OAKLAND, Calif. » For some the foodie highlight of a visit to the east side of San Francisco Bay might be a high-end restaurant like Chez Panise in Berkeley.

Not me.

For me it's about tacos.

Cabeza, lengua, tripas, al pastor, pescado, camarone, carnitas or carne asada (more on taco meats later); stewed or fried meats or seafood with lime, jalapeno and optional salsa, cheese and sour cream.

Think of a Hawaiian plate lunch wagon. But instead of rice you get tortillas; instead of macaroni salad, the plate comes with radish and pickled carrots. Tacos are $1.25 to $1.50. Burritos are about $4.

I first came across taco trucks on the outskirts of Modesto, Calif. I was working for KCRA-TV, and our Modesto reporter took me to a vacant lot and his favorite taco truck.

“;It's better than any restaurant in town,”; he told me.

Not knowing what to order or how it would taste, I think I just had a carne asada or beef taco. But I'd never seen the variety of meats from all parts of the cow and pig available in one place before.

Since then I've overcome my initial fears and become a big fan of street food, especially when I travel.

In recent years, popularized by word of mouth and fans who have set up taco truck Web sites and raved about their favorite loncheros on Yelp and Chowhound, Oakland has become the epicenter of the taco truck nation.

Even food travel guru Anthony Bourdain raved about Oakland's taco trucks, comparing them to tacos he's had in Mexico.

Like Bourdain, I believe in eating where locals eat. That's where you get the real flavors of a place—the authentic regional cuisine.

You can spend hours on the Internet reading reviews and figuring out where the best places to eat are. But here's a simple tour of taco trucks within walking distance of the Fruitvale BART station along seven blocks of International Boulevard between 22nd and 29th avenues.

I hit two of the most popular trucks—Sinaloa on 22nd and Mi Grullense on 29th, in the parking lot of the Goodwill store. I also stopped at two other trucks along the way, ordering a different taco at each location until, as much as I wanted to, I just couldn't take another bite.

Here are the highlights:

» Taqueria Sinaloa, 22nd and International: This location has evolved and has covered seating, fruit drinks and not one, but two trucks. One truck serves the usual beef and pork tacos. The other serves pescado (fish), camarone (shrimp) and other seafood. I didn't order it, but it looked like they also serve menudo (tripe soup) and birria (goat). I had the pescado here since the other trucks I visited didn't have fish. The chunks of fish were a little dry, but the fresh tomato salsa made up for it.

» Jack in the Box/El Pollo Loco, 24th and International: I didn't stop here, but if you really want fried mystery meat and soy protein in tortilla with cheese, lettuce and hot sauce, you can get it on International Boulevard. There's also an El Pollo Loco across the street. I actually like the grilled chicken at El Pollo Loco. But this trip was about tacos, so I didn't stop there, either.

» El Grullo, 26th and International: Ordered lengua (tongue). Tasty. Spicy and stewed until tender, tongue has a real beefy flavor. Obviously if you're put off by beef parts, don't order it. But you're missing out. Wash it down with a Mexican mandarin orange soda.

» El Paisa Taco, 29th and International: Across and up 29th from Mi Grullense. Had a more standard al pastor (stewed pork) and carnitas (pork) with sides of cheese and guacamole 25 cents. Can't go wrong with that.

» Mi Grullense, 29th and International: This is where Bourdain ate. He had the cabeza (head) taco, and so did I. It was by far my favorite taco. Veal cheeks are an expensive delicacy in French restaurants. The beef head contains the cheeks and jowls of the cow. It was tender, beefy tasting and spicy. I also had the tripas, which are cow intestines. It has that chitterling flavor, so you have to be able to appreciate that. But it was also deep-fried, which made for an interesting texture.