el gallo taqueria

the cats pjs. me and my old lady have been wanting to try these guys for a while and finally got the opportunity this last wednesday. i had to force myself not to get a burrito, even though i am the king of burritos. the reason? these guys make their own corn tortillas and theyre supposed to be the shiznizzel. so we each ordered a pollo, carnitas and asada taco. after i paid we realized we'd forgotten about their fish tacos. i slowly began to weep like the forgetful cretin that i sometimes am. next time you dumb bastard, next time...
after a while, i managed to move on and a few minutes later we were awarded a bag containing the objects of our desire, followed by a sauce inquiry: face melter? medium? mild? yes please. all of the above. we wandered over to the lutz, ordered a couple of margaritas and got down in it. i tackled the carnitas first and that was probably my favorite. face melter was cruel but needed a little more going on than just sheer destruction. so i mixed some of the superdeliciousmedium in with it and voila! perfection had been achieved.
i love taco trucks but most of them do a dicey (but somewhat, necessary thing). that thing is that they cook all the meats in the morning, chop them up and throw them in a bin to be reheated once you place your order. if both steps are timed out perfectly, you can sometimes get away with it because the meat isnt dried out. but unfortunately, a lot of the time, you take a bite of one of these and are left cursing, chewing on little rocks. if the folks over at el gallo are taking this shortcut then they have it down pat. i forgot how tender anddeliciousthese kind of tacos can be. when theyre prepared properly. the chicken and steak were equally slobber, drool inducing offerings and the thick and hearty tortillas were more than up to the task of keeping everything in place. have no doubts, these gringos make some mexican grubs that would make abuela sigh in defeat. the best thing is that i still have the fish tacos (which are supposed to be fantastic) and burrito to look forward to. life is good, even though the weather is usually not.
grade: a ( oh yeah, forgot about my wife. she got tuned out along with the rest of the world once i began unscrambling those flavors. once we both came back down to earth i was completely unsurprised to find that her own experience mirrored my own, that is to say, she thought it was the cats pajamas)

authentic, made-from-scratch mexican fare made with local, all-natural ingredients -and it shows in the taste!. el gallo has the best mexican food in town! the owner, jake lives in the se portland woodstock neighborhood and is happy to create hisdeliciouscuisine in his se hood.

el gallo uses all natural, local ingredients to create the simple butdeliciousmenu, and it shows in the taste. the dough for the hand-pressed tortillas is made fresh every day as are all the meats. everything comes from local purveyors and in the summertime farmers can frequently be seen delivering baskets of their fresh herbs and veggies.

all three of the amazing salsas are also made fresh from scratch and include a mild green (my personal favorite), a medium salsa roja, and the insanely spicy melt your face which consists of too many chilies to list and is not for the faint of heart.

the burritos are a scrumptious full pound of food which include el gallo's amazing beans which are seasoned to perfection anddeliciousall on their own, cabbage, pico de gallo salsa, pickled onions, pepperjack cheese, and your choice of meat, fish, or nada to make it veggie friendly. my favorite part of these burritos is the cabbage which adds a unique crunch saddly absent from most burritos which are often weghted down by watery rice and beans. avocado can be added for extra deliciousness!

the nevada tostada is easily the most unique menu option and the combination of flavors involved in this dish are awesome! it basically includes all the burrito fixins atop a made-from-scratch piece of fry bread made when you order. the bread isdeliciousand compliments the carnitas perfectly. it is also quite tasty as a vegetarian option as well.

fresh, local ingredients make el gallo's menu items my favorite mexican fare in town!. the thing that is missing from most mexican food carts in portland for me is the use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients. often menu items from mexican carts around portland can also be pre-made. having been disappointed by many of these carts in the past i was delighted when i tried out el gallo on woodstock and 48th. amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!
chef, owner and local woodstock resident jake brown makes all his salsas, tortillas and meats (basically everything) from scratch at el gallo. his specials are dependent upon what is in season locally at the time -a huge plus for me!
on my first visit i ordered three tacos; fish, carnitas, and asada. i watched as my tortillas were hand-made to order and pressed right in front of me as i waited. the fish was fresh (not frozen) pacific snapper and was really, really good. the citrus sour cream really made the flavors come together. the carnitas taco was a bit spicier and the meat was incredibly tender and juicy. it was prepared perfectly and had obviously been made to order. my biggest complaint about carnitas tacos is often that the meat is dry when they have obviously sat out and been over-cooked. this is not the case here as the carnitas was cooked to perfection!! the asada taco was alsodeliciousand the melt your face salsa i doused it in did just that! the habanero based salsa is not for the weak of heart!!!
i would highly recommend this food cart as my absolute favorite mexican food cart in portland and will be back often!!!


-----11 nov, 2010-----

el gallo taqueria es muy deliscioso!. chef jake brown recently opened his taco cart in july on woodstock street. brown has been a chef for many local fine dining restaurants. he offers authentic simple mexican food at an affordable price.

when i ate here i was promptly greeted by brown wearing his signature bandana. i asked what he recommended and he responded that his signature dish was the nevada tostada (brown is originally from elko, nevada).

i received my plate shortly after which was a big pile of meat, beans, cheese, veggies, herbs and otherdeliciousfixins all laying atop a handmade pillowy fried tostada handmade by brown.

i had a choice of 3 salsas to choose from a mild salsa verde, a mild red salsa or the habanero filled "melt yer face" salsa. i was feeling brave so i opted for a mixture of the salsa verde and the "melt yer face" shortly into my tostada i understood why he graced it with that name it is hot!!!

the tostada was very good better than some flimsy tostada you sometimes receive at other mexican joints. it was filling and hearty with authentic mexican flavors. at only $7.50 it's a deal and i was extremely full. brown offers all options vegetarian or vegan upon request.

brown also makes tacos and burritos as well as authentic mexican salads. all tortillas for the tacos are made fresh for each order with corn masa. brown uses dried pintos which he sorts and cooks fresh each day. he also pickles all of the vegetables himself.

you can really tell the pride that goes into every plate of food that goes out each day. he really cares that his name is behind everything that leaves the kitchen and makes his food with soul.

warning: this food is authentic mexican fare if you are looking for americanized options you will not find them here. picky fickle eaters are advised to choose somewhere else.

need more carts like this!. hoping they expand! excellent food choices and especially for those who are looking for value. my fiance and i are saving money for our wedding so we are looking for quick places that offerdeliciousfood that fits within our budget. this place is one fabulous little cart. only hoping they expand since we live across town.