El Nuevo Tun Tun

Great Cuban and pizza empanadas.

A clarification: the ketchup I referred to is an ingredient in the «pink sauce» which is common. I think they use too much ketchup in the pink sauce. I would ask them to go light on the pink sauce.

El Nuevo Tun Tun is revamped! New truck, new menu and a smoker sitting out front? Let’s check it out, I say.
I’ve noticed their truck has changed from the plain old white to the new yellow one for a few months now. I thought it was just a way to draw more attention to the business without thinking the menu might have changed. Since the reopening, a coworker of mine had ventured to the truck to bring back a Tripleta. I must say, it was substantially heartier and more flavorful compared to the Tripleta I had last year. Beefsteak, Pastrami, Pork, lettuce, tomato, potato stix, garlic/​spices. Delicious.
Still, I haven’t managed to visit El Nuevo Tun Tun until I read that they now have a Chimi on the menu! I was excited to see they now serve a Dominican style Chimichurri, or «Chimi». If you’ve followed my reviews, you’ll know that I loooove this sandwich with a passion. Finally, a truck closer to me that serves the Chimi. No more driving out to S. OBT when this Dominican style burger sends out a clarion call to get me out of the house and onto the road.
With this knowledge, off to El Nuevo I went. As I patiently waited for my Chimi I noticed new menu items.
New sandwiches include the Chimi, Beefstrami (beefsteak/​pastrami), smoked ham (hence the newly added smoker in front), and salami. A new dinner option serving Chicken or Pork Chops with your choice of plantain or french fries. Also 4 different types of Empanada including chicken, beef, cheese and «pizza». Lastly, they’ve added Alcapurrias. Similar to an Empanada but with a deep fried potato/​plantain shell stuffed with crab or beef.
I waited under 10 minutes for the ladies in the truck to finish preparing and presenting the sandwich. Once I opened up the foil at home, the scent was oh so familiar. Now, other Puerto Rican food trucks list a Chimi on their menu, but it’s usually way off from the Dominican style I’m accustomed to and adore. Being a Puerto Rican truck, El Nuevo Tun Tun just about nailed it. The sweet/​tangy sauce, marinated cabbage, tomato and beef flavors were there, but there were a couple of minor things I noticed. They didn’t use the traditional Pan de Agua bread and the beef patty seemed smaller in relation to the bread. A true Chimi will have the beef patty or pork allll throughout the sandwich. No bites of just bread. El Nuevo’s version could have spread the beef more thoroughly through the sandwich. Even so, I plowed through it with veracity! There’s something about the combination of sweet/​tangy sauce and cabbage that gets me every time.
All in all, my palate was satisfied with their version of the Dominican style Chimichurri sandwich. The flavors were all there, and now I don’t have to drive far out of my way to savor the flavor. Score.
The Bistek (beefsteak) sandwich shown on the outside of the truck looks delicious. I’m tempted to try that next. So hungry that you can eat a horse? Well, they have a La Bomba de Bonita (the Beautiful Bomb). A monster sandwich of pork, pastrami, beefsteak, turkey, salami, sausage, smoked ham and chicken with all the fresh veggies. AY DIOS MIO!
Between their Chimi and heartier sandwiches, I’m glad this ethnic truck is in the neighborhood. I’ve seen a handful of other Latin fare trucks close down in the same vicinity. Looks like El Nuevo Tun Tun has staying power.