While celebrating Cinco De Mayo last night and making our way through the East Village to catch up with some friends (but in need of some food to soak up the few or so Margarita's we had in us) my cousin and I stumbled....though not literally into The Truck...aka El Camion. My cousin is in Real Estate and primarily handles the East Village. On more then a few occasions he noticed some new place on the corner of 12th and A that was always busy with a good looking crowd but never caught it's name (El Camion has no sign, I'm not quite sure exactly why...they do have floor to ceiling windows and I'm don't think they can put a sign on the building....thus they only have a small paper sign on one of the front windows). Regardless it's kinda hard to miss having the address.
When we went in it was rather lively and the crowd was quite good-looking (especially the group of girls celebrating one of their birthdays). El Camion has quite a few Tequila's, a variety of Margarita's (The Vamparita...a Margarita topped w/Sangria sounded interesting) and Latin cocktails as well as a nice selection of beers. It was on that list that the Michelada* that caught our attention which was quite tasty.
The food menu itself on the one hand is full of the usual suspects of Taco's (Achiote Chicken, Carnitas, Chipolte Shrimp, etc) Fajita's, Burrito's and a variey of typical Mexican starters ie Nachos (Tinga, Chorizo, Shrimp..etc...), Guacamole, and Tamales along with Mexican twists on traditional pub grub ie Calamari w/poblano dipping sauce and Chicken Wings w/tamarind bbq glaze. However quality and taste wise what we had was a cut above most places. They also have some really good sounding main plates such as Achoite Salmon, Mango-Habanero Tuna, and Steak w/poblano rajas that stood out.
We split the Nachos Grande w/Chorizo which was really good. The Chorizo was great, the jalepeno's nice and hot and really good Guac and crema to balance out the nachos that stood up to the toppings and did not turn into soggy messes like most. We followed that with muy bueno Steak Fajitas that were marinated in Chimichurri sauce which I love (yes...it's not Mexican it's Argentinian Pesto...but it is a Cilantro version....more importantly hey we live in its Nuevo York...multi-cultural blending is a good thing...one of the great things about this city...and works in food as well as dating and mating...). The steak came with poblano chile (which really kicked this dishes flavor up a notch),sauteed onions, roasted red peppers, and queso fresco. All the Fajitas came w/Black Beans, Rice, Pico De Gallo, Guacamole Sour Cream, and flour tortilla's(comes w/4...it could use 6).
All in all this really hit the spot and I look forward to coming back here for dinner and to check out their awesome looking brunch menu.
*Michelada - If you have yet to try these they are great and one of my favorite summer drinks. You fill a tall salt-rimmed glass with ice, add a few ounces of fresh lime juice, some hot sauce and of course cerveza (sometimes I like to go dark with Negro Mondelo and sometimes a bit lighter with Pacifico or Sol...my advice, experiment). Pour in some beer...drink...continue until the can/bottle is finished. Repeat as necessary...but please drink responsibly
El Camion is located at 194 Avenue A on the corner of 12th Street
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