LEO's Eats with Louisville HotBytesIn Mexico City, a sprawling metropolis of 20 million souls, you'll find a taco stand on just about every corner.
In Louisville, not so much.
But the good news, as Louisville's small but thriving Latino community grows, is that it's now possible to enjoy a Mexico City-style experience at a taco wagon or two around town.
One of the best, a relatively recent arrival, rolls into the parking lot at Eastland Shopping Center (where Buechel meets Fern Creek on Bardstown Road) just about every weekend evening.
A sparkling white trailer with a big service window on the side and, weather permitting, a blue tent to provide diners protection from the elements, it's dubbed "Las Gorditas" after one of its most popular menu items, a thick, crispy stuffed taco that bears little resemblance to the Taco Bell offering of the same name. Don't look for a sign, though, as you'll find none. Just look for the trailer and tent out in front of the La Preferida Mexican grocery.
Line up at the window, pick your choice of Mexican street-food fare, and make yourself at home on a stool at the single table if there's room; or take it back to your car and dine tailgate-style. There's no formality here. But there's almost always a crowd, and it's usually a happy mix of Latino and Anglo diners, united in shared enjoyment of really good food.
If you're wary about a language-barrier problem, put your fears to rest: The hospitable proprietor, Pat Costas, is a native of Los Angeles, and his wife, Esperanza, and sister-in-law, Ofelia Ortiz, who do the cooking, hail from Big D. They're equally fluent in Spanish and English, so monophones will have absolutely no problem placing an order or getting a clear explanation of the items on the brief menu.
Full report in LEO and on LouisvilleHotBytes.
Las Gorditas
4756 Bardstown Road
492-0112
