Bye-bye roach coach! Helllllo Gourmet Food Trucks!!
The Food Truck Extravaganza was like street food on steroids. It's a far cry from your typical "roach coach" that sells wilted salads, suspicious triangle shaped tuna sandwiches, reheated frozen burritos and potato chips. Nope, those are history. Say hello to the new and improved food truck! These hipsters are slinging gourmet tidbits from blinged out colorful trucks. I have to say these food trucks are impressive. It's like the roach coach went on Pimp My Ride and came out looking like a million bucks.
I took my son with me so we could have some bonding time. I'm secretly trying to get him to like different foods besides chicken nuggets, carbs and candy. I also met SD Food Crawlers Jeff & Grayce there. They gave me good feedback on some of the food I didn't have any room to try. So thank you Jeff and Grayce for being the 1st SD Food Crawlers on our 1st outing! Your support means so much to me.
This Food Truck Extravaganza is going to be held the third Friday of every month at Fifty Seven Degrees, 1735 Hancock St. It's where the old Pier 1 outlet use to be and the event is in the back parking lot. $2 gets you in and make sure to bring enough cash, not all vendors take credit cards yet.
My first stop was the super cute, super sweet truck called Sweet Treats. I met the owner Jennifer and she was a doll. We talked about the event and she shared her favorite treats and pointed out which trucks I could get them from. They offer deconstructed cupcakes, cookies and various desserts that look too pretty to eat. I looked into the display case and purchased my 1st food truck goodie. The chocolate covered bacon strip. It was actually really good. The sweetness of the rich, smooth chocolate was perfectly paired with the salty/smokiness of the bacon. I normally don't go backwards eating dessert before my dinner but I couldn't pass this up once I saw it through the window. My son loves chocolate and bacon but together was questionable. I had him take a bite... he wrinkled his nose, chewed, then took another bite because he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. By the 4th bite I knew he was sold. Success! Although its like candy, he found something new he likes! Thanks Jennifer of Sweet Treats! We will see you next month for some more.
My 2nd stop was a truck called Two For the Road. They advertised a lobster roll and a Disneyland Monte Cristo sandwich. To my surprise they offered each in a half size so I thought it would be an economical way to try both. First the Disney Monte Cristo, it was awesome. The batter was light and crispy, slightly sweet. The cheese was melty and paired well with the thinly sliced ham inside. It comes with a side of raspberry jam and together it goes from great to magical. The Lobster Roll was decent. I wouldn't say it was my favorite. I expected the lobster salad to be thicker instead of on the watery side. Although some people like my fellow Food Crawler Grayce, like it with less mayo. If that is your preference than this would be perfect for you. The bread was soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. The lobster salad needed more flavor, maybe some salt or Old Bay? I have never had a Lobster Roll so I have nothing to compare it to. At the end it was just o.k. It made me wish I had saved my money for the other lobster dish I was about to discover...
My 3rd treat was the Truffle Tots from Devilicious. The buzz talk about this truck is that it is popular, there is always a line so get there early, and they always run out of food so again, get there early. The menu was impressive. They offered a Lobster Grilled Cheese sandwich, which in talking with fellow foodies, this sandwich sells out quick because it is THAT good. Since I've already eaten that lobster roll I admired their Lobster Grill Cheese from afar and decided that will be mine next month. I have a slight addiction to truffles. I'm not talking the kind that are made from chocolate. I'm talking the kind that are rare and found hidden under forest floors. The kind that are worth more than gold and rightfully so. I scanned their hand written menu and I lit up when I saw Truffle Tots. At a reasonable $4, I had to try them. They were little nuggets of goodness. The Tot broke down as little balls of seasoned mashed potatoes rolled in panko bread crumbs with red pepper flakes then drizzled with truffle oil. I would have liked more truffle oil but a little does go a long way. They were a great side dish, crispy with a kick and the truffle taste is a back note and subtle. It was an elegant twist to fried mashed potatoes. Devilicious, I will be back for that Lobster Grilled Cheese next month. :)
My last stop of the night was for my son. He was being such a good sport that I let him pick out a cupcake. He saw the Corner Cupcake truck and picked out a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. I went for the unusual Buttermilk Bacon cupcake with Maple frosting. The concept of their cupcake truck is that you pick the cake and the frosting and have it made to your liking. They came in cute little Chinese takeout boxes with a wire handle. My son opened his and gasped at the sight of a bug in the frosting. We took it back and they immediately apologized and exchanged it for a new one. The cashier proceeded to give me my money back and then handed me my replacement cupcake. I thought, "Now that's customer service!" But when I got home, my son's replacement cupcake was a bacon w/maple frosting, not his chocolate/chocolate frosting. Poor kid was out a cupcake. I tried my Buttermilk Bacon Cupcake with Maple frosting and it was so disappointing. The cupcake was dry, reminiscent of cornbread. I first cut the cupcake in half because I wanted to check to see how evenly distributed the bacon was going to be. I couldn't find any at first, then I found it at the bottom of the cupcake which is sad. They need to find a way to suspend their bacon bits in the batter so there is bacon throughout instead of laying at the bottom. The frosting was good, a bit gritty but it definitely had lots of maple flavor. I wouldn't go back for the bacon cupcake and I'm not sure despite their best efforts if my son would ever go back to get his chocolate cupcake. I wasn't impressed and for $2.50 a pop and being on the small size, it wasn't worth it. Sorry Corner Cupcake, you just didn't make the cut, even for a 9 year old.
The Food Truck Extravaganza is catching on and more vendors are added every month. My son counted 13 trucks and there was no way I was able to eat my way to each one. That is why the 3rd Friday of April I will be there again to sample from those I never got around to. So, April food Truck Extravaganza... are you game?
Thanks again to my SD Food Crawlers Jeff & Grayce! Our 1st food crawl was awesome!!
Cheers,
Mel
