Food trucks: A local guide
The call of the open road, the (relatively) low capital needed, and the appeal of being in charge of a restaurant that's only 20 feet long has attracted a growing number of people to the world of the food truck.
There are at least twice as many food trucks in the Greater Cincinnati streets as there were last summer.
Food "truck" is not exactly accurate when it comes to describing these mobile food vendors. There are some with trucks and with trailers. Some call their vehicles a bus or a wagon. Shaved ice comes from a Smart Car and crepes from a Cooper Mini. There's even a bicycle-powered popsicle "truck."
They're finding new places to go, too, from swim clubs and breweries to weddings and museums. Many do a lot of their business at suburban office parks, and all will do private events. And, no matter what kind of vehicle they use, know that they've passed Health Department inspections.
You can follow each truck individually, but you can also find out about many at the same time by checking www.facebook.com/cincinnatifoodtruckassociation or the calendar on www.cincinnnatifoodtruckassociation.org. They also will list food truck rallies coming up.
We're pretty sure these are all the Cincinnati-based food trucks, but there are new ones all the time; let us know if we've missed any!
BURGERS
Bones Burgers serves up big juicy burgers made from grass-fed beef, along with salmon, turkey, veggie burgers. www.bones-burgers.com.
Bistro de Mohr is a project of Mohr's Animal Acres: They raise the meat they make into sandwiches and other dishes. Hamburgers from 100 percent grass-fed meat are always on the menu; you also might find lamb sausages, duck kebabs or braised rabbit. www.facebook.com/BistroDeMohr.
TACOS
Texas Joe: Joe Garcia, originally from Houston, Texas, sells tacos, quesadillas and tortas with fillings like chipotle pulled chicken, picadillo, pollo verde, 12-hour hickory-smoked pork, and braised brisket. texasjoethelegalmexican.com.
PIZZA
Fireside Pizza wagon tows around a portable wood-fired pizza oven on a cart. make delicious, thin, crisp-crusted artisanal pizzas that take just a few minutes to bake in the hot oven. www.firesidepizzawagon.com.
P&P Pizza: Very similar to Fireside, with a wood-fired pizza oven towed behind. www.pnpwoodfiredpizza.
Catch-A-Fire Pizza: More wood-fired pizza on a truck. Find piping-hot, cheesy individual pizzas (actually, a good size for two) with toppings of your choosing, plus panzanella salad, garlic bites, and panna cotta for dessert. www.catchafirepizza.com.
Pizza Tower, a locally owned pizzeria in Symmes Township, has a truck you can see at festivals, Fountain Square and office parks. www.facebook.com/thepizzatower.
Rosario's: Thin-crusted New-York-style pizza, plus pasta dishes and subs. It used to be a store in Loveland, but took to the road this year. Find it often at Fountain Square.
HOT DOGS AND SAUSAGES
Mr. Gene's Dog House: The Poodle, the Doberman, and the Dachshund, along with the Mama Mia and a Chicago dog, are among the Weenies on Wheels from Mr. Gene's. They just do private events. www.mrgenesdoghouse.com.
Mr. Hanton's: Expect lots of variations on the hot dog, from chili dogs to lamb sausage and Italian sausage or a veggie "handwich." Mr. Hanton's has also opened a brick-and-mortar location in the new U-Square complex near the University of Cincinnati, at 249 Calhoun St. Look for the truck in Mount Adams on the weekends. www.mrhantons.com/truck.
Kamielsky's: A sausage and hot dog cart that acts like a food truck, setting up at festivals and events and private parties. Features Nathan's, Vienna Beef, Italian, Polish sausages and burgers. Find them at Facebook at Kamielsky's.
Quite Frankly: "All-beef franks, mad crazy toppings." www.quitefranklyllc.com.
CHILI
Chili Hut: a new truck serving Cincinnati-style chili. They do the usual ways and coneys (a 2-way is $4; add $1 for each way you add), but also have a slaw dog. www.cincychilihut.com.
Gold Star Chilimobile: Coneys and ways, Gold-star style, from a truck. They also do double-deckers and burritos. Find them on Rolling Hunger.
Blue Ash Chili truck: More Cincinnati-style chili from famous Blue Ash Chili, which has locations in Blue Ash and Mason. The truck is mostly booked for private events, but you might run into it at food truck rallies or Fountain Square. They're on Facebook and www.blueashchili.com.
SPECIALTIES from around the world
Panino: Nino Loreto cures his own Italian meats and is dedicated to locally sourcing just about everything else he puts on his sandwiches and pastas, in his meatballs and other Italian dishes. That means he doesn't have a standard menu; it will change with the season and the occasion. Find him on www.findpanino.com
Empanadas Aqui: Empanadas are the hand-held pastries folded over various fillings that can be found in many South and Central American countries. This bright-green school bus has a menu of both traditional and modern varieties, including spicy beef, chicken with poblanos and cheese, and guava and cheese. www.empanadasaqui.com.
Cuban Pete: Just like the food truck in the movie "Chef," Cuban Pete serves pressed Cuban sandwiches, made with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese on light crusty Cuban bread. www.cubanpetesandwiches.com.
New Orleans To Go: You cannot miss it; it's a big truck, wrapped in images of New Orleans. What they serve changes daily, but they might offer po-boy sandwiches or Louisiana specialties such as etouffee or gumbo, all with some Big Easy attitude. www.neworleanstogopoboys.com.
Red Sesame: Try the food sensation invented in L.A. food trucks; a merger of Korean flavors with Mexican dishes. Red Sesame serves a Korean BBQ taco, with beef, chicken or tofu, a burrito, quesadillas, a naked bowl and a R.S. dog. Plus fine-looking t-shirts. Find them on Facebook.
Ricco Food Truck: they make a Chilean-inspired sandwich with ham, bacon, sausage, chorizo, lettuce and tomato, which they call the Ricco, plus other sandwiches and crepes www.riccofoodtruck.com.
ECLECTIC
Roll with It Cafe: This trailer is wrapped with a life-size photo of the two chefs, Joe and Sean Berry. It's a truly family-owned and operated affair. They make jerk chicken tacos, chimichurri cheese steak sandwiches, caprese salad, and are especially known for their fried green tomato BLTs, made with their own tomato jam. They grow much of their own produce. Follow them on Facebook at Roll with It Cafe.
Lyric:Food that Rocks is a new truck in 2014. The inspiration for this eclectic menu is from an equally eclectic range of music. There's an arugula/strawberry salad called Strawberry Fields, Stevie Ray Prawns in honor of the blues guitar god, the War Pig barbecue sandwich after the Black Sabbath song. Facebook, Lyric 2013.
Renegade Street Eats: It's a truck with the soul of a hot rod: It's matte black and pinstriped, and a work in progress. Wings are a specialty; also sandwiches, some specialty burgers and desserts; 4-5 menu items available at a time. Find them on Facebook.
EAT! Mobile Dining: This van serves up salads, soup du jour, sandwiches like the Day After Thanksgiving and grilled paneer, and pastas. eatmobiledining.com.
Urban Grill: This is a new truck, colorfully wrapped with scenes from Cincinnati. It offers grilled meats on couscous or pita, plus smoked meats, and a rotating menu of gourmet sandwiches. urbangrillfoodtruck.com.
C'est Cheese: Cheese sandwiches of all sorts, soups, and homemade pickles to go with them, all served from a cheese bus. You might order a Green Lantern sandwich, a red, white and bleu, or Bee Sting. Find them at various farmers markets and business parks. cestcheesecincy.com.
Eclectic Comfort Food: pulled pork, bacon-wrapped deep-fried hot dog, deep-fried bacon-wrapped mac and cheese, mashed potato balls, and egg rolls. They're @EclecticComfortFood on Twitter.
Waffo: Soft Belgian waffles get paired with toppings both sweet and savory in this truck. They will put bacon in a waffle, or goetta and gravy or pulled pork. You can also get them with nutella, cinnamon sugar, or apples and hot caramel. facebook.com/Waffotruck.
East Coast Eatz: "Fat" sandwiches, fries, pierogies, ziti, cheesesteaks; everything that reminds the owner of summer time eats in East Coast cities is the menu on this truck. Find them on www.eastcoateatz.com.
Wake and Bake Breakfast: pancakes, biscuits, French toast, fruit and yogurt parfaits from an old shuttle bus. www.facebook.com/wakeandbakebreakfast.
DESSERT and Coffee
Bello's Bike Pops: Emily Carabello sells handmade popsicles from a freezer she takes around on a bicycle. You might find hibiscus pomegranate, raspberry and cream, orange pineapple or latte pops. She's Facebook at BellosBikePops.
Urbana Coffee: Maybe you've seen the adorable mini-truck built on a Vespa scooter at Findlay Market. It's called an Ape (that's ap-pay); Urbana's is a re-painted vintage 1982 model. They pull espressos on an old-fashioned lever machine, and make iced coffees, shakeratos and frappes. www.urbana-cafe.com.
Cooper's Crepes: A Mini Cooper pulls a mini-trailer with a couple of crepe griddles. Most of the crepes Peter Barton makes are sweet, like a cheeky monkey with nutella and bananas. He does two locations: West Chester farmers market and Whipty-Do. www.cooperscrepes.com.
Sugar Snap!: Cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, pies, frozen cheesecake pops and scones are served out of a pink-striped truck along with La Terza coffee. You'll find them at festivals and events--if they aren't busy doing a wedding. www.sugarsnaptruck.com.
Cold Stone Creamery : The mobile version of the ice cream chain offers sundaes or mix-ins from their portable marble slab. www.facebook.com/ColdStoneCaters.
Dojo Gelato : Get homemade Italian ice cream, otherwise known as gelato, in at least a dozen flavors served from a sleek truck. They also make excellent espresso. Find their locations on Facebook.
Chill Ice Bar : The most adorable food truck ever! It's actually a tiny Smart Car -- with a battery-operated shaved ice machine and a sink in the back. They do natural syrups on shaved ice. Find them at Krohn Conservatory and at Findlay Market on Saturday and Sundays.
Wiggy Dip: This is really a mobile ice cream parlor. Instead of ordering from a window, customers walk inside the truck and order from 14 flavors of hand-dipped ice cream. They are mostly booked by businesses for events for employees. www.wiggydip.com.
The Bee Sting
C'est Cheese's most popular sandwich
2 pieces of Italian bread
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon of basil-infused honey
6-8 pieces pepperoni
Mix red pepper flakes into softened butter. Butter the outside of each piece of bread - we use a tuscan pane. Open up the sandwich and put about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese down. Drizzle basil infused honey on top of the cheese. Place pepperoni on top of that and then place the second slice of bread to make a sandwich. Grill on each side until golden brown and cheese is melted.
Basil-infused honey: On very low heat, simmer 2 cups of honey with 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves. Gently bring it almost to a boil, then remove. Don't let it boil. Strain, store in refrigerator.
Brown SugarSnap! Cookies
These are like snickerdoodles, but more cinnamony
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
Cream butter, cinnamon, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour) together and add to previous mixture. With a 2 tbsp scoop, roll in balls. Roll cookies balls into following mixture:
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 tbsp of cinnamon
Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 mins
Wrapper's Delight
from Lyric: Food that Rocks
Mark Knight, whose food is inspired by song lyrics, makes this wrapped sandwich with chicken he rubs with his house spice mix and smokes. If you don't have a smoker, you can instead broil or grill the chicken and poblano peppers. His house Lyric Love Rub is a bbq spice blend with pepper, anise, cayenne, cumin, brown sugar, and more. You can use your favorite bbq rub, or just with some brown sugar, cumin and cayenne.
5 pounds skinless chicken breast
1 rib celery
2 poblano peppers
1/2 cup sliced grapes
1/4 cup candied walnuts
1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 large red onion
1/4 cup golden raisins
4 oz of Lyric Love Rub
1 tablespoon of honey
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/4 cups of mayo
5-6 large tomato basil flour wraps
Rub 2 tablespoons of bbq rub on chicken breast and place in a smoker for 1 hour with the poblano peppers, or broil or grill until done. Let the chicken and peppers rest. Once the chicken is chilled dice into 1/2 inch cubes and place in bowl. Small dice the celery, poblanos, and red onion and then toss in the bowl. Add the grapes, walnuts, cheddar, and raisins to the bowl. Mix the mayo, honey, the other 2 ounces of love rub, and lime juice, then pour into the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly, taste, season as needed.
Take 3/4-1 cup of salad place in middle of tortilla and add a handful of arugula. Then fold the ends in and wrap it up.