What makes a good food truck?

A decade ago, a food truck was just something cheap and easy for construction crews and office workers to get food from. Sometimes decent, often mediocre, but nothing...special.  Those days are long past, and now, we have higher expectations from food trucks than we do from many brick and mortar restaurants!  Delicious, interesting, exceptional, thats what I demand from a food truck.

The Appetizers

Oh man, I saw the menu, and I really wanted to try a pretzel.  I love pretzels. But I couldn't meetup with an Italian food truck and order pretzels could I? Isn't that boring?

So we ordered the Fried Ravioli, fried zucchini, and Italian tacos.  Those are all appropriately Italian right?  They looked at us, "anything else?"

"Can I get a pretzel?"

Fried Zucchini, Ravioli, and Italian Tacos!

So we tried the fried zucchini, the ravioli, and the Italian tacos!

Everyone, models, me, Asian Kitt Kat, everyone, loved the ravioli.  Some liked the zucchini, some loved it, and some thought it was too much breading.  I personally liked it, I'm a fan of fried zucchini, it just feels like I'm getting some vegetables, even if they're fried, to help balance all of the meat I usually eat.

The ravioli was fantastic! But the star of the show, what you need to make sure to try? Those Italian tacos!!!! Wow!  Its like an Italian empanada, ground beef with Italian seasoning.  The sauce is great with ricotta and slightly spicy, the whole thing comes together to make something that you really really need to try.

That pretzel?

It was amazing!  Fresh tasting, like a salty savory fresh donut.  I was so happy I got to try the pretzel.  I get it, it isn't supposed to be special, but trust me, when you've had the frozen crappy thing from a movie theatre, you start to appreciate something like this.

The Subs

Ok, the place is called Santar Pia's Italian Subs, they must be good right? 

Absolutely.  The marinara is fresh tasting, the ingredients stand out as being legit Italian food like your family or friends from New York might make.  Thats the thing, it taste "real".  The bread is a little crusty the way good bread should be, with a good bite, but not too tough so you feel like you're fighting the sandwich just to take a bite.

The Pasta

So I wasn't really thinking about the pasta, and we'd tried a bunch of food, but boom, this pasta was a surprise star.  They let me in the truck to record making the penne ala vodka, take a look.

Clean or Messy Sauce?

Clean? Isn't all sauce messy? No, let me explain, I describe "messy" sauces as overly complex, with lots of gunk, almost like a fear of not enough flavor makes the cook just start tossing things together.  Here is the problem, too many  ingredients all mashed together end up losing the ability to show off the individual greatness of high quality ingredients.  Some things can work, but in my opinion, the best sauces highlight a perfect blend of just the right amount of ingredients to create something flavorful that stands out.

These are clean sauces, they're fresh, and they don't skimp on the cheeses.  For cheese they use both mozzarella AND a lot of parmesan, so take that lactaid if you have lactose issues, but it'll be worth it!

These people aren't upset I invited them along, there's a reason for those looks of joy on their faces!

Sausage and Peppers

I guess some people don't like peppers with their sausage? I don't know, but I do, just a little.  Sometimes you get something with peppers, and it seems like more peppers than meat, like they're trying to save money by replacing meat with peppers. Actually, I guess the peppers were minced, I could taste them, but couldn't see them, I think they're good and worth trying!  Everyone enjoyed them and I think everyone was a little surprised at how smooth and delicious it was.

The Desserts

So the very astute among you, might be able to realize that I'm talking about these out of order.. we may...have eaten the desserts first.

Hey! You don't live my life!  Dessert first is the right of being an adult!  That tiramisu is never wrong either before, after, or before AND after dinner!

To Churro or Not to Churro?

Churros. Its that cinnamon sugar fried dough stick that a lot of people really love...because its cinnamon sugar and fried dough...

Well Asian Kitt Katt is not a fan of strong cinnamon, she just isn't.  So when they asked if we wanted churro...she wanted to say no.  But her job is to try food, so if they say the churros are good, then we gotta try them right?

So we tried them, but she was really not looking forward to it.  BAM! Wow, not too sweet, fresh, with a great filling!

And yes, she loved them.  They were really delicious, with a strong fresh doughnut flavor and that great filling! Wow I could eat the whole thing

How do you find them?