Yuma Part 1 - The "Taco Truck" Tour

*** Ed from Yuma has an update on Yuma Taco Trucks, you can find it here.

Earlier this year Ed from Yuma, and I were having one of our dinners and I broached the subject of a possible visit. At first Ed's response was, "huh"? But after pondering this for a while, Ed had come up with an idea. Ed has enjoyed some of Yuma's best Mexican Food at various Taco Stands and Trucks, and thought we should do a "Taco Truck Crawl". Ed's been wanting to this for a while, but couldn't find any takers. This sounded really good to me, I know next to nothing about Mexican Food, other then the "something" - Berto type Taco Stands we have here in San Diego.

We scheduled the visit during an open weekend on Ed's schedule; and so here I was fulfilling a very strange fantasy. You see, I often pass the 161 miles to Yuma sign on the 8 Freeway,  always tempting me to "just keep driving" until I get "there". The drive took a shade over 2 hours, and was not what I expected. I'd assumed that El Centro, and all of the points East of San Diego was just desolate desert, but was changed as I passed all the fields of green. I got to Yuma at about 1115, and Ed picked me up in the Best Western Motel parking lot at 1130, and we were off.

It seems that there is an abundance of Taco Trucks in an area down 8th street in Yuma. There are literally empty lots lined with trucks around the perimeter. Many of these "shops" don't open until after sunset. Probably because most of their clientele works during the day, whether in the fields, or other manual labor, we also joked that the Dept of Health closes at 5 as well. Not very many "Gringo's" here. Ed wanted to take me to a specific Truck. So we drove down 8th avenue, which is being repaved. I thought the rough dirt road added a definite ambiance to the whole "event".

The specialty here is Caguamanta - Stingray Soup. Ed explained that dried salted Manta ray fillets are rinsed and re-hydrated I'd imagine much like bacalao, and cooked in a tomato based broth, with onions, celery, and other vegetables. The taste is somewhat briny and oceany; Ed describes it as a sting ray Manhattan Chowder. The stingray meat is slightly dense, not as tender at a fish fillet, but much more tender then the usual piece of rubbery clam that you'd get in a chowder. There is a nice bit of spice, and the cilantro and onions equate to a somewhat bracing flavor. You get a 12oz cup of soup, and either 2 corn tortillas or tortilla chips with your soup. Actually, I'd have loved a bowl of rice with this!

While waiting, I took look around the lot. There were several other trucks; some of them looked mobile, others looked like they were towed and left on the site. All of them were painted with the "specialties of the house". I turned to Ed and told him, "I know what this is, it's a food court!"

None of these "shops" were open; some were grilling meat in preparation for the "dinner rush". We came up to a truck on the corner of Eleanor and 8th that was open:

Unfortunately, they were out of everything that Ed tried to order. So we settled for 2 carne asada tacos. These were just ho-hum, I've had better before. But the one thing I noticed was that shredded cabbage was used instead of lettuce, and everything is with corn tortillas, not flour.

As we drove up 8th Street, Ed saw this sign and made a sudden turn into the gravel lot:

In this lot was a trailer, a counter with seafood in ice alongside a concrete "pad" covered with a tarp. Ed placed his order, and in a few minutes, this was delivered:

This large chalice contained a wonderful seafood cocktail. If it's in the ocean, it was in this. Chock full of shrimp, squid, octopus, scallops, great tasting oysters, cucumbers, celery, onion, all in a refreshing  clamato and tomato water broth. But the item that surprised me the most was this:

In case you're not sure. Yep, that's abalone, there were at least 5 slices of nice sweet abalone in this goblet, amazing! The broth was just mild enough to add a little taste to all of the seafood. This was fabulous! I also discovered a hot sauce that I really enjoyed, Bufalo Jalapeno Hot Sauce.

Needless to say, we left with smiles on our faces. And lunch isn't over yet! And there's still dinner! STAY TUNED.

To Be Continued.....

Comments

[milgwimper]

KIRK,

The seafood looked absolutely wonderful! :) Looks like you're trip is turning out great!

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

WOW! Looks like you had some good eats there. I would have definitely loved the caguamanta. I love barbecued sting ray, so I can just imagine how this would taste. Mmm!

[Kirk]

Hi Mills - I was so amazed that there was abalone in the cocktail! And guess what, we're not even finished "lunch" yet".

Hi Reid - It was very good! I need to find somewhere that makes this here.

[elmomonster]

Oh man! That looks awesome and wonderfully weird! A food court of taco trucks! This could be something you might have to alert Huell Howser on. If that ain't California's Gold, I dunno what is.

Now I gotta look up where Yuma is on the map.

Ed from Yuma, for some reason (maybe the way you describe him), reminds me of Ed from "Shaun of the Dead"...

[elmomonster]

Oh nevermind about that Huell Howser idea...I just looked up Yuma. It's in Arizona...duh!

[Rachel]

Hi kirk,

Thats looking like one amazing trip. Hehe its funny how you comented those caravan truck things looked like a food court as they all bunch together. That is so interesting and v. cool. I'd like to go to Yuma now too!!

wow you don't often come across abalone do you? But I absolutely love the stuff. It retails for about $40 a tin in singapore, and the fresh green lipped ones you can get here but I know they are very dear too.

Thats a very interesting post ! Can't wait to see what dinner was.

[Angie]

Nice desert photo, Kirk. I enjoy the drive out there and the rugged, natural beauty of the desert and mountains. Given our limited water resources, however, it always disturbs me to see all of those farms out in the middle of the desert.

It's odd to think of seafood in the desert, too, until you look at the map and realize that the Gulf of California is not that far south of Yuma.

Bring on the rest of lunch!

[Jack]

All in the name of food...you are the man Kirk! Looks like it was a great adventure. Can't wait to read about the rest of the day.

[Kirk]

Hi Elmo - Ed oftens jokes about how I've made him "immortal". As for the taco trucks, you'd drive down the streets - outside of gringo territory. And right next to a field of say, lettuce, or down an alley you'd see a mass of people eating at fold-up tables and chairs at a taco truck.

Hi Rachel - Yes, these were fresh abalone. I saw a few in the shell on ice on my way out.

Hi Angie - Funny, that was the first thing I mentioned to Ed; where the heck does all the water come from. He explained the damming of the Gila River, etc. BTW, that's the Colorado River, more like the Colorado stream in the picture.

Hey Jack - It actually get's better!

[Joseph]

What an adventure and... fresh seafood in the middle of nowhere!

[Kirk]

Hi Joseph - Yes, it was a (eating) adventure......

[Frederick]

I used your page to find that oriental store, only one in town ! Now I'm gonna go try that taco truck food court too. BTW, there is now an Indian food place on 4th, the buffet is 6.75? I think ( for lunch ). Finding those Gastronomical delites is almost as much fun as eating them. Thanks for all the good info :)

[Kirk]

Hi Frederick - Thanks for visiting. I'm glad our humble little blog was of some use.