Editor's note: This article was authored by blogger Jacqui Dobens' friend and food truck wing woman, D. McCall.
Food trucks aren’t the "roach coaches" of decades past. I’ve seen a few of these featured on television foods shows and wondered how they were in practice.
Today, I learned, how did I live without this?
Thank you to for an easy-to-find-with-lots-of-parking venue. The trucks were lined up and organized allowing for good crowd flow. The DJ was excellent and great background for a fun day.
The VIP tickets got you early admission, a covered seated eating area with complimentary sodas, water and drinks along with tangerines. The shade and a seat were welcome by noon.
Who knew there were so many food choices in a truck? Frappacinos, cupcakes, sushi, pizza from a flame oven, soul food, Cajun and lobster along with foods from Argentina, Tuscany and Native America. These folks had you covered.
Talk about choices! A few were misses as the product was unclear, and they offered no free sample to entice your taste buds, but the busier trucks had a "hook," like the potato tornado -- a spiral cut potato on a stick. The pricing averaged $7-10 with some desserts at $1-2.
My favorite was "After School Special." Their slogan is "Mom food, chef driven." Their menu includes Mary’s Fried Chicken Torpedo, Ana’s Meatloaf Burger and Betty’s Pot Roast Dip. They offered "extra credit," -- aka sides, drinks and Kool-Aid on tap. Yes, Kool-Aid. Today’s flavor was purple.
James enticed us with the mac-n-cheese cupcake. I didn’t expect much from mac-n-cheese in a cupcake liner. It seems to have become a staple on every menu, including a five-star restaurant. Oh my! It was baked, so it was firm, not sloppy and wet. The cheese was stringy but not enough to wrap around your nose. And it had a crunchy top. It was the best mac-n-cheese I’ve ever had.
My friend and I shared the chicken sandwich and the pot roast sandwich. The pot roast was tasty, moist with horseradish, mashed potatoes and lemony arugula on homemade bread. Simple and yummy.
The fried chicken sandwich was not overly fried or breaded with radish, pickled red onion and jalapeno country slaw on the bun. I prefer my sandwiches plain, so I was leery of the additions, especially the slaw.
The flavors and textures complimented each other without being overwhelming. James is right. This is the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had. "After School Special" is a tasty comfort food on a bun.
Going today, I had no expectations about eating from a food truck. After today, I have high expectations and look forward to this event again next year.
