Food Truck Festival

This past Sunday we decided to go to the annual Seattle Street Food Festival instead of cooking at home.  

Seattle is such a food truck loving town.  Any given day you can travel downtown or to really any area with office buildings and you will see many food trucks, some with lines of people around the block, just waiting for whatever delicious morsels are being served.  

I like the idea of the Street Food Festival because I can try something that I’ve never tried before. And, I can try lots of things, thanks to my food-sharing family!

With nearly 70 trucks and food booths, the choices were endless.

  

The fam, though, was not feeling as adventurous as I was as you will see from our varied, all delicious, food choices.

We walked the concourse to see the choices and do some people-watching. I was really in the mood for some Asian dumplings. So when I saw the word “Dumplings” on a food booth, I looked closer.  But, to my dismay, they were not Asian Dumplings, but by the name of the business, Pelmeni Dumpling Tzar, it seemed they could be Russian.  Hmm, maybe not my cup of Earl Grey.  The varieties they were serving were beef and potato.  Again, maybe not for me.  

But the more I thought about it, the more it occurred to me that this is a pretty low risk situation from which I could try something new and maybe, just maybe, I would be pleasantly surprised.  Maybe even WOWed. Ok, I’ll try the combination beef and potato dumplings.

Pelmeni, the name of the business, apparently is a Russian word, derived from words meaning “ear bread”, referring to the dumpling shape. Pelmeni are a dish possibly attributed to Indigenous Siberian people. 

These hand formed little dumplings, boiled when I ordered, came topped with the most delicious spicy curry, then drizzled with oil, vinegar and Tzar’s special spicy sauce,and a dusting of chopped cilantro.  Sour cream and a slice of swirled rye on the side. And, man, were they good! The sour of the vinegar and that spicy sauce with the cool creaminess of sour cream were all a prelude to the ultra tender dumpling filled with beef and potato. 

Like nothing you’ve had before!

Highly Recommended! 

 Next up was a great big pulled pork BBQ sandwich from Wood Shop Barbeque.  Tender hickory-smoked pork, drizzled with tangy and sweet sauce, on a toasted bun was accompanied by creamy slaw and a couple of yummy pickles. Standard food truck fare to be sure, but the flavor of the smoked pork was second-to-none! These guys really know what they are doing!

 Next on our hit parade was Jemil’s Big Easy, a truck owned by Chef Jemil Aziz.  Our daughter and DH once took cooking classes from Jemil.  They were so inspired by his cooking and loved his big personality and his supportive, friendly nature, we just couldn’t pass up tho opportunity to taste some of the best Louisiana Cuisine in this part of the country.  

We ordered the Red Beans and Rice. This award-winning dish is chock full of sausage and ham.  It is thick, rich, slightly smoky, a little spicy and is hands down, the best Red Beans and Rice I have ever had!  Thanks, Chef Jemil!

To please our teenage son, our next stop would be a burger joint.  There were a few from which to choose. The only one we had not yet heard of was The People’s Burger.  Burgers and fries was all they serve. And this was one great burger! 

Grass-fed, “fresh, local, hand-forged” according to the truck. It was so beautiful, too! Served on a toasted bun with crispy greens, tomato, red onion and special sauce, this cheesy monster was juicy and meaty to the last morsel.  Love it!
 

 

 Next we tried some sweets.  My son is a crepe fanatic, so A chocolate mousse crepe from Caravan Crepes was just the ticket! Tender, crispy, slightly sweet crepe, topped with chocolate mousse, powdered sugar, caramel sauce and sliced almonds.  So much goodness in each bite!

 Ok, if you are close to bursting with all these yummy bites, hold on, just one more.  What’s a Food Truck Festival without a dozen mobile donuts?  Seriously? We just had to try the variety box of mini donuts from  Hot Revolution Donuts, including Rainbow, powdered sugar and cinnamon (the best!). These are not my type of donuts (I love an Old Fashioned-style cake donut), but the fresh, hot donut smell was calling my name.  I have to admit, I tried all three varieties.  I vote for cinnamon, all day long.  

So next time  there is a food truck festival in your city or town, venture out, try something you’ve never heard of, share some bites with your family, and Enjoy!