Growing up, the carnival was one of my most treasured adventures. A summertime tradition filled with fun, fright, and fantasy! My best memory of that sacred event was the food! Caramel apples, fried zucchini and Doughboys! I suppose that’s why I’ve always found food truck events to be a bit carney. Carney cool, obviously: Think drive-in movies or Coney Island (minus the tattoo-covered barker, the scary clowns and the rides, of course). You do get a few sideshow freaks though which always add to the fun!
I’m convinced these outdoor picnic party events have become a necessity though, with COVID lockdown, social distancing and the threat of nuclear disaster, what’s better than a truck that serves you outside with beautiful open sky, live music and delicious food? I spend a lot of time around food trucks so I’m excited to tell you a little about them. The most interesting ones to me are the ones where you’re not quite sure what you’re getting. I know of a few of these strange and wondrous trucks – Lucky for you, I’m also adventurous and have tried a few of these non-traditional street eats, whose gourmet food items are truly something to go out for… I’m talking, “This sh!t is GOODAH!!!” When I say “BEST EVER,” you can trust and believe this picky little bitch is spot on with her choice of chow.
One of my favorites is a fairly new truck… Carlos Guillen is the chef and owner of La Birria Gourmet.. You’ll find La Birria the rest of the season at Mulligans Island in Cranston on Fridays, and I believe he will be trying Broad Street for the winter season: With the sub-zero temperatures, snow-covered sidewalks and arctic winds, even your flat-top grill and fryolator full of blistering oil will strain to keep your toes from turning into pudgy little blocks of ice. I’ve tried it and wish him luck. You can also follow labirriagourmet on Instagram and Facebook, of course.
Look for the long line at the window if you happen to find him out somewhere because the street tacos are kick-ass! Chewy corn tortillas, meat, onion and cilantro. Carlos has perfected his beef taco recipe, which he calls La Birria tacos with a short rib, ribeye and flank steak combination he created using his DR heritage and Mexican food training, These savory little street tacos come with a juicy little pot of consume for dipping delight. La Birria has other menu items like empanadas, street corn and burritos with flavor that will blow your mind.
Check out the full menu: @labirria2021 or fb.com/labirria2021
Lara Sebastian is a new writer for Motif and co-owner of the Atomic Blonde Ice Cream Truck, found at many regional food truck events. You can see and learn more at atomicblondeblog.com