado (I’ve had fajitas at the original Ninfas many times):
- I made fajitas yesterday. Grilled them over coal and hickory. I was trying 2 different marinades that I kind of threw together – pineapple juice, salt, garlic, pepper, chili pepper versus basically the same with lime juice.
The pineapple marinade turned out more tender, but it was too sweet for my tastes. Definitely lime is the way to go. That said, I would consider tenderizing the meat beforehand and not skimping on the marinade. Skirt steak tends towards toughness.
- Absolutely key – fresh salsa and fresh tortillas. If you can make the tortillas yourself, you will have an absolute winner. There is a fast-food chain here, Taco Cabana, that is popular almost entirely for its homemade tortillas and fresh salsas (and queso). The meat is kind of shit, but it is a statewide success because of the tortillas and salsas. Make your flour tortillas soft and thick – don’t skimp on the shortening (maybe even try out good old manteca – lard).
For salsas, I would offer pico de gallo (coarsely diced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, with salt and lime juice), salsa verde, regular red salsa picante, and maybe one other more exotic – popular ones around here are chipotle ones and ones with mayonnaise (ranch dressing-y). Offer guacamole as a side (easy to make, just mash avocados and combine 2:1 with your pico de gallo).
Around here, a pound of fajitas usually comes with 4-6 tortillas, onions, pico de gallo, maybe lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, and rice and one of 3 kinds of beans.
I just went to the Pacific coast of Mexico a couple of months ago and my favorite place to eat was basically the front porch of one family’s house, where they set up a few plastic picnic tables and chairs and their pre-teen kids took our orders. I had the carne asada tacos, and they were simple as can be: small, soft flour tortillas topped with chopped grilled meat, a sprinkling of cilantro, and a crumble of that fresh, white cheese that I’ve never seen outside of Mexico and the rare ultra-authentic Mexican place. It’s sort of like feta, but much milder-tasting. That’s it - no salsa or sauce of any kind.
The meat was very flavorful. It wasn’t spicy, just…yummy. I do believe there was lime in it, probably just squeezed over the top after it was cooked.
When you mentioned Mesquite I immediately thought Texas BBQ - that doesn’t sound very Mexican to me.
I’m sorry I can’t provide more details, but I was concentrating more on eating than trying to figure out how to make them. Now I wish I had because I really miss those tacos (and they were less than 70 cents each!)
sigh
I don’t like tenderizers–they tend to screw up the texture of the meat. Skirt steak CAN be a bit tough, but I find that marinading it in lime and making sure to cut thinly against the grain makes it absolutely fine.
devilsknew writes:
> I have been to a Baja Fresh out of state, but there are none of the new “fresh
> mexican” or “cali-mex” restaurants in all of the area.
All the more reason that you might want to travel a bit to do some research before opening your stand. In some sense, you will have to decide how Americanized your place will be. Really authentic Mexican food would have no salsa or cheese (and certainly not American cheese) over the tacos. They would have lots of cilantro (and maybe onion) sprinkled over them. I’ve had the Mexican cheese (soft, white, mild, crumbly) over other dishes. The only thing I’ve heard it called is “queso,” but that’s just the Spanish word for cheese.
I was going to say it’s cojita, but I wouldn’t call it mild. It’s kind of like feta. Queso fresco, maybe?
Devilsknew, I like your idea. A couple of suggestions:
- Don’t use “carbon” as any part of any description of any food item you are offering.
- Meat and cheese is a winning combination, but people need to recognize the cheese, so anything like cojito is probably out.
For what it’s worth, I’ve made very tasty carne asada out of steak tips, which come out nice and tender. The marinade I used had was primarily lime juice and soy sauce, with other stuff I don’t remember.
But good luck. Let us know when you open, and we’ll stop by.
Johnny L.A. writes:
> I was going to say it’s cojita, but I wouldn’t call it mild. It’s kind of like feta.
> Queso fresco, maybe?
I was using “mild” because vaderspal also used the word to apply to it. It’s not “sharp” in the sense that the word is usually applied to cheese (i.e., aged with a powerful taste). Incidentally, Sal Ammoniac, while I agree that maybe devilskew should use American cheese rather than cojita, definitely don’t used melted cheese.
Devilsknew, sounds like you’ve got a ton of great ideas now! I wish you much success!
Hey don’t forget to wear an oversized sombrero, a brightly colored serape, bandoliers and big mustache, have a big cactus on your cart/stand, have a burro pulling your cart, a mariachi band on friday nights to work the crowd and a “Taking a siesta, back in 30 minutes” sign! 
Johnny L.A., Question; What is Sanctuary? 
btw, about the chopped up carne asada? perhaps you misread or my wording was convoluted, but I stated the same thing you did. That the term “carne asada” refers to a whole steak, not chopped, but that when you order it for tacos it is chopped.
cotija?
"Cotija (Ko-tee-hah) - Named after the town of Cotija in Mexico where it originated, this firm, very salty cheese is similar to a dry Feta in many respects. Moisture content will vary by manufacturer, ranging from semi-firm to very firm, although all versions are quite crumbly. It can be used in a similar way to Feta - in cooked foods, especially crumbled and sprinkled like a condiment over soups, salads and beans. Cotija is also available in grated form. It is made with whole or part-skim milk and is typically available in 12 and 16-ounce rounds, wedges or squares.
Cotija Añejo (Ko-tee-hah An-ye-ho) - A version of Cotija that has been aged longer (Añejo means aged). Some manufacturers call it Queso Añejo, or simply, Añejo. As the name implies, it is fairly hard and dry, and is a mainstay of Mexican cooking, often crumbled over dishes. It has a salty flavor and can be grated or crumbled and used like Parmesan or Dry Jack on salads and cooked foods. This cheese is typically made with part-skim milk and is available in 12-ounce wedges."
http://www.californiadairypressroom.com/PK_hispaniccheeses.html
Typo.
The feta-like cheese is also known as queso fresco when it’s fresh and still moist, queso seco when it is dry and queso añejo when it is aged.