by Amy Strauss & Melissa Woodley
As the 2014 food truck season revs up, mobile kitchens kick-started spring by rolling up to Main Street in Manayunk for the town’s bi-annual StrEAT Food Festival. With over 30 eateries-on-wheels slinging their signature fare for hungry street-goers on the sunny April 12, PA Eats’s Melissa Woodley and Amy Strauss hit the pavement to join the masses and taste-test the scene’s best street eats.
From one unforgettable crepe-crafting truck, to bakers touting beer-infused cupcakes, and even, a kitchen packing killer hunks of lobster, we have your short list of the ultimate bites at 2014’s StrEAT Fest.
PA Eats Names Top 5 Trucks of StrEAT Fest:
Surf & Turf Truck’s Lobster Tacos
These crowd favorites went fast, as hungry eaters enjoying the beautiful spring day depleted the truck’s taco supply within hours. Generous chunks of lobster teamed up with kale and strawberry vinaigrette (strawberry was the day’s ‘special ingredient’) to deliver a delightful East Coast twist on the street food staple. The Surf & Turf Truck knows that lobster should be treated with simplicity, but they still elevate the crustacean with unique flavors.
Local 215’s Strawberry Gazpacho
The caliber of talents busting out of Local 215’s kitchen is a force to be reckoned with. The chefs constantly one-up their creations with flavor-packed, in-season dishes, all of which are innovative and impeccable. For StrEAT Fest’s strawberry theme, they created a silky-smooth gazpacho punched up with black olives and basil. The darling chilled soup was surprisingly savory, with a pronounced backbone of subtle sweetness. We’d like to devour spoonfuls of this all spring (and summer!).
Sweet Box Truck’s Yards Love Stout Cupcake
We have a love affair with Yards Brewing Co.’s Love Stout. Seductive with its silky notes of coffee and chocolate, rich with its roasted malts, it only makes sense that it be poured into a cupcake batter and bit into. But, Sweet Box doesn’t stop there—and, we know you wouldn’t expect these baking greats would! They crowned the decadent, spiked cake with a mighty dollop of orange mascarpone, and then rolled the frosting in hazelnuts. It was pure elegance in mini cake form.
Bonjour Creperie’s Claire & S’mores Crepes
It was hard to decide whether to sample a savory crepe or a sweet creation…so we didn’t. We chose one of each. The Claire featured goat cheese, spinach, strawberry slices, and almond slices, while the S’mores, of course, had marshmallow and graham cracker crumbs, but substituted Nutella for chocolate (genius) and had the added bonus of peanut butter. The beautiful presentation didn’t last long, since we dove in head first. Lesson: always opt for sweet and savory together. Trust us. We’re experts.
Sum Pig’s 5-0
This barbecue-savvy food truck knows a thing or two about slow-roasting pork. After one bite of their 5-0 sandwich, layered with uber-tender 12-hour, hickory-smoked pork, we’re proclaiming these meat-smoking champs the local BBQ kings. What made the sandwich crafted on a floury rustic roll even better? Its super fresh accompaniments of tangy slaw and strawberry-infused BBQ sauce.
Top 5 Honorable Mentions:
Tot Cart
This fan favorite specializes in hot tots smothered in comforting toppings like beer cheese, garlic and Parm, pulled pork, bacon and eggs, chicken pot pie, and more. Never skip the Totchos—ever.
The Cow & the Curd
This Wisconsin-inspired cheese curd truck takes the state fair staple to the next level. Not only does it serve ridiculously delicious beer-battered, deep-fried cheese nuggets, but also features stellar dipping sauces (sriracha mayo, smoked ketchup, chipotle ranch). And frankly, how can you say no to velvety cheese wrapped in crunchy batter? You can’t.
Nomad Pizza
Surprisingly, a wood-fired pizza oven on wheels is now a common sight, but Nomad is among the best. When the smell of fresh basil atop margherita pizzas wafts up to a block away, you’re sure to draw a crowd. Luckily, the pizzas crisp up quick and service moves steadily along. Nomad’s personal Neapolitan pie is always worth the wait.
Mac Mart
If the big pink truck doesn’t bring a smile to your face, the food certainly will. Who can resist perfect mac and cheese that combines everyones’ favorite aspects: luscious cheesy sauce AND the crunchy top? The flavor combos are always changing, but our forever #1 is the corndog—slices of ‘dog, cornbread crumbles and elegant ketchup drizzle. Your inner child just squealed.
Foolish Waffles
The newest kid on the block had one hell of a debut. Fresh from the test kitchen, the Foolish cooks put out waffle-ized versions of bahn mi, fried chicken, and most incredibly, the breakfast waffle taco. They’re doing amazing things in that truck involving scrambled eggs and sausage gravy on waffles…Taco Bell: you’ve got some new competition.
Top Restaurant at StrEAT Festival:
Main Street restaurants were joining in for the outdoor street fest too, with Yanako ranking high on our must-try list for its ultra chic oyster shooters. Accented with strawberry jelly and finished with a dollop of sake foam, this new-age street treat left us dreaming of chefs Moon Krapugthong and Howie Lukito’s cuisine well into the evening. Better yet, their refreshing iced ginger lemonade was the perfect cool-down for the unseasonally warm Saturday afternoon.
Hungry for more? Stay tuned for even more Manayunk events unfolding this spring and summer season, all of which will be featuring an impressive lineup of food trucks. Also, be sure to start saving the date for fall’s StrEAT Festival.
