You see them all over...well, I know I do in my area. They're at a lot of events at convention centers, fairs, & other (outdoor) events. I went to a pet expo & there were several. I'm going to an auto show today & they'll be out there. I consider myself a tad of a foodie, so it's great to have all those choices of cuisines! I actually never ate from one yet, but I like the concept. For those who don't know what they are, they're like mobile eateries. Each truck sells a menu of different types of food & there's a group of several trucks so you have choices.
I LOVE the idea! I've never eaten from a food truck myself. Here, I think that'd be a great way to ingest a whole bunch of E. coli. But anyways, my mom says back home there's a grilled cheese food truck that is cheap and freaking delicious. Now I'm hungry...
Mathemagician, while "greasetrucks" or "roach coaches" do exist in Southern California, I'm pretty sure those aren't the ones Ms.I has in mind: she's probably thinking of trucks like the ones mentioned at http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/aug/17/fill-up-on-treats-at-gourmet-food-truck-festival/
None around here. But the mechanic in town has a little food trailor and he has Fish Fry Fridays. I don't eat fish, though.
I'm not a food truck eater, nor am I a chain restaurant fan or a carnival food eater. I do enjoy the food truck wars show on the Food Channel and know that some such trucks serve gourmet level foods, but I've never seen one or eaten from one.
The "new" food trucks are very different than what you may have seen before. They are kind of upscale and serve really nice food. I've eaten at quite a few in Austin and Houston. Some of them are run by some really well known chefs and super yummy!
The 'grease trucks' near Rutgers University in NJ are legendary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_Trucks#Fat_Sandwiches_and_other_Grease_Truck_cuisine
All we have around here are roach coaches. But last year I went to a food truck festival at Santa Anita. That was some amazing food! And it's cheap! I ate as much as I could hold, and I only spent $12. The grilled cheese truck IS really good.
I haven't been to one, but I read in the paper that there is a hot dog vendor by my work that sells Sonoran hot dogs. I've always wanted to try one!
We have one food truck in my town. My boyfriend and I were excited for about 10 seconds until we saw it sold pizza - there are 10 other pizza places and about nothing else in our small town. On the other hand, I have our amazing farmer's market and there are so many delicious food stands there. Sometimes I think going there to be healthy and buy fresh veggies is negated by all the gyros, pie, and pit beef stands. lol
Food trucks have jumped the shark. Their appeal was of course bringing "gourmet" type food, but also--at a comparatively good price. (Because they've become so trendy) That's not the case anymore. The savings of lower overhead were supposed to be passed on to the consumer.
Oh I just remembered- here we have a ceviche van. Some guy sells ceviche out of the back of his van. Does that count? :lol:
I'm quite familiar with these "grease trucks" as my son and daughter-in-law both attended Rutgers and saw them whenever I was visiting. Did I indulge? No way, but my son did. 3 weeks ago spent time in Boston where there are numerous food trucks. We actually saw the "Soup Nazi" food truck with the actor who played the character. Unfortunately the line was so long we couldn't get any muffin tops, junior mints, or mulligatawny soup that were being given away.
I've been to many of the gourmet food trucks (very very popular here) and have always found them to be mostly hype. Some of the food has been decent, but frankly more expensive and not as good as it would be from a regular restaurant. BF feels the same way, but somehow we always get sucked into trying new ones. I like the idea that people can start out with a truck until they make enough money to set up a restaurant, though. I DO love the typical roach coaches that sell cheap tacos and the like in LA. I don't even view them in the same category, and they've been around much longer than all the new gourmet trucks. Mm, I'm getting hungry.
Nothing like that around here. The closest thing would be the trucks at festivals, but they just sell overpriced junk food.
There is an old school bus turned taqueria near my house. I wouldn't eat there because of fears of ecoli. I read the health inspection reviews in the paper before I actuaLy ate there. They have the best food around. I went to Ensenada and Cabo and the food from the taco bus was way better!
The food trucks and carts around here are inspected and certified the same way the brick and mortar restaurants are. Look for that green sticker! I know several people who own and operate food trucks. Columbus supports them in a big way, too. There's a weekend-long food truck festival by the Historical Society now and a mini-fest a block away from me next weekend. There are also places that give heated seating space for patrons throughout the winter season, allowing vendors who don't find space working with a dedicated bar a way to work all year. The taco trucks are some of the best authentic fare around, including one that grills whole chickens with a spice concoction we're threatening to run through lab equipment to discern. Another favorite of mine does gourmet grilled cheese with locally sources ingredients, including incredible bacon.
I order stuff from the Schwann's man. Does that count? We do have a few mobile dog groomers, car detailers, and nail salons.
I did see one closeby but I can't remember where. I think it was Greek food. I love that Food Truck race show.
Schwann's the one! They have the yummiest vegetable medly, burgers, and the best lemon pie. It is better than Bill Millers, and any other joint that brags about their pies. Their chicken pot pies have BIG junks of chicken, unlike some other name brands; you're lucky if you even get a whiff of chicken in your pie. Rebel1
I never saw the show but I've eaten from the one of the trucks that won (The Lime Truck). It's pretty good but nothing that would particularly impress me at a restaurant.
So I've now eaten food from a couple of food trucks. They had a truck called Slammin' Sliders w/ mostly Kobe beef, but they had chicken too. I tried the Pepper Jack Kobe sliders (2 qty) & some cajun fries. The portion size of the 2 sliders were no more than a few bites & the portion size of the fries wasn't big, but that was already $10. It tasted pretty good, but I have a feeling that the grilled cheese sandwich truck that was there might have been better. That truck only accepted cash...I only had my debit card on me at the time. There was also a gourmet cupcake truck. I got the coconut lemon cupcake & my BF got the carrot cake cupcake. Exactly! I'm not talking too much about the old, rundown RVs, etc. who's food may be questionable that sell $1 tacos or something. Of course one can get food poisoning anywhere, but I'm talking about those UPSCALE ones that sell more of the gourmet-type foods. The fair in my area starts in a week & they've had a truck selling savory & sweet crepes, for example. At the auto show I went to today, outside was a grilled cheese food truck!
Wow, I've never seen these. I guess they avoid my little suburban block. And if I'm in a city, we tend to go to a traditional restaurant, though I've had my share of "dirty water dogs" and pretzels in NYC. The closest we have to anything similar is Mr. Softee
I ate from several trucks and street vendors in Hawaii. I would do so again if I thought they were upscale. I'm very picky about these types of things. I didn't eat from any trucks in New York; their fare didn't impress me.
I love the idea of food trucks! I've only eaten from one, a gyro from a truck in New York City eek: I know...but it was DELICIOUS and no one got salmonella). I wish we had more, but they'd spend an awful lot on gas driving from town to town around here...
My hometown just got a surge of foodtrucks this summer, and now I've moved away and haven't seen a single one. So disappointing! We even had a gourmet Popsicle truck.
I'm mostly used to grease trucks, which are delicious. But back in a horse racetrack near the Jersey Shore had a food truck festival with all sorts of different food trucks. I ate from the hot dog foodtruck. It was delicious. They fried the hotdog, covered it with cheese, bacon, and french fries. The same racetrack had a crabcake festival a few weeks back and they are having a BBQ festival September 1st and 2nd so delicious
BF and I have talked, not overly seriously, about starting a soup truck. We both make delicious soup. A couple kinds every day with some bread? Especially fall-winter. I think it's a winner.
hahaha probably but that hotdog was delicious My dad had one with fried pickles on it He liked it, but isn't going to have fried pickles after that one experience with them because "once is enough"
Isn't it something how many foods that taste good are bad for you?! My county fair starts in a few days & I'll be going about 4 or 5 times w/ various people. I've got to watch out how I eat when I go, but I'm sure I'll go on 1 or 2 little food splurges!
Sadly we do not have food trucks in our area. It would be great though. I enjoy The Great Food Truck Race.
