Seattle’s Best Food Trucks 2012

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Photographs by Young Lee and William Anthony

THE MOBILE REVOLUTION has begun. We’ve tracked the big hitters, scouted the best bites, and corralled some 45 curbside cooks to bring you a road map to the street food explosion.

The Wheel Reinvented
The Top 13
What’s for Lunch?
A Taste of Things to Come
A Primer to the Elusive Taco Truck
A Day in the Life of a Food Truck
Brand Builders
Mobile Misadventures

Food Trucks 2012: The Wheel Reinvented

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Young Lee

Gone are the days when eating on the street meant wolfing down a hot dog from a dodgy roach coach. Today’s curbside cooks craft artisanal recipes and dabble in far-flung—or avidly local—flavors. Some are even introducing cuisines you’re hard pressed to find in more traditional settings. Ya know, restaurants.

The recession triggered all sorts of changes in the restaurant world, perhaps none more visibly than the mobile revolution. As the economy spiraled downward, entrepreneurial gourmands who envisioned opening their own eateries pursued a new business model: the food truck. The more manageable startup fees and DIY appeal made them a natural choice, not to mention a perfect way to capitalize on the casual mind-set sweeping the dining scene.

Compared to other cities (hello, Portland!), Seattle is a late bloomer when it comes to curb cuisine. Dated legislation is partially to blame. After a crop of street food merchants turned the southern terminus of the Monorail into a mess of shabby shacks in the early 1980s, Seattle cracked down and enacted regulations allowing only hot dog, popcorn, and coffee vendors on public land. Full service food operations could (and did) skirt the law by parking on private property, even if it meant forking over hefty fees to landowners.

In July 2011 the city council adopted legislation that opened up public roadways to food trucks. The decision rankled restaurateurs, who feared that competition from the low-overhead businesses would infringe on their territory. A compromise was met: On public streets, trucks must remain 50 feet from a fixed food provider (restaurants originally lobbied for 100 feet).

The legislation is not universally popular with the food truckers either—almost all operators still opt to park on private lots instead of city property. For starters, vendors are required to pay a year’s worth of parking up front. They must also purchase annual permits to operate in each location, at $146 a pop, but they cannot test-run locations in advance to gauge profitability. They must secure a restroom within 200 feet for employees if they’re parking for longer than an hour.

Still, one thing remains undeniable: A whole new way of eating is taking root. Currently 298 street food operations have permits in King County. Of those, 143 are full service (the primary focus for this article), and more are on the way.

Food Trucks 2012: The Top 13

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Young Lee

Halláva Falafel

Image: Young Lee

Bigfood

Bigfood
bigfoodmobile.com, @bigfoodmobile

Proof the four-wheeled way needn’t squash creativity: Tyler Rebman and Matt Pontious. Their day-to-day deal is fresh flatbread sandwiches topped with Caribbean and East Indian meats and slaws. But here’s the clincher: In warmer months they tow a massive barbecue, on which wings and oysters from Seattle Fish Company are done up every which way—Thai coconut red curry, bacon balsamic glaze, garlic butter and fresh dill. Genius.

Image: Young Lee

Crisp Creperie

Crisp Creperie
crispseattle.com, @crispseattle

Open since March, this wagon gives crepes the Northwest craft treatment. The lineup delivers ingredient-focused bona fides—housemade honey or onion marmalade, caramelized pears, peppered bacon—and will showcase a changing monthly roster of specialties from local purveyors, such as Rogue Creamery cheese or Theo chocolate. Service can be poky, perhaps because co-owner Jonathan Amato’s exactitude borders on obsession. The grub, on the other hand, sells out fast.

Halláva Falafel
206-307-4769; hallavafalafel.com

After eating his way through Russia and Turkey, Rick Baker was inspired to open this Georgetown bright light in 2006. In November he passed the torch to James Barrington, who introduced a more robust slate of specials, and a second truck (this one travels, the original stays put on Airport Way). But the shawarma and namesake item—masterfully spiced and fried, once to get a slightly crispy shell, then again when you order—Barrington has wisely maintained. Extra points for the killer tunes and Armenian pickle crowning the falafel.

Image: Young Lee

Marination Mobile

Marination Mobile
marinationmobile.com, @curb_cuisine

Kimchi came into conversation—and so did Spam—when Roz Edison and Kamala Saxton rolled out in 2008. The Korean-Hawaiian menu draws from both sides of Saxton’s family tree (no hurt feelings that way, she quips), and has garnered the duo lots of shine in national media. Lots of diehards, too, 200 of whom line up at the truck on any given day. They’re coming for kimchi rice bowls, kalbi sliders, and a kicky pork torta that, bummer, is only a rotating special (but always available at the brick-and-mortar Marination on Pine).

Image: Young Lee

Maximus Minimus

Maximus Minimus
maximus-minimus.com, @somepigseattle

The distressed-metal pig that sports sunglasses on summer days is the most recognizable truck out there, serving pulled pork sandwiches that are just as memorable. They come two ways, either the spicy Maximus or the decidedly sweeter Minimus, with a slick of slaw—also spicy or sweet, your choice. Want it even hotter? Heat seekers up the ante by requesting a dash of Hurt.

Off the Rez
offthereztruck.com, @offthereztruck

Capitol Hill bar hoppers seeking to sate a late-night craving head to Big Chief, the Native American–inspired truck parked at Pike and 10th on weekends. Behind the wheel is Mark McConnell; in the kitchen Donovan MacInnis churns out Rez’s crowning achievement: frybread. Order it slathered with lemon curd or homemade jams or in the form of Indian tacos, piled with a heaping mass of chicken chili verde or pulled pork smoked 10 hours. (See A Day in the Life of a Food Truck for more on Off the Rez.)

Image: Young Lee

Parfait

Parfait
parfait-icecream.com, @parfaiticecream

It’s an age-old idea—the ice cream truck— for the farm-to-table generation, courtesy of former pastry chef Adria Shimada. The flavors are whimsical (milk chocolate chai, orange star anise), the ingredients local (Ballard Bee honey, eggs from Yelm), the batches from scratch and organic. The truck closes come winter, but fans can get their fix year-round: In February Shimada implemented a mail delivery system that reaches as far away as Boise and San Francisco.

Raney Brothers BBQ
rbbbq.net, @rbbbqnet

The Cajun meatloaf grinder with Raney-made marinara is one notable offering, but front and center is the pulled pork (yes, again). The pig is hand-pulled, not chopped, to get rid of the unsavory bits, then dusted in Uncle Pauly’s Dry Rub—developed over several years, lots of trials, and lots of money, the bros confide—for at least one full day. Next comes the smoking, 12 to 14 hours using apple or cherry wood from Eastern Washington. The cloak of crispy slaw is refreshingly light on mayo, and the melty blend of cheeses a welcome addition.

Skillet
skilletstreetfood.com, @skilletstfood

The Airstream trailer that set the bar for chef-driven street food—and brand extensions (see Brand Builders )—is nearly five years old. The burger, a pile of grass-fed beef, arugula, and cambozola lacquered with Skillet’s signature bacon jam, remains a Seattle legend, and the weekend special has cult status, too: fried chicken and waffles, gussied up with roasted marshmallows, compotes, spicy cheese, or, of course, bacon jam.

Image: Young Lee

Street Donuts

Street Donuts
streetdonuts.com, @streetdonuts

Yi-Chun Lin and crew embarked on some serious experimentation to come up with the newfangled toppings found at their wee black trailer. The baby rings are fried on the spot; it’s your job to decide how to dress ’em: with a dusting of curry, cardamom, or candy Nerds, with a squeeze of caramel, mango, or vanilla pudding. Sure, doughnuts abound in this town, but rarely are they this much fun.

Street Treats
streettreatswa.com; @streettreatswa

Sweets freak Diane Skwiercz (“Seriously, I can’t live without them”) sells her bars and brownies at coffee shops around town, but only at the truck are you guaranteed the dynamite ice cream sandwiches, a hands-down hit last summer, thanks to word-of-mouth raves. The ever-so custardy ice cream is made the old-school way (by hand, with natural ingredients) and bookended by cookies of your choice. Chocolate chip and vanilla is Skwiercz’s top seller, but we’re partial to the molasses-coffee combo.

Tokyo Dog
tokyodog.com, @tokyodogtweets

No sidewalk hot dog cart for Eugene Woo and Samson Kwong, who in late March unveiled a full-blown mobile operation. Their wieners take cues from the ridiculously popular (and extravagant) JapaDog in Vancouver, with the occasional Western bent. The namesake Tokyo Dog is a vessel of cheesy bratwurst, furikake, tonkatsu sauce, grilled onions, Japanese mayo, and bacon bits, and the fries are lent an Asian spark with seasonings like shichimi and nori. The franks? They’re from local chef favorite Bavarian Meats in Pike Place Market.

Image: Young Lee

Where Ya At Matt

Where Ya At Matt
whereyaatmatt.com, @whereyaatmatt

Matthew Lewis is all about Southern hospitality. Before going mobile in 2010, the New Orleans native aspired to build a community around his truck. Fast-forward to today and he’s hosting roving gospel brunches and crawfish boils. Lewis, who radiates cheer, approaches his menu with casual but inspired zeal. Here Creole classics are fresh, plentiful. Just count all the oysters in that po’boy—bursting with the brine of lightly breaded bivalves or the zing of house-cured andouille. Ending a meal with the sugar-dusted beignets is a must, but only after a good shake of the bag.

Food Trucks 2012: What’s for Lunch?

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

iPhone Photographs by William Anthony

Athena’s
feastwiththegods.com, @eatwiththegods

A mobile version of the gyro and falafel booth present at many local festivals. ORDER Garlic- and lemon-marinated chicken souvlaki served on pita bread.

Bistro Box
bistrobox.net, @bistrobox

Sandwiches and sliders (Nutella panini, eggplant Caprese, French dip with chin-drippy au jus). Belgian-style frites, too. ORDER OMG sliders: Kobe beef, peanut butter, bacon, and pepper jelly.

Bluebird
bluebirdseattle.blogspot.com, @bluebirdseattle

A former 1950s milk truck peddling five ice cream flavors, sometimes more, from the flourishing local microcreamery. ORDER Two scoops, chocolate pudding and either Theo chocolate chunk or CB’s peanut butter.

The Box
theboxonwheels.com, @theboxonwheels

Reis Lleneza was weaned on a smorgasbord of cross-cultural cuisines, many of which he prepares at his fusion four-wheeler. ORDER The pork belly hum bao, braised in the French tradition but with Asian spices and American slaw on top.

Buns
bunsonwheels.com, @bunsonwheels

A burger mobile conceived by five eco-minded architects who turned truckers when the economy tanked. ORDER The Fancy burger. With grass-fed beef, blue cheese, pickled onion, and arugula, “it’s to die for.”

Charlie’s Buns N’ Stuff
charliesbunsnstuff.com, @charliesbuns

Burgers make up most of the menu, but the cheesesteak sandwiches “we can’t keep on the truck,” says owner Veronica Weaver. ORDER The burger finished with apple-smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and two beer-battered onion rings.

Curry Now
iwantcurrynow.com, @iwantcurrynow

Curried dishes from owner Sanjey Noriega’s arsenal of family recipes. The mixings for the masala are closely guarded, so don’t bother asking. ORDER Chicken “tacos” served on roti made every day.

Fusion on the Run
fusionontherun.com, @fusionontherun

Surf girl Cassandra Seaman prepares island-style sandwiches and tacos. ORDER The slow-cooked kalua pork tacos trimmed with freshly chopped mango and pineapple salsa.

Happy Grillmore
happygrillmore.com, @happygrillmore

This Stumptown transplant is big on burgers but also dabbles in global eats such as salmon teriyaki and chicken adobo. ORDER The Chubs burger (Tillamook cheese, spinach, arugula, red pepper aioli, spicy mustard), winner of an Eater Portland best burger contest.

Here and There Grill
hereandtheregrill.com, @heretheregrill

True to its name, Julie Malcolm’s menu takes inspiration from myriad cuisines. One day it may feature Guinness-onion soup, the next spicy hoisin pork. ORDER The menu changes every week, but, if they’re on offer, get the braised short rib with horseradish cream or the Mexican steak salad.

The Jerk Station
caribreoso.com, @caribreosocater

Caterer Michael Cunningham dishes Caribbean fare with Creole flair, notably eight types of Jamaican patties. ORDER Oxtails with rice and peas: “A good level of spice without being overly spicy.”

Kaosamai
kaosamai.com, @thaifoodtruck

From the Fremont restaurant of the same name come two trucks serving a selection of Thai staples. ORDER Phad Thai. Made with a sugar-and-vinegar tomato base, owner Doug Somerville unabashedly admits it is Americanized.

Lumpia World
lumpiaworld.com, @lumpiaworld

Eleanor Yumul-Ellis and husband Derrick Ellis parlay her Saipanese, Filipina, and Japanese roots into a menu of lumpia (similar to spring rolls), soba noodles, and chicken kelaguen or katsu. ORDER The combo platter, so you can sample four varieties of lumpia.

A Lunch in Hand
alunchinhand.com, @alunchinhand

Chris Collier wraps slow-cooked proteins in puff pastries; look for more summer-appropriate eats soon. ORDER The Farmhand: red-wine-braised lamb with goat cheese and potatoes.

Molly Moon’s
mollymoonicecream.com, @mollymoon

The ice cream queen’s roving offshoot offers scoops, sundaes, and sorbet popsicles. ORDER Parker’s Praline sandwich: vanilla bean ice cream between crispy, thin chocolate-praline cookies.

Pai’s
paifoods.com, @paifoods

Born in Thailand and raised in Hawaii, Pai Pongsupaht combines cuisines from both cultures in a four-wheeler the color of Sunny D. ORDER The grilled huli-huli lemongrass chicken, steeped in Thai herbs and Hawaiian barbecue sauce.

Philly Boys Cheesesteaks
206-414-7707

John Schofield serves up several varieties of his hometown’s classic sandwich, plus soup, hot dogs, and fries. ORDER The cheesesteak, which Schofield has been honing since he was 16.

Pinky’s Kitchen
facebook.com/pinkyskitchen

Barbecue-heavy comfort food with five scratch sauces to choose from. Bonus: On weekends it’s open late night. ORDER The Parmesan- and panko-topped mac and cheese with their Sweet Sassy Molassey sauce.

Snout and Co.
snoutandco.com, @snoutandco

Lee Scott mashes flavors from Cuba and South Carolina, with a citrus- and spice-heavy mojo pork at the center of the menu. ORDER The black bean burger has a “cult following,” thanks to its mix of smoked serrano peppers, quinoa, water chestnuts, and beets.

Top Pot
toppotdoughnuts.com, @toppot

Doughnut kingpins Mark and Michael Klebeck operate several trailers, including a souped-up 1947 Vagabond shilling frozen coffee drinks. ORDER The Sandcastle: chocolate cake sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Tuscan Stone
tuscanstonepizza.com, @tuscanpizza

Bubbly, thin-crust pizzas—traditional as well as newfangled varieties, including alligator and Beechers mac and cheese—zapped for 90 seconds in a wood-fire oven. ORDER The chicken pesto, prepared with dough made fresh every day.

Food Trucks 2012: A Taste of Things to Come

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Young Lee

Jemil’s Big Easy

El Coqui
elcoquitruck.com

Alex Alicea plans to prepare Puerto Rican fare (protein-stuffed plantains, tostones ) using family recipes passed down through the generations. A welcome addition for a city that isn’t exactly overflowing with said cuisine, brick-and-mortar or otherwise.

Jemil’s Big Easy
jemilsbigeasy.com, @jemilsbigeasy

At press time this one had just opened. Captaining the kitchen is New Orleanian Jemil Aziz, co-owner of now-closed Central District favorite La Louisiana; managing things is fellow Blue Ribbon culinary school instructor Julie Little. Aziz makes a mean gumbo, loaded with handmade sausage smoked for 24 hours, but also promises po’boys, jambalaya, etouffee, and a boozy bread pudding.

Monte Cristo
mobilemontecristo.com; @mobilemelts

Twitter lit up when Danielle Custer announced she was leaving her director’s post at Taste restaurant to launch this grilled cheese wagon. The James Beard Rising Star says to expect lots of “ooey, gooey, melty” foods, including six gourmet sandwiches, poutine, and fried curds.

My Chef Lynn
mycheflynn.com, @mycheflynn

“I want to get a taste of Issaquah in people’s mouths,” avows Lynn Rehn, a chef based there. She’s sourcing all proteins from Fischer Meats, for example, including the lamb for the sliders, laced with sambal, an Asian chili sauce, and garnished with crunchy peanut butter. Rehn dispenses her spareribs, brisket chili, and, ahem, Double D Clam Chowder (yes, that’s what she calls it) mainly on the Eastside but plans to set up in the Fremont Sunday Market.

Pretzelwagen
pretzelwagen.com

Allison Barnes, whose Heavenly Pastry stand launched her to farmers market stardom, does real-deal Bavarian knots. Especially of note is the Oma Stein, named for the grandmother-in-law whose formula she uses. Barnes has made cameos at events before but plans to get in the game more regularly starting in June.

Rollin Q
rollinq.com, @rollinq

Michelle Lowe is not messing around when she proclaims, “I’m from Texas. We do everything big.” She and husband Darrell outfitted their wheels with a custom wood smoker and commercial kitchen for his Texas-style barbecue, cooked low and slow. There’s also a long list of Southern comfort staples: fried chicken, beef brisket, ribs, chili, and “big ass” baked potatoes, all from scratch. “If we could grow our own lemons we would,” say the born-and-bred Lone Stars. Also brand new at press time.

Savage Street Cuisine
savagecuisine.com

Rover’s toques by day, Kalen Schramke and David Howe moonlight as pop-up extraordinaires at Volunteer Park Cafe, where they’ve been selling out guest stints since October. Menus play global hopscotch—one month it’s Africa, the next it’s Eastern Europe—as they test run concepts for their forthcoming truck.

Xplosive
@xplosivefoodtrk

The name, say owners Cathy and Romano Basilio, describes the flavors found on their Vietnamese and Filipino bill. There’s the sweet sausage longanisa, sardines, and lemongrass pork, available in foot-long banh mi, corn tortillas, or vermicelli bowls. We’re especially stoked about the banh xeo, or Vietnamese crepe, and adobo chicken fried rice with an over-easy egg on top.

A Primer to the Elusive Taco Truck

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Young Lee

Taco trucks predate the gourmet food truck explosion, and unlike their Twitter-happy counterparts, they remain decidedly under the radar. Exceptions include the three El Camions (elcamionseattle.com, @elcamionseattle) and a newcomer, Contigo (contigoseattle.com, @contigoseattle), which have embraced social media and maintain shiny websites. But how to approach the rest? For advice we turned to Jonathan -Kauffman. Anybody who read his restaurant criticism during his days at Seattle Weekly knows the man likes his Mexican. A self-described taco-truck obsessive who’s now at SF Weekly, Kauffman spent many a Seattle afternoon trolling for tortillas. Here’s how to do the same with delicious results.

1. Skip the burrito—a nuevo concept—and go for sopes, tortas, or gorditas. And look to see what other people are ordering. Taco trucks are the purview of in-the-know regulars.

2. Embrace the options before you. Even in these offal times, cuts of meat like lengua (tongue), cabeza (cheek), and tripitas (boiled then grilled intestine) aren’t easy to come by; at tortilla wagons they’re a staple. The less common buche, or stomach, is delicious, too, especially when slow-cooked in its own fat.

Image: Young Lee

3. Authentic tacos are feats of flavor without the fuss. Tacos originated as street food intended for eating on the fly, so the messier (read: saucier) they are, the more they’ve been dumbed down. They needn’t more than a spoonful of salsa and cilantro and onion to pack a tasty punch.

4. Taco trucks are patrolled by the health department. Don’t dismiss one just because it’s a bit dingy, as many of them are hand-me-downs. (In his 10 years testing out trucks, Kauffman recalls getting sick once—and it was on a day when he had also eaten at an upscale eatery.)

5. Tacos el Asadero (206-722-9977)and Taqueria la Fondita #2 (206-551-0529) are serving some of the best fare out there. Get the pork adobado tacos at the former, and the carnitas and chicken sopes at the latter. Make for South Seattle, White Center, or Northgate to find other winners.

A Day in the Life of a Food Truck

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Young Lee

Off the Rez

At 8:25 on a Wednesday morning in late February, the only thing grayer than the sky is the back of the food truck. Nearly every inch is covered in stainless steel.

A large plastic cooler functions as a seat in an aisle about the width of a doorway. On the driver’s side, a 36-by-22-inch griddle, a three-compartment sink, and assorted kitchen appliances acquired on eBay and Craigslist. On the passenger side, a three-door fridge stocked with about 15 pounds of beef and 20 pounds of pork. Overhead, a bungee cord spares the truck’s three rear passengers from a downpour of napkins and to-go cartons.

It’s cold, curl-your-toes-for-warmth cold. And loud—what is that rattling?—but not so loud that the chatter about the day ahead can’t break through noise. Chef Donovan MacInnis stands where the passenger’s seat would normally be, while Mark McConnell, who launched Off the Rez with his girlfriend, Cecilia Rikard, captains the 1992 Chevy Grumman Kurbmaster from a tattered blue seat.

As it barrels past a stretch of restrained one-story buildings in SoDo, the truck, named Big Chief by its owners, provides a splash of color. “Nice bus!” bellows a driver at a stoplight. They get that a lot. Emblazoned on one side is the turquoise profile of an Indian chief in a war bonnet. On the other is a man (he’s purple) taking a hit off a peace pipe.

It is Rez’s third week in business, though the truck had been buzzed about for months. Partially because of those murals—commenters on online forums had complained of unflattering stereotypes—and partly because of the Native American classics on the menu, mainly frybread. The fried dough plays an important role in Native American culture but has been all too rare in Seattle.

McConnell stops at a gas station to pick up a Red Bull and a Frappuccino for two crew members, then rolls up to a curb between Boren and Harrison in South Lake Union at 9:06. It’s a spot in Seattle secured by Amy Novak, an admin of Buns food truck, for her four-wheeling friends. The owner of the lot charges the trucks $60 a day. By contrast, a city-designated slot, handed out in four-hour increments and good for one year, costs about $470 annually. The spot has been a good one for Off the Rez, drawing as many as 120 customers per day. The drawback is the sloping pavement, which elevates one side of the trailer to an awkward angle. “That’s the only thing I don’t like about this one,” MacInnis says as water from the full sink spills onto the floor.

Within 20 minutes, though, the griddle cackles as MacInnis flips a mound of beef then places it in a warmer. MacInnis had done all the prep at Rez’s commissary on South Brandon Street, both for convenience—last night he made 120 pounds of chicken chili verde, which should last two weeks—and for regulatory reasons. Raw meat, for example, can be cooked, but not cut, on the road. Tomatoes and lettuce must be washed and chopped beforehand.

Outside the truck McConnell’s cousin, Kigali Davis, hangs up the day’s menu, piquing the interest of a passerby. “I’m from South Dakota,” he says, contemplating the offerings. “I wanted to make sure it’s the right stuff.”

Image: Young Lee

Off the Rez

He means the frybread. Crispy outside, feather-light inside, and laced with a hint of honey, frybread is a novelty in the tortilla- and bun-heavy street scene. McConnell grew up in Ballard eating frybread made by his mother, a member of the Blackfeet tribe of Montana. She counseled MacInnis, McConnell’s friend from Ballard High School, as he spent half a year perfecting his recipe for the pillowy pucks—now the crux of Rez’s menu. That frybread is now readily available has been heralded by local Native Americans—“Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! I am so excited about this, it’s long overdue,” posted one fan online. At its best, street food stretches our palates by introducing us to flavors and cultures underrepresented elsewhere. And for that our flourishing culinary scene is expanding—kind of like the frybread.

A little after 10am MacInnis’s brother, Kelly, unloads 300 or so dough rounds, one-fifth the number they sell each week. He starts the fryer, his forearm branded with a wicked burn from a recent shift. “He’s got the touch,” coos McConnell as Kelly drops the dollops, just under two ounces, into the oil. They triple in size. Kelly gives each side a 30-second dip then pulls one out to reveal a puffy disc with slight air bubbles—perfect.

The foot traffic that trucks generate can bring vital street life to a neighborhood. That’s certainly the case today. At 10:45 the first customer arrives and orders one frybread with honey. By 11:30 the hungry tech workers from Amazon’s South Lake Union home have begun to fill the streets. “Put your smiley faces on,” cracks one of the guys in the truck.

Truck Talk

PIMP MY RIDE

Like the chefs who drive them, food trucks are eclectic entities. Many of them are Craigslist finds. One might be a former plumbing mobile, another a trolleybus out of Everett. Or in the case of Off the Rez, a linen hauler from Portland. McConnell and MacInnis spent five months making the truck road ready, while a friend customized the roof with skylights and bumped up the ceiling several inches. Their route is typical; after a lengthy search for the right vehicle most operators trick out the trucks themselves, which can trim start-up costs.

Companies around the country have honed a lucrative trade customizing trucks for less enterprising folk: Supply the wheels and they build to your liking. The Seattle area has yet to see one such company, so locals turn their wheels over to out-of-state outfits such as California-based Armenco or Portland’s Northwest Mobile Kitchens. But finding trucks is an increasingly difficult task. Ten months ago trucks were far more plentiful and going for a third of what they cost now, says Danielle Custer of Monte Cristo. A sign of the times.

The Amazonians like their food neatly packaged for easy transport. They tip minimally, maybe because they’re in such a rush. On Rez’s first day here in early February, the flurry of activity sent order sheets flying, causing a considerable slowdown in operations. McConnell laughs about it now but knows he lost a customer or two. “People were pissed.”

By 12:30 a crowd of 20 has coalesced. “Everything is, uh, shifting downhill,” chuckles MacInnis before diving into the biggest single order of the day: 15 Indian tacos and three orders of dessert frybread. The tilt of the truck causes stray bits of lettuce to muck up his corner at the front of the bus. Here MacInnis tops tacos with homemade bourbon barbecue sauce and sliders with shavings of Velveeta (he used to use gruyere but it didn’t jibe with a menu inspired by reservation life).

McConnell, meanwhile, is in the back by the griddle. Davis takes orders, swiping credit cards with an iPad, and Kelly holds the frybread station. Nearly half the fifteen-by-seven foot space is occupied by kitchenware. On average a transaction takes 45 seconds. At 12:45 the window in back is propped open to relieve the building heat.

The truck quakes with any big movements, and, thanks to that incline, gravity is not in their favor. A tube MacInnis tries to refill with sauce slowly slips out of reach. A cover on the meat warmer slides free and falls to the ground. More overflow from the sink.

By 1:30 the crowd thins; MacInnis estimates they’ve sold 250 orders of frybread. Fifteen minutes later McConnell calls it quits, though the day is far from over. After every outing McConnell and company take the truck back to the commissary, where they prep food for the next outing—some days accounting for an additional five hours of work—and the kitchen is taken apart, then washed and reassembled.

Working from a fixed location would be easier logistically, and maybe more profitable. “A food truck is not the way to get rich,” McConnell offers, cracking a Coors to toast the end of the day. He doesn’t dwell on the thought. Rather, the man who first tiptoed into business at age 16 building docks on Lake Washington beams anytime he talks about his truck. Rez is the real deal—he’s arrived.

Food Trucks 2012: Brand Builders

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Young Lee

Skillet

Joshua Henderson, the guy who ignited Seattle’s curbside culture with Skillet, has made some savvy decisions over the years. When Henderson got his start in August of 2007, just he and a handful of taco trucks trolled our roadways. Street food was an uncharted, if not rogue, concept. “Sometimes meter maids didn’t know what to do with us,” he remembers. The health department was similarly flummoxed, unsure what to make of the burgers and poutine he was making in his midcentury Airstream trailer.

Today Henderson runs a veritable empire that encompasses one critically adored restaurant (another is on the way), a second truck to field catering requests, a forthcoming cookbook, a radio show on KVI, and nearly 90 employees. Then there’s his line of condiments: two flavors of sinfully addictive bacon jam and various seasonal offerings, retailed in specialty stores all over, including Canada. In 2011, Henderson estimates sales of those condiments “were in the high six figures.”

Skillet’s story—and Henderson’s philosophy—is a trend that’s spreading in Seattle: A food truck isn’t something you park here or there several times a week. It’s a brand builder.

Some ship their products regionally (Parfait), some run a wholesale operation (Street Treats), and nearly all of them cater. Others pursue a brick-and-mortar offshoot, like Henderson’s Skillet Diner. Maximus Minimus and Where Ya At Matt have fixed locations in the works, as does Charlie’s Buns N’ Stuff. Marination Mobile parked it on Capitol Hill in April 2011 with Marination Station. There you’ll find not only tees but sassy Marination underwear and jars of the truck’s coveted Nunya sauce. Which, by the way, will be spreading to more local retailers in the near future, and to a second station in West Seattle.

“The truck will never be our financial bread-and-butter,” acknowledges Henderson, “but always our story, our DNA.”

Food Trucks 2012: Mobile Misadventures

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00:00 -0700

Image: Jordan Bonney

Marination Mobile
Kamala Saxton

“When you think you put Big Blue in park, jump out of the truck, but it’s actually in neutral, that sucker will roll. It came within feet of hitting a client’s garage and then rolling into Lake Washington at a catering event.”

Fusion on the Run
Cassandra Seaman

“On our first day in Georgetown I had the truck parked in front of my house in West Seattle. Two cars parked really close to me, so I couldn’t get out. I ended up scraping the tires on the edge of the sidewalk trying and it ripped three tires off of the wheel wells. Fifteen hundred dollars in tires later, we still made it to our location on time.”

Lumpia World
Derrick Ellis

“As we were pulling into our parking space to serve up grub in South Lake Union, the tongue of our trailer completely snapped off at 10:24am, leaving us stranded until 4:45pm until we could find a company that could tow us to a facility to get repaired. The following Wednesday we were pulling out of storage and the back axle cracked. We made a decision to drive it to the trailer company two miles away. Since the very rear axle was broken, the trailer would drag, preventing us from backing out, so we had to get creative and use a skateboard under the axle. To our surprise, it worked, but the wheel was rubbing so bad, it started to smoke. We took off the tire and just drove very slowly on three wheels versus four.”

Street Treats
Diane Skwiercz

“My second week in business I didn’t lock the customer service awning. We hit a bump and the awning flew open, hitting a Metro bus and slashing its back three windows. We were vending at a Mariners game that evening and we still made it, but lesson learned.”

Skillet
Joshua Henderson

“I was en route to Port Angeles to cater a Coors commercial for about 100 people. I could hear a tire rattling around and was pretty sure it was going to come off. However it was midnight and I didn’t want to stop—and I needed to have the crew on set by 5am with breakfast ready. The tire ended up coming off about one hour away and went rolling off into the woods never to be seen again. I crawled into Port Angeles on three tires.”

Seattle’s Best Food Trucks 2012

Seattle’s Best Food Trucks 2012

The Wheel Reinvented
The Top 13
What’s for Lunch?
A Taste of Things to Come
A Primer to the Elusive Taco Truck
A Day in the Life of a Food Truck
Brand Builders
Mobile Misadventures

Food Trucks 2012: The Wheel Reinvented

Truck Talk

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Food Trucks 2012: The Top 13

Truck Talk

WHERE THE TRUCKS ARE

Food Trucks 2012: What’s for Lunch?

Food Trucks 2012: A Taste of Things to Come

Truck Talk

FOUR WHEEL FINANCES

A Primer to the Elusive Taco Truck

A Day in the Life of a Food Truck

Truck Talk

PIMP MY RIDE

Food Trucks 2012: Brand Builders

Food Trucks 2012: Mobile Misadventures

Seattle’s Best Food Trucks 2012

Seattle’s Best Food Trucks 2012

The Wheel ReinventedThe Top 13What’s for Lunch?A Taste of Things to ComeA Primer to the Elusive Taco TruckA Day in the Life of a Food TruckBrand BuildersMobile Misadventures

Food Trucks 2012: The Wheel Reinvented

Truck Talk

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Food Trucks 2012: The Top 13

Truck Talk

WHERE THE TRUCKS ARE

Food Trucks 2012: What’s for Lunch?

Food Trucks 2012: A Taste of Things to Come

Truck Talk

FOUR WHEEL FINANCES

A Primer to the Elusive Taco Truck

A Day in the Life of a Food Truck

Truck Talk

PIMP MY RIDE

Food Trucks 2012: Brand Builders

Food Trucks 2012: Mobile Misadventures

The Wheel Reinvented
The Top 13
What’s for Lunch?
A Taste of Things to Come
A Primer to the Elusive Taco Truck
A Day in the Life of a Food Truck
Brand Builders
Mobile Misadventures