dsmWeekly - July 10, 2024

The burrito at Tacos Degollado packs a punch with beef, veggies, cheese and hot sauce. (Photo: Seeta Lee)

FOOD & DINING

Tried and True: Tacos Degollado
Writer: Seeta Lee

As a kid, I was warned to stay away from taco trucks and I heeded those warnings. But looking back, I’m not sure if those warnings were borne out of bad personal experiences, unproductive prejudices or unfounded rumors. Des Moines has never been especially friendly to food trucks, and that compounded my fears. I’m ashamed to admit I never visited a taco truck until August of 2021. That truck was Tacos Degollado.

I’d long resolved that once I was brave enough to try a taco truck, Tacos Degollado would be the first. For a long time, I didn’t even know it had a name. It was simply known as the one at 19th and University, by Advance Auto Parts. If the location didn’t give it away, the descriptors did. It’s white, with picnic tables under tents in the lot. It’s always there. And there’s almost always a line.

That last detail was a good sign. A food truck that busy had to be not only safe but good. After all, it had been there for at least 15 years.

I first stopped by when I was jonesing to dine out during the pandemic, when food trucks were a relatively safe option. That was as good a time as any to finally pull into the pocked lot with no obvious parking rules. I don’t remember ordering during that first visit, but I figured it would be a given. It’s a taco truck, after all. But when I was handed a white paper plate full of steak, cilantro, white and grilled onions, radishes and a lime, I kicked myself right in my prejudices. How did I ever believe that old nonsense? How dare I neglect a truck like Tacos Degollado, which turns out such stunning food?

I wish I were alone in this uneducated thinking, but I’d obviously learned it. There’s a sort of less-than mentality toward Mexican and Latinx restaurants. Some say they’re all the same, serving up boring variations on refried beans, rice, meat and cheese on Fiestaware knock-offs. Others suggest the food can’t be elevated, that tacos are for cheap and easy meals out, that trucks are for late-shift workers. Still others argue the eateries aren’t sanitary, but Anthony Bourdain knew that wasn’t true. He once noted that it wasn’t the “little taco stand” that ever made him ill; it was the “damn breakfast buffet at the major chain hotel.”

When people get swept up in this perfect storm of problematic views, they assume taco trucks have nothing to offer, that they’re somehow a threat to communities, a symbol of economic failure.

Locally, Arturo Mora proved that those taco trucks aren’t serving up the same fare I had at Chi-Chi’s as a teenager. Mora started his taco empire with Flame Taco Truck, expanded to Flame Taqueria and Flame Cantina, and recently opened Roots 95, an elevated, globally influenced restaurant in Johnston. If you’ve ever been to Flame Cantina, you know it shouldn’t be ignored.

While Tacos Degollado is different from Flame, it deserves attention, too, and helps demonstrate how varied Mexican or Latinx food can be.

Farther afield, the food world is finally noticing how outstanding taco trucks and stands can really be. Earlier this year, a Mexico City taco stand called Taquería El Califa de León earned a Michelin star, the first taco stand to receive such an honor. Mind you, its been at it for 20 years.

Tacos Degollado isn’t far behind. And as soon as you try the food there, you’ll understand how taco truck food can be revered as a dignified, worthy cuisine.

The front of the truck is what chefs on cooking shows might call “rustic.” More than a dozen handwritten signs, menus and pictures are taped around the ordering window, offering tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tortas along with the meat choices like chicken, tripe and cabeza (beef head). One sign promotes “hay ceviche” with two cute, hand-drawn fish, next to an English translation with ingredients.

The truck’s exterior isn’t dirty, but it’s not exactly pristine, either. The picnic tables are plastic and metal. There are coolers full of ice, cans and bottled drinks. It is not fancy. It’s not even homey. It’s utilitarian and that’s enough.

Putting aside any expectation of an aesthetic, what actually gives you pause are the prices. Tacos for $2? In this economy?

But it’s true. Tacos Degollado lists steak, pork and chicken tacos at two bucks each. The most expensive tacos are the rarer cuts of beef like lengua (tongue) and tripa (tripe). You’ll pay more for combos like the $11 platter with meat, rice, beans and a salad, but it’s easy to walk away full for just $6. On our latest visit, we ordered a chicken burrito, a steak quesadilla and two bottles of Jarritos for just $25 — and it was almost too much food. We don’t get full for that much at McDonald’s.

During our half-hour visit on a Wednesday night, Tacos Degollado did a steady business. Most people pulled up, ordered to-go and left within five minutes. The food comes out surprisingly fast.

Every single person who pulled up that evening represented a different demographic. People getting off work, heading to work or on break. Black folks, white folks, Latino folks. A few couples, a police officer, and maybe a stoner or two. Folks knew what they wanted, knew it’d be quick and knew it’d be cheap.

I’m usually not a fan of hot sauce, but I had to try it when they handed it to us in a girthy squeeze bottle along with salsa verde. It was gorgeous and smoky with what I assume is a chipotle base. It built a slow burn on my lips, but I liked it so much that I kept squirting it on my steak quesadilla. My stomach let me know later that was a mistake, but I told my stomach that I’d do it again in a heart-burned heartbeat.

My quesadilla had me initially perplexed because I expected it to be cut up like a pizza; apparently, I’m used to being fed like a child. Instead, this came cut in half down the middle, and that was it. I moved my confused hands around it a few times to find an angle, then gave in and ate it like a sandwich. If the folks in the truck could see me, I’m sure they were laughing. It was a mess. I was a mess. And I loved it. Partway through, I lifted the tortilla and stuffed the radishes and onions inside, then sprinkled it with lime juice and more hot sauce.

As I write this, I realize I already want another one.
My husband, a man of few words, loves a good burrito. With every first bite he takes, I make sure to watch his face. I knew he was in on that first bite. With his mouth full, he nodded emphatically and looked content. Paired with the Jarritos, every bit of Tacos Degollado unadulterated experience is a steal. My only regret: I didn’t get the horchata.

Even though my initial intolerance kept me away from taco trucks for so long, maybe they can help bring our divided country back together. I’m Black, Caucasian and Indian — and all too familiar with the complexities of race relations, especially with law enforcement. My father, an immigrant, was with the Des Moines Police Department for 30 years. So when I saw the officer roll up for his dinner at Tacos Degollado, I had a moment of appreciation. No matter how anyone feels about tensions between law enforcement and the community, Tacos Degollado offers common ground, a place to meet in the middle, in the middle of the inner city.

I repeated to my husband something I’ve said and heard many times: Food brings people together. If you put me across the table from someone whose social or political values are opposite from mine, I’ll probably bristle. But if you put us at a picnic table in front of a bustling taco truck, I’ll let my guard down enough to at least appreciate the shared moment with another human being, especially if that other person enjoys the meal as much as I do.

Find Tacos Degollado at 1815 University Ave., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 515-559-7509.

Rock on: This year's 80/35 music festival will have more stages, camp sites, vendors and other surprises at its new location. (Photo: Alyssa Leicht)

BEST BET

80/35 rocks out at Water Works Park this weekend

The city’s free music festival makes its debut at Water Works Park with a lineup of indie artists and a few bigger names like OK GO and Killer Mike. See free performances across three stages or purchase tickets for access to the Hy-Vee Main Stage. New this year are camping options for music lovers who just don’t want to (OK) go home.

If you can’t make it this weekend, check out some other sounds of the summer.

The Week Ahead

Pam Tillis (8 p.m. Thursday): The singer-songwriter whose bluesy rock style stems from her country roots takes the stage at Hoyt Sherman Place.

Shamanic dance (1:30 p.m. Friday): Dancer N’Jelle Gage Thorne leads the audience in “Whispers of Guabancex: A Shamanic Dance of Healing and Release,” inspired by the poetry of Celia Sorhaindo. The free interactive event at the Des Moines Art Center riffs on themes in the current exhibition “Hurricane Season.”

“School of Rock” (opening Friday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through July 28): Things get a little rowdy when a wannabe rock star lands a teaching gig at an uptight prep school, all in the summer musical at the Des Moines Playhouse.

Celebration in Brass (7 p.m. Sunday): The annual drum and bugle corps showdown features six teams from Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin that will duke it out for glory as the sun sets over Ankeny Stadium.

Napoleon Douglas at Noce (7 p.m. Saturday): The local jazz singer performs the music of the legendary Sammy Davis Jr. Read about Douglas in the current issue of dsm.

FOOD & DINING
New Fair fare: The Iowa State Fair announced the new foods you’ll find at this year’s big event, Aug. 8-18. Most of the lineup sounds pretty straightforward, like Apple Fries, Corn in a Cup, and BLT on a Stick, but here we’d like to formally rank the Top 5 most mysterious concoctions:

5. Ice Cream Nachos: We can picture it, but we’re not sure we “get” it.
4. The Party Biscuit: As opposed to the Regular Biscuit, also an option. Whoever chooses “regular” over “party” must be a loser.
3. Hot Cheeto Float: This one has some explaining to do.
2. Deep Fried Bubble Gum: Can you blow deep-fried bubbles? We have several questions. Mostly, why?
1. Tornado: The lack of description is both concerning and enticing. A quick Google search, “What is a Tornado?” ends just as you’d expect.

IOWA STOPS HUNGER
Tilling with Tito's: The new Greenleaf Center nonprofit space will get a garden refresh thanks to volunteers with Love, Tito’s Block to Block program, the vodka brand’s philanthropic program working to provide fresh, healthy food to neighborhoods. On July 19 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., groups will work to assemble and fill garden beds (left), plant produce, lay mulch and build fencing and a vegetable washing station on the property at 1350 E. Washington Ave. Learn about more volunteer opportunities at greenleafcenter.org.

Former Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson of Sweden made a pit stop in the Hy-Vee One Step 250 at the Iowa Speedway in 2023. (Photo: Chris Owens)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Racing at the Iowa Speedway brings Iowa to the national stage

Writer: Oliva Hicks

Thirty-one cars flew around the tight streets of downtown Des Moines. It was a scorching day in July, when the pavement of Iowa’s capital city melted rubber. Camaros, Mustangs and Firebirds rounded the corner, turning south onto Fifth Avenue beneath banners advertising the 1989 Iowa State Fair. Locals either held both hands against their ears or sought respite from the screeching engines in Scruffy’s Deli.

The city’s vision of using grand prix racing to bring the nation to Iowa’s front door was 30-some years ahead of the curve. Starting this Friday, cars will line the pit lane at the Iowa Speedway in Newton for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend, the track’s fourth NTT IndyCar Series doubleheader. The speedway’s leaders and fans are still riding high from the first NASCAR Cup Series race over Father’s Day weekend, which sold out within just a few days.

Hosting the Greater Des Moines Ruan Grand Prix, an annual Formula 1-style street race from 1989 to 1992, was a curious choice. Racing in Iowa was associated with small towns and dirt tracks. Across America, the sport was all country music and crushed beer cans — a far cry from European racing’s glitzy Monte Carlo culture.

“Engines roared, tires squealed. It was enough to wake the dead,” KCCI’s Dana Cardin announced during a report you can still watch on YouTube. “But grand prix organizers are hoping it will also be enough to wake up the nation’s image of Des Moines as a sleepy little Midwestern town.”

It wasn’t until 2006 that the Iowa Speedway opened its grandstands to the public. While the motorsport empire of the nation is two states over, in Indiana, Iowa is the unsung hero of racing, home to more race tracks than any other state. Its reputation is growing as the Iowa Speedway claims to be the “fastest short track on the planet” and feels the effects of Formula 1 fever.

Thanks to Netflix’s popular docuseries “Drive to Survive,” racing is catching on. While Americans stare starry-eyed at Formula 1’s billion-dollar bottom lines, celebrity drivers and yacht-dotted seaside race settings, IndyCar keeps things classic in a Midwestern way, mixing the stardom of former Formula 1 drivers with competitive racing.

And, if anything, Iowa’s racing scene is intent on being singular.

“NASCAR weekend, a few weeks ago, definitely built the identity of Iowa Speedway, and we really tried
to lean into that. This is the Midwest. This is corn country,” Iowa Speedway President Eric Peterson said. “I love how much feedback we're getting on a global scale about this race about to happen in this tiny little town of Newton, in the middle of a cornfield.”

The sport is winning Iowa fans from across the country — and drivers, too.

“I love this track, I always have. And I like the area,” said Josef Newgarden, an IndyCar driver for Team Penske. “Newton kind of comes alive during race weekend more so now, because of the involvement with Hy-Vee.”

Newgarden has won five of the last seven IndyCar races in Newton, earning him the nickname “Mr. Iowa Speedway” despite his roots in Nashville. As he put it last year, “I think of this event now as a ‘Field of Dreams’ of motorsports.”

The Iowa IndyCar and NASCAR race weekends manage to blend racing’s homegrown heritage of cowboy boots with the big-city culture and celebrity flair, complete with Friday’s autograph session.

“Bring your kids out, bring your family out,” Peterson said.

There’s the beer garden, food trucks and live music for those who prefer the culture to the actual action on the track. Luke Combs, Eric Church, Kelsea Ballerini and Post Malone headline this weekend’s performances.

Of course, those with a need for speed can focus on the track, where cars reach speeds of more than 185 miles an hour and sprint between the start and finish line in just 17 seconds.

There are no current plans for racing to return to one-way streets of downtown Des Moines, but as Peterson said, “There's just nothing you can take off the table.” For now, racing fans can enjoy the spectacle just down the road.

The Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend starts with Free Family Friday, when spectators can watch practice sessions and a pit stop speed challenge, all at no cost. On Saturday, the green flag waves for the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 at 7 p.m., followed by a post-race concert. On Sunday, the second of two races, the Hy-Vee One Step 250, starts at 11 a.m. Find the full schedule online.