As you drive up or down the northeast corridor on route 95 through Connecticut, you’ll probably go through New Haven. Please take the Long Wharf exit. It’s our favorite pit stop between home and NYC to get outrageous Mexican, Puerto Rican and South American food.

There are usually 8 to 15 food trucks (depending on the season) offering up an array of different ethnic foods. One of our favorites is a brightly colored taco truck that always has a line of people waiting for some of the best authentic street food I’ve had. Specifically, their beef tongue tacos are a hit. Fresh house made corn tortilla, a heaping mound of chopped up tongue, cilantro some red onion and their special red sauce. For those of you that haven’t tried some of the lesser used cuts of beef like tongue, I highly recommend branching out an expanding your gastronomic experiences. It’s been said that the small things in life can sometimes be the best. This certainly falls into that category.

Equally as good is their braised beef cheek, uniquely seasoned with traditional herbs and spices. It’s cooked slowly for hours, carefully sliced, lightly grilled and placed on a soft flour tortilla with Pico di gallo, fresh cilantro and or cojita cheese (cotija is a cow's milk hard cheese. It is named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán in Mexico) and, pickled onions. The simple combination of all these flavors works so well. They will add on some pickled house made jalapeños for some heat. It the perfect zip that sets this dish into a next level of food experience. It’s even better than a fresh sweet Bing cherry on a scoop of homemade ice cream.

One of the greatest things about eating food is it can transform and evoke memories and transport you to back to your “happy place,” maybe to recall special times with special friends. For us, we always remember trying at least 12 different tacos with our son (a chef) in the car and eating arepas in a blowing snowstorm. And, by the way, arepas in the dead of winter taste magnificent!

So, if you find yourself traveling up or down route 95 through New Haven, Conn., I would highly recommend making the pit stop for these trucks. You can thank me later!

My query this week for you to ponder. Do you relate certain foods with positive or negative experiences you’ve had in life? And, please, share if you have a special pit stop anywhere in the country.

Live well…

P.S.: Have a great Labor Day Holiday

Tongue and cheek

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