‘Can I get it loaded?’ Pierce County taco truck adds a toasty, cheesy crust to the fold

Franco Mendiola was raised in Toluca, a town he compares to “the Tacoma of Mexico City,” situated about 40 miles from the dense capital. In the United States for more than a decade, he has “never found food that hits the spot — that you’re like, it tastes like Mexico, something that I want to eat every day, starting with the tortillas.”

Tacos Mirrey is his fix.

From his food truck, today parked in the driveway of Off Camber Brewing, a funky home-based, all-outdoor taproom in Puyallup, I chose ribeye from the five steak options. Knowing he careened pastor off a trompo — a vertical spit, similar to those used for gyro meat, that’s an unusual sight in the Northwest and especially on a moving vehicle — I would never resist. Mendiola asked if I wanted them “loaded,” and I said, “Que?”

It was then that he knew I was new, and that I didn’t really speak Spanish.

At Tacos Mirrey, “loaded” stands in for “costra,” which translates to crust — one that’s salty, crispy, just-shy of burnt around the edges. To achieve this texture, Reina Lemus, who has worked with Mendiola since the truck hit the road in October 2022, piles a blend of chihuahua and Monterey Jack cheese straight onto the griddle, laying a recently made tortilla on top. As that dairy melts and chars, it morphs into almost a secondary taco shell.

“It’s become very popular in Mexico, at least where I’m from,” said Mendiola, adding he perfected the “crispness” over many tries for his kids. “If you go too far, you lose all the fat, and it can get dry.”

Like its contemporary the quesabirria, in which slow-stewed beef meets cheese and a side of consomé, the costra taco is a modern creation, one that also exemplifies intertwining cultures. Writing in Texas Monthly, taco expert José R. Ralat found first mention of the style stateside in 2005, from the border town of McAllen. A Dallas taqueria began making them around 2011, the owner inspired by late-night eats outside a nightclub in Mexico City. They have since cropped up on menus here and there but remain relatively rare, especially outside of the Southwest.

I sat alone at a picnic table, in line of the bright autumn sunset, on Off Camber’s patio. First, I heed the deliberate presentation. Then a squeeze of lime. The soft tortilla. The salty, toasty cheese. The char of the pastor. A refreshing bite of pineapple. Cleanse the palate with the complimentary side of quick-pickled cucumber and onion. Turn to the chew of the ribeye and the juice of the cochinita. I made a mess removing the lid of frijoles charros, into which Mendiola adds chicharrones for an unexpected crunch. Was that asada? Yes, and maybe also ribeye, chorizo, or whatever else might be crisped beyond taco appreciation, explained the chef, but only enhances this nuanced bean stew.

BETTER MEAT, BETTER TACOS

Tacos Mirrey stands out from most of its peers, whether on wheels or not.

After college, Mendiola attended culinary school in anticipation of taking a job as a sous chef at a restaurant in Yakima. When he returned with sharp knives and even sharper knife skills, there was no job.

“I came back and they had filled the position,” he recalled in October. “I got a reality check. With my degree and everything — you have such a high density of Mexican cooks that you’re just another one.”

The setback did not deter him; he wanted to cook. Around 2011, he began climbing the ladder at Anthony’s at Columbia Point Marina Park in Tri-Cities, from salad all the way to the grill. “You gotta start from the bottom,” he said. Then his wife, who works in trade school admissions, accepted a job in the South Sound. He managed suites catering at Lumen Field (then Century Link), then moved to Facebook and Amazon before those offices closed in 2020.

The time was nigh to set out on his own. With Tacos Mirrey, he wanted to have a “hook that you can’t find anywhere else.”

In addition to wagyu asada, beef options include ribeye, New York strip steak, sirloin and skirt steak, sourced from either Thomas Cattle Co. in Idaho and St. Helens Beef near Yakima.

These choices result in slightly higher prices than one might be accustomed to in tacos, but he and I both encourage you to keep an open mind.

“There’s this idea that Mexican food is supposed to be inexpensive or cheap, that it shouldn’t be over $10,” he said. “Here’s the story: handmade tortillas, wagyu beef ... I’m just giving you quality.” His range from about $5-$7, depending on the protein.

Importantly, with a hand-crank machine set to a specific thickness, he and Lemus are making fresh tortillas that are unto themselves unusual. They are thicker than a quarter, durable but not overpowering.

“When you have two tortillas, it acts as a second blanket,” he said, “but loaded with cheese, that type of tortilla doesn’t work.”

You can order any taco loaded — costra, meat, onions and cilantro — but he generally discourages the salty cheese on the cochinita, which he finishes with pickled red onions and habanero salsa. “They fight each other,” he said. Neither would he dissuade you from loading the dinnertime-only pastor, which, sliced off a trompo and grilled to order, doesn’t need it. Of course, needs don’t always defeat wants. While it may not be traditional, the story of al pastor is one of constant evolution, and the loaded Tacos Mirrey iteration is in a Puget Sound league all its own.

Mendiola also slow-roasts cochinita pibil, rich and juicy from a Yucatan-style marinade of citrus and achiote, and serves every order (to be enjoyed on-site) on earth-toned plastic plates lined with branded paper. It’s how you would eat at a taqueria or street stand in Mexico, and “I want to resemble Mexico as much as possible,” he said.

After you order, you’ll send a text message to a number listed outside the truck. When your tacos (and, I hope, a cup of those beans!) are ready, he’ll send you a taco-themed meme. He’ll know if you’ve been there before — it’s different every time.

TACOS MIRREY

▪ Multiple locations, tacosmirrey.com

▪ Details: year-old taco truck with costra-style tacos, al pastor from a trompo, cochinita pibil and multiple steak varieties on homemade tortillas

▪ Follow the truck: usually serving lunch Tuesday and Thursday, dinner Thursday, Friday, Saturday; updated schedule at tacosmirrey.com and streetfoodfinder.com/tacosmirreyUS

This story was originally published November 2, 2023 at 5:30 AM.