In ​“Paradise,” Birria Becomes Tac‑O The Town

Mark Aronson’s ivory suit, complete with woven tan sun hat, did not stop him from indulging in the dripping tanginess of three birria tacos during a lunchtime visit to Long Wharf’s Food Truck Paradise.

The chief conservator at the Yale Center for British Art, Arnonson often finds himself commuting between the university’s downtown and West Haven campuses to attend meetings, leaving just enough time for a quick lunch down by the harbor every few weeks.

Which is exactly where he was on Monday midday.

“Whenever I have these meetings, I schedule them so that I can stop by the trucks to grab lunch,” he said between bites of his last taco. ​“I also enjoy birdwatching,” he added, ​“so I like sitting by the water to see if I can spot any unusual birds.”

Seagulls flocked around the rocky shore upon which Aronson sat, lifting into the breeze that rippled the napkins left on his polished plate.

“When people ask me what my favorite New Haven restaurant is, I always say the taco trucks,” he said, gesturing to the row of trucks behind him.

Located at 351 Long Wharf Dr., the area known as Food Truck Paradise has attracted patrons from all over the country since 1960, even it gained its official such designation by the city less than a decade ago. An average of around 15 trucks at a time can be parked along the sidewalk during lunch time, receiving over 50 patrons on even the slowest summer days, and typically serve Latin American food. Their specialty and what attracts people to them: the birria.

Birria is a popular Mexican dish, a tangy stew served with its braising liquid, that originated as a way to mask the taste of goat meat in the time of the Spanish conquistadors. More recently, it is a well-loved delicacy that has infiltrated its way into many types of Mexican dishes. At Food Truck Paradise, patrons can enjoy many ways of serving birria, the most popular being the birria tacos, which they can dip in the braising liquid.

One of the founders of the area now known as Food Truck Paradise is Bob Sweeney who, in 1960, decided to profit off of the construction of the new highway, now the Connecticut Turnpike, to start selling food to construction workers and commuters. He founded Sweeney’s Hot Dogs, a classic hot dog food truck with a simple menu and loyal following. As the area gained foot traffic, so did Sweeney’s business, formally growing the area as a commercial one. Over the years, it became a popular area for Latin American food truck owners, giving them a space to properly gather and sell food.

“I love coming to work here, I really do,” said Ed Sweeney, whose brother first founded the area. ​“Not a lot of people can say that these days. There’s no place I’d rather work, and you meet all kinds of people here.”

The first taco truck in sight as Long Wharf Drive expands into a bustling commercial area is La Jaltera, which has been parked in the area for over ten years. Ernesto Marín, who has worked at La Jaltera for two years, has seen the area attract people from all over the country, allowing him to have meaningful and educational interactions with his patrons.

“By working here, I get to connect to my roots,” said Marín.

With a strawberry Slushi, La Jaltera’s signature drink, in one hand and an oreo frappe in the other, Gabriel Guallpa left the La Jaltera truck with lunch for his family. ​“We just love Mexican food,” he said, handing off the oreo frappe to one of his younger brothers so he could slide the bag of quesadillas and birria from his wrist to his fingers.

“We’re not Mexican ourselves,” Guallpa said of his family, ​“but unlike other fast food restaurants, the workers here make the food by hand in front of you, so you know it’s good.” He watched as his younger brothers swapped drinks, trying one another’s oreo frappe and blueberry Slushi.

“People usually don’t try Latin food because of racial biases and stereotypes about Latino people, but I think they’re missing out and that they should give it a try — you never know,” he said, before joining his family to eat under the shade of their car.

Mexicalli Black Truck, the last Mexican food truck in the long line at Food Truck Paradise, has a popularity in the area that speaks for itself. With at least five patrons waiting for food at any given time, Mexicali has a constant flow of people eager to try their birria. Having parked at Food Truck Paradise over eight years ago, it was one of the pioneers, along with La Jartera, in gathering all of the Mexican food trucks in one place.

Attracting customers with their colorful flags announcing menu items and workers handing out flyers, they garner attention from passers-by.

Their tactics worked, because Monday was the day that Providence Public Schools Social Coach Marquitta McNair decided to try the birria she had been craving for months. ​“I used to live in New York and commute to Rhode Island, so I would always pass by these trucks and want to stop for lunch.”

While she waited for her food, McNair took a moment to pan her phone camera around where she stood to capture the lively moment for social media. Between the ocean breeze rippling through the flags advertising flavorful birria and the lines of people chatting away in the shade of each truck’s retractable awnings, as they also waited for their food, McNair was sure to generate some serious FOMO among her followers.

After receiving her order of birria, elote, and a fruit smoothie, McNair was quick to dig into her meal. ​“Incredible,” she managed between bites of her birria. ​“This earns my stamp of approval.” McNair then returned to her car to continue enjoying the catharsis of her first meal from a New Haven taco truck.