El Forastero!…. I may have died and gone to taco truck heaven!
Located on N.E. 14th Street and Richmond Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa.
Perry’s immediate reaction was to laugh about memories that the name El Forastero conjured up. Seems when Perry was a kid, his father owned a meat market, and a motorcycle gang named the El Forasteros had a clubhouse a few blocks away. They would order huge sums of the finest steaks for their summer parties. His father was always invited, but never took them up on the offer. (At least not that we know of!)
Seeing no evidence of radical chopper motorcycles in the parking lot, we considered it safe to stop in for lunch. 
First impression: This truck is much more modern than the camper we visited last week. It even has air-conditioning to keep the cooks cool during the hottest Mexican (oops…I mean Iowa) summer days.
Look for this sign by the street, the truck is located in the parking lot next to a Mexican grocery store (El Palomino).
Are you ready for the menu?
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Torta menu…
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So many choices!
Perry decides on the two-taco special that includes rice and beans, $5.00.
He ordered one steak taco and one al pastor (seasoned pork).
I (Laura) order the Huaraches, not to be confused with footwear by the same name.
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The Huarache is an oval-shaped tortilla topped with beans, sour cream, onion, cheese, cilantro, and your choice of meat. I have been on a chorizo kick lately, so I chose chorizo ; ) This is my first huarache, but it won’t be my last! I loved it!
Click on photo to enlargePerry’s order was also a full plate of food, with a large scoop of beans and rice. The beans were a little “iffy” looking, but they were actually quite tasty, the rice was fantastic! Oh ya, his al pastor and steak tacos were wonderful, with tasty tortillas, chopped onion, and cilantro. Lime wedges and radishes served on the side. We just couldn’t ask for better tacos than this.
As we were finishing up, Maria came out to ask how everything was. We both started gushing about the wonderful huarache; a recipe she brought with her from her hometown of Mexico City.
Grand total for lunch $11.00
Muchas gracias, Maria, for one of the best taco truck meals we’ve ever had. We’ll definitely be back!
Above: Maria, the queen of taco trucks in her tight, but well organized “Taco Truck Kitchen.”
El Forastero gets our top rating of five taco guys!
How to get there:
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Hours:
