Food Trucks Beginning To Find A Niche In New Orleans

Lately I've tried to revive my long dormant hunting and gathering instincts. I prowl the streets of New Orleans searching for trucks and vans loaded with food far better than traditional street fare.

In my search, I've been aided by modern tools, such as Twitter feeds and a Facebook page called "New Orleans Needs More Food Trucks." Although our city's population of gourmet food trucks is still thin as compared to other foodie cities, over the past few months its numbers have grown.

On a recent Saturday night, I found Taceaux Loceaux parked outside Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar on Tchoupitoulas Street. On one side of the white step van was an enormous chalkboard with its menu of nontraditional tacos, such as the Seoul Man (Korean-style bulgogi chicken), Carnital Knowledge (pork with shredded cabbage and chipotle aioli), and the Notorious P.I.G. (chorizo, potatoes and garlic salsa), that might cause a Mexican to request an interpreter.

Inside the van, Alex del Castillo gracefully moved his large frame between the sizzling meat on the flattop and the line of cabbies, bar patrons and passers-by waiting for a spicy late-night snack. When things got slow, he texted updates on his location and nightly specials to the 1,000 people who follow Taceaux Loceaux on Twitter.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA).