Review: Moscow has other food trucks to offer

As many students experience coming to the University of Idaho, others will recommend trying Grub Truck. Their food is enjoyable and a great late-night meal, but other food trucks in the area also suffice.  

Moscow is home to a lot of restaurants, each serving their own set of unique and delicious dishes. The food trucks in Moscow are minimal, and everyone is always raving about Grub Truck. However, they are missing other great food trucks that have their own taste.  

Driving around Moscow, on Jackson Street there is an old abandoned grain silo, with a food truck tucked away in the corner. Taqueria Las Torres offers authentic Mexican cuisine to customers.  

Sonia Valdovinos, the daughter of the owner, said Taqueria Las Torres has been operating in Moscow since 2016. Originally, it was open in Tacoma and Spokane, but they settled in Moscow because of the small-town vibe and the friendly community. 

The food truck is family run, and most of the staff are family and friends. On top of that, they use family recipes that combine spices, seasonings and great meat.  

Chris Nomrah, a customer, likes Taqueria Las Torres and said the food is authentic and inexpensive. He normally gets the carnitas plate, which has friend pork, refried beans, rice and other fixings that add to the flavor.  

Josh Lafon, originally from Arizona, is another customer of the truck, and said he enjoys the food because it reminds him of home. 

“I like the flavor, kind of a diverse amount of flavors, authentic,” Lafon said.  

Open Range is another food truck that operates in the Moscow area, but travels to the surrounding areas like Coeur d’Alene, Lewiston and Sandpoint. 

The owner, Bill Basham, has been cooking since 1971 and opened Open Range in 2016. He has worked as a chef in many restaurants across the country and said that his work has been featured in famous newspapers such as the New York Times and the Boston Globe. 

“I view us as an upper-end food establishment,” Basham said. “We use all fresh ingredients, everything’s from scratch.” 

Basham chooses the finest local meats and smokes them for hours, adding to the wonderful flavor along with a variety of spices and seasonings. The food he offers is a variety of sandwiches that have different meats, such as pulled pork, smoked salmon and a burger as the newest addition to the menu. It’s a lot of work to make the food, but it is worth it.  

I have tried a few items on the menu, such as the pulled pork sandwich and a delicious sandwich known as a muffuletta, that took a few trips to finally get because it was so popular that it sold out.  

Basham takes pride in his work, offering great food to customers. He also views this food truck as a good way to improve the food for the customers as well.  

“I tell all the people that work with me, I want you to have pride, but not ego,” Basham said. “Let’s be really proud of what we are doing, and if somebody does better that we do, we’ll tip our hat to them, and try to do better the next time.” 

Ryan Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @RyanHil32959860