Foolish Waffles

The team here at Foolish Waffles knows how to please. One of the newest trucks to hit the streets in Philly, they are serving waffles like you wouldn't believe. Give me a good waffle, and i'm a happy, happy man. So although I found out about this truck after their kickstarter closed, I was eager to follow them and watch them bring their dreams to life. I made sure to be there opening morning to check it out. 

Foolish Waffles cooks up two types of waffles - liege and brussels. The liege waffles are a belgian sugar waffle that comes sweet and chewy.  The brussels waffle is light and crisp with a hint of maple and vanilla. The liege waffles can be topped with fun toppings such as a nutella mascarpone whipped creme or a peanut butter berry compote. Bacon Toffee is also an option. With the brussels waffle you can add some fun on the inside with chocolate chips or fruity pebbles. It can also be topped with the same options from the liege. If you're like me though, you will go with their breakfast waffles or whimsical waffles. 

On my first visit, I ordered a sausage gravy waffle - A Brussels Waffle topped with 2 fried eggs and sausage gravy drizzled with maple syrup. Unfortunately a mix up occurred. I left with the wrong order. I didn't realize yet when they tweeted me informing me. At that point I was too far away
and it wasn't worth going back. Instead, I got the breakfast sandwich waffle topped with bacon, eggs, habanero cheddar, with a drizzle of maple syrup. Despite not getting what I ordered? The waffle didn't disappoint and the bacon made me happy!

My second visit, more than a month later, the banh mi caught my eye. A spicy brussels waffle was topped with coriander-black pepper crispy pork belly with pickled red cabbage, fresh jalapeños, cucumbers and cilantro and a drizzle of togarashi sauce, a lively chili based sauce. This seriously has caused a change of my top favorite food truck items! 

Find Foolish Waffles!!

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Vernalicious

Vernalicious is definitely among one of the very first food trucks I've ever had. I have been hooked ever since. It was a long winter without the gut filling sandwiches made with love in that truck. However, they are back, and I'm not missing out on any chance I have to grab a bite from one of my favorites. I definitely have some favorite menu items but what I love is that the menu may sometimes change. But whatever is on that menu, you can bet it's some of the best comfort food you can find.

The pulled pork grilled cheese has to be my favorite. you have your pulled pork with some kick-butt bbq sauce with american and cheddar cheese, all stuffed between two slices of texas toast. Obviously, you need a side of potato salad to go with it, when available. 

It took me quite a while to actually get my hands on one, but the chicken banh mi is also another amazing sandwich put out by Verna and her team. Marinated boneless chicken thighs are cooked and chopped up. Pile that on a roll with some pickled vegetables, jalapeños, and fresh cilantro. Absolutely delicious!

 Next comes the meatball sandwich. Look at that sucker!! it may not look as pretty as the other two sandwiches, but the meatballs were hands down the best meatballs I have ever had. Tender and not dried out. Plenty of flavorful tomato sauce and cheese to top off the sandwich. I had to save half for the next day it was so big!

The only thing I wish I could talk more about are the jerk chicken quesadillas that got me hooked on Vernalicious in the first place.

You can find Vernalicious at:
Web: www.vernalicious.com
Twitter: @vernalicious1
Facebook: Vernalicious

Mac Mart Cart

I'm now entering the fourth month of this crazy idea of blogging about food trucks. In the past 3 months, I dare not count how much money I've spent, nor keep track of the weight I've gained from pigging out on such amazing food this winter. I've also gained over 75 twitter followers in the past 3 months, most of whom I don't know from a hole in the wall. Which honestly needs to change....But really, when I first started the blog, I had visited a total of 3 food trucks: Vernalicious, Mac Mart, and the Foo Truck. I would then rotate between the 3, and that was that. Nothing new for me...I stuck with whatever happened to be in Love Park when I was there. I was intimidated by that food truck mecca up on 33rd.... not anymore!  I've been saving this for a special occasion, and I think that time is here.

I'll never forget the first time I ever saw the Mac Mart Truck. I was sitting at Community College waiting for the bus to go home. This big pink truck drives by. All I see are the words "Mac Mart." Quick! On my phone to google....I was on a mission to find this truck wherever it parked in the coming days. And it began....an obsession to say the least. I am typically inhaling a bowl of mac and cheese at least once a week. But what makes this truck so special??? I'll tell you....

Nobody can resist the creamy gooey-ness of a nice bowl of homemade mac and cheese. I apologize if you don't or can't eat carbs, gluten, or dairy. Marti loads her mac with SEVEN (that's right...7!!) different cheeses. I've made some guesses but never really bothered to really figure it out. But the mac itself is just the base of your meal. Don't forget the toppings. that's right. The toppings include things such as bacon, caramelized onions, bbq sauce, ketchup, homemade jalapeño ranch drizzle, cornbread crumble, parmesan panko crunch, grilled hotdog bites, jalapeño pesto, pecorino & basil pesto, jalapeño popper dip, jalapeño infused oil, tomato, spinach & artichoke, buffalo chicken, marinated chicken chunks, and so much more....the flavor possibilities are endless! Oh, let's not forget the return of the mac grilled cheese sandwich....

No wonder they were listed on the "21 Best Food Trucks in America of 2014" by thrillist!

The only downside is that due to packaging, my own pictures really don't do this mac any justice. So check out macmart below, especially on Instagram for the amazing pics!! 

Website: http://macmartcart.com/

twitter: https://twitter.com/MacMartTruck

Facebook: 

https://facebook.com/MacMartCart

Instagram: http://instagram.com/themacmart

Pitruco Pizza

Pizza is one of those things that's not easy to do. Almost everybody likes their pizza different (a.k.a: what they ate goring up usually) So me, I like a crusty pizza that can hold on all my toppings. A good layer of sauce with a nice even layer of cheese. That's all it takes to make me happy. I'm not a big fan of those thin or thick crust pizzas or stuffed crust things. Deep dish? Not a fan at all. 

In the past every time I thought about going to Pitruco Pizza, something else has drawn me away to another truck. You need time to sit and eat, which most often, I don't have that luxury. Today I did however have the time and I happened upon Love Park, which is Pitruco's Monday lunch spot. Let me tell you, I'm glad I came here. 

When I arrived, there were already about 7 or 8 people ahead of me waiting for their pies. I thought yikes, and almost walked away. However, my mind was set on ordering that sausage pizza! My order was taken quickly and with an 8 minute wait, my pie was ready and off to enjoy! 

What I liked most about this 11-inch personal pizza had to be the crust. No wait...maybe it was the sausage loaded on top, or how about the béchamel (white sauce made from milk thickened with flour) to cover this white pizza? It could have been the caramelized onions or the roasted mushrooms. This was just one amazing pizza. Not a complaint about it.

So check out Pitruco's mobile, wood burning pizza truck around Philly! 

Visit them on the web at:

-Web: http://pitrucopizza.com/

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/PitrucoPizza

-Facebook:  Pitruco Pizza 

Schmear It

There are so many places in this city that serve "bagels." I use this word very loosely because if you took that piece of bread up to new york, they'd laugh in your face. There's only one place in the city that actually produces a good quality bagel - South Street Philly Bagels, on 3rd Street between Bainbridge and South. The bagel is just the beginning. You've gotta top it with something. That's where Schmear It comes in! They not only bring the best bagels in the city, they bring an endless combination of spreads and toppings for your bagel.

Here's how to customize you order: 

1. Pick your bagel: Plain, everything, poppy, sesame, french toast, chocolate chip, and more! do you want it toasted or scooped out? 

2. Pick your schmear: Cream cheese, vegan cream cheese, greek yogurt cream cheese, peanut butter, whitefish salad, butter, jelly, tuna salad, hummus. to just name a few.

3. Add some schmear-ins: A variety of fresh fruit and veggies, chopped lox, nuts, sriracha, cinnamon, maple syrup. The list changes based on what's available. 

4. Wait, and enjoy!

They also offer signature menu items such as: The lox smith, the nutty nanner, the philly roll, Flaming Islander, and the veggie delight.

Recently, they introduced what has become my new favorite, a pretzel bagel schmeared with cream cheese, zesty honey dijon mustard, and chopped jalapeños. 

You can also grab a cup of always hot and fresh La Colombe coffee.

And to top off the entire thing, simply by making a purchase, you're helping out local nonprofit organizations. As described on their website:

"Schmear It’s business model transcends its bagels and schmear. The truck doubles as a grassroots fundraising and marketing platform for local nonprofits. Every two weeks, Schmear It features a new local cause to which a portion of sales will be donated. Leveraging its mobile market presence, Schmear It will raise funds and increase exposure for the featured organization. "

Find out Locations and updates:
Website: http://www.schmearit.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Schmearit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SchmearIt/

Mucho Bueno

It seems as though I forgot to post my review of Mucho Bueno last week. Jet lag got the best of me!

Do you want my opinion as to why this truck is called Mucho Bueno? Well, perhaps because their food is mucho bueno! Last week I had the pleasure of trying 3 tacos, for just $10. The best way to describe them is a crossover between american barbecue and mexican. 

I mean just look at these tacos!!!! (It is permissible to drool while reading this)

All of the tacos here are topped with homemade salsa, pickled onions, and aji sour cream piled with your choice of pulled pork, brisket, smoked chicken, and sweet potato. The meats are all started with a simple, standard BBQ rub and then smoked overnight. The result? Flawless, juicy, moist, tender meat. The brisket is then chopped up and the pulled pork is obviously pulled. The sweet potato is chopped up, seasoned, and it comes to you perfectly cooked, retaining its shape and not turning into mush when you bite into it. 

The combination of the salsa, pickled onions adds some contrast to the smokey meats while the aji sour cream brings everything together and makes that first bite taste so amazing. 

If you want to add some real deal heat to your food, go for the homemade hot sauce. Just a warning though, this is seriously not for anyone with a low tolerance for heat as ghost chilis make an appearance in the sauce. Go for it if you think you can handle it!

Mucho Buneo also offers a taco salad, as well as sandwiches as seen in the menu below. Be sure to check out twitter and facebook for updates!

Website: http://eatmuchobueno.com

twitter: https://twitter.com/EatMuchoBueno

Facebook: https://facebook.com/eatmuchobueno

Surf and Turf

When I found out that Surf and Turf was going to be at Love Park for lunch today, I knew immediately that I'd be making my first visit. And as usual, I made a good choice. 

The most difficult thing as usual is making a decision. I went with their signature item - the warm lobster roll. And when the menu looks like this, that was an incredibly difficult choice. But, it's what was recommended. I also got an order of the parmesan truffle fries. 

What's great about about this menu is that it's filled with plenty of options for meat eaters and fish eaters. if you don't eat those...this might be the wrong truck for you...just saying.

Onto the star of the meal....

The lobster roll! Look at those huge chunks of lobster meat!!! (please keep reading below this picture)

That was the first thing I noticed upon unwrapping this amazing sandwich. The lobster was sitting on top a nice layer of kale and cabbage and topped with mango and jalapeño. To begin with, the lobster had a nice hint of lemon from when it was cooked. The combination of the heat from the jalapeño and the cooling of the mango provided excitement and balance. The greens below added a bit of cleanse. All atop a fresh toasted, buttery, split top bun! What's not to like?

And the finishing touch of the meal was those oh so crispy fries! With just the right amount of parmesan on top and touched with just the right amount of truffle oil, these fries were not in the least bit greasy, nor were they overpowering in any way. 

I suggest you find them immediately so you can savor some deliciousness ASAP!

Stay up to date with Surf and Turf!

Web: http://www.surfandturftruck.com

Twitter: @surfturftruck

Facebook: Surf and Turf Truck

Poi Dog Snack Shop

It has really been a while since my last post. My schedule has filled up limiting me to only 2 possible days to get out and the snow has been less than helpful. But I'm back and hope you enjoy this review!

One of my goals in life is to make it to Hawaii just for a luau. I just want the kalua pork. This of course is not to be confused with kahlua - the coffee flavored liquor. But until I can actually make it to Hawaii, I think that Poi Dog will do just fine!

My lunch this past wednesday was the kalua pork and cabbage plate and a side of poi. The plate also came with 2 scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. I was quite satisfied with the portion of food and it also looks nice in its container. 

I've never had poi before this, and I just had to try it. Poi is made from taro root and it's cooked, and then smashed with water added. It has a bluish-purple color and has a very pasty consistency. It has very delicate flavor, and I don't think most people would enjoy eating it by itself, but it tastes great with the pork and cabbage!

The pork is really what stood out, as it should have! The pork had an amazing sweetness and paired with the smoky flavor, it was amazing. The cabbage was underneath and cooked to perfection. I cannot recall having any pork that was as moist and succulent as this was! I am drooling just writing about it!

The macaroni salad was also good. I must admit, I am very particular when it comes to my "salads" - potato, macaroni, etc. I lost my notes about this, but from what I remember, it was every bit creamy and delicious. I think there was potato inside as well as parsley and there was perhaps something else. All in all, an excellent meal! 

Find Poi Dog online at the following:

http://twitter.com/PoiDogPhilly

http://www.facebook.com/PoiDogPhilly

http://poidogphilly.com

Say Cheese Philly!!!

No, I'm not trying to take your picture, but rather tell you about my latest food truck experience. Having promised last week, I headed over to 33rd & Arch to find Say Cheese. A dish with any form of melted cheese is a comfort item for me. It truly makes me feel that wondrous sense of being happy and full, and wonderful. Just writing about it right now makes me feel the same way. 

I hadn't eaten so I was looking for a nice filling lunch. Upon arrival and asking for suggestions, it was recommended that the brisket cheese steak was a solid item. That was also what first caught my eye, not only because it's listed at the top of the menu, it was most appealing to me. The sandwich comes served on a fresh, lightly toasted Italian roll topped with a red pepper spread. The roll is then stuffed with a generous portion of tender, moist, and wonderfully seasoned brisket. I usually pack a lot of flavor into my brisket because on Passover, one needs all the flavor you can get. This however was simply seasoned, and cooked to perfection, allowing the meat to shine on its own. All this is topped with an amazing homemade cheese sauce which I believe had provolone in there - and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Everything on this sandwich was able to stand out on its own, but yet work together to make one cohesive sandwich. 

I also got an order of their house made chips. These chips are fried to order, and seasoned perfectly. The chips were also just the right "thin-ness" They weren't so thin that there was nothing there, but enough that they crisped up nice and even and with nothing wrong about them. I know that I will be sure to make a return for their deep fried bacon cheeseburger mac & cheese balls. Shhh! Just don't tell Mac Mart!! You can check out today's menu below. 

To Find Say Cheese, Visit any of the following for updates to their location and menu

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SayCheesePhilly

or @saycheesephilly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saycheesephiladelphia

or search for Say Cheese Philadelphia

Delicias

With plans to go to Mac Mart for lunch being spoiled by last minute schedule change, I landed at Love Park to find the lone food tuck - Delicias.

The main dish sold here are the arepas. Their website describes them as follows:

Arepas are fresh, home-made corn patties, grilled and stuffed with your choice of delicias. Our arepas are naturally wheat and gluten free

Upon a little more research, the arepa is made with "masarepa" or arepa flour. It's basically precooked, ground corn flour. This gets mixed with water, butter, and salt. 

I  was greeted by Bill who made a few recommendations. I ended up getting the robinita - two arepas stuffed with chorizo, black beans, sweet plantain, guacamole, pico de gallo, cotija cheese. I opted to get without the beans. 

Unsure of how to properly eat this, I took the fork that was placed in the bag and went to work. The first thing I noticed was the wonderful aroma of FRESH, flavorful food. The chorizo was seasoned well and offered just the right level of spice. The pico was great, and coming from a tomato hater in the middle of winter, this says a lot. The guacamole was a vibrant green, with no brown discoloration. 

But of course, the star is the arepa patties themselves. They have a nice fresh corny taste, which helped bring the entire dish together. 

Delicias has two trucks, and just recently opened a restaurant on 4th & South st. Find them at any of the links below!

http://deliciasfoodtruck.com

http://www.deliciasarepas.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delicias-Food-Truck/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/PhillyDelicias

My name is Jason and I am addicted to tacos.

So the entire food truck world up until now has just been an inconvenience. I always worked until 2:30, or 3:00 and then headed to another job. This past September, that all changed. I started by frequenting trucks in Love Park as it was most convenient. I eventually started going to The Porch @ 30th and eventually started frequenting the food truck mecca at 33rd & Arch. The other spot I recently learned about was 33rd & Market. Which I clearly knew it was there, but the trucks? I never noticed.

That's where I found Taco Mondo today. Here's their truck. Pretty cool, huh? I'm quickly learning as a "food blogger" to photograph everything. It makes your posts look so much better! I came for tacos. And tacos I had. I got 2 of em, a smoked pork taco and a sweet & sour fried chicken taco. The two tacos cost me $6, which is not bad at all; $8 gets you three tacos. Right on par with the Mexican joints.

The smoked pork taco was loaded with a decent amount of pork, cheese, fresh tomato and lettuce. Topped with a crema - a Mexican sour cream made from cream and buttermilk. This mixture is then allowed to sit out and culture overnight and it begins to thicken. The pork by itself was superb - tender, moist, and not overly smokey. The tomato and lettuce added some freshness. But all together it didn't wow me. It wasn't bad, and was still better than some other tacos I've had, but just not the wow I was hoping for.

It took me one bite into the fried chicken taco to find the wow factor I was looking and hoping for! Taco Mondo takes their boneless chicken and brines it. They lightly bread it, and fry it. Loaded onto the tortilla was a piece of chicken, pickled vegetables, scallions, black & white sesame seeds, and their homemade sweet & sour sauce. It's like southern food meets chinese takeout. However, this was just so much better. With every bite I got more and more curious. There was this subtle, but welcoming heat adding flavor, bite after bite. Upon inquiring, I found out they make their very own sambal - an asian chili paste. This chili paste not only got added to the sauce, but it makes its way into the brine! Talk about layers of flavor, this taco had me wanting more! 

Be sure to check out Taco Mondo on Facebook and Twitter for menu updates and locations. 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TacoMondo

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TacoMondo

This was today's Menu

SpOt Burger

So the biggest spot (no pun intended) that food trucks seem to gather in this glorious city, is right on Drexel's campus at 33rd & Arch St. This is commonly referred to as the food truck mecca. I agree. I think I may have counted ten different trucks today, if not more. Anyway, today I bring you none other than SpOt Burger. I have to say what got me here today were the free fries I received for microwaving a grape and capturing it in a photograph. It's not as easy as it sounds. However, it wasn't my first visit and you know it won't be my last!

Today, in addition to my free fries, I tried the all new "SpOt Roll" You read right....ROLL!!! we're not talking hoagie roll, but like an egg roll. But better. Stuffed inside the crispy golden brown egg roll wrapper was perfectly cooked beef, cabbage, cheese, and pickles. I also believe there was bacon, as I tasted it every so often. I ordered two of these bad boys. And they were quite a bit larger than I expected! They were served with their signature spOt sauce as well. What they did was take their signature SpOt burger and wrap it in an egg roll and deep fried it. Very excellent meal. The only upset was I wasn't able to squeeze in a donut after eating all that. Oh well, that's for another day!

Birra & Bagels

So Tuseday night on my way home I got a craving for pizza. I usually hit Pizzeria Stella to cure this craving. However, I was practically home and I though about Birra. It's located on the corner of 12th & Morris (& Passyunk) in South Philly. One of their menu pizzas include the "Brooklyn Bagel"

This featured house cured salmon, chive spread, fresh dill, capers, tomato, and an everything crust. The salmon was thinly sliced, and it's saltiness was perfectly balanced by the chive spread, dill and tomato. The everything crust clearly featured poppy seed, onion and/or garlic, and a sprinkle of sea salt. 

It had to be one of the best tasting pizzas I have ever had!

I've eaten here before and have had some other menu items including their garlic & chili mussels and jerk chicken penne. Everything is exceptional!

Deli in Philly

Every once in a while, I manage to consume something other than pork!

Nestled in the center if Reading Terminal Market you can find Hershel's East Side Deli, a nice Jewish -style deli. Everything here is top quality and fresh. Offering pastrami, brisket, turkey, and corned beef, everything is sliced to order. Sandwiches or platters are available. Today I got the pastrami on rye with mustard. Pickle in the side with a Dr. Brown black cherry soda is of course my standard. The only thing I don't like is the cheese on the menu. Even though I'm not kosher it's just strange. At least they don't offer bacon or ham like other delis in the area. 

I needed a small sweet treat after that so I ended up at Kamal's who offer a wonderful assortment of baklava and baklava like desserts. I ordered one of my favorites, the kataifi. No picture, but imagine shredded wheat wrapped around some chopped walnuts covered in a delicious honey syrup. The shredded wheat comes in sheets just like the phyllo dough and is every bit as delicate. I also discovered that they also sell halva, a delicious rich sesame based dessert. Not as good from the shuk in Israel, but still pretty darn good. 

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I think my favorite chocolate covered item has to be a chocolate covered pretzel. I have yet to buy one that i've truly enjoyed. It needs a good hard pretzel - WITH SALT!. Also, it's important to not cover it with so much crap that when you bite into it, everything breaks and goes flying. The chocolate is also important. I prefer dark, some prefer milk. It just has to be good chocolate. I now present to you my chocolate covered pretzels. Available for sale! $8 for a box of 16!

Popcorn, Pork, & Pickles

I ventured out today for a few random things and passed Jake's Sandwich Board. How could I not go in? I grabbed a 50/50 - half grilled bacon, half pork sandwich topped with a house made sriracha spread, all topped with some sharp provolone. I also had an order of fried pickles. In all my years, I've never noticed these on the menu. As Always, a good, solid meal.

I also stopped into Go Popcorn, half a block north on 12th street. They offer a variety of standard popcorn flavors - original, kettle, caramel, cheddar, along with a rotating list of specials advertised well in advance. Prices are reasonable a small, depending on flavor can start around $3 for a small bag. During thanksgiving, there was even a stuffing flavor! My favorite so far has been the pumpkin pie :)

Pork & Cupcakes!

So living in South Philly sometimes has its advantages. Today, this advantage happens to be the Mummers. And with the mummers, It brought food trucks!! Two trucks in particular that I had had a strong desire to try for quite some time. The first was the Guerrilla Ultima truck. I've seen it often, especially at the Dickinson Square Farmer's Market on Sunday mornings. Now, they have been setting up shop outside of the Second St. Brewhouse. Today's menu featured pork sandwiches and fries. I opted to get my sandwich with sharp wiz and hot peppers. (I apologize for the lack of picture). It was smaller than I thought it would be with its $10 price tag. But nonetheless, totally worth it in the end. The roll was nice and soft - not too crusty and held up well.

My other stop of the day was at Milk + Sugar. A truck full of delicious homemade sweets. I picked up two cupcakes today - a chocolate peanut butter and chocolate salted caramel. The cupcakes themselves had a nice, rich chocolatey taste and even had little chocolate chips inside! These airy fluffy cakes were what a cupcake should be! Both frostings were not that overly sweet frosting you get so often. They held up well in their little boxes until I got home to devour them. You can often find Milk + Sugar at 10th & South on Sundays. 

You can find both trucks on Twitter and Facebook. Check out their pages for locations and menus.

Milk + Sugar:

Facebook

Twitter

Guerilla Ultima:

Facebook

Twitter

A journey begins....

Welcome! As part of my New Year's resolution this year, I promised to visit more food trucks, and eat more from the same food trucks I already frequent. I promise to do that, and at the same time, I have also decided to blog about it. Mixed in with the food trucks will also be other Philly Phood Phinds, as well as my own creations and projects. Looking forward sharing this experience with you!