GoodTaste

A new term at Drexel is underway, and the food-truck hot corner at 33d and Arch has intriguing new lunch players, too.

Among my favorites are the Central Texas-style tacos with flour tortillas from the Ranch Road Taco Shop cart.

Meghan Carnevale's most devoted fan is probably her Texas-born husband, Craig Johnson, an electron microscopist at Drexel who eats her tacos daily ("and I don't think it's just because it's free," she says).

The grill-charred carne asada tacos are my choice, especially with a fiery squirt of Johnson's own habanero-dried pasilla salsa (also known as "the Ugly").

The sure student bargain hit, though, is Carnevale's $4 rice and bean platter. These aren't typical frijoles. They're pintos-plus, with fire-roasted tomatoes, ancho spice, and a surprising buttery richness. Even the basmati gets a toasty boost, from roasted poblanos, garlic, and cumin, that makes it irresistible.

- Craig LaBan
 
Rice and beans, $4, Ranch Road Taco Shop cart (@RanchRoadTacos), usually at 33d and Arch Sts.