Crispy Beef Tongue with Fennel - Big Ass Sandwiches, SW 3rd and Ash

OK, I admit it. Before today, I was a Big-Ass virgin. Despite glowing reviews, television plugs and appearances, and so on -- I'd never ordered my lunch from the famous Big-Ass Sandwiches cart on SW 3rd and Ash.

I had no clear idea what I wanted for lunch today, but figured I'd head back in that direction to see if there had been any changes to the carts on this corner.

Luckily for me, today was a special day at Big-Ass sandwiches, they had a guest chef on board for the day - Kevin Sandri (of Garden State fame) - serving up his own menu of sandwiches...

Which lead me to order the irresistibly described Crispy Beef Tongue with Sauce Gribiche and Fennel & Apple slaw.

There were already a few people lined up, and it did take a few minutes to get my food, but WOW - was it worth it!

Served on a toasted Ciabatta bun, the beef tongue had a light breading and was, as advertised, quite crispy. Very rich in flavor, the sauce and the fennel and apple slaw made a perfect flavor combination. This is only the second time I've eaten beef tongue, and can now say I am definitely a fan of the stuff.

I know this isn't their normal menu, but a good impression has been made and I'll be back to try some of their regular offerings in the future. (Besides, this place is one of the most positively reviewed food carts in the world... there must be something to that)

Check out their web site for their regular menu, links, etc.

.. oh, and did I mention how awesome this sandwich is? WOW. I feel like royalty eating this.

Beef Tongue Taco and Hot Tamales - El Sultan - SE 50th and Foster

Today, I had to work from home to facilitate the delivery of a new washing machine.
This left me nowhere near downtown, which is where I usually report from... however, this did not deter me from eating cart food, and gave me a chance to check out a nearby cart pod local to my 'hood, which I usually don't have the chance to try.

This brings me to El Sultan, the longest running cart at the seemingly troubled Carts on Foster pod. I've watched several carts come and go from this location since it was started up, but this one's been a mainstay.

An interesting cart, as El Sultan provides both Mexican and Mediterranean style dishes. I had greek food yesterday, so I opted to go the Mexican route.

I was in luck, their menu offered beef tongue as one of the meat options. I'd been meaning to try this for some time, so here was my chance. (Though, I was hesitant, as they spelled it "tounge" on the menu, a BIG pet peeve of mine, how seemingly half the population misspells this word consistently the same way -> T-O-N-G-U-E, OK?)

They had a sign up declaring the special to be chicken tamales, as well, and those sounded good. I ordered two chicken tamales, and one beef tongue taco. It took a few minutes to get my food, but they wrapped it up 'to go' nicely on a plate, and gave me some small cups of hot sauce to go along with it.

The beef tongue was soft and tender and flavorful - very good. Up until the last year or so, I'd have instantly rejected the idea of eating tongue, but had read a few articles in its defense explaining it's some of the best meat you can get. I'm inclined to agree, after this taco. It was served in street taco fashion, with soft, warm corn tortillas, onions, cilantro, and of course, little chunks of tender tongue meat. Perhaps I should have had two beef tongue tacos, and one tamale.

The tamales were great. The chicken inside was quite spicy, and I didn't need to use the hot sauce except to soak the remaning chunks of tamale after I liberated the spicy chicken from inside. Ate up every bite, and now I'm rather stuffed... and satisfied. Not a bad deal, $6.50 for the meal I had, which was more than enough.

If you haven't tried beef tongue - give it a whirl - I was impressed... and if you find yourself out in the Foster/Powell area, maybe give this struggling cart pod a try - it looks like they're trying a few good ideas out -- such as a beer bar, and heated tent for eating during inclement weather. There was music playing, but hardly anyone in sight. Currently, there appear to be four operational carts, including an Italian, Thai, and Hawaiian cart, plus the one I just reviewed.