Man In A Can: El Rey Del Taco

If you are anything like me, you love Mexican food, but there are barely any places in Manhattan that (in my opinion) are worth going. It"s the ONE thing that L.A. has over us. You have those Tex-mex places, which are neither here nor there. You have Chipotle, but ladies and gentlemen remember it"s owned by McDonald"s, which says a lot in itself. And, of course you have "Mexican" restaurants, which pander to god knows who"s bland taste buds. I always find myself asking, where"s the salsa? Where"s the spice? It tastes like Ragu with Polly-O cheese. Do you ever see anybody Mexican eating there? I didn"t think so; thus it can"t be good.

But, cross over the river and you have El Rey del Taco. Apparently, they aren"t too modest, huh? Anyway, you can"t miss it, it"s a sizable silver truck adorned in the colors of the Mexican flag (green, white and red for any of you who were wondering). Parked on the corner of 33^rd St and 30^th Avenue, it"s conveniently located just two blocks from the N/R stop. I call them as soon as my train gets out of the tunnel and reaches Queensboro Plaza and when I get off at 30^th Avenue, dinner is ready.

I know, I know so you"re skeptical. You"re thinking, "Food and enclosed vehicle are like oil and water." But, I assure you what"s on the menu at this truck is gourmet, well…at least authentic. It"s no hot dog/pretzel man, that"s for sure.

With nothing on the menu costing more than 6 bucks, you can have a completely authentic Mexican meal, and at that price you can afford to eat out often. (That"s something I love about Queens, you can always eat like a Queen on a budget of a pauper.) From platters to burritos to quesadillas to tacos, this truck has it all. The cooking is done all before your eyes, sometimes I feel like I"m watching Iron Chef. Best of all, this truck delivers! Well, the truck stays put, but they have a delivery boy on bike standby.

Ask for Juan. I even have him on speed-dial.