The Senior Scene

Food trucks are everywhere . They are regulated by the same laws as brick and mortar restaurants and have a large variety of freshly prepared food at reasonable prices, served in a casual picnic atmosphere.

Taqueria Los Amigos is a big white bus parked in a parking lot south of South Hill Mall in Puyallup. For eight years, authentic Mexican food has been prepared and served in the bus, and there are tables inside as well as outdoors in the parking lot. Eating inside has sort of a train dining car feeling, but on a rainy day it would be cozy.

Since you have to get onto the bus to order, a person in a wheelchair or with a walker would need help with getting food, and there are no restrooms at the bus.

We ordered five beef tacos with beef, cilantro, onions and salsa on the side for $5.99, shrimp Ceviche with avocado and chopped vegetables at $2.25 each, pork Torta on French bread with mayo, lettuce, onions, cilantro, onions at $4.49, and a beef burrito plate with salsa roja, rice, beans, avocado, lettuce, sour cream and mozzarella cheese, at $5.99. A packet of pickled carrot, lime, radish and jalapeno came with each order. The food was fresh and the kitchen was clean and neat.

There was spicy red sauce available, and the tacos were plain and dry without the sauce, although they had plenty of meat. The Ceviche was bright and had a lot of citrus flavor and sweetness. The crisp taco chip was good base for the crunchy, juicy mix of tiny shrimp and chopped vegetables, and it was very enjoyable.

The Torta was just as expected – big and soft and tasty and well-seasoned, with a big helping of shredded pork and lots of toppings that made a delicious sandwich. The burrito plate was also tasty, and even though the mozzarella cheese was unexpected, it went well with the sauce and beef. The rice and beans had a lot of good flavor, and I wish there had been more.

This was a good experience – tasty food and friendly people.

Try a food truck, it’s fun.

IF YOU GO

Taqueria Los Amigos

11802 E. Meridian, Puyallup

253-848-0176

Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

If you want large portions of tasty Chinese food, and prices that are reasonable, head to Hunan Garden on Steilacoom Boulevard in Lakewood.

There is plenty of parking, plenty of seating, and the service is attentive. The menu is very complete, with every item being made by hand on-site, which is great since big suppliers cook for many restaurants and we have found food is not always cooked in the place it is eaten . Our server, Kyong, assured us that our food was being made as we ordered it, and that everything was fresh.

The menu includes appetizers, entrees and dinners for one to four people. Dinners for up to 10 can be ordered. There is also a full bar and a lunch menu which includes a daily special.

For dinner we ordered the almond chicken and the beef with vegetables, each at $9.25, the pot stickers at $6.25, and egg rolls at $4.50. Both meals came with steamed white rice, and a pot of tea came to the table with the menus.

We got large heaping plates of delicious food. The six pot stickers were filled with pork and vegetables, and the three egg rolls were all very good, being deep-fried to a crisp crunch. Sweet and sour sauce, a ginger soy sauce, sesame seeds and hot mustard came with the appetizers, and the ginger sauce was especially tasty. None of what we ordered was spicy, but we saw other diners eating dishes with lots of red hot peppers in them.

The almond chicken was tender and heaped with sliced almonds. Celery and bamboo shoots added crunch and color. The beef practically melted in your mouth, and vegetables included baby corn, bamboo shoots, broccoli, carrots, celery, pea pods, two kinds of mushrooms, and zucchini. It was very flavorful and filling, and unfortunately we had no room for dessert.

There is plenty of room for a wheelchair or walker, but the bathrooms have very low toilets, which could be a problem for a disabled person.

A very good dining experience overall.

IF YOU GO

Hunan Garden Chinese Restaurant

8623 Steilacoom Blvd. SW., Lakewood

253-589-2100

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

If you are driving through the intersection of Bridgeport and Steilacoom in Lakewood, you may see people lined up outside a bright white box of a building. This is Delong’s Deluxe, a walkup burger restaurant that opened early this year.

There is plenty of parking, lots of outdoor tables, colorful canopies for shade, and grass to sit on if you want to have an old-fashioned picnic.

Food is prepared fresh, and the menu includes burgers, hot dogs, soft drinks, shakes and sundaes. Prices range from soda at $1.70 to the Chili Dog at $6.49.

The day we went, the line formed early, but we only had a short wait for food. We ordered the Burger DeLuxe at $4.19, the Stadium Dog at $4.29, the Frito Chili Pie at $3.82, French Fries at $2.29, Onion Rings at $3.19, and vanilla, strawberry and blackberry shakes at $3.49 each for the 12-ounce size.

Everything was tasty, with the Stadium Dog being a real winner. It had cream cheese, grated cheddar, shredded lettuce, mustard and relish. The Kosher beef dog was delicious, and the toppings were a great combination.

The Frito Chili Pie was Frito chips covered with chili, cheddar and parmesan cheese, onions and shredded lettuce. It was an enjoyable combination, and calling it a pie was amusing. The onion rings were delicious, with Panko bread crumbs and good-sized slices. Fries were okay and came with ketchup. The burger was really disappointing, not “DeLuxe,” this was just a plain patty, and with sparse toppings. I was disappointed when I saw the one little piece of tomato, two little slices of pickle and an onion bit as big as a penny, but the special sauce was very good, being creamy, lightly spicy and tangy. The shakes were “hand-spun” and had good flavor, but were not very thick.

Delong’s Deluxe is a nice place to get some food and relax outside. Service was friendly and efficient. Be sure and check your order at the window when things get busy.

A good experience on a nice day.

IF YOU GO

Delong’s Deluxe

8901 Bridgeport Way SW., Lakewood

253-301-0282

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

If you love the pulled pork sandwich from the Puyallup Fair or just want a free regular drip coffee as you walk around Ruston Way, stop in to Murph’s BBQ right at the end of the parking lot on the walkway. It is the small building with the walkup windows. During our visit it was raining, but there was a steady stream of people ordering something to eat or drink as they walked.

One of several Murph’s locations, the Ruston Way shop opened on May 15, serving their popular barbeque-style food. The menu includes all kinds of burgers starting at $6, hot dogs starting at $4 and soft drinks starting at $. They have ice cream in waffle cones for $5, as well as sundaes at the same price, and fish and chips at $8.50. We ordered the fish and chips.

Our orders came with very good tartar sauce, coleslaw with a delightful dressing that seemed like seafood salad, and a mound of crinkle cut fries. The two pieces of cod were the size of checkbooks and fried to a golden brown. They were crunchy on the outside and not greasy. There was ketchup and salt available, although the fries had plenty of salt. It was a very enjoyable lunch, and Kay, our server, told us that if the weather is good, Murph’s will have their great big barbecue fired up out in the parking lot. We sat in the car and ate because of the rain, but there are plenty of benches around for good-weather seating.

About the free coffee: After we had paid and eaten our food, we needed more information, and during the talk with Kay admitted that the restaurant was being reviewed for Senior Scene. Kay immediately said anyone who mentioned this review would get a free, fresh drip coffee. That is a first for Senior Eats.

A nice place for a nice day or even a rainy one. There are park restrooms in the same building, and plenty of parking. Overall, a good experience.

IF YOU GO

Murph’s BBQ

3427 Ruston Way, Tacoma

253-572 7374

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to dusk (“or until the people leave”) Saturday and Sunday.