Think a meal from a food truck is limited to either a sliceof pizza or a greasy taco? Think again. There's a whole new generation ofcreative chefs in locations across the country who have taken food truckcuisine to a new level, offering a variety of quality items on their menus thatput many brick-and-mortar restaurants to shame. Whether you're a street-levelfoodie or a newbie to the culture, the following list of unique food truckcuisines might surprise you or at least make your mouth water.
1.Haute cuisine on a stick
"Wecreate classical haute cuisine and we put it on a stick," says Chef RuthLipsky who runs the Houston-based food truck Stick It with her chef boyfriend,Alberto Palmer. Not only is their menu of filet mignon with garlic mashedpotatoes and grilled vegetables unique to food truck cuisine, so is itspresentation. Lipsky credits the stick food at the Renaissance festivals sheattended as a child for inspiring this venture. Chipotle honey-glazed chickenwith charro beans and rice and beer-battered fish with hand-cut fries are justtwo other menu items the culinary duo cooks and skewers on 10-inch bamboosticks.
2.Bratwurst
Well,yes, bratwurst isn't exactly unique to food trucks, especially for those whogrew up going to state fairs in the Midwest. But Austin, Texas, food truck Wurst Texoffersseveral variations on the perennial Germanic sausage that will surprise eventhe most seasoned regular at Oktoberfest. Their menu includes veggie brats,buffalo brats, elk brats, and, since this is Texas and you don't want to messwith it, rattlesnake brats. Many early settlers in Texas came from EasternEurope, so is it really surprising that the brat is so popular in the Lone StarState?
3.Productsfrom local farms
OddDuck Farm to Trailer, in Austin, Texas, creates a daily menu out of locallyproduced food. Half quail with potato salad, butternut squash with greens, androasted beets with grilled carrots are just a few of the delectable andinexpensive items truck owner and chef Bryce Gilmore serves to a clientele loyal to hiscuisine and their local farms. Gilmore also runs the brick-and-mortarrestaurant Barley Swine,serving pork, lots of beer, and dishes made with ingredients sourced from localfarms.
4.Big fatdoughnuts
Austinfood trailer Gourdoughs concocts and serves a mind-blowing array of doughnutcreations for the most discerning yet gluttonous of sugar addicts. "Moreis more" must be the mantra chanted by Gourdoughs culinary team, as eachdoughnut is filled almost to a fault with a wild combination of exoticingredients. Plain ol' whipped cream is utilized as well. Street-smarttroubadour Tom Waits once sang of a diner on a particularly mean street,"All the donuts have names like prostitutes." Gourdoughs menu is noexception, with items that include Heavenly Hash, Dirty Berry, and Blue Balls.Mmm. Eat up!
5.Reindeer sausage filled with Coca-Cola-soakedgrilled onions
WurstTex's menu is bland compared to that of Biker Jim, who serves sausages from asteel cart on the busy downtown streets of Denver, Colo. The former repo mantakes delight in creating hot dogs from wild game, including boar, antelope,and pheasant, and serving them to hungry "cops and crooks, politicians andbabysitters, office workers and tourists."
6.Vegan gluten-free chili served over brown rice
Aftergorging yourself on rattlesnake, Blue Balls, and Coca-Cola-soaked onions, hop aplane to Portland, Ore., for a much healthier meal at Mira's Ladle which boasts several homemade vegandishes, many inspired by Polish cuisine. The food is made fresh daily, andincludes organic vegetables and, for the non-vegan dishes, humanely raisedanimals. Mira's Ladle hosts a Water Bar where you can buy ionized alkalinewater by the gallon. Visit Mira's truck to eat and drink healthy and support anindependently owned business. Pretty cool!
7.Tempehribs (i.e. Vegan barbecue)
Portland,Ore., boasts a lively, and health-conscious food truck scene that includes theHomegrown Smoker food truck specializing in vegan barbecue. Soy curls, tempehribs, barbecue beans, plus traditional comfort foods that include cole slaw andmac and NO cheese, can be washed down with sweet mint iced tea or lemonade.Even the most rabid of meat eaters will find their mouths watering, althoughthey're probably going to ask for seconds.
8.MexicanGrits
Ownedby sisters of Spanish, Italian, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and American descent,the Crazy Sisters food truck serves both "street" and"gringo" food, including Mexican grits, to citizens of Fort Worth,Texas. The sweet and spicy dish, with roots in Native American as well asMexican cuisine, includes bacon, onions, peppers, and mushrooms with a handfulof slow-cooked brisket. It's a unique spin on a familiar dish. Interestingly,three-quarters of grits sold in the U.S. are sold in the South, including Texaswhich is part of what's known as the "grits belt."
9.Ratatouille
WriterErnest Hemingway famously opined, "Paris is a moveable feast!" ButSan Francisco is where you have to go for white table cloth French cuisineserved out of a converted taco truck. Spencer on the Go offers ratatouille,grilled sweetbread with sherry, truffle boeuf bourguignon, and otherquintessential French dishes at prices that range from just $12 to $16. Fordessert, treat yourself to an escargot puff lollipop.
10. Barbecuepulled pork waffle
Leaveit to those crazy Belgians to come up with a food truck that serves bothBrussels and Liege-style waffles as intense as the New Yorkers who eat them.The Wafels & Dinges food truck serves instant sugar comas in the form ofhot waffles dripping with whatever dinges (Flemish for things or stuff) you canimagine, including what Today's Al Roker calls, "The best pulled porkbarbecue on the East Coast."
Katina Solomon
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