This food truck has been operating about a mile from me for several years, although only 3-4 days per week. I finally got around to stopping. I thought the presence of the truck meant the Garifuna community here was mostly in my part of town but they’re also in Fifth Ward. I looked at the menu some time ago and thought it was mostly heavy stews but the Garifuna tend to live in coastal area and eat a lot of fish.
I ordered the Pastellitos with fish (but I got chicken). I was offered corn or flour for the batter and took the corn. Those were some damn good corn empanadas or fried pies, as they might be called. The pickled red onions in the upper left is a giveaway our Garifuna community is from Honduras, which I already knew anyway. In the upper right corner is, well, basically, pico de gallo - completely lacking any heat (and served at room temp, too), The shredded cabbage in the main compartment is more typical of Nicaragua but cabbage is very popular in Central America. The patties themselves, freshly fried, were still steaming and crispy by the time I got home. The white sauce is like a sweetened mayonnaise it seemed to me, the red sauce - not just tomato sauce as it has been at most other Honduran places I’ve tried, was maybe slightly spicy.
I took four pictures as I was driving away, 2 focused on the whole truck and 2 close-ups of the menu. They all came out looking like the top photo! Oh well, I can zoom in with the computer (but can’t zoom out).
The place gets a lot of rave reviews online and I do intend to go back. I would easily rate this over any of the other Honduran food trucks I have visited in the past.
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Background info on the Garifuna community in Houston - there are others pieces on the community online but this one tells you more about the food. I may try to go back on Sunday for the Machuca (or Hudutu), the traditional seafood stew pictured in the article.
