Taco Cart Catering + Margarita Truck = FUN

The mobile food trend is ideal for taco dining. But now more taco caterers and truck vendors are licensed to sell drinks, including signature margaritas.

 

No one is arguing that we live in a time of fluid mobility. To understand that point, simply observe the dawning of food truck dining: Smartphone users – which is to say, just about everybody – access various apps to find out where to eat. Savvy food truck proprietors can pull customers to wherever they happen to be parked on any given evening.

 

It’s as if your favorite restaurant gives you a new dining room every day of the week. And more recently, smart food truck and mobile taco catering chefs are providing libations on wheels as well. A glass of wine, mug of beer or tumbler of a favorite cocktail before, with or after the meal rounds out the experience.

 

The most obvious, natural pairing is of a mobile margarita bar with a taco vendor. Quiz any group of people under the age of 90 about fun meal combinations and it likely will include tacos with margaritas (for the uninitiated, a basic margarita is typically made of tequila, triple and lime or lemon juice; some prefer it with salt on the rim of the glass and it can be served with or without ice). For most American diners, tacos with margaritas really fit the word “fiesta” to a tee.

 

In fact, taco caterers and bricks-and-mortar taco restaurateurs aren’t the only enterprises thinking about this combination. A major food company that sells taco and burrito shells for the home cook issued a press release a few years ago that suggests tacos and margaritas be paired, just as wine, and more recently craft beers, can be matched with certain kinds of restaurant entrees. The pairings mobile taco cart catering operators could and should provide include the following:

 

• Crispy battered fish taco with cabbage slaw and jalapenos – Pairs well with a lime margarita that is infused with hibiscus syrup, an uncommon floral and tropical flavor that balances well with hot spices.

 

• Chicken taco with chipotle sauce ­– Pairs well with a citrus margarita – which can be layered with three types of citrus: orange, lime and lemon (the adventurous would add grapefruit).

 

• Goat, lamb, fish or vegetable taco in Tunisian harissa chili paste – A favorite flavoring of tacos among people in North Africa and the Middle East (and yes, tacos are essentially an international dish), often with feta cheese or yogurt, nicely offset `with a honey lemon margarita.

 

• Southeast Asian taco with coconut curry chicken –­ Regularly served with Thai basil, green apple and peanuts, a mango margarita with lime and crushed lime basil would cleanse the palate.

 

A private party with taco caterers can also feature specialty margaritas. The advantage to party hosts is they can try out several varieties in the planning phase.