Food Truck Friday - Taco Time Traveler

For this week, I'm showcasing a truck that some might disparage as a corporate attempt to hone in on a grassroots movement, but being a Seattle-area native, I consider to be NW comfort food: Taco Time Traveler.

Two of the victims of the Capitol Hill condo-fication were the Taco Time on 15th Madison and the Taco Bell on Broadway. When I lived on 'the hill', I was a regular at both. Usually Taco Time during daylight hours (or a quick bite before going out on the town), while Taco Bell was my 2am, drunken indulgence. When Dan & I moved to South Seattle, one of the perks is that we have a Taco Time and not one but two Taco Bells in our area. I even brought Taco Bell to our friend Craig on his last birthday, as we were often together on those drunken visits to the Broadway TB. And both bring up childhood memories of getting the treat of having fast-food for dinner, and high school years spent at Taco Bell.

Given my love of both, I was super excited to see the Taco Time Traveler parking regularly in the SLU neighborhood. They have a very limited menu of crisp & soft tacos, crisp burritos, and tostada salads, plus Mexi-fries (Regular and Sweet Potato). My real weakness on the menu is the crisp burritos, but couldn't justify the calories, so I went for the classic Chicken Soft Taco ($5.50 with tax). I could tell you how it was, but if you've ever had one, you already know. Just like their brick & mortar restaurants, the food was consistently produced using fresh ingredients, and was just what I expected. The service was also really friendly - coming out of the truck to greet me and take my order, and with a table set up with hot sauce, napkins, etc.

On my second visit, I went for the Bean Tostada Salad ($7 with tax). I'm not sure I've ever ordered one at their restaurants, so wasn't sure what to expect. It apparently normally comes with Ranch Dressing, but I was given the option of hot sauce instead. It was a little sad for the price - a flour tortilla bowl with beans, shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, black olives and hot sauce. I didn't intend to eat the fried bowl, but couldn't resist a few bites... which turned into half the bowl. Oh well. It's a salad, so it's healthy, right?

Say what you want about Taco Bell, but don't you dare disparage my Taco Time.  They're a local, Seattle-born company celebrating 52 years since they opened their first store in White Center back in 1962. I'm happy to see they continue to evolve to match what customers want, and that I can get my fix here in SLU. It's worth noting that they give you enormous bags to carry your food away in, and as I carried the walking billboard into my building, it caught a lot of attention from folks excited about the prospect of Taco Time for lunch, too.

Food Truck Friday - Evolution Revolution

For this week's Food Truck Friday, I tried out the truck offering "New American Street Food" - Evolution Revolution.

My first visit was on a beautiful sunny spring day, and they were offering Mahi Mahi tacos, so I couldn't resist.  They were loaded with fish and bright flavors, though turned out to be a little messy.   The staff were super friendly, even saying hi to my dog, Hilo.  Later, Hilo did his best to spill my tacos, pulling me toward an adorable puppy he really wanted to sniff.

On my second visit, I tried out two menu items.  First, the Fried Brussels Sprouts ($5), which were golden brown and fragrant and tossed in a house made sambal chili and honey dressing.  Not too spicy hot, more sweet really, but wonderfully satisfying if you dig Brussels sprouts.

Since that wasn't exactly a full lunch, I also got the Thai tofu wrap ($8), which was packed with noodles, fried tofu, basil, tomatoes, and lots of peanut sauce.  It was pretty large (I really should've stopped at half), and my only complaint was the simple flour tortilla was a little gummy, as they tend to be .

The service in both visits was very friend and this time Hilo got a treat, too.  The food was yummy and I'll definitely head back soon.

Food Truck Friday - Now Make Me A Sandwich

This week, we finally feature a truck I see ALL the time - parked here in SLU, parked just off McLellan and Rainier in the evenings, and on the road between the two during my afternoon commute - the aggressively named, Viking emblazoned, Now Make Me A Sandwich.



On my first visit, I went for the Turkey Special ($9), which had sliced turkey with bacon, avocado, tomato, arugula and rosemary aioli. The bread was soft and a good ratio to the fillings, which were packed with flavor, particularly courtesy of the aioli and bacon. It was moderately messy, but held together to the last yummy bite. My only complaint was the amount of avocado, which was more along the lines of a smear of avocado than what I'd expected (sliced avocado).

I posed a question to the food truck email list at work and got a very strong recommendation for the ThanksGetting sandwich ($9).  It's essentially Thanksgiving all rolled into one easy to eat package, with bacon thrown in for good measure:  Sliced turkey, bacon, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, and rosemary aioli on a grilled Telera roll.

I worried the stuffing would have celery chunks, or that the gravy would make it terribly messy, but neither was the case.  A couple bites in and I could see why my coworker gets this sandwich every time.  It's delicious and complex and moist and conjours good memories.  It turns out Thanksgiving in June is pretty great.  I'll absolutely be back for this one again.

Food Truck Friday - Papa Bois

This week, I had hoped to put together a post after visiting a new truck twice, but it just didn't happen, so I opted to post about one I visited once, but had two menu items, and am not in a big hurry to return to: Papa Bois Carribean Food Truck.



I tend to order specials, and today the Jerk Chicken Tacos ($8) were hand-written on the menu, so I gave it a go. I got two tacos with a cabbage slaw, mild jerk chicken, a creamy sauce and something crunchy that looked a little like pulverized pistachios or corn nuts. Each taco was on a single corn tortilla, which were soaked through by the time I got back to my desk to eat them, so they fell apart immediately. There was a little heat to the jerk seasoning, but certainly not the type of spice I suspect you get in Jamaica.

When I ordered the tacos, I got up-sold on the Black Bean Corn Salsa ($4), which reportedly went really well with the tacos. I can be a little overly susceptible to up-selling, and am also very put off by it. I don't like to haggle or argue, and after a lifetime of struggling with over-eating, I don't like someone pressuring me into eating more than I planned. But alas, I did.

The Salsa was just that - a simple mix of black beans, corn kernels, onion and a little bit of green pepper (not clear if it was bell pepper or something else). It had more flavor than I anticipated, but seemed superfluous. And pricey. $4 for a small tub of beans and corn.



Given the tacos fell apart, I was pressured during my customer experience, the prices were higher than comparable products elsewhere, and the food wasn't very memorable... and the fact that I have dozens more food trucks to try out... I likely won't be back to Papa Bois soon. If you had a different experience, or have a menu item you absolutely recommend, let me know!

Food Truck Friday - Falafel Salam

There are a few trucks in Seattle offering up Middle Eastern favorites, one of which I visited for this week's Food Truck Friday: Falafel Salam.



On my inaugural visit, I went for their namesake Falafel, as part of the Middle Eastern Salad ($8). It was a big portion and the falefel were great. Not raw in the middle or overly fried. It was several weeks ago, and I honestly failed to write down much more detail. But hopefully the pictures help. I believe that's a tahini sauce on top.




This week, I returned and went for their pita sandwich, opting for the 'Purple Style' rather than 'House Style', and the Organic Chicken Shawarma, Spicy ($10). Purple Style includes purple cabbage slaw, tzatziki and creamy sheep milk feta, whereas the House Style includes 'Arab salad' (cucumber, tomato, cabbage, parsley, lemon), tahini, and a dash of pickled mango. It's all packed inside a homemade pita.

I took my lunch to the outdoor Van Vorst courtyard so my dog, Hilo, could get some outside time and sniff some random dogs and people. He ended up getting to meet a little girl, which he did in his usual fickle way (walk up, sniff, turn around and walk away - realizing they have no food - just as hands try to pet him). But it's great to see him so comfortable around people of all ages, given what a nervous boy he was 3 years ago. But I digress.



My first bites were super messy, and I'd foolishly only grabbed a single napkin. I was convinced that my beard was full of delicious, creamy feta mixed with tzatziki. The next bites were full of meat... lots of meat... moist meat with a decent amount of flavor to it. Initially, I balked to myself that the 'spicy' wasn't presenting itself, but then I realized their heat likely comes from cayenne... about the time the glow began in my mouth. Still not spicy by Thai, Indian, or Mexican standards, but enough to warm you up. After I chowed down on the meat, I came to a solid layer of slaw... still with about half the soft pita left. I diligently ate my vegetables, and was delighted to find another layer of meat below the slaw. Seriously.... MORE meat. And this meat had all the juices from the meat and slaw and was even more delicious. It might've also had more spice, but it was more likely the cumulative effect.



Falafel Salam is definitely a spot I'll return to, and one I'd recommend to friends. If I wasn't trying to re-lose 10 pounds I keep gaining back, I would've also tried the baklava. Maybe next time.

Food Truck Friday - Contigo

My first visit to Contigo was long ago, when I believe they first started visiting South Lake Union with their 'Modern Mexican' food truck. Somehow, it wasn't until today that I made it back.



On that first visit, I started with a Pork Carnitas Taco ($2.5), which I recall being good, but not mind-blowingly better than the tacos down at El Tajin.



I also ordered the Sweet Potato and Pecan Gordita - a delicious little fried ravioli of dough, packed with sweet potato goodness. I recall it was like a little bite of Thanksgiving.

My visit to Contigo today was after their 2014 Taco Truck Challenge win.  This time I went for one of their 'Bowls' - a huge portion each of rice, beans and the meat of your choosing.  I went with the Chicken en Mole. ($8.25 + tax).

During my very brief wait, I got a sample of their habanero lemonade, which was excellent and left a burn in your throat (but not mouth).  It was a clear sign that they don't shy away from flavor and heat, which was reiterated when I dug into the rich mole chicken.  Each piece was coated with the sauce, which was more like a dry rub, and filled my mouth with flavor with each bite.  A little spicy, smokey, and just plain good.  The price seemed steep, but the portion is huge, and the service was quick and friendly.

Food Truck Friday - Thai-U-Up

I just realized I'm the #6 ranked blog on UrbanSpoon's Seattle Leaderboard, so I figure I should probably get to work putting blog posts together, huh? I guess that explains them inviting me to special events.

As a first attempt to dive back into blogging, and Food Truck Friday (again), I tried out a couple dishes at the provocatively named Thai-U-Up



On my first visit, I couldn't help but try a dish that sounded vaguely Hawaiian and hopefully spicy: Volcano Chicken ($8.75). It seemed only appropriate to order it with at least 4 stars, so I did. Served with two scoops of rice (there's the Hawaiian part!) and on a bed of crisp iceberg lettuce, the Volcano Chicken itself is fried chicken pieces with what I suspect is a rice flour based breading studded with green onion and spices, that yields a super-crispy outside.



Add to that some sweet-spicy glaze and you've got chicken candy - and I ate every last piece. Very sweet and decadent... but surprisingly not very spicy at all. Not noticing much red pepper on it, I grabbed a packet of Sriracha, just in case, though I powered through my chicken candy so quickly I didn't end up using it.



On my return visit, I was in a less decadent mood, so opted for the Cashew Delight with Tofu. Based on my last experience, I asked for 5 stars this go-round. It was a pretty standard, as-expected Cashew dish with veggies and fried tofu, way too much celery (though for me, any celery is too much celery), no spice whatsoever. The interesting surprise of the dish was when I'd finished all the veggies and tofu (except the celery), and found the broth in the bottom of the container, which was rich and had wonderful depth of flavor... so I poured it all over the rice and devoured that, too.



Although they only take cash, which is inconvenient, I'll likely go back to Thai-U-Up the next time I craving some crispy delicious Volcano Chicken... and I'll be sure to grab some hot sauce. Cuz if someone's gonna Thai me up, I wanna feel smacked across the face by the heat.

Food Truck Friday - Saffron Spice

The success of some food trucks eventually results in a physical location (or two), like Skillet and Marination. In fact, I'm excited to be heading to Marination Makai for the first time tonight. Other trucks, like Saffron Spice, are an expansion from an existing physical location. In their case, they have a booth at the Pike Place Market, and now have a bright yellow truck that visits South Lake Union regularly.







On my first visit, I went for one of their Rice Bowls, which they seemed to be pushing. In addition to basmati rice and a spring greens salad, you pick 2 items from the list. I went with Spinach (Palak) & Paneer and Lamb 'Kebab' w/ Mint ($8)





Although the Palak Paneer looked a little anemic, with just a few small pieces of un-fried paneer on top, when I tasted the spinach I was really pleased. It's full of flavors from a range of spices - probably the most flavorful spinach I've had at an Indian/Pakistani restaurant. The lamb was similarly flavorful, and cut into small pieces - making it easy to eat with a little rice in every bite, though not what I expected as 'kebab'.





Also, it seemed like you might get a drink w/ the rice bowl, but it wasn't written anywhere or clearly communicated to all customers, so I'm not sure.





I enjoyed the food on that visit, but my chief complaint is that the menu is confusing. To me, it's not a good sign for your business model if you have to have someone explain the menu to every customer. They seemed to be pushing the bowls, but the sign threw more than just me off. It says pick any two, but then some items have varying prices listed, and some don't have any. Turns out they charge the higher of the two prices of the two items selected, but that's not apparent. I would just go with a flat amount. If nothing else, I would add numbers next to each item, to streamline communication.







On my second visit, I decided to switch to the other menu of "Wraps 2 Go".





I went with the Bombay Chicken Wrap ($7.99, theoretically), which included Chicken Tikka, creamed spinach and garam masala, along with cucumber, and a cabbage/carrot slaw, all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla. Somehow, the branding made me think they were pre-made (2 Go suggests they're the quick grab-and-go option), but they were made to order like the rice bowls. And they're sizable. My wrap was 7 inches long and 3 inches in diameter. Just like my previous lunch, this one was really flavorful, with the garam masala (cloves, cardamom, cumin, pepper, cinnamon) very evident. It wasn't at all 'hot' spicy, but every bite was packed with spices.





My only complaint on this visit was that the menu listed what I ordered as $7.99, but I got only $2 back from my $10 bill. They decided, I guess, to keep that penny. If they don't want to deal with change, they should change the prices on the menu to avoid shorting their customers. It's just a penny, but still. Given the quality of the food, I'm sure I'll be back though.

Food Truck Friday - Happy Grillmore

Although I still haven't tried any of their beef burgers (that sounds pretty heavy at lunch time), this week I'm showcasing the very colorful food truck Happy Grillmore.







Last year, I enjoyed their salmon burger - but honestly don't recall any details of how it tasted, though don't recall being disappointed. Their online menu says it includes 1/4 lb wild Alaskan salmon patty with honey chipotle aioli, spinach, arugula and a sweet and spicy pineapple slaw. I don't remember it being spicy hot.







This week, I tried to go again at their scheduled open time - 11am. I waited 15 minutes, and at 11:15 asked when they'd actually be opening. They said another 10-15 minutes, so I walked off to find something else. Lucky for them (but not me), I didn't find the other truck I was looking for (reportedly up by REI, but nowhere to be found), so I looped back and got in the line that had formed, now that Happy Grillmore was open. Service was pretty quick - though slower than it could be because they give you a choice of cheese, and (if ordering fries) a choice of dipping sauce, which delays each transaction.







But soon enough, our burger was up. I chose the "Shooter": 1/4 lb black bean chipotle patty with Tillamook cheese (I opted for pepper jack), spinach, arugula, roasted red pepper aioli and spicy mustard on a toasted ciabatta. I'm always nervous when burgers are served on ciabatta - not because I don't like ciabatta, but because restaurants often pick very big, thick ciabatta rolls that throw off the burger to bun ratio completely. This was no the case here, where the bun was well balanced and the veggie patty satisfying.



Although I can't say there was anything exceptional about either burger I tried, I would definitely go back to try other burgers... particularly if I could catch them on a weekend or evening, when I'm more in the mood for a beef burger. Of course, I've learned to not necessarily count on them to be open at 11, when I eat lunch (and they're scheduled to be open), so I'll have to play it by ear.