A few years ago, I went on a Caribbean cruise that departed from Puerto Rico. It was an interesting experience, but what I enjoyed most was the food (what a surprise!) My lexicon expanded to include mofongo, pernil, sauzon and other words that are part of the Puerto Rican lexicon. I was happy to relive some of those memories when I visited the Triple Threat Truck.
Puerto Rican flags proudly mounted
The Triple Threat is a new truck to the streets of LA. The truck is wrapped with vivid colors and features whimsical cartoon-like depictions of a rooster and a pig. The owner is Puerto Rican proud. When I visited them at Absolution Brewing in Torrance, he was quick to display 2 Puerto Rican flags on his food truck.
Tostones – twice-fried plantains
A Puerto Rican favorite side dish is tostones. They are slices of plantain that are fried, flattened, and fried again. Because they are twice fried, they are crispy. It was almost like eating a thick potato chip. It was served with a lemon garlic dipping sauce. I prefer eating the tostones without the sauce. They also make loaded tostones topped with pico de gallo, melted cheese and chimichurri sauce.
Mofongo topped with ropa vieja
Boricua Bowl – Red Beans with rice, sweet plantains, drizzled with a creamy cilantro sauce
Any Puerto Rican restaurant that wants respect has to serve mofongo. Because the Triple Threat Truck makes the dish to order, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Green plantains are fried then mashed with mojo sauce and pork rinds using an old-fashioned mortar and pestle. Either lechon (roasted pork) or ropa vieja is available as a topping. Mofongos can be quite plain, but I liked their execution with green olives, cilantro, broth and ropa vieja.
Ropa Vieja with shoestring potatoes, jicama citrus slaw and pickled red onions, all served on a hoagie roll.
Of their sandwiches, my favorite is the Short Rib Ropa Vieja. The short ribs are braised in a light tomato broth which made the meat flavorful and tender. They added shoestring potatoes, jicama citrus slaw and pickled red onions, all served on a hoagie roll.
Tropical Burger with pineapple, sliced tomato, lettuce, pickled red onion and triple threat sauce
Afraid of eating unfamiliar items? The Tropical Burger includes melted mozzarella, crushed pineapple, potato sticks, lettuce, tomato, pickled red onion and their housemade triple threat sauce. The pineapple and the triple threat sauce gave this burger some Caribbean flavor. While tasty, this isn’t what I would call Puerto Rican food.
Pollo sandwich made with marinated grilled chicken and topped with shoestring fries, lettuce, and tasty guava BBQ sauce.
The pollo sandwich was made with marinated grilled chicken and topped with shoestring fries, lettuce, and tasty guava BBQ sauce. The flavor of the marinade and the guava sauce made this a sandwich that I would consider ordering again.
I’ve always believed that the key to a great sandwich is the bread. The Triple Threat Truck features custom baked pan sobao. The texture is similar to King’s Hawaiian but lacks the sweetness. They feature pan sobao both in their sandwiches and with the Tropical Burger.
If you want to experience your Caribbean cruise before you take that vacation, I highly recommend that you pay the Triple Threat Truck a visit. See their website for the next scheduled stops.
The Triple Threat
https://www.thetriplethreattruck.com/