Food Trucks: Inside the Tacoholics Taco Truck with Jesse Pena

Here is a short video of me inside Jesse Pena's taco truck. I wanted to get as close as possible to the South Texas tacos and to really see what kind of magic Jesse was up to inside that truck.

Click here to read my review of Tacoholics Taco Truck from Yelp.

3.5.11: On the Road with Lisa D., Rediscovering America

Tune into "On the Road with Lisa D., Rediscovering America" today for an interview with Trey Carr, travel agent for AAA El Paso, and LoAnn Halden, Media Relations Manager for the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association.

Trey Carr will talk about three fantastic vacation ideas in the Southwest; Carlsbad, NM, Alpine, TX, and Silver City, NM.

LoAnn Halden will talk about the latest in travel news and trends in gay and lesbian travel. Apparently South America is hot, and so are the people who live there.

Tune into today from 5-6 p.m. MST on KHRO 1150 AM in El Paso or stream the show at http://www.khro1650.com/.

Photos: Keystone Botanical Gardens, El Paso

This photo was taken at the Keystone Botanical Gardens in El Paso, TX. With a big variety of plants, a wetlands area, and plenty of space to picnic and host events, this is an ideal spot to visit if passing through El Paso. Coming soon, a slide show of images from the gardens so that you get a better sense of the layout. If you've got images to add, email me at otrwld@gmail.com.

For more information visit http://www.elpasobotanicalgardens.org/index.sstg.

Food Trucks: The Tacoholics Taco Truck is Coming to a Parking Lot Near You

Note: It is my dream to eat at a food truck in every state across America. Of course I am starting with El Paso, and with Tacoholics, the impetus for my food truck love affair. Where do you live? What are the good food trucks in your area?

Jesse Pena spent months searching for funding and a location for a restaurant he longed to open. Luckily for foodies smitten with gourmet street tacos, Pena opened his restaurant in the back of a truck when funding and the location didn’t materialize. Partnering with his wife, Pena created Tacoholics Taco Truck, a food truck serving Pena’s delectable street tacos. Pictured here are the South Texan and Korean tacos.

Recently Pena’s truck was in the parking lot of my office (lucky me) and because I was fourth in line, I took the chance to interview the other diners. Two patrons follow the Tacoholics Taco Truck on Facebook and Twitter and track the truck down weekly for lunch, and for a midnight snack when he’s parked outside of a bar at 2 a.m. The third patron couldn’t talk because he was a spy, soon opening his own gourmet burger truck and he was ordering lunch and doing some recon. (I will make sure to post information on this exciting culinary development, when it becomes available.)

Per meal, you can expect to spend $6, or $1.50 per taco, or $5.99 for the Mexican Philly. Sides are periodically on the menu; if the Boracho beans are available, try them and you will thank me for adding smokey, delicious beans to your meal. Pena has vegetarian options on the menu too, serving delicious Tofu tacos every lunch and periodically serving up nopalito tacos. Most people I know are crazy about the tofu tacos and the Mexican Philly, but I see plenty of taco plates served to diners whenever I’m at the truck.

My favorite tacos are the South Texans served with top sirloin, grilled onions and Asadero cheese. Although I tried and enjoyed the Koreans and the Mixto, the South Texans are savory and satisfying, I rarely order anything else.

Everything is made fresh, and I usually eat the meal five minutes within getting my tacos in my hands. If you can afford to eat close to the truck, do it, as the food is so much better right off the grill and although there isn’t seating, you can just park it on the curb.

Because this is a new trend in El Paso dining, especially for the lunch crowd, the Tacoholics could use some fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter and busy lunch locations. Read below for the handles and contact information and be sure to tell Pena that Lisa D. from The Stanton Mag Crew sent you.

Many El Pasoans are very passionate about filling this city with good dining options and the quickest way to do that is via food truck. Tacoholics is a fantastic start to a food truck revolution in El Paso. I look forward to seeing you in line.

Facebook: Tacoholics
Twitter: @Tacoholics
Email: tacoholics@yahoo.com

For future dining reference, I post all of my food reviews on Yelp.com, click here to read more of my reviews.

FREE to OTRwLD Fans: Family 4 Packs to the Home & Garden Expo!

Does your living room need a redo? Are you hankering to Go Green at home? You're in luck as the Home and Garden Expo is this weekend at the El Paso Convention Center and we've got FREE tickets for our "On the Road with Lisa D." Facebook Fans. Tell us why you love "On the Road with Lisa D." (on the wall) and we'll give YOU a FREE family 4 pack! Our Facebook fan page is under "On the Road with Lisa D."

Click here for more information.

Interview: Zach Paul with the Neon Desert Festival

On April 30th, Downtown El Paso's San Jacinto Plaza will host an amazing music festival from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., featuring four stages, fantastic music and so much more. In this interview, we talk to planner Zacharias Paul (pictured left) about what bands are in the lineup, details on where to buy tickets and volunteer and so much more.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Festival Info:

Neon Desert Music Festival annual music festival organized by Splendid Sun Productions held in Downtown El Paso, TEXAS. This event features local, regional, national, and international entertainers mostly in Indie rock, Latin Rock, and Electronic music as well as local Arts. The event has several stages, each playing live music continuously. The festival will take place Saturday April 30.


Contact Info:
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http://www.neondesertmusicfestival.com/
http://www.splendidsunproductions.com/

Ticket Info:
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Pre-sale Starts: February 17, 2011
First 1000 Festival Passes: $25+ service fee.
General Admission: $35+ service fee.

*$1 per ticket will go to The Parks and Rec Department of El Paso
* All tickets are general admission passes.
* All ages welcome
* Rain or shine.
* No ticket refunds or exchanges

VOLUNTEER INFO
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Volunteers encouraged to 'message' Marc Puma for info. All volunteers receive one free festival ticket, admission to our official Wrap Party, plus other perks. Slots are filling up quickly!

For more info on the festival visit http://www.neondesertmusicfestival.com/.

Photo: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

The last time I was in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, it was 1995 and I was driving cross country from California to New York in my Volkswagen Fox (named Iddgy) with my college roommate Jena Antonchuk (nicknamed Foosh); seeing the town again after 16 years was so surreal because so little has changed.

This photo is just a small part of a very elaborate found object fence that runs almost an entire city block around a collection of homes. The spirit of this photo perfectly embodies the vibe of the town - bits and pieces of houses and people, nestled together along the banks of the Rio Grande.

For more information on this city, visit truthorconsequenceschamberofcommerce.org/