twitter handle: @wheresauca
website: http://www.eatsauca.com/
cost: (cash only)
menu items: (served on saffron yellow rice or warm, griddled flatbread)
Mumbai Butter Chicken - $8 (garam masala chicken, saffron rice, spicy roasted cashews)
Beef Shawarma - $8 (beef, scallions, parsley, tomatoes, chimichurri and tahini sauce)
Polpette Marinara - $8 (italian turkey meatballs, marinara sauce, parmesan cheese)
Buffalo Chicken - $8 (creamy chicken, caramelized onions, blue cheese sauce)
Mexicali Fish Taco - $8 (grilled fish, mango pico de gallo, cilantro and hot chili sauce)
SOB Veggie - $7 (black beans, saffron rice, mango pico de gallo, cotija cheese and chimichurri sauce)
The Medi Veggie - $7 (hummus, kalamata olive tapanade, saffron rice, tomatoes and dill yogurt sauce)
soup:
Chicken Mulligatawmy - $4 (chicken, lentils, basmati rice, curry, coconut milk and dill yougurt sauce)
sides:
charred curry potato salad - $4
tropical black bean salad - $4
creamy bacon cole slaw - $4
wait time: Around 5 to 10 minutes, but still seemed longer than most other food trucks even with a shorter line because they tended to handle only one order at a time.
"Buffalo Chicken"
Today, after a long hiatus, I've gone back to one of the older food trucks, with the largest fleet in the area (four trucks with names like Magellan, Marco Polo, Pangea and Saucalito; sadly their fifth truck under the Meathead name, which had served different types of meat subs, no longer operates), Sauca. I had arrived late-ish and quickly found that a lot of the items on the menu were unavailable such as the Butter Chicken, the Polpette Marinara, and even their saffron yellow rice (which limited the choice to flatbread only and made the vegetarian options non-existent). Surprisingly, their soup option, Chicken Mulligatawmy had returned to the menu after being pulled during the hot summer months, but not the Momo's chili. I had been told that the soup options were pulled due to lack of interest, but I'm glad to see that the Chicken Mulligatawmy has been reinstated because it contained a lot of flavor and is one of the few moderately priced items on the menu. In the past, I have tried the Butter Chicken, the Beef Sharwama, the Mexicali Fish Taco and the SOB Veggie. I didn't care too much for either the Butter Chicken (didn't taste too authentic) or the Beef Sharwama (a little dry and lacking in flavor), but I enjoyed both the Mexicali Fish Taco (nice blend of fish and spices) and the SOB Veggie (one of the most flavorful and filling veggie options I've ever eaten).
Today, with my options limited I went with the Buffalo Chicken (see pictures). The taste was spot on for buffalo wings with the tangy, spicy buffalo sauce and creamy blue cheese. It wasn't too spicy with a slow burn that mainly concentrated around the mouth. The caramelized onions seemed to be overpowered by the sauce and did little to give any contrast in texture. Maybe a shredded celery and carrot slaw could have add a needed dimension. The whole sandwich was almost too simple to a fault. Still, it was filling and the chicken was moist in the pleasant sauce.
Final Verdict: I really liked Sauca when they first bursted on the scene with their bold flavors and their many globally inspired choices. Then they quickly expanded and launched a new truck (Meathead) and things started to change. At first, it was small, subtle changes such as dropping certain menu items and giving slightly smaller portions. Then their prices slightly increased (like most other trucks) and the service got slower and sloppier, while other times they would run out of certain foods like today. So, it is sad for me to say that I can't whole heartedly endorse Sauca anymore. Yes, they have good vegetarian options and that soup is a steal, but there are too many other faults that are quickly pilling up. I can only hope that they take this review as a kind suggestion for change and not the harsh review it might seem to be.
