Like most readers at this site, ed (from Yuma) is awaiting more of Kirk's mindboggling posts on China, and Kirk and Cathy's regular looks at San Diego dining. While waiting, he thought he'd let you folks know about a new and interesting taco stand in Yuma.
Tata's has disappeared and been replaced by a new location for Rossy's. Unfortunately, none of the South of Mexico dishes described in this post are still available.
Last fall, Tina and I were exploring 8th St, looking to spot any new taco emporiums opened since the end of the summer. As soon as we saw a new truck in the old Tio Juan's lot, we made a U-turn, and pulled into Tata's Tacos:
At that time, the stand had been doing business for only a few days, so we sampled some tacos that evening. The smooth and creamy chichirones was bathed in spicy red chili sauce:
Oh so good and oh so not good for you. Yum.
The Cabeza was tasty too:
For both Tina and I, the best taco we had that evening was the tripitas:
Even though the portion was somewhat small, these rounds of pig intestine were wonderfully prepared. The textures ranged from crunchy to chewy to soft and melt in your mouth. The flavors started with upfront porkiness and finished with a haunting nutty earthy savory flavor.
Although our first experience at the truck was uniformly positive, it was months before we made it back (our bad). As soon as we opened the new two-page menu, it became instantly apparent that Tata's had morphed into an outdoor dining establishment unlike any other in Yuma.
Nowadays, some dishes characteristic of south and central Mexico are regularly available. For example, look at this picture of two new items. On the left is a tostada maya (a black bean tostada with cotija cheese). On the right is a Maria Felix, an empenada-like quesadilla with flor de calabazas (squash blossoms) and cheese:
When you open up the Maria Felix, you see the wonderful mix of ingredients combined into a joy bomb of flavors. The hand made corn tortilla shell is crunchy, but not greasy. The unmistakable tastes of summer squash and cheese fill the mouth with happiness:
Even more unusual is what Tata's calls a Tizoc, a hand formed corn tortilla wrapped around spicy huitlacoche (corn smut — called "corn truffles" on fancy menus):
Perfectly done here. Spicy chile notes deepen the dominant and complex earthy fungal flavors of the huitloche itself, while kernels of sweet corn add contrasting textures and flavors. While I am far from an expert on this kind of smut, Tata's tizoc is by far is the best I've ever tasted.
Tina and I also love a variation on the black bean tostada called the maya maya, which tops the black beans with grilled nopalitas salad, giving some contrastive tang and more textures to the tostada:
I'm still amazed right here in river city to find a taco stand that goes beyond the border and also serves several vegetarian dishes.
At the same time, you can get great versions of many taco truck standards. For example, the horchata is good and the Tamarindo properly sweet and slightly sour: 
When you wait for your tacos to arrive, you're given little bowls of frijoles gratis, which I like to enhance with some of the free condiments:
Speaking of which, the condiment wheel includes all of the necessary players — lemon wedges, cilantro, shredded cabbage, chopped onion, guacamole sauce, tomatillo salsa, and a fiery salsa de arbol:
And the tacos continue to be very good. In particular, the pastor has a nice marinade and profits from the char of the grill:
The outstanding barbacoa is incredibly beefy:
And we still love the tripitas, which are the best I've ever eaten:
Notice the wok hay on these:
And on our last visit, Tata's had caguamanta, stewed stingray tacos:
Again, the version here is as good as it gets, deeply savory, fishy in a good way, and complex. They told us that these tacos were going to become a Friday and Saturday night special. We certainly hope so.
I love Tata's (I never thought I'd write that in a blog post at mmm-yoso!!!). This small place is truly one family's labor of love. The father (Jose) grew up in Guanajuato and knows the cuisine of south and central Mexico; mom (Aleyida) does most of the cooking; grandpa provides the caguamanta recipe; and the son and his girlfriend (I think) are often waiting tables.
However, particularly at this time of year, Tata's does not seem to keep regular hours. I guess there is no point in being open if it is insufferably hot or crazy windy. Most evenings I guess they open around 6:30 or 7:00. I have no idea when they close, but I'm sure it is well past my bedtime. Give them a call before you drop by. If they are open, you will not be disappointed.
Tata's Tacos, 3121 W 8th St, Yuma AZ 85364, 928-920-1105 or 928-246-0049.