Thread: NYC: Calexico carne asada cart

These two carts in Soho (and now restaurant in Red Hook, Brooklyn) were started by a guy I went to school with and his two brothers. Really outstanding and inexpensive food. They actually won the grand prize at the 2008 Vendy Awards.

http://www.calexicocart.com/

Gettin' gangster with Martha...

From the NYT...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/di...r=1&ref=dining

In Brooklyn, New Taquerias, Two Ways

...Calexico’s food is messier in appearance but more consistent in execution.

Top billing goes to the carne asada, skirt steak rubbed with a spice mix, marinated overnight and grilled to melting tenderness. It’s terrific, with a punch of flavor so intense, it‘s hard to justify ordering anything else.

That said, the pulled pork and pollo asado (grilled chicken) are excellent. In any other setting they’d be stars, not also-rans.

Likewise, the rolled quesadilla ($5 to $7) nearly overshadows the taco ($3 to $4). An adaptation designed to maximize the number of quesadillas that can be cooked simultaneously on a street cart’s burners, it yields a mille-feuille texture of multiple crispy and gooey layers.

It’s these little touches that give Calexico an edge. The ciabatta for the tortas ($7 to $8) is lightly charred. A humble black bean burrito ($6) is elevated by properly al dente beans and an extra spritz of lime in the lush guacamole.

The wild card on Calexico’s menu is the Cheddar grits ($3 to $8), a dish neither Mexican nor particularly Californian. It is, nonetheless, delicious, and the addition of jalapeño puts it on the same spectrum of flavors as the rest of the fare.

Border towns are notoriously sketchy when it comes to the rule of law, so why shouldn’t Calexico take liberties, with results like this?