Sitting on the edge of the little upstate college town of New Paltz is the quintessential taco stand, aptly named the Taco Shack. The rainbow colored neon sign in the window beckons you to come in. Though we had just come from the annual rib fest elsewhere in town, this was just too much to pass up.
The sign in the window pretty much sums it up: tacos, burritos, nachos. The interior is Spartan, consisting of just six tables and a sombrero hung on the wall; a true roadside stand. The place is what you would expect in a college town, lots of food for not much money. Nothing on the menu more six dollars. Crave something you can’t find everywhere? Order the tofu or fish taco. Satisfy your thirst with one of the Jarritos sodas imported from Mexico, in flavors such as mango or guava.
We sampled both hard and soft tacos along with a quesadilla. All were excellent, though the hard ones were preferred among our company. Tacos consist of just meat, cheese, and lettuce, forgoing such extras as sour cream and tomatoes. The tacos are spicier and have more meat than is typical of the national chains.
The thing that stands out most to me is not even the food, but the employees. They seem genuinely happy to be here. They waited patiently with a smile as my seven year old niece took several minutes to explain what she wanted on her burrito. It turned out she wanted just cheese, so they correctly suggested that maybe she would be happier with a quesadilla. It was larger than average, and stuffed with cheese, already cut into four pieces for sharing and served with a side of salsa and sour cream.
