A Taste of Puerto Rico from a Denver Food Truck
“It’s like having a piece of the island in four wheels,” one customer says about this Puerto Rican food truck operating in the greater Denver area. And after watching owners Eric Elias and Jordy Ortiz work their magic on traditional dishes like Chicken Mofongo Relleno and Alcapurrias, it’s easy to see why locals keep coming back.
Guy kicks things off with an observation about how regional cuisines have spread across America. You used to have to travel to specific regions for authentic food—southern California for Mexican tacos, Texas for brisket, New England for chowder. But Puerto Rican food? That’s still harder to find outside of South Miami or the island itself. Unless, as Guy discovers, you happen to be in Denver.
The Chicken Mofongo: A Warm Hug on a Plate
Everything starts with sofrito, which Eric and Jordy describe as “the basis of our food.” They build it with cilantro, yellow onions, green peppers, green onions, and garlic, blending it all together with water. Guy notes that the process gets “a little out of control,” joking that Jordy had “your elbow in there and your shoe.”
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The chicken goes into a pressure cooker with the sofrito, chicken base, salt, tomato puree, and water, cooking for an hour until it’s tender and shreddable. “This means moist in Puerto Rican, in case anybody didn’t know,” Guy jokes. Once shredded, they add peppers and onions and cook for another five minutes until soft.
For the mofongo base, plantains are fried, cut into smaller pieces, then worked in a pilón (a wooden mortar) with olive oil, garlic, and salt. The meat gets packed inside the plantain mold, creating what Guy calls “a chicken bowl of fun.”
His verdict? “It’s dynamite. It’s better than dynamite. It’s as legit as any mofongo I’ve ever had.” He points out that even though the dish has great moisture on its own, “just a little kiss of that broth you spooned on—it’s a game changer.”
Alcapurrias: A Labor of Love
The alcapuria is a classic Puerto Rican fritter that Jordy says “reminds me of Puerto Rico.” The meat filling starts with oil, onions, sofrito, ground beef, salt, adobo, tomato sauce, and olives added at the end.
The masa requires serious work. They grate taro root and green bananas, mixing them together with achiote oil, adobo, and salt. The masa gets spread on paper, filled with the picadillo, pinched together, and dropped directly into the fryer.
Guy’s reaction: “It’s light, it’s tender, it’s fluffy—not heavy. The picadillo inside of it, dynamite. The little bit of batter that’s on the outside of it, it’s got a great chew to it, and then goes super soft.”
One customer notes that alcapurrias are “very tedious to make, but they do a great job.” Similar to how other Triple D spots put care into their craft—like the attention to detail in dishes such as White Bean-Tahini Puree with Toasted Pita or the slow-smoked perfection of a Smoked Bologna Sandwich—this food truck proves that putting in the work pays off.
Finding the Truck
When asked how people can find them around the greater Denver area, the owners explain they post their schedule on Facebook and maintain a website. Guy jokes that you’ll find the truck “parked at my house in northern California.”
His parting words to Eric and Jordy: “Proud of you guys. You’re doing it the right way. You’re doing it with a lot of love, a lot of enthusiasm. You’re awesome.”
For more Puerto Rican spots and other Triple D favorites, check out our restaurant directory.