Baby Steps…Mini Food Truck Rally

After seeing signs on “The BBD” (As the Bruce B. Downs BLVD is called down here), for a food truck rally we decided that we would attend. papa Smurf has worked quite a few events with American Wiener and he talks about the rush, variety and comradery amongst other truckers. I hadn’t been to an event yet before this one but was eager to attend one. As far as attending more food truck events goes, I want to see “What life like for them. Go where they go” (*inside joke) No but seriously, what better way to understand your client base (a growing portion of it). And I just so happen to be a foodie and food blogger too so it doesn't really feel like homework. It's also a good way to get our feet wet at a smaller event closer in to our community.

Here was the lineup:

The Roaming Gourmand

Lizzie Cakes

Kind Grinds

 
While we were in line at The Roaming Gourmand, we ended up right in front of the event planner who worked for the Meadow Pointe CDD. Funny how things work out huh? He was thrilled to have reached people who weren’t living in the community.We talked about his landscaping business, how he set up the event, and other events that the community has from time to time. It was really great to gain insight on a number of things/ options we are weighing in heavily on and considering. I gave a plug for GTBFA, if he needs to book more trucks in the future. He was very friendly and sociable. We later ended up at a table with him, his wife and mother in law (at least that’s how the dynamic appeared). They saw me with my Nikon snapping away and asked “Are you a food blogger?” Why yes ;-) They also asked if they could take pictures of my food for their newspaper, sure…why not?

At The Roaming Gourmand I first ordered…Cho Po (Chorizo with potatoes).

I felt like that poor old Lady in that old Wendy’s commercial “Where’s the beef!?” Ok, I know chorizo is not beef but you get the idea as I am referring to the meat portion of the dish. The chorizo was almost non existent. Chorizo is hard to find in the grocery store (I really like the Botto brand which I have been unable to find here). I have been craving chorizo since we left MD, wanting to grill it, and so was very disappointed. The potatoes are perfect, perfectly cooked no complaints there. They would make for some excellent home fries if they ever have a breakfast menu one day. I also loved the crispy onion straws, as this is something that I like to have when I order barbecue burgers. When I think of Chipotle sauce, I think of a robust and spicy sauce and the sweetness of the sauce used here took me by surprise. I don’t usually gravitate to sweet barbecue sauces so could do without the sweetness that I found in this one. But that is just a matter of preference as the sauce is a good one. My advice, drizzle with a Chipotle queso instead of the BBQ sauce and please more chorizo with some chunkiness! Those potatoes need some more sizeable and robust mates on board to compliment them.

Love that wrap!

I decided to give them a second chance and ordered their wrap. They gave Papa Smurf a discount. The sausage was pretty good, but I could have done without the cheddar in the sausage. However, it adds another dimension so I get it. I would’ve loved and my palette was missing provolone. It’s like a pre-cursor ---> onions, peppers, provolone (or some mozzarella). Yes, I’m a "snow bird" (as they call us Northerners down here) and I am sure it is showing through that preference leaning more towards the Italian side. Anyways, the onions were great but the green peppers were over cooked and mushy. My advice, buy your onions and peppers pre-cut if you want to save time, but cooking them too far in advance and reheating is usually the culprit here. Of course you want your onions to caramelize but as far as reheating goes you run the risk of veggies turning to mush. I wondered if the green peppers were canned. I liked the vibrant orange flatbread wrap that was used. Very attractive for plating.

On Lizzie Cakes…Love that White Chocolate Key Lime pie!

So good! Fresh grates of lime gave the fresh and perfect balance of tangy vs sweet. It was a very sweet but the lime tones it down some. It was a very generous slice, so portion is good. The homemade graham / cookie crust with butter was tasty and good compliment to this custard style pie. I only wished it were ice cold but we were combating FL heat so just to have it cold was good considering. They nailed it with this one!

As for Kind Grinds we only tried a watermelon kiwi beverage that they had. Pretty cool see through can. A light and airy beverage. Low in sugar and carbonate. Perfect for the FL heat that day.

I wasn't much in the mood for rice that day and they were mostly serving rice bowls at the time. I'm hoping to see and try something from their truck another time. With that said, I hope to attend more food events in the future. We’re growing here, finding our respective niches and better fits. It takes time but comes with the territory of building a life in a new place and making it home. So far so good.