A mere six months ago, the term "food truck" brought up visions of the sketchy hot dog or grilled unidentifiable-meat-on-a-stick vendor that seemed only to appear in the wee hours in Uptown Charlotte. With a little encouragement from @cltfoodtruckfan on Twitter, I finally ventured out to Food Truck Friday in Southend to see what all the fuss was about. And now, I'm officially hooked.
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| Food Truck Friday in Southend |
Just as it sounds, Food Truck Friday in every Friday night in the lot at Camden and Park, across from Phat Burrito. I'll devote another post to that wonderful event, but for now, a few of my favorites from our local Food Trucks that can be found all over town.
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| The Vermont Jemima from Cupcake Delirium |
Life's short, so we'll start with dessert. My absolute favorite has to be the Vermont Jemima Cupcakes from Cupcake Delirium (@onthegocupcakes). Buttermilk cake, maple buttercream frosting and two pieces of candied bacon on top. Yes, it's dessert food porn and after one bite, you'll know you're being naughty and you won't care. Really. Honorable mentions: anything from Sticks and Cones (especially in the summer) (@sticksandcones) and the griddled bread pudding from Papi Queso (@papiquesotruck)
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| Schnitzel on Pretzel from Herban Legend |
So on to sammies. My go-to has to be the Schnitzel on a pretzel bun with a homemade spicy aoli from Herban Legend (@herban_legend). The arugula adds a great peppery bite and the bun is soft and tangy. They also make a mac and cheese dish on steroids with pork crackling and green onions called crack and cheese. It will take you down. The truck is uptown for lunch on Wednesdays between BofA and Chima. Get there early before your favorite is gone. Another fave has to be Napolitano's (@Napolitanosmkt). Their sammies remind me of being back in PA. Meatball, chicken parm, it's all good and it's huge. You're probably going to need to share, even if you don't want to.
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| Grilled Cheese Goodness from PapiQueso |
If I haven't mentioned it before, I love cheese. All cheese, any cheese, I mean it. So my ultimate comfort food sammie has to be grilled cheese. The Papi Queso Truck (@papiquesotruck) has mastered and elevated all of the melty, cheesy goodness that is grilled cheese. The pig mac, with pulled pork and mac&cheese is great, but the traditional is always my fave. Just make sure you add bacon. Everything is better with bacon and this is no exception. They are a Food Truck Friday regular and uptown on Mondays. Get a cup of their tomato soup to go with. I don't like tomato soup at all, but their's I can't get enough of. And it is a great hand warmer while you are waiting for your grilled cheese.
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| Meatballs and Marinara over Parmesan Fries from Roaming Fork |
Continuing on my love of all things cheese, I have to mention my newfound adoration for The Roaming Fork Truck(@RoamingForkNC). Their fried pimento cheese balls, topped with ranch sauce and hot sauce (I think?) were the perfect cheesy, melty, savory, crunchy bite. Yes, the kind of perfect bite where you have to close your eyes and make yummy sounds to truly enjoy. Staying with the Roaming Fork's balls (insert joke here), their meatballs are nothing to laugh at either. Served over Parmesan fries with a garlicky herbaceous red sauce, they are more fun that you should be allowed at dinner.
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| Korean Beef Stir Fry from Maki Taco |
You can't talk about food trucks in Charlotte without talking tacos. I don't mean the ground up mystery meat Taco Bell tacos we all know. I'm talking fine dining tacos, but out of a truck. The glazed pork belly taco with house made kimchi from The TIN Kitchen (@TheTINKitchen) is delish, and the view ain't bad either, ladies. Craig Barbour with the Roots Farm Food Truck @Rootsfarm) devotes an entire day to tacos. Pork belly, chorizo, chicken -they are all great and the homade pickled veg and slaws add the perfect tang and crunch. Maki Taco Truck (@makitacotruck) brings great Korean and Asian fusion flavors to their tacos, with an option to be served over rice instead (always my choice).
There are so many more I like, or would like to try and the fun is finding where they are and if I can make it up to their window before my favorites are gone. Twitter is a great way to get their daily schedules. @FoodTrucksCLT @cltfoodtrucks also re-tweet a lot of the food trucks daily schedules and each truck has a website where they post menu items, specials and where they will be that day. If you've driven past one of these food trucks and wondered if it was the feared "street meat" or something altogether better, the lines for their food should be a great hint that gourmet food trucks have arrived in Charlotte, and you'd best get in line before it's all gone!
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