Savor south of the border specialties in north county

Ricardo Lara of Battle Ground worked on tomato and dairy farms for years. His wife, Maria Ceja, worked in food trucks, always working for someone else. 

One night the two started talking about opening their own food truck, maybe a first step toward someday owning a restaurant. Three days later, Lara saw a food truck parked by the side of the road for sale. 

“I drove by and I bought it,” he said, and he brought it home to show his surprised wife.

Now Battle Ground can enjoy a taste of authentic Mexico at Lara and Ceja’s Taqueria Los Toritos, which occupies the shiny silver food truck parked next to Battle Ground Produce.

The food truck offers Ceja’s family recipes, with secret ingredients only she knows. Their families both originated in the Michoacan region of Mexico, and the traditional flavors of the region infuse their menu. They use only quality meat and produce purchased next door at Battle Ground Produce, Lara said, and it makes a big difference in the taste.

Burritos are the most popular item on the menu, according to Lara. It’s a large flour tortilla wrapped around a choice of meat, beans, cilantro, onions and salsa. Add cheese, sour cream and lettuce for a Super Burrito. Got there early? No problem, order the breakfast burrito, with ham and egg or chorizo and egg, plus all the fixings.

A Quesadilla is all the burrito fillings served between tortillas. And a Torta is a Mexican sandwich – a choice of meat, lettuce, cilantro, onion, salsa, jalapeno, avocado and mayo served between bread. 

Sopitos are a Michoacan style special, a thick homemade corn tortilla topped with choice of meat, pico de gallo, cilantro, onion, sour cream, salsa and cotija, a Mexican cheese. And then there are the tacos – simple, street-style tacos with choice of meat, onion and cilantro folded into a hot corn tortilla.

What to order is only the first question; the second is “what kind of meat?” Lara and Ceja offer six choices – asada (beef), pastor (pork), lengua (beef tongue), pollo (chicken), tripe (beef intestines) and chorizo (Mexican sausage). 

Lengua, or beef tongue, is not common on American-style menus, but it’s the first meat they run out of, Lara said. Lengua is boiled with garlic and special spices and then chopped into small pieces. Some people say they have tried lengua and it was too tough; Lara warns that it’s important to remove the skin, since that part is tough and inedible. Lengua prepared right is tender and flavorful, he said.

Tripa, or beef intestine, is another meat not commonly seen, but Lara said it is also very popular. It’s very greasy, he said. “You have to throw it on the grill and let it cook down to get all that grease off it, then throw seasonings on top.” Tripa is crunchy after being cooked and has a special taste. Lara wasn’t planning to offer tripa, but he said that customers ask for it.

Plenty of regulars come by the truck every day. 

“They always order the same thing,” Lara said. “We start cooking before they order.”

Lara’s favorite aspect of owning his food truck is to see how much people enjoy their food. 

“I love to have somebody come over to tell me how good it is,” he said. He hopes that someday they can parlay their truck into a restaurant business.

Lara and Ceja do everything themselves, working 12-hour days Monday through Saturday. Sometimes that is the hardest part of their business, said Lara; he doesn’t have as much time with his four children as he would like. The oldest, his son Ricardo Lara Jr., age 13, loves to work alongside them at the food truck. He helps to take orders, and, his favorite, talks to the customers.

Lara said he loves to cook, and he’d like to see his business grow. 

“We’re small right now, but I’m dreaming ahead,” said Lara. “I’d love to see my kids working it.”

Taqueria Los Toritos is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. They are located at 915 E. Main St., in Battle Ground, next to Battle Ground Produce.