Calexico

Justin Hartung

Citysearch

The Scene
Three brothers from a border town in Southern California traveled cross-country armed with family recipes and a savvy marketing plan--this may be the only food stand with its own Myspace page. Now, their bright yellow cart pulls a steady lunchtime crowd of black-clad Soho workers and Cal-Mex-starved travelers from nearby neighborhoods.

The Food
The boys' recipes have garnered much acclaim at the annual street-cart awards, the Vendys. Pork and steak tacos merit the hoopla: Tender, long-marinated meats fill fresh corn tortillas, accented with bright flavors like pickled red onions, crema and dustings of cotija cheese. Burritos wrapped in grilled flour tortillas are big enough to share, though their bland yellow rice and black bean requires some healthy shakes of the jalapeno sauce bottle. Veggie cravings get satiated with grilled, chile-rubbed corn on the cob.