Kimchi Taco Truck - Midtown East

1/24/11
"Hello - I just wanted to know if the Kimchi Taco Truck would be opening soon, and where it's primary location will likely be. Thanks."

1/25/11
"Hi,
We are still working hard to be on the road as soon as we can. The best way to stay updated on our movement and location is by following us on Twitter or Facebook @Kimchitruck.
See you soon on the street!
Thank you
Kimchi Taco"

What's today's date? That's right, it is April 8, 2011. I've been stalking the Kimchi Taco Truck for a while now, evidenced by my desperate email exchange with "Kimchi Taco" back in January. I first read about Korean-Mexican trucks in California last year, and was sold. Why hadn't anyone thought of this before? And why haven't already spoiled New Yorkers been spoiled by yet more culinary brilliance? So when I read about the opening of Kimchi Taco in a January NYT article, I was prepared to make the trek necessary from my Uptown perch.

After weeks of delay, the Kimchi Taco Truck is up and running and on a regular schedule throughout Manhattan. I chose the Friday Midtown East location for this special pilgrimage and have some mixed results to report.

A couple of things before we talk about the food. Leaving my Uptown office to get lunch ANYWHERE else usually involves about an extra hour for travel time. This is why, after about a half an hour wait for my food, I was compelled to take it back with me to work instead of eating it on the spot (hard to do) or taking it somewhere nearby (not many options in that area). After all, a girl's gotta work to feed a food truck habit, right? For this reason (and the obnoxious weather which just isn't warming up and contributed to the demise of my lunch situation), my food cooled down quite a bit and was a tad soggy on the first bite. Also, I'll admit that although I love all things Mexican and Tex-Mex, tacos aren't my first love. My longing for these in particular was due mostly to the Korean BBQ and kimchi infusion and I figured that the truck's namesake was the way to go on the first try.

Here is how Kimchi Taco @ my desk went:

I ordered 3 tacos (1 order = 3 for $7) - pulled chicken, braised pork, and BBQ beef. I also ordered a side of Chips & Beans, which is described as "kimchi-infused refried beans over crispy wontons." Drool-worthy, no? Deciding between the BBQ Nachos and Chips & Beans was a particularly tough call. I'm very much a sides-and-condiments person, and also a bottomless pit, so I really had to be careful. Since the Nachos sounded too good to be true and too perfect for the 3 tacos I was already having, Chips & Beans($3) it was.

The tacos: The BBQ beef taco was definitely the most flavorful and spicy. The pulled chicken and pork were a bit bland and could definitely have used more seasoning. I'm not quite sure I could taste the red wine reduction in the pork taco, or the kimchi the pork was simmered in. But what I actually found disappointing was the rest of the filling - Asian pico de gallo, fresh kimchi, and green onions. So...there wasn't actually any kimchi in my tacos. At all (although my coworker insisted she detected the "rotting" smell of kimchi). I was expecting a taco bursting with spiced-cabbage goodness, but it must have gotten lost somewhere in the Asian pico de gallo of diced onions, tomatoes, and I think a few radishes. Some bite, but not enough for someone who can practically drink kimchi.

The Chips & Beans: I thought this would be more interesting but sadly, it wasn't. The refried beans pretty much looked and tasted like refried beans - as in, brown stuff straight out of a yellow Old El Paso can. Again, not much kimchi action going on there. They were poured over those crispy wontons/chips - the kind you used to get in Chinese restaurants to dip in sweet duck sauce. Admittedly, their soggified state after the trek Uptown didn't help matters much. I'm a bit torn on this one - they probably would have tasted better if eaten on the spot. I'm convinced though, that the nachos wouldn't have had this problem since they sounded more packed with flavor.

So is there a verdict? As you will learn, the Truckspotter isn't a discriminating foodie. I'll drool over it and talk about it and maybe even not be so impressed with it, but at the end of the day, I will eat it and likely find something to enjoy about it. But in the interest of informing everyone about my food experiences and helping you figure out food trucks, I'll give this one a B. Mostly, I think my order may have been a little off and maybe the travel time factor has a special affect on kimchi tacos versus, say, chicken and rice. Still, the whole meal still kind of hit the spot and was strangely satisfying in that typical food-truck sort of way. A second trip is definitely in order for the kimchi bowls (which seemed to be very popular) and nachos.

Checkout Kimchi Taco's locations & menu