Oops, it’s been two weeks since my last post. There’s a whole lot of newness going on in my life. I have a new job and a new boyfriend, and all the new Fall teeevee is eating up my schedule. Despite not yet learning how to efficiently budget my time to allow blogging on a regular basis, I have still been frequenting the local food trucks. Luckily, there have been plenty of new trucks in my last two weeks too!
I’m going to start with Newark Street Eats, a gathering I’ve opted to go to the last two Mondays in lieu of Edgewood Eats, mainly due to the fact that I work in Newark. I look forward to when Edgewood moves to Tuesday so I don’t have to choose anymore. However, it will also only be once a month at that point, which makes me sad. Each of the two Newark Street Eats I’ve been to recently has provided me with the opportunity to try a new truck. First, there was the September 12th Newark Street Eats when I ate at a truck I’d never even heard of before, and with possibly the longest name I’ve heard for a food truck, Tandoori Chicken USA Mobile.
The Tandoori Chicken USA Mobile Truck
I ordered a paneer sandwich. It was super spicy and very filling. It also made a mess, to the point where I needed about ten napkins. As I’ve stated previously though, I don’t find this to be a bad thing.
Paneer sandwich from Tandoori Chicken USA Mobile
This week’s Newark Street Eats featured another new truck I hadn’t been to before, Gourmet Rockstars.
The Gourmet Rockstars Truck
I ordered the caprese grilled cheese. I think I have written about my love for pesto before, but I would just like to state for the record that pesto is the besto. And when you mix it with sundried tomatoes and mozzarella? Even better (besto-er?). It also came with a delicious fresh made pickle. I might be biased because of the whole pesto-loving thing, but it was probably the best grilled cheese I’ve had in months. And if you read my blog, you’ll know that I’ve had a few in recent months. My only complaint is that the wait for the food to be made was a little long. I heard them discussing with another truck owner that this is due to them preparing everything fresh, but I still hope that, being a newer truck, they figure out how to make fresh and delicious food a little faster.
Caprese grilled cheese from Gourmet Rockstars
A couple days before this Newark Street Eats, I went to two food truck gatherings in one day for the first time. I’m lucky that my boyfriend enjoys food trucks almost as much as I do, and having him around means getting to share and try more food because of it! On Saturday afternoon, we went to Moveable Feast, which was teaming up with SJ Made again. The crowd was the biggest I’ve seen at a Moveable Feast recently.
The trucks and crowd at Moveable Feast on Saturday, September 17th
For our main course, we shared an order of garlic noodles from An the Go, and afterwards we each got a veggie taco at Eat on Monday. When I wrote about this truck before I mentioned their ever-changing menu and how vegetarian options weren’t common. They tweeted at me saying they’d have more veg options soon, and sure enough, they did on Saturday! Each of their tacos could be ordered vegetarian. I chose the ingredients of the shrimp taco, which included avocado. It was absolutely delicious.
Veggie taco from Eat on Monday
In the evening, we headed to The Gourmet Food Truck Festival at the Alameda County fairgrounds in Pleasanton. Having grown up in Alameda County, I have a lot of memories associated with the fairgrounds. It was fun to come back and enjoy food trucks and nostalgia at the same time. There were lots of trucks, and lots of people.
The Gourmet Food Truck Festival on Saturday, September 17th
One of the main reasons I wanted to attend was because a truck I’ve been trying to track down both in LA and the bay area, Nom Nom, was going to be there. Like many, I first heard about this truck on the first season of the Great Food Truck Race. I have since been to many Vietnamese trucks that sell banh mi and wanted to try the one I have come to think of as the original.
The Nom Nom Truck
The line was long, but their methods were efficient. I waited for much less time than I expected, and before I knew it I had tofu banh mi and tofu tacos. I ended up liking the tacos more than the banh mi, but both were good.
Tofu tacos from Nom Nom
Tofu banh mi from Nom Nom
For dessert, we headed to yet another new truck, Sunshine Susan’s Solar Ice Cream Parlor. This special dessert truck runs entirely on solar energy.
Sunshine Susan's Solar Ice Cream Parlor
We ordered two desserts whose names I forget since they aren’t listed on their website’s menu. One included apples and vanilla ice cream, and the other was a brownie a la mode.
Apples and vanilla ice cream from Sunshine Susan's
Brownie sundae from Sunshine Susan's
Both desserts were sweet and filling, making us wish we had only split one. At least we’ll know for next time!
Four new trucks in two weeks… I don’t think I’ve set a record like that when I wasn’t on vacation in a different city. I’m loving all the new trucks that are popping up. Keep them coming, bay area!
