By Jodi Mailander Farrell | MiamiHerald.com
Take a hint from the big Z in The MexZican Gourmet Food Truck’s name. There’s a little zip in the taco sauce.
Actually, the Z stands for Mexican-born chef Zé Carlos Jimenez (Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita, Crazy About You). Word is he’s about to open a place in South Miami, but for now you can sample what he calls “new Mexican gourmet cuisine” out of his sharp black-and-green food truck.
The beauty of The MexZican is that Jimenez can be found at food truck rallies in Miami, Coral Gables, Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Cooper City and points in between.
The traditional tacos use palm-sized, soft corn tortillas stuffed with cilantro, diced onions and your choice of protein: carne asada (beef), Michoacan-style carnitas (pork chunks) or Puebla chicken, with green or red sauce. Carnivores will adore the “legacy” version that combines juicy brisket with bits of chorizo and a sprinkling of fried pork rinds.
The specialty shrimp taco, filled with crispy, beer-battered fried shrimp atop shredded lettuce and coleslaw, was one of our favorites, but make sure you snatch up one of the bottles of Jarritos. You’ll need the Mexican soft drink because the spicy chipotle sauce is full of capital Zs.
There’s also chicken or steak quesadillas, which seem bland by comparison, and a hearty Mexican torta sub, a baguette filled with refried beans, carne asada, Oaxaca cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado, mayo and rajas (sautéed onions and chiles).
