My first stop was to Manga Manga. Marco greeted me with a thick Italian accent. I asked him what I HAD to try from his truck and he suggested 3 things: the Lolly Pops (batter dipped meatballs on a stick) served with marinara, some kind of breaded cheesy rice ball thingy that's deep-fried and served with marinara (my amateur ears couldn't comprehend what he called it in Italian) and I wasn't to miss the salmon lasagna.
The Lolly Pops were fantastic! The meatballs were flavorful and moist. The generous size is filling and perfect for sharing. The marinara is different from what I was used to in that it's on the watery side. The meatballs were so tasty they didn't need the marinara in my opinion. The rice fritter things were very good. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. These were made from rice and seasoning and maybe some cheese mixed with a red sauce, rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried. I was told it was given to him by his grandmother who wrote it on a small piece of paper and was told to make it. Grandmama's recipe is perfect for light eating, not boasting bold flavors but reminds you that this is what she calls "good comfort food". Marco said his favorite lasagna was the salmon lasagna. Salmon isn't something that's common in lasagna so I thought I would give it a try. It was a piece of heaven!! Not overwhelming in the fishy flavor department at all. It was lasagna with salmon, not the other way around. The salmon didn't overwhelm the dish which I thought would be the case, but no. These Italians pulled this off perfectly! A welcoming entree for those celebrating Lent like my friend Jeff.
Jeff went to explore more of what Manga Manga had to offer. He cradled something colorful from the truck in his little paper food boat. I was curious and asked what he bought, turns out he bought a little spicy piece of buttery heaven. He was kind enough to let me have the 1st bite of his Deep Fried avocado with mango salsa It was lightly breaded, delicate and buttery. The mango salsa was fresh, sweet with a spicy kick to the end. If I were him, I wouldn't have shared but I'm glad he shared with me. Thanks Jeff and Thank You to Marco and Enzo of Manga Manga! I will be back for more!
My 2nd stop was to Super Q. This food truck was the buzz of the night with long lines of people dying to get there hands sticky with their tasty BBQ sauced sandwiches. I spoke with J.R. the owner of Super Q and he kind enough to make me a special 1/2 size sandwich to help me pace myself on my food crawl. I always ask what items do I HAVE to try and they suggested the Mac & Cheese Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich. What?! Mac & Cheese and BBQ? They somehow made two of my favorite things co-exist? Done and done! I had to try this. Sure enough, I took one bite into this generously filled sandwich and it made stop in my tracks, close my eyes, take a deep breath and smack the table I was standing at. I told J.R. that his sandwich was "smack yo' momma" good! Stephanie, my new Navy foodie friend probably thought I was insane, but food that good makes it impossible for you to hold in your approvals.
My friend Brian needs to do things on his own terms and so he ordered something special from the Super Q truck: This is what looks to me like sweet potato fries, slaw, BBQ pork and jalapeños. I didn't try it but with all those good ingredients how can you go wrong? He seemed to enjoy it. Well done Brian. My girl Stella ordered their carne asada fries. These were Super Q style and Super delish! I could pick out the fries, the BBQ, cheese, salsa and jalapeños. It was a glorious mess, it was hard to pick out each ingredient. Thanks to J.R. and his team for serving up some of the best BBQ sandwiches I have ever had. I hope to see you at next months Food Truck Extravaganza. I will be ordering a full sized sandwich next time, I promise.
I ended my food crawl with some desserts from my favorite dessert truck called Sweet Treats. Jennifer and Chris offer some great treats that range from fancy to kid comfort. I bought my chocolate covered bacon strip, the deconstructed banana split cupcake and Mocha Toffee cupcake and my husband picked out the huge fancy eclair for his birthday treat. The Banana Split was light and the Mocha Toffee was very rich. I had a bite of each and shared the rest. They disappeared in seconds. I also stopped by Joe's On the Nose. Its a coffee shop on wheels and they handcraft capps, espresso, mochas and iced drinks. I ordered a blended iced not so hot chocolate with espresso, mac nut and coconut, caramel and whipped cream. It was like Hawaii in a plastic cup. It was refreshing and light. A perfect ending to my night of food crawling.
Next time I will bring a REAL camera. Phone cameras suck. :)
Until next time....
Cheers,
Mel
