Written by: Ella Lucente
Summer is just around the corner, and you know what that means: food truck season. That’s right, Tacoma started off the annual Food Truck Festival last weekend, and it will go through summer until August.
On June 9, behind the Tacoma Musical Playhouse as they were performing their rendition of Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady, food trucks of all different calibers lined up at noon to give the people what they wanted: the best of the best street cuisine.
From ice cream like mint chip from the Bliss Small Batch Creamery, to Chicago style hotdogs from Hometown Dogs, crowds of people showed up to sample from each truck to eat their delicacies.
As for my review, I wanted to go the extra mile, as my trusty boyfriend and I were to sample from food truck to get the ultimate food experience, however a majority of the trucks were either running behind, or unfortunately did not even show up.
To start, we arrived right at noon when it started, and although most of the trucks were running rather behind, there was a huge crowd of around 40-50 people. The only truck that was opened was the infamous Boss Mama’s Kitchen, so we stopped, and got one of their specialty burgers, The Elvis Lives Burger.
The Elvis Lives burger is a basic cheeseburger (onions, tomatoes, pickles, cheese), with a slight twist: peanut butter! And let me tell you… it was delicious! The one thing I would recommend when you eat this burger would be to have a drink nearby, as the peanut butter gives you a little bit of a dry mouth. Other than that, pair this with their fried pickles and some fries, and this burger is sure to be fit for the King!
We then visited Local Chef Bette Anne Curry’s pop-up booth called Sweet Dreams that made sure to give the dreamiest sweets to offer. As all proceeds went to her children’s college fund, this devote mother made the yummiest strawberry shortcake.
This strawberry shortcake, paired with refreshing pomegranate rosemary lemonade was TO DIE FOR. Curry’s children were helpful and polite, as they prepared the deserts, and managed the money. I am all for a family business, and this booth was sure to leave my sweet tooth satisfied, with a smile on my face!
We then ventured to the Hometown Dogs truck, and got a taste of some Chicago-styled hotdogs. Although I am not a huge fan of hotdogs, I make my exception to this truck. This truck is located in Lakewood, and I can full-heartedly say that if I am in any way craving a hotdog, I’ll take the drive!
Next-door was the South Beach Cuisine & Espresso, which featured a Miami-theme to it (I absolutely loved the look of the logo and the truck)!
As we were getting pretty stuffed, my boyfriend and I tried a cup of espresso, with beans made from Dillanos, which was perfectly paired with the strawberry shortcake from the pop-up booth, Sweet Dreams. Although I would have loved to try some of the cuisine, such as the Cubano sandwiches, that espresso made it tempting to drive around town to find the truck!
Unfortunately, the Hamhock Jones food truck was not open for the hour we were there, and Farelli’s Wood Fire Pizza mobile truck did not even make their promised appearance, we finished our experience with a cone of Mint Chip ice cream from the truck, Bliss Small Batch Creamery. You can’t really go wrong with ice cream, but they did have a nice selection of flavors, as well as vegan and gluten-free varieties so everyone can enjoy. You bet I’ll be looking for that truck over the standard ice cream truck any day!
All in all, this Food Truck Festival experience was fantastic. The best part? There’s plenty more to come this summer! Catch the next one on June 30. The Food Truck Frenzy is located in Puyallup, with many more vendors and selections to choose from!
