Tacos: Torchy's vs. El Camion

Our friend Carson took us to the "trailer park" location of Torchy's in Austin, where we feasted at midday on a variety of tacos -- green chile pork, migas, fried avocado, and chorizo -- as well as unbelievable queso with homemade chips. I remember my mom making chorizo and eggs when I was little -- especially the way the spice sears your nose hairs -- and Torchy's revived this pork nostalgia from my childhood.

Jay thought the green chile pork taco was tasty. It had mounds of carnitas and resembled more of a huge pork sandwich than the street taco he was expecting. The fried avocado was also a bit heavy and didn't quite reach the stratosphere in terms of flavor. Torchy's queso with spicy peppers was as awesome as our Texan host and fellow food blogger Veronica said it would be, and the warm Austin sun shining down only enhanced our taco pleasure.

We couldn't help but compare Torchy's with our favorite taco truck back home in Seattle, El Camion. We have only visited the Ballard location, but it has become one of our regular places for a cheap and  delicious lunch. Once you eat at the truck, your Seattle taco search will be over. This is Jay's favorite place to have a nosh and, even when we try to eat somewhere else, we somehow always end up back in the El Camion parking lot. The food is much lighter here than the gut bombs at Torchy's, and you don't need to be near el baño and a bed after eating.

For $10, two people can enjoy two tacos each (from a selection of nearly a dozen varieties), including our favorites: carnitas and fish. El Camion's tortillas are small but doubled up to contain meat, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. The un-breaded white fish tacos include a creamy sauce and red cabbage. Once you have had their tacos, you may find yourself craving them several times a week! The best part of the El Camion experience may be the black beans and Spanish rice, which must be made with either lard or some serious butter -- insanely satisfying!

El Camion's quality and flavor are pretty consistent, and since they have a tent next to their truck (with heaters, picnic benches, and foosball table), it's accessible year-round. In the past, I've ventured from our standard order and tried the carne asada (steak) taco and tamale -- neither as exciting as expected -- and the divine gut bomb that is the mulita, a glorified meat quesadilla. The folks that run the truck are talented and hospitable -- for example, during winter, they offer free samples of warm horchata (cinnamon rice milk) while you wait... which reminds me, this kid is awesome.

El Camion is perhaps the best food truck in Seattle and -- arguably -- boasts the best tacos in the nation. Take that, Torchy!