La Lucha Pop-Up At Pine Box Rock Shop

A few days ago I got an email telling me that La Lucha, a luchador-themed restaurant in the East Village, would be hosting a pop-up taco event to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. The event was taking place at Pine Box Rock Shop, a vegan bar in Bushwick, and would have lots of vegan and gluten-free options. They were calling the event La Cuarta Verde (the Green Fourth), since it was happening on May 4th and would be veggie-centric. I went to La Lucha once, back when I was writing for Serious Eats. And I went to Pine Box Rock Shop last year, for the Vegan Shop-Up. I immediately emailed back that I would be attending the pop-up. Upon my arrival yesterday I introduced myself to Raymond, who had invited me to the event. Raymond introduced me to the owner of La Lucha, who had been my server at the restaurant. Despite the fact that it was almost exactly two years ago to the day, he remembered not only me, but the person with whom I’d been dining, what we ordered, and where in the restaurant we were seated. That’s an impressive mental feat. He told me he had just purchased a food truck which he wants to launch in Brooklyn, focused mostly on Greenpoint. For $3 each I got some tacos and an order of grilled corn. The two tacos I ordered were both vegan: a roasted poblano taco and a zucchini taco. They also gave me a mushroom taco, which had a sprinkling of queso fresco and so was not vegan. I did not order the taco, so I don’t know if they sent it as a result of a mix-up at the grill or they purposely gave it to me to try for free. The tacos were great, especially after a squeeze of La Lucha’s homemade salsas. The grilled corn was slathered in mayo and cheese, and was excellent. Along with a few beers at the bar, it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Hopefully their truck will be on the road soon.

@pineboxrockshop

Pine Box Rock Shop — 12 Grattan St
La Lucha — 146 Ave A (Manhattan)