My beloved 79 years old father who has never asked for any kind of food, except my mother's Vietnamese cooking, has been asking me to get him tacos lately. Thus begin may search for the best tacos in Gainesville. Tonight, I think I have found it at Tony Dillas's food truck located at the intersection of Main Street and S.W. 16th Avenue.
Initially, I had only intended on getting 2 tacos because I wasn't really that hungry but I was met with such wonderful customer service, I decided to try the Chef Style Entree which includes 4 quesadillas, each with a different protein: shrimp, barbacoa, carnitas and chicken. All entrees come with black beans & rice and a medley of pickled veggies. And since I was getting all that, I decided to get dessert, too, because you know, I wasn't hungry. Normally, I don't get desserts; but again, good customer service coupled with my affinity for guava made me an abnormal yeti.
It was really cold tonight so I planned on taking the takeout over to my father's house and giving him a taste since he had already eaten dinner and doesn't like to eat too much before bedtime. Well, when the food was ready, I decide to take a photo with the food truck, in case, I wanted to write a glowing review. Do you feel the light yet? The food looked so scrumptious and hot, I decided to just try an itty biddy bite of each. Game over! I couldn't stop myself. Everything was perfect. I'm glad I didn't wait until I got to my dad's house because he lives far away. I'm sure it would have tasted fine after the 15 minutes drive but eating it hot was the best thing for mental health, this weather and the depths of my soul.
I was doing my happy dance in my seat and tapping my hand on the table with each morsel. I was, as the great Jodi Foster once said, "Tay in the wind." The smiling chef walked by and asked if I need anything else. Mouth full of delight, I just smiled and shook my head no. I was focused and floating in food heaven. Enjoying myself. The black beans & rice were perfection and not over seasoned which complimented the quesadillas brilliantly. The pickled veggies brighten up everything and cleansed the palate so you can enjoy your next protein, especially if you go from chicken to pork. I went from not hungry to eating everything including the salsa roja, avocado crema and a spicy mayo type sauce. Cleared my "plate" clean.
To be honest, when I initially saw the guava and cream cheese tortillas during my photo shoot, I thought it looked simple and nothing really to write home about...
Dear Mẹ và Ba (Mama and Papa) not only did I find you the best tacos but I found you the perfect dessert. After eating all those perfectly sized quesadillas which all stay hot during my sitting, the desserts were also still shockingly warm. I really don't know how they did it or if it was because I had scarfed down my food, which would've not been atypical of me. But this time, I definitely relished my meal. Regardless, I again thought I would just take a bit or two. Lies! I finished all three tortillas because they were delectably perfect, lightly fried, soft and flaky, warm and gooey inside. It did not surprisingly taste fried. It really was perfection. It wasn't too sweet which my parents would love. The tortillas were perfectly coated with just the right amount of cinnamon sugar. I can't express to you how much I appreciate the restraint the chef has for all of his ingredients. You really have to try it for yourself. ¡Buen provecho!
10 Across The Board! Shantay You Stay! Look Roy Choi!
***Pretty Please consider cleaning your styrofoam containers and recycling them along with plastic bags in the front of your nearest Publix entrances. I know you're busy but I just keep them in a cardboard box or plastic bag until it gets full or until I go grocery shopping and dispose of them both there. I know it's a lot to ask but once you do it for a while, it will be a good habit that won't take much thought or effort and you'll be helping the environment while enjoying good food. Remember styrofoam is not biodegradable. Instead of passing the buck or pointing fingers, let's please just do what we can. And let's not focus on the who's not doing it. read more