One, two, three, four. I declare a food truck war!

Spotted: The Coreanos guy grinning sly while saying, “We tried what Chi’Lantro had to offer, and we thought we could do better.” Them’s L.A. fightin’ words!

He wasn’t just blowing smoke from the grill, either. Sure, Chi’Lantro has perfected their sweet-spicy sauce, their assortment of tacos, and the cheese-induced coma that you will surely fall into upon finishing your food, but Coreanos’ menu is more varied, their flavors more interesting, and their kimchi as tongue-scorching and plentiful as it should be. In other words, Coreanos (which means “Koreans” in Spanish) understands the fusion part of Mexican Korean fusion food. (If you don’t believe me, take a look at their awesome logo, which manages to address and reclaim two ethnic stereotypes at once.)

My favorite was the simple yet satisfying Coreanos hot dog, a grilled dog with thick pieces of grilled onion, spicy caramelized kimchi, and creamy knock-your-socks-off el scorcho sauce. The only thing missing was a toasted bun to round out the textures.

The OG Korean BBQ burrito was pretty unbelievable too, with bite-sized nuggets of marinated beef short ribs, a scattering of french fries, Korean slaw, caramelized kimchi, onion, cilantro, and a garlicky sauce all wrapped Mexican-style into a big, crispy tortilla. Despite all of this caloric goodness, the burrito tasted surprisingly light. Same went for the delicious twice-cooked pork belly taco, on thick corn tortillas with crunchy Korean slaw, grilled onions, cilantro, and sesame oil vinaigrette on top.

Let’s just pause for a moment and talk about Coreanos’ proteins. Fall-apart-tender beef short ribs, fatty and delicious pork belly, marinated, juicy chicken pieces. If you were served these delicacies at a five-star restaurant, you’d be shelling out the big bucks. As it is, you can sigh and swallow over the heavenly pork belly at Coreano’s for about five small ones.

They’ve even named a dish after how smart you are to eat there. The Three Wise Fries lets you sample all of their meats on top of a huge pile of hand-cut, salty french fries, grilled and raw onions, a bit of cheese, and plenty of the aptly named el scorcho sauce. Oh, el scorcho, as Weezer said—and I’m positive they had Coreanos in mind—“I think I’d be good for you, and you’d be good for me.”

Check their Facebook and Twitter for locations and hours.

Posted by Megan Giller.

Tagged: Chi'Lantro, Coreanos, Korean Mexican fusion, tacos, Trailer Thursday

Relax, y’all. Sure, there are more Californians stampeding to Texas than surfing the waves off their own coast these days, but there’s an upside, at least for Austinites. Not only are the people of the Golden State migrating this way, so is the latest golden trend: Korean-Mexican fusion.

Take Chi’Lantro, Austin’s answer to LA. A wave of the future, the trailer Tweets its upcoming locations to hungry lunchtimers and late-nighters. When I arrived to sample its goods recently, the place was packed. Businessmen, truck drivers, and students were all lined up and waiting to get their hands on some junk food at its finest.

The best, by far, were the quesadillas, with Asian-spiced chicken, cheese, cilantro, onion, and an unusual, almost nutty house-made “salsa roja,” topped with sesame seeds. Pretty and filling, with crisp, thick tortillas, these stole the show.

The bulgogi tacos were also gorgeous. My favorite was the spicy pork, with tender, marinated meat, chopped romaine lettuce and white cabbage, onion, cilantro, and dark salsa roja generously assembled over double-layered corn tortillas. The beef, slightly stringy and tough, disappointed, but the light, flavorful tofu seemed like a great vegetarian option.

The kimchi fries were really just glorified chile-cheese fries: fresh-cut potatoes, cheddar jack and monterey jack cheeses, cilantro, onion, Korean peppers, the same tough bulgogi beef, and spicy orange sauce. Even though “kimchi” is in the name, I barely tasted any of the (supposedly caramelized) pickled cabbage. Are they thinking that some Americans aren’t ready for that tangy flavor? I for one was looking forward to it. However, the cheese, potatoes, and spicy sauce entranced on their own.

As for the trailer itself, I’ve hardly seen one more tricked-out. You can pick some chicharrones or Korean potato chips and sweets to complement your tacos, sign your receipt on an iPad (which they e-mail to you later), and pour yourself some coffee from the installed spout on the side of the truck, all while listening to fusion music like Rob Thomas and Santana’s hit, “Smooth,” from a few years ago.

Three words for the whole experience: spicy, sweet, and addicting.

Tagged: Chi'Lantro, Korean, Mexican, tacos, Trailer Thursday