Food trucks generate a lot of passion and interest, but while I live in a large city, I have felt like the food truck revolution has passed me by. So I did what any journalist would do: hit the road to find out whether food trucks lived up to the hype. Destination: Minneapolis.
Not very far from where TV Land commemorates a young single woman throwing her hat in the air, you had your choice of food trucks. Saw a couple of them parked near the light rail station downtown. They looked nice, but I had a specific target. And though I didn't have a way to monitor the Twitter feed on this trip, I easily located the Smack Shack.
Food trucks satisfy a need in a downtown location if the truck can do its job without hassle (i.e., worrying about parking), get you the food hot and fairly quick, and make the experience as convenient as possible. Like school children, adults don't get much time for lunch during the work week.
I arrived toward the end of what is the typical lunch hour, getting there about 12:45 pm. The line to order only had a few people, and the line moved fairly well. Others were waiting for their food, and quite a few more were adapting "seats" to enjoy their lunch in the proverbial shadows of the food truck.
The wait wasn't much longer than a typical fast food restaurant at lunch time. Cash or credit were payment options. And the wait for the food was comparable to a QSR (quick service restaurant).
But you aren't there to see if the wait is similar, or whether the food truck takes a credit card. You are there for the food and food alone.
My ideal lobster roll is a lot of lobster meat, melted butter, and a slightly toasted split-top type hot dog bun. Outside of New England, this seems an impossible task. This lobster roll was not on a bun, but on Texas toast. The other ingredients to the lobster roll were cucumber, tarragon, and lemon aioli. Lobster dominated the sandwich, though still not as much as I would have preferred.
The remaining flavors were subtle (plus), the bread was a little too noticeable, though could have been much worse (meh), but the liquid content was too high (minus).
These are subtle points: this was a lobster roll outdoors on a downtown street during the work week at lunchtime. Very nice.
The sandwich came in a box with potato chips; the chips were plain in a good way and didn't detract from the main course. The cost was $12, and I put it on my credit card. If nothing else, I'll get a chuckle from seeing Smack Shack on my next credit card statement.
This was a good sample for the food truck phenomena, but the testing continued the next morning.
This food truck wasn't parked on a downtown street at lunchtime, though Chef Shack does spend time on downtown streets. On Saturday morning, Chef Shack parks at the Mill City Museum farmers market. Literally in the shadows of the legendary Guthrie Theater with a view of the Mississippi River, Chef Shack felt like a restaurant on wheels. The breakfast special was French toast and lunchtime offered fish, but I decided to stick with the regular menu.
I arranged my eating to have breakfast at this food truck, but the major adjustment would have to come from eating more in the morning than my stomach normally handles.
The obvious choice was staring in my face: Indian spiced mini donuts. But I couldn't start with that option. I needed something with less sugar.
I went past the grass-fed beef tongue tacos to go for the "Shack" nachos: pulled pork with black beans, corn, and a little avocado on multi-colored nacho chips.
Chef Shack sources organic, a selling point in the battle between restaurant and food truck. And knowing the truck would be parked for the entire farmers market made the transaction(s) more relaxed (more on than in a moment).
My stomach had been thrown off by this eating trip, so I hadn't had much food after 5 pm the previous evening. So maybe I was a little too hungry, and a little too tempted to go beyond the normal breakfast eating cycle.
I was told of a cool path across and around the Mississippi River, so I decided I needed energy. And this is how I justified the Indian spiced mini donuts. I would rather have ordered a half-bag or even two mini donuts. Unfortunately, the only option was a whole bag for $5.
I nibbled on them along the way, but tried two when they were piping hot. And here is the key difference between a food truck in Minneapolis and a food truck in Chicago. Freshly cooked tastes better than warmed up. Hot is not always the same as hot.
The donuts were marvelous, too marvelous in that I felt compelled to eat the whole bag. I was smart enough at least to not eat the whole bag at once, though forgive yourself if you couldn't. They did make for a nice snack on my walk, which I concluded back in front of the Chef Shack truck.
Was I tempted to order something else? I was too full, though people were lined up for their first shot at the truck that day.
Epilogue
So are food trucks worth the hype? They can be, but in order to compete, they have to outdo even themselves on occasion. Dishes that are special but not extremely unique can survive if they taste good at a decent price.
I was glad to try a city that has a vibrant scene with new trucks being added to a varied mix. They are fun, and can serve a niche. And I can see a little about what the hype is all about.I am not completely cynical about food trucks anymore, but they certainly aren't the next coming.
If you live in or near a viable food truck market (sorry, Chicago can't cut it until the city government changes the rules), try it out. If not, it might be worth a small vacation to try it, preferably where the transportation and lodging cost very little. And depending on the location, weather will play a huge factor.
Let us know what you think in the comments section. Are food trucks worth the hype?
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