MilSabores taco truck on hold, but Bridgeport restaurant is open

Their results with the fashionable dish, which prolonged beyond tacos to birria burritos, quesadillas, nachos, tortas and even ramen, helped the Mondragons open up their initially brick-and-mortar in Bridgeport on Nov. 16. But now they’re functioning into a new challenge  — obtaining sufficient workers to reopen the food truck.

“I have had a great deal of situations I haven’t been ready to get, because they begin in April,” Edwin Mondragon said. “It is really really tricky. We have posted a good deal for [waitstaff], foodstuff truck employees.”

The Mondragons parked the food truck briefly in November to emphasis on the new space. Normally, they’d be gearing up for the heat climate season: festivals, private events and other lucrative vending and catering chances. But without more than enough workforce to address each companies, he’s experienced to flip down requests for the truck. 

“We have a good deal of private occasions and bookings on keep, but we are low on staff,” he said. “[The event] would have to be really worth it for us, due to the fact we’d have to shut the store.”

Despite the recent staffing woes, which has been impacting eating places all about Connecticut for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mondragons are seeking ahead to feasible enlargement. Norwalk enthusiasts have been contacting the cafe to check with when the truck will return to the town, Edwin stated, and he’s recognized that only about 10 percent of their Norwalk customers have arrive to Bridgeport to dine. He and Yohana have mentioned a opportunity new site there, and have deemed other cities like Fairfield and Stratford.

At the small and casual Bridgeport storefront, with just a few dine-in tables, the Mondragons showcase dishes from equally their cultures. Edwin is Mexican and Yohana is Venezuelan, and tacos, burritos, nachos and tortas share equivalent menu area with arepas, empanadas operadas and patacon (sandwiches manufactured with fried inexperienced plantains serving as “bread.”) 

However birria has been a star menu product at both the truck and the cafe, Edwin reported guests are content to see the Venezuelan dishes, a cuisine that isn’t as readily obtainable as Mexican food items in the region. Prospects are enthusiastic to see pabellon bowls, he claimed, a conventional Venezuelan platter with white rice, black beans, shredded cheese, fried egg, sweet plantain and choice of meat. Arepas have fillings like shredded pork, beef and chicken grilled steak, shrimp and chorizo, served with mayonnaise-primarily based pink sauce and inexperienced avocado-centered guasacaca sauce.

“We’re concentrating additional on what we have witnessed that hits really properly — everyone’s intrigued in street foodstuff,” Edwin stated “Authentic Mexican street food stuff, Venezuelan street food items. We have bought a Venezuelan burger, hot dog. All those are items that seem big, they catch your consideration, catch your eye. They seem diverse.”

(La hamburguesa Venezolana, by the way, is a staggering concoction: a beef patty topped with smoked pork chop, grilled rooster, scorching puppy, ham, fried egg, bacon, Gouda cheese, potato chip sticks, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion and residence sauces.)

The Mondragons have additional a couple out of doors tables for the heat months, shaded by umbrellas and framed by planters. The cafe also provides takeout and shipping by way of third-bash applications, such as DoorDash, GrubHub and UberEats.

If they do protected more than enough staff to adequately operate the two corporations, Edwin claimed he would like to get again behind the wheel of the truck.

“We are equally however learning [at the storefront], but my spouse is currently at the stage the place she can operate the restaurant by herself, with a good employees,” he claimed. 

MilSabores is at 2043 Fairfield Ave. It is open up Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 203-345-2747, @milsaboresct.