Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that food trucks are all the rage. No longer referred to as "roach coaches," these trucks even reach gourmet status. What's the big deal with these trucks anyway? Well, the obvious is that they come to you. They are there when you drunkenly stumble out of the club downtown or are parked in front of your office building on your lunch break. In my opinion the best thing about food trucks is that you, potentially, get superb food at a low price. With lower overhead costs than a restaurant they can afford to give you gourmet food for much cheaper.
Just this year food trucks have started popping up in Santa Barbara and I couldn't be happier. Next time you are here, be sure to hit up these guys; you'll often find them parked along the beach or off of State Street. And tell them Dina sent you.
The Burger Bus
The Burger Bus has actually been around for a couple years. They serve- you guessed it- burgers. But they also make the best pickle chips I've ever had. If you've never had pickle chips, they are simply dill pickle slices in a beer batter and deep fried, and they are amazing! Their onion "rings" are pretty darn good too. What I really love about The Burger Bus is their commitment to high quality local ingredients. Everything is local; the meat, cheese, bread, spreads, and produce. Their signature burger is known as the "CB&J" which is short for cheeseburger and jelly. Jelly on a burger isn't as crazy as it sounds once you've tried one.
The O Street Truck
The O Street Truck prides itself on it's French-Mex-Vietnamese fusion cuisine. They frequently feature new, seasonal items on their menu, but they always sell banh mi style sandwiches and tacos. For only $5, the banh mi sandwiches come on a 6 inch baguette with your choice of marinated chicken or steak, or BBQ pulled pork (my favorite), carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, and their spicy "cha cha" sauce. Occasionally, I'll splurge on one of their french pastry pizzas which aren't really pizzas, but are sinfully delicious.
THAI on a Truck
When I went to Thailand I tasted some of the best food I've ever had. The problem was coming back to the United States and finding that all Thai food failed in comparison to the real thing. Well, these guys at THAI on a Truck are the real deal and never leave me disappointed. They go all the way to LA to find specialty ingredients to make their food as authentic as possible. Their Panang curry is, hands down, my favorite dish, but everything is delicious. They offer a few main dishes and usually a daily special, a variety of small bites, and a not-too-sweet Thai iced tea.
Road Dogs
The newest mobile cuisine in town is the Road Dogs, a mobile gourmet hot dog cart. I can't express to you how happy my husband was when these guys opened up. These aren't just any wieners, but are Hoffy, and if you're a hot dog connoisseur that means something. Long and thin, and with a great snap, you won't be disappointed. You can get anything from a plain, no-fuss dog to dogs loaded with all kinds of homemade toppings. My favorite is the Sweet Baby Ray which comes topped with BBQ sauce, crunchy bacon, and fried onions.
Just this year food trucks have started popping up in Santa Barbara and I couldn't be happier. Next time you are here, be sure to hit up these guys; you'll often find them parked along the beach or off of State Street. And tell them Dina sent you.
The Burger Bus
The Burger Bus has actually been around for a couple years. They serve- you guessed it- burgers. But they also make the best pickle chips I've ever had. If you've never had pickle chips, they are simply dill pickle slices in a beer batter and deep fried, and they are amazing! Their onion "rings" are pretty darn good too. What I really love about The Burger Bus is their commitment to high quality local ingredients. Everything is local; the meat, cheese, bread, spreads, and produce. Their signature burger is known as the "CB&J" which is short for cheeseburger and jelly. Jelly on a burger isn't as crazy as it sounds once you've tried one.
The O Street Truck
The O Street Truck prides itself on it's French-Mex-Vietnamese fusion cuisine. They frequently feature new, seasonal items on their menu, but they always sell banh mi style sandwiches and tacos. For only $5, the banh mi sandwiches come on a 6 inch baguette with your choice of marinated chicken or steak, or BBQ pulled pork (my favorite), carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, and their spicy "cha cha" sauce. Occasionally, I'll splurge on one of their french pastry pizzas which aren't really pizzas, but are sinfully delicious.
THAI on a Truck
When I went to Thailand I tasted some of the best food I've ever had. The problem was coming back to the United States and finding that all Thai food failed in comparison to the real thing. Well, these guys at THAI on a Truck are the real deal and never leave me disappointed. They go all the way to LA to find specialty ingredients to make their food as authentic as possible. Their Panang curry is, hands down, my favorite dish, but everything is delicious. They offer a few main dishes and usually a daily special, a variety of small bites, and a not-too-sweet Thai iced tea.
Road Dogs
The newest mobile cuisine in town is the Road Dogs, a mobile gourmet hot dog cart. I can't express to you how happy my husband was when these guys opened up. These aren't just any wieners, but are Hoffy, and if you're a hot dog connoisseur that means something. Long and thin, and with a great snap, you won't be disappointed. You can get anything from a plain, no-fuss dog to dogs loaded with all kinds of homemade toppings. My favorite is the Sweet Baby Ray which comes topped with BBQ sauce, crunchy bacon, and fried onions.
Nice post! I am absolutely thrilled that we have such great food trucks around now. It's such a nice break from sack lunches, or eating out at a high cost :)
ReplyDeleteI am addicted to food trucks. I love it when I randomly come across one, especially in Santa Monica. The only problem I have is sometimes it's hard to find a specific type of food truck unless you stalk them on twitter.
ReplyDelete