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| View from Mariscos Sinaloa, close to Fruitvale BART |
Mariscos Sinaloa, identifiable by their deep orange trucks, has two locations. This review is specifically for the location very close to Fruitvale BART. Recently Sinaloa replaced Ojo de Agua, which previously occupied this location. I visited with my friend Sarah, with whom I have eaten countless meals all over the world. What makes us specifically qualified for this task is our experience nibbling foods on the streets of Central America, where we travelled together for nearly three months on a tight budget. On that trip we learned that a chalupa was not something that Taco Bell made up and were introduced to the huarache.
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| Sarah ordering the Torta Hawayana |
As the name indicates, Mariscos Sinaloa specializes in seafood, which is unfortunate, since their taco de camarones (shrimp taco) did not taste fresh. The taco was so bad that I threw it away after three bites. When I ordered I asked the cashier what the most popular item on the menu was, hoping to get a recommendation, but he replied that everything on their menu is popular. Not such helpful advice, but he was friendly. When Sarah told the cashier and cook that we had beers at the house to drink with the tacos, they got very excited for us and seemed to like us a whole lot more.
As specified in the Taco Tour 2012 rule book, I ordered three tacos from Sinaloa, camaron, al pastor, and carnitas. (Look here for a taco truck lingo guide.) all of the tacos were served on two stacked tiny tortillas. On top of the three tacos, the cook laid lime wedges, escabeche, and fresh radish slices. The shrimp taco was terrible! I feared that I might get food poisoning because the shrimp just did not taste fresh. My suspicion is that the shrimp came to the truck as frozen bay shrimp, not a great place to start, but it was all down hill from there. The shrimp were not seasoned, and they were sprinkled with cilantro and hot sauce. The al pastor taco managed to be dry and oily at the same time, a fatal flavor combination! The only taco that I enjoyed eating was the carnitas. The meat was smoky and juicy and flavorful, topped with cilantro and chili pepper.
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| Mariscos Sinaloa patio dining area |
Sarah got adventurous and ordered the torta hawayana (Hawaiian sandwich), which is fitting since Sarah grew up in Hawaii. The torta came on a big toasted round bun with pineapple, milanesa (battered fried steak), sliced ham, melted swiss, cotija cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. She could not finish the sandwich the size of her head and saved half of it for lunch the next day. She was happy.
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| Shrimp cocktail illustration at Mariscos Sinaloa |
As taco trucks go, Sinaloa is swanky and inviting. The truck and its associated building sport a fresh coat of orange paint and a large clean patio-style dining room with restrooms and wine barrel planters with flowers outside. They have an imaginative selection of over-the-top tortas. Unfortunately I cannot recommend the seafood. If you stick with tortas or carnitas tacos you should be fine and you can enjoy a genuinely festive eating area after ordering your food at the truck.
Mariscos Sinaloa is on the corner of E 12th Street and Fruitvale Avenue, very close to the Fruitvale BART station.
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