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| Source: TrailerFoodTuesdays.com |
Trailer Food Tuesdays is a series of five food truck
gatherings on the last Tuesday of the month starting July 31 through November
27, that takes place at the Long Performing Arts Center in Austin, TX.
Basically, Eric Silverstein of The Peached Tortilla and YuméBurger, Kristen Stacy of The Seedling Truck, and Royal Fig Catering and Trailer Food Diaries Cookbook author Tiffany Harelik, have joined forces with the
Long Center to launch this event to spotlight local Austin Food Trailers and
their innovative menus!
Best. Idea. Ever. I just wish I’d known about it before this
week, but I’m glad I could attend at least ONE of these awesome events before
the season ended. I asked my mom to accompany me to Austin for an evening full of
yummy eats from local food trailers. And now it was the two of us couldn’t wait
to go.
Finally, the time had come to leave Wimberley and make the
trek to Austin. It’s really not a trek, and somehow, we missed all the traffic
heading in. It blows my mind how it only took us 25 minutes to get to the Long
Center at 5:30 p.m. Hey, I’m not complaining!
When we drove up to the Long Center, all I could see from
the road below were food trucks lining the edge around the top terrace. Pretty
purple lights shining on each truck illuminated the whole scene. (I found out
the lighting was from Intelligent Lighting Design, good job guys!) From a
distance, it just looked SO dang cool, like something out of a movie for an
elaborate party that you only wish you could get into. There was definitely
something really tremendous going on up there, and I could not wait any longer to see it for myself.
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| The Long Center Source: Me |
After my mom and I parked the truck and got bundled up in
jackets and gloves we made our way to the Long Center steps that lead to the
terrace. We kept tightening our jackets around us against the chilly wind as we
went, following the heavenly fragrance of cooking meat and veggies. It was a
savory, and mouthwatering scent. My feet followed my nose up the final steps
and to the top of the terrace where I stood motionless and in amazement of the
awesomeness that stood before me.
Truck after truck after truck lined the perimeter of the
terrace overlooking the city. The Austin skyline shone brightly in the
background. It was simply stunning, incredibly exciting, and almost
overwhelming. Good thing I had sort-of prepared for the evening.
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| Cool shot, huh? Source: Me |
My mom and I split up to check out the scene. While she went
and cruised each trailer, seeing what they were serving up for that night, I
went to the Trailer Food Diaries table, set up against the entrance to the Long
Center. There, I was able to meet the beautiful Tiffany Harelik, the brain
power behind The Trailer Food Diaries, The Gypsy Picnic, Trailer Food Tuesdays,
her line of cookbooks and now her brand new line of jellies and jams inspired
by food trailers and their recipes.
She’s SO nice and such a wonderful inspiration for someone
like me. She took her passion and ran with it, and look where she is today only
a few years after she took the first step! I really admire her and what she
does.
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| Tiffany & I holding a copy of Trailer Food Diaries Cookbook Austin Edition, Volume 2 Source: Me |
Super sappy, I know. Whatever.
After I had the chance to meet Tiffany, my mom and I
regrouped. Except, wait… she had a quesadilla in her hand! And a huge smile on
her face! What? She already
started!
She got her veggie quesadilla from Colibri Cuisine W Sixth.
This gourmet food trailer specializes in fresh Mexican-American cuisine. They
take pleasure in serving a fusion cuisine of Southern Texas and Mexican
flavors, and the two of us certainly took pleasure in sampling some of this
fusion fare.
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| Colibri Cuisine Source: Me |
“You’ve GOT to try this” she managed between bites. So I did. I mean, who am I to disobey
my mom’s direct orders?
This was one amazing quesadilla, I tell you what! I’ve had
my share of quesadillas throughout my 27 years of existence, but this was
something different and special. The veggie quesadilla had marinated Baby
Spring Mix, Spinach, Mushroom-Carrot Mix, Homemade Beans, Monterrey Jack
Cheese, Fresh Cilantro Cream, Pico de Gallo, Apple Cider Vinaigrette and their
“Sexy Salsa.”
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| Veggie Quesadilla from Colibri Cuisine Source: Me |
Cozy, warm, light, crisp. That almost sums it up. But I will
go on. The quesadilla had a delicious melty blend of flavors I didn’t expect to
all go together. Carrots? Beans? Spinach? But hey, it worked wonderfully. I
could see and taste that the fresh veggies truly were fresh. The initial bite
into this dish felt like biting into a cracker; all crispy and nice, but
somehow the tortilla was still soft.
It was also very juicy, but not drippy or at all messy. The juiciness
allowed the flavors to burst in and fill your whole mouth, teasing you with
each of the complex layers the ingredients created. It was an exciting bite,
that’s for dang sure.
Next, I wandered over to Way South Philly, a favorite of
mine. I was excited that Willy, the chef/owner, took some time to chat with me.
He made me feel so welcome, and I am sure I was just smiling from ear to ear
the whole time. He made me my favorite sammy, the Balboa. You can read about
the first time I dug into one of these beauties here.
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| WSP @ TFT Source: Me |
This WSP cheesesteak sandwich was almost better this time
than the first time I had one, and that is a nearly impossible feat. I just
couldn’t speak while I was eating it. The cheese was perfect, the meat was
seasoned and chopped and beautifully. The whole sandwich was moist and juicy.
My mushrooms were earthy and had that perfect grilled taste. Again, the
cheesesteak is one of my favorite foods in the world and it is done SO right by
WSP.
I tried so hard to get a picture of the sammy, but my camera
was being a butt. Well, no, that’s not exactly fair. I just have not yet honed
the technique of picture taking with a real camera. I’m so used to the iPhone,
where I just touch an area and it captures the image. The whole pushing a
button while maintaining perfect stillness had eluded me until the middle of
the eating extravaganza. I realized later that I don’t have to fling my finger
up from the button, which in turn makes my hands jiggle and leaves me with
pictures that leave a lot to be desired.
ONWARD!
Next, my mom and I went to The Peached Tortilla, winner of
the 2011 Eater Austin Food Truck of the Year award, Austin Food Blogger
Alliance 2012 Best New Food Trailer award, and Food & Wine’s Best Slider in
U.S. 2012 award. Now… those are some seriously distinguished awards. I felt
lucky to be able to get some of this innovative and exciting, “knows no
boundaries” food.
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| The Peached Tortilla Source: Me |
When it came time to order, I chose the Banh Mi taco,
vietnamese braised pork belly, pickled daikon and carrot salad, sriracha mayo,
cilantro, and my mom ordered the Pad Thai Rice Bowl. After a super surprisingly short wait for our food, my name
as called, we collected our goods, and for the first time, my mom and I chose to
take a seat instead of meander around the terrace.
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| Ordering @ The Peached Tortilla Source: Me |
I liked how the seating was arranged: big tables with lots
of chairs. Basically, it encouraged people to not be loners and sit at a table
other people with a similar interest in exciting food and food trailers. And
Finally! A GOOD PICTURE! I didn’t jiggle or do any other weird movements.
Satisfied with the photos, I took a bite of the Banh Mi.
WOW. HOLY COW. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! The flavors simply
EXPLODED in my mouth. First the punch of brightness from the pickled veggies
ignited my mouth-watering button into overdrive. Then hardy pork belly was so
soft, warm and succulent that it mellowed the other tastes, then the srirachia
and cilantro combined to create a clean, spicy yet citrusy taste that lingered
and warmed. The taco had so many levels of taste and texture. I just couldn’t
stop praising this tiny taco packed with huge flavors. Simply genious. Really.
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| Bahn Mi Taco Source: Me |
My mom’s rice bowl on the other hand made her want to die. I
don’t exactly know what it was, except for the fact she kept saying the texture
was grainy and she just could not take another bite. I felt bad, since my dish
from the very same truck was mind-blowing. I let her have a bite, and her eyes
opened wide, and she agreed with me, that the taco was something that would be
talked about for the days to come.
THIRSTY! As if on cue, someone at our table started talking
about the yummy fruit sodas from trailer set up directly behind us, Cascal. Good
call buddy. We thanked him and made our way to Cascal.
What is Cascal? I can’t remember the exact shpeal that the
really nice guy who was giving out samples gave us, but I do remember I was
really impressed by it. I looked it up online, and here’s their website’s
explanation: “Cascal is a delicious, natural soft drink crafted with
natural juices and fermented for fuller flavor. It is complex yet
has a refreshingly light and bubbly taste. The flavors range from
more delicate to more robust and are the perfect complement to a meal or
as a stand-alone refreshment.”
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| My yummy (FREE) drink! Source: Me |
I do recall he said that there was no added sugar, just the
sugar from the fruit, and they were all between 60-80 calories per can. The
fizzy juice contains no caffeine or gluten. Win.
After sampling all of the flavors, I settled on the Lemongrass-Tangerine-Pineapple
flavor, and WHAM! I got myself a free can! HOW COOL. It was super delicious,
and I simply adore fizzy drinks. Mmm… My mom’s favorite was the Mint Mango
variety, which was also totally innovative and completely full of yum.
Moving forward, my mom and I headed to Tapas Bravas, a
trailer that boasts authentic Spanish cuisine. I do love tapas. My mom and I
one time had the most amazing lunch at a José Andrés tapas restaurant. By the
end of the meal, our table was 100% covered in little dishes, empty of course.
So when we saw this tapas trailer, we both giggled a little at the memory I’m
sure we were both having. I LOVE how food can be not only just something to
eat, but it can be a foundation for memories, experiences, excitement, etc.
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| Tapas Bravas Source: Me |
Anyway, while we were admiring the menu, the owner, Jed
Holdredge, approached us, letting us know that they’re opening a brand spakin’
new location the next day (today) on E. Caeser Chavez! He handed us a coupon
for a BOGO (buy one, get one) meal. Love it. I hope to get out there again,
because what my mom and I ordered and split was completely and utterly
magnificent: The Pimientos Piquillos Rellenos de Queso de Cabra y Peñones, or
goat-cheese stuffed piquillo peppers with pine nuts and honey.
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| Peppers from Tapas Bravas Source: me |
After the chef inside prepared the peppers, and handed us
our plate, we headed for another one of the big tables, where three other girls
sat at the other side. Here’s where my photo taking drama went to a whole new
level. I tried to take another picture of the gorgeous peppers at the table,
but fail after fail after fail, I became super frustrated. UGH!
Giving
up my photography efforts, my mom and I each took a
bite. The peppers were beautifully roasted and had a gorgeous red color
that
contrasted nicely with the fresh parsley and the soft goat cheese. The
goat
cheese was remarkable. It was velvety and luscious. It filled my mouth
with the
tangy pungency that only goat cheese can bring. The sweet roasted
peppers
combined with the cheese was a perfect pair. Perfect. Pair. The pine
nuts added a nice and unexpected crunch while the honey just tied
everything together.
But I HAD to get another picture!! As I went back to fussing
over my camera, I felt the girls across from us at the table staring at me. I
looked up and they were all, indeed, staring.
“Are you a blogger?” one of them tactfully interrupted my camera-induced hissy fit.
“Yes I am. Are you a blogger?” I responded, noticing she too
was taking pictures of her food.
“Yep.”
How super cool? This table was now the Austin food bloggers
table! I was sitting across from the writers of some of my favorite blogs in
the city; South Austin Foodie, Bake Me Away, Sugarfoot Eats, and now me, Slow
Down & Savor, all at one table. How AWESOME! Then Blinded By the Bite! came
and chatted for a few before she had to head home to her family. It was really awesome and super special
getting a chance to talk with these really amazing women.
But I still had one more truck I’d been dying to try: Little Big Mikes. I couldn’t leave without sampling some of their gourmet pizza.
Before heading out to TFT, I did a little bit of reading on Little Big Mike’s
and learned that they only just opened for business in October of this year!
They make their own dough, red sauce, Italian sausage and spicy
giardiniera from scratch. They bake both of their personal sized and
large pizzas into custom made dark steel pans. They say their goal is to
create the perfect pan pizza crust.
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| Little Big Mike's Source: Me |
As I got up from my seat, I let my table-mates know I’d be
right back; that I required pizza from Little Big Mike’s. So off I went, headed to the pizza trailer which was a
bright yellow Airstream with an artichoke painted on it. Cool.
I ordered one of the specialty pizzas, the name of which I
can’t remember for the life of me, (something tells me it’s “Bruno.”) but I do
remember what made it so good. It was a square shaped personal pan pizza with
arugala, olives, garlic and some oil with the blend of yummy bubbly cheeses. It
was a bit steep in its price, clocking in at $8. My mom let me know that I
better either eat it all, or at least take the leftovers home. Eating the whole
thing seemed like a daunting task, due to the fact I’d already eaten a cheese
steak, some quesadilla, a pork belly taco, a goat cheese stuffed pepper and
drank a fizzy juice.
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| MMM Source: Me |
Anyway, this was a gorgeous pizza, really. The crust was
golden brown, and the arugala was a dark emerald green. It stood out in
contrast to the bubbling cheesy platform it was resting on.
My first bite was crunchy, chewy, briny, garlicky and… OH SO
GOOD. I really loved the raw arugala on top. It gave it that nice peppery kick
with a nice textural element that kept my mouth excited. This was no boring
pizza. My mom, not a pizza lover, loved it too. I passed a bite along to South
Austin Foodie blogger, Suzanna, and she seemed to be on the same page as I was
with the taste. Jessica from Bake Me Away and Julie from Sugarfoot Eats went
and got their own to split. Woo Hoo! Trendsetter over here! Just kidding, but
it was definitely a crowd-pleasing pizza. I’m definitely glad to have been able
to grab a bite from this extremely new food trailer. I can see them sticking
around for a good long while.
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| Another shot of the same pizza Source: Me |
And I will say this; there were no leftovers to take home…
Yep… Between my mom and I, we totally ate it all.
By this time, it was closing in on 8 p.m. and I was good and
stuffed. In fact, I started to get enormously sleepy, and felt a food coma
coming on. I looked over at my mom and she and I silently decided that it was
time to hit the road back to Wimberley.
After saying some goodbyes to some new friends, my mom and I
strolled out of the Long Center. We couldn’t stop talking about how amazing
everything was and what a really great time we had.
Experiencing something like Trailer Food Tuesdays with my
mom was really fantastic. I love that she’s getting more and more intrigued and
inspired each time we share a meal like this together. There really is
something special about good food, passionate people, and a nice brisk evening
to bring people together. I’ll remember this night as an exceptional experience.
Though I really missed the Gypsy Picnic, this is a great idea, plus terrific food- a winning combo for sure. Do you think they'd ever let people buy a ticket or something for one price and then be able to go around and get a sample- sized dish from each trailer? Great post, by the way.
ReplyDeleteThat Quesadilla looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to have stuff like this around you. We have nothing like this around central illinois at all!
I can't believe you all ate so much! :) Great to meet you, and I am sure we will cross paths again!
ReplyDelete