Westside Food Truck Roundup - Part I
This will be the first in an ongoing series. I know some of you scorn the idea of the truck. Why follow a truck on twitter when there are like a thousand restaurants around. Here's why I love the food trucks:
1. You can't beat the price.
2. With this new wave, the food is incredibly good.
3. The portions are just the right size....large enough for a meal but you don't need to roll yourself home.
4. No valet parking.
5. Tips are appreciated, not expected.
6. No charge for sharing.
Without further delay, I bring you my first food truck round-up.
Kogi BBQ - The truck, the myth, the legend. Yes, it is as good as everyone says it is. Would I wait an hour or two in line, no. Would I wait 25 minutes with a friend, you betcha. My only warning on the Kogi is order appropriately. If you don't like spam, don't order it. If you don't like spicy, don't order the Blackjack Quesadilla. I think some people over estimate their magical powers. If you stick with what you like (or more importantly, what I like) you won't go wrong. My favorites: Short rib taco or burrito and their hot dog. Find them on their blog or twitter. They now have three trucks running amok.
Baby's Badass Burgers - Two things need to be known about this truck. 1) Its a slider truck. 2) They have very friendly attractive women working the truck. If that's not enough motivation for some of you, the food was surprisingly good. Todd & I shared the Original Beauty and the Mamacita. You get two of everything (except their one MONSTER burger) so its easy to share. We also ordered sweet potato & curly fries. Stick with the sweet potato. They're some of the best I've had (though in a tie with Gastrobus) and the curly fries needed to be cooked a wee longer. Shockingly you can find them on the web and on twitter.
Barbie's Q - The first truck Steve & I hunted together. Yeah. They get booked for a lot of private catering events and their bbq sauce is some of the best I've had. Web. Twitter.
Gastrobus - I was ridiculously excited to try the yellow food truck. And, thanks to the Abbott Kinney Festival, I was finally able to catch up to them. Regina & I ordered the same thing...BLT and sweet potato fries. Both, darn good. We agreed the Joan's on 3rd BLT was better, but lets be realistic. This is not a restaurant and the sandwich cost a fraction of what Joan's cost. I'll absolutely hunt down the Gastrobus again...probably at the Brig as it seems to be their only Westside dinner stop these days. I love that their menu changes & I look forward to trying something different next time. Web. Twitter.
CoolHaus - What could possibly go wrong about an architecturally themed ice cream truck. NOTHING. I love this little short bus. Its cute and the ice cream sandwiches are the best ever. Cookies and ice cream are fresh and delicious and they even come with an edible wrapper. Brilliant. My only complaint is that they don't have mint chip ice cream at every stop. But, their vanilla bean was some of the best I've had and the cookies...I'm stopping now. If you're going to cheat on your diet, cheat with CoolHaus. Web. Twitter.
NomNom Truck - I agree with Steve, this truck has the best look to it. And, thankfully, their food is as good as their look. I loved their Grilled Pork Banh Mi as well as the Lemongrass tacos. I'd skip the spring rolls...but I know a few other people who LOVED them. So, yeah, to each their own. Web. Twitter.
Coming soon, Dosa, Grilled Cheese Truck, South Philly, Chef on Wheels, Fish Lips Sushi and Marked 5.
1. You can't beat the price.
2. With this new wave, the food is incredibly good.
3. The portions are just the right size....large enough for a meal but you don't need to roll yourself home.
4. No valet parking.
5. Tips are appreciated, not expected.
6. No charge for sharing.
Without further delay, I bring you my first food truck round-up.
Kogi BBQ - The truck, the myth, the legend. Yes, it is as good as everyone says it is. Would I wait an hour or two in line, no. Would I wait 25 minutes with a friend, you betcha. My only warning on the Kogi is order appropriately. If you don't like spam, don't order it. If you don't like spicy, don't order the Blackjack Quesadilla. I think some people over estimate their magical powers. If you stick with what you like (or more importantly, what I like) you won't go wrong. My favorites: Short rib taco or burrito and their hot dog. Find them on their blog or twitter. They now have three trucks running amok.
Baby's Badass Burgers - Two things need to be known about this truck. 1) Its a slider truck. 2) They have very friendly attractive women working the truck. If that's not enough motivation for some of you, the food was surprisingly good. Todd & I shared the Original Beauty and the Mamacita. You get two of everything (except their one MONSTER burger) so its easy to share. We also ordered sweet potato & curly fries. Stick with the sweet potato. They're some of the best I've had (though in a tie with Gastrobus) and the curly fries needed to be cooked a wee longer. Shockingly you can find them on the web and on twitter.
Barbie's Q - The first truck Steve & I hunted together. Yeah. They get booked for a lot of private catering events and their bbq sauce is some of the best I've had. Web. Twitter.
Gastrobus - I was ridiculously excited to try the yellow food truck. And, thanks to the Abbott Kinney Festival, I was finally able to catch up to them. Regina & I ordered the same thing...BLT and sweet potato fries. Both, darn good. We agreed the Joan's on 3rd BLT was better, but lets be realistic. This is not a restaurant and the sandwich cost a fraction of what Joan's cost. I'll absolutely hunt down the Gastrobus again...probably at the Brig as it seems to be their only Westside dinner stop these days. I love that their menu changes & I look forward to trying something different next time. Web. Twitter.
CoolHaus - What could possibly go wrong about an architecturally themed ice cream truck. NOTHING. I love this little short bus. Its cute and the ice cream sandwiches are the best ever. Cookies and ice cream are fresh and delicious and they even come with an edible wrapper. Brilliant. My only complaint is that they don't have mint chip ice cream at every stop. But, their vanilla bean was some of the best I've had and the cookies...I'm stopping now. If you're going to cheat on your diet, cheat with CoolHaus. Web. Twitter.
NomNom Truck - I agree with Steve, this truck has the best look to it. And, thankfully, their food is as good as their look. I loved their Grilled Pork Banh Mi as well as the Lemongrass tacos. I'd skip the spring rolls...but I know a few other people who LOVED them. So, yeah, to each their own. Web. Twitter.
Coming soon, Dosa, Grilled Cheese Truck, South Philly, Chef on Wheels, Fish Lips Sushi and Marked 5.
posted by jenna! at
10:20 AM
6 Comments:
I was disappointed by South Philly. The meat wasn't really seasoned, the meat and cheese weren't mixed together well. But then I couldn't bring myself to eat the Wiz version, which I hear was better.
Good to know, thanks for the tip. I have to admit that for some trucks (like Baby's) I think I've liked them because other people have mentioned what not to eat. So, I follow your lead, and get something different.
Thanks for the tip!
There is a grilled truck coming out soon.
http://www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com/
I haven't had a chance to eat from a truck but I follow them on twitter and will pounce in due time. Thanks for the reviews.
Oh yes Natalie, I've been stalking the grilled cheese truck on twitter for awhile.
I stopped looking at their pictures; they were making me too hungry! I think you, me, Catherine, Steve & about a zillion other grilled cheese fans will be in line when they start.
Eric and I are anxious to try the South Philly truck...if you catch it first you'll have to let me know!
Mmmmm.....Kogi!
Post a Comment
<< Home