Bare Bowls Kitchen - Indonesian Bowl

Truck: Bare Bowls Kitchen
Location, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd
Date: October 28, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BareBowls

Indonesian Bowl - $9.50 (large)

The star of this is the "succulent beef" and sambal. Sambal is a generic name for one of many different Indonesian chili sauces. Bare Bowls makes it into a kind of Indonesian chili con carne. Serve that up with plenty of sauteed spinach, pickled spicy carrots, and zucchini over their signature great steamed brown rice. Oh and just to make it extra rich, toss on a poached egg and some black sesame seeds. The beef and sambal aren't very hot, but its a very rich flavor. I can't help but think this would make a great bahn mi sandwich. Every time I've tried Bare Bowls I've been impressed with their flavors, and they have a knack for capturing the flavors of a place. Synopsis: Every bite of this is delicious

POCKet to Me - Pocket to Me and Falafel Wrap

Truck: POCKet to Me
Location: Karbach Brewing Co, 2032 Karbach St.
Date: October 25, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PockettoMe

Pocket to Me - $8

A pita filled with sausage, grilled onions, grilled sweet peppers and lettuce and tomatoes. Seasoned with BBQ sauce.This delicious sandwich leaves me confused in a good way. I seems healthy because its a pita, then it tastes like a BBQ sausage sandwich. Am I being good or bad? It's loaded with good country style sausage. The grilled onions and peppers are good left natural so they taste like peppers and onions. I love when the lettuce isn't iceberg lettuce too. Synopsis: Pretend its healthy, its still a great sausage sandwich.

Falafel Wrap - $7

A Mediterranean classic. Falafel are fritters made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Usually the the patties have a healthy amount of parsley giving them a green tint. The falafel wrap has cucumber, lettuce, tomato, and tahini sauce. These falafel are near perfect. They come out light and very crunchy. Just enough of the vegetables and sauce to compliment and leave the falafel the star of the show. Synopsis: If you have never tried falafel, this is the one to try.

Fried Mushrooms - $3

Fried mushrooms are actually hard to pull off. Water is the enemy of anything deep fried, and a mushroom is like 80% water. POCKet to Me solves the problem by using a thick batter that completely encases the mushroom. Somehow that batter stays light and doesn't get doughy. They come out of they fryer steaming hot, so watch out, each is filled with basically boiling hot mushroom broth. Served with ranch dressing on the side. Synopsis: A great version of a difficult treat.

MuSuBi - Bahn Mi Sandwich

Truck: MuSuBi
Location: Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emmanuel
Date: October 25, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/musubiHOUSTON

Bahn Mi - $8

Bahn Mi are the classic Vietnamese sandwich made with a super airy baguette. Actually the term Bahn Mi refers to the baguette itself. In our typically lazy Anglo style we have shorted all Bahn Mi with... to just Bahn Mi. At MuSuBi you can choose several different meat options, I got the lemongrass grilled pork tenderloin. It wouldn't be a Houston food truck if it didn't get amped up a little, so this is topped with truffle aioli and duck pate. I'm used to the pickled carrots and daikon being shredded, but here they are sliced paper thin on a mandolin along with cucumbers. It makes for a very pretty and sushi like presentation. The pate and especially the truffle aioli give the sandwich some creaminess to contrast with the crunchy vegetables. The sandwich comes with homemade wasabi potato chips. The chips come out very sturdy and have a hint of wasabi pungency. Synopsis: This is a top of the line Bahn Mi!

Flakeys Pizza - Vegetarian and Meat Lovers Slices

Truck: Flakey's Pizza

Location: Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emmanuel
Date: October 25, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlakeysPizza

Trying to figure out this truck, their web and twitter presence seems too be all brick and mortar restaurant, but there is the truck parked at the Houston Food Park Friday. Lets hope they stick around, there just aren't enough pizza options in Houston Food Trucks.

Vegetarian and Meat Lovers Slices - 3 for $6.50

For some reason this got to be a very confusing order.Something confusing about their ordering system. Anyway, on to the pizza. Good thin homemade crust, definitely old school and not like any chain pizza. Sometimes I think we all forget how good it is when done right. On the vegetarian slice I had fresh basil, peppers, lots of sliced kalamata olives, fresh mushrooms, and some onion I believe. This was well done, these kinds of kitchen sink pies can get over done and soggy, but while there was plenty of toppings it was still a crunchy slice.

I ended up with two meat lovers. Same great crust, this was topped with pepperoni, sausage and ham. Again not so much to make it soggy, but still plenty of toppings. Synopsis: Great old school classic pizza.

Mr. Sizzles Curbside - Bubba Sizz

Truck: Mr. Sizzles Curbside

Location: Boneyard, 8150 Washington

Date: October 23, 2013

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrSizzlesCurb

Bubba Sizz - $10

The is a lot to like about Mr. Sizzles. I love how they season up the patty when you order it. I love how they are not shy with the black pepper, and I love the great crust they get on their burgers. The crust makes a stuffed burger work. The Bubba Sizz is stuffed with crispy bacon and Cheddar cheese. Then its topped with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, BBQ sauce, and lettuce, tomato, and pickles. All wrapped up in one of Mr. Sizzles great buns. The stuffed burger is very juicy, but it doesn't get out of hand because of that great flattop crust they get on the burger. I might have to try one with an egg on it. Synopsis: A really great juicy burger with a great bold flavor.

Kurbside Eatz - Crispy Belly Taco and Veggie Egg Rolls

Truck: Kurbside Eatz

Location University of Houston

Date: October 17, 2013

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KurbsideEatz

Crispy Belly Taco - $5

A paratha taco loaded with thick slices of pork belly, kimchi, lettuce, cilantro, spicy mayo and jack and cheddar cheese. There was a long line ordering and no one that I noticed ordered this. Maybe they don't know pork belly. Think of it here a big thick meaty slices of bacon. kimchi and lettuce round out the taco. Paratha is a southeast Asian flat bread, the name literally mean layers of cooked dough. It is crispy, flaky, and might just be the ultimate taco vehicle. Synopsis: This taco is a must try for a pork belly fan.

Veggie Egg Rolls - $3

I took a chance that these wouldn't be some Sysco-like food service egg roll. I wasn't disappointed. These are a creation of Kurbside Eatz. To be honest a bit of carrot was the only veggie I identified. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of veggies, I just couldn't tell what ones. I also found glass noodles, and a surprise was American cheese. The cheese made the inside of these egg rolls very creamy, while the wrapper was very crispy and flaky. Synopsis: These egg rolls are a treat and a great change of pace.

The Rice Box - Kung Pao Chicken

Truck: The Rice Box
Location: 1638 Westheimer
Date: October 16, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiceBoxTruck

Kung Pao Chicken - $6.99

Spicy classic cheap Chinese fair. Lots of chicken with peanuts, bean sprouts, and celery. Served in the Chinese takeout classic box of rice with an egg roll. Mine seemed to be heavy on the soy sauce. Lots of the Kung Pao chicken compared to the rice.I'm a bit mystified by the heavy use of soy sauce since the classic western version of Kung Pao is flavored with ginger paste and orange juice. The soy sauce really over powered any other flavors other than the peppers. It would very cool if they ran a special of the classic Sichuan version with lots of numbing Sichuan peppercorns once to see how that was received! While I pine for something more "foodie" that's not what Rice Box is going for here. They are trying to recreate the classic old school Westernized Chinese we all grew up with. In that light, this dish is successful. Synopsis: Not a classic version but still a great value dish.

Gastro Punk - Flank Steak Tacos and Sweet Potato Pie in a Cup

Truck: Gastro Punk
Location: Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emmanuel
Date: October 16, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GastroPunkTX

Flank Steak Tacos - 3 for $11

Lots of marinated flank steak, pickled onions, chimichurri sauce, and cotija cheese. No attempt is made to transform the flank steak into a high cut of butter soft meat. It is left as it comes, a little chewy but super flavorful. Just the way I think flank steak should be. I love pickled onions and these are some great ones. Chimichurri is the Argentinian version of pesto. Good stuff and perfect here. Each of the tacos is wrapped up in two corn tortillas and artfully garnished with grilled limes and cotija cheese. Synopsis: Some of the best tacos from a truck I've had.

Sweet Potato Pie in a Cup - $5

I got hooked up with one of the Gastro Punk's Sweet Potato Pies in a cup. You get a perfect size serving. The sweet potato is creamy and not too sweet, but sweet enough you feel like you've had dessert. Lots of gram cracker crumbs stand in for a pie crust. I don't go for dessert much at lunch but I finished every crumb of this. Synopsis: If you want a little something sweet on the side, you need to check this out!

Mom and Eddies - Cheese Cake Swirl Brownie

Truck: Mom and Eddies
Location: Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emanuel
Date: October 11, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/momandeddies

Cheese Cake Swirl Brownie - $2

I usually don't hit the sweets trucks, but thought today what the heck. This is a very rich dark chocolate brownie, moist with a bit of chewiness on the edges. A lot of things labeled "cheesecake" are just have a bit of cream cheese baked on top. This tastes like real cheesecake batter. Synopsis: This is a great brownie.

Whole Foods Food Truck - Costa Rica Crepes

Truck: Whole Foods Food Truck
Location: Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emanuel
Date: October 11, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WholeFoodsHOU

Costa Rica Crepes - 3 for $9

Costa Rica is one of my favorite places in the whole world, I've been 7 times now. I was excited to try this crepe, it has a lot of the classic ingredients of Tico cooking in it. You get three large crepes, filled with Gallo Pinto, the classic Costa Rican breakfast food, i.e. beans and rice, plantains, chicken, pickled onions, and cilantro creme sauce. Its a yummy sounding combination right? Well, something isn't working for me. I kept getting a flavor that seemed out of place and then it hit me, the dish tasted like Pad Thai to me.I like Pad Thai, so the flavor wasn't unpleasant, but not what I was expecting. I'm trying to figure out what got me to Pad Thai. Maybe the combination of egg crepes, lots of ginger, and perhaps there was a tamarind marinade on the chicken? About the ginger, there was a lot from somewhere, I got a whole piece about the size of the end of my pinky, caliente! There was plenty of chicken, but nothing really stood out bad or good about the chicken.I won't go so far as to call this a bad dish, but it just didn't hit the flavors I associate with Costa Rica. Synopsis: This doesn't take me back to my last meal in Costa Rica.

Churrasco Truck - Fraldinha

Truck: Churrasco Truck
Location: Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emmanuel
Date: October 9, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChurrascoTruck

Fraldinha - $12

Oscar has a new sandwich on the menu, Fraldinha. Fraldinha is a Brazilian cut of flank steak, from the rear of the flank where it joins the bottom sirloin. It is grilled Brazilian style on giant sword like skewers. the sandwich is served on a fresh bolillo roll. Romaine lettuce, tomato and pickled red onions complete the sandwich. I love how these sandwiches come loaded down with a fork. You can eat a bit of the meat first to make the sandwich more manageable. The meat has great seasoning and is just delicious on its own. The sandwich condiments are there to compliment the meat and let it shine and stay the star. Its just a great sandwich.  Synopsis: Churrasco Truck has another winner with this sandwich.

Limeade

Oscar hooked me up with a glass of his fresh limeade. Most drinks like this are too sweet, but this is just pleasantly sweet. I recommend it, it probably better for you than soda anyway.

Gastro Punk - Gastro Punk Burger

Truck: Gastro Punk
Location: Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.
Date: October 5, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GastroPunkTX

Gastro Punk Burger - $13

Wow, this is a mountain of a burger. two, count them two, grilled cheese sandwiches are used as buns. A giant buffalo meat patty and plenty of bacon. My wife and I split this and it was plenty for two. Topped with plenty of rich caramelized onions and bacon. Don't forget the thick cut slices of wild boar bacon. Sauces are tamarind BBQ and remoulade, then your standard onion lettuce and tomato. This is a great burger, my one complaint is that I think the onions are so wet that the burger is instantly soggy, maybe if they were placed on the grill to dry out a little it would help, or just placed on the burger when it was flipped to drain marinate the meat. Synopsis: Come hungry and expect to get messy when you eat this burger.

Gastro Punk - Duck and Pork Burger and Wild Boar Brat

Truck: Gastro Punk
Location: Memorial Wine Cellar
Date: October 2, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GastroPunkTX

Duck and Pork Burger

When I got a tweet from Gastro Punk last week that he was adding a duck and pork burger to the menu I knew I would have to try it right away. The burger is a 50/50 mix of ground duck breast and pork. Served on a bun with red onions, tomato, and lettuce. The burger comes out nice and firm with out being dry, still a very moist piece of meat. It's really a classic burger with an interesting switch up on the meat. Synopsis: A great classic burger with a twist.

Wild Boar Brat with homemade Sauerkraut

I was talked into trying the wild boar brat that was also a new menu item. A homemade brat, smoked and then cooked in beer from Buffalo Brewing Company. The brat is nice and firm with a good snap when you bite it. Very tasty. The star though is the homemade sauerkraut. Most sauerkraut is a soggy mess in my opinion, but this is a whole different level, it's definitely sauerkraut, but still green and a bit crispy. It makes this for sure. Synopsis: I'm not sure what's is the star here, brat or kraut!

Churrasco Truck - Picanha House Special and Fried Plantain

Truck: Churrasco Truck
Location: Karbach Brewing Co.
Date October 4, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChurrascoTruck

Churrasco truck is sporting a new look, it was mostly red before and now sports a new more obviously Brazilian theme in Green, Black, and Yellow. Same great  food though.

Picanha House Special - $10

Picanha is one of the most popular cuts of meat in Brazil. It is not well known in the US and here it is called rump cap. It is the capping muscle of the sirloin area. It is the signature steak for a Brazilian Steakhouse. Expertly grilled Churrasco style here its super tender and well seasoned. A large portion is loaded on to a great fresh Bolillo roll. Served with avocado, tomato, and onions. The meat is so juicy and tender you just don't need a sauce. Synopsis: If you are going to try just one thing from Churrasco Truck, you have to try this.

Fried Plantain - $5

I had to laugh at the obscene image of a whole plantain deep fried when it was handed to me. Topped with a little sour cream, you get a whole plantain. This version seems to be rolled in a little cinnamon sugar. I think that's what give this a little crisp in the outside. Mine was perfectly cooked and that hint of cinnamon was very good. Synopsis: If you like plantains, you will like this.

Foreign Policy - Greece Burger and Veggie Fries

Truck: Foreign Policy
Location: Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emmanuel
Date: October 3, 2013
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ForeignPolicyTX

TGIFTF, Thank God it's Food Truck Friday! And even better there is a new truck for me to try at the Houston Food Park. Let me introduce you to Foreign Policy Truck. Their concept is you choose a vehicle, burger, fries, or taco, and then a country, Greece, Korea, or Mexico. Their prices are reasonable too, $7, $6, $2.

Greece Burger - $7

A burger made with gyro meat, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce. A nice big portion, and the gyro meat is sliced paper thin and heated to a little crust on the grill. The meat comes out super tender and nicely seasoned. Why doesn't tzatziki come on more things? Its a cool, yogurt based sauce with cucumbers, garlic, salt and olive oil. It works so well on this I bet it would work well on many sandwiches. I'm not much of a lettuce aficionado so skipping that on my burger suits me fine, nice fresh tomato and onions work well for me. Synopsis: when you're tired of rolling your gyro in flat bread  change your foreign policy and get you a Greece burger!

Veggie Fries - $6

These just naturally go with the Greece burger, fries topped with tzatziki, lettuce, tomato, onion, and feta cheese.The fries have a little crust on them and are seasoned. They are done nice and crisp so they stay crispy a good long time. I got mine with a little melted queso on the bottom. I immediately thought of a gyro at Niko Niko's when I took my first bite. This is just really well executed. The veggies make it all seem so light, and the tzatziki and queso aren't over done so they flavor the fries and the fries don't swim in it. If you like these Greek flavors, you're going to like this. Synopsis: The veggies make it seem like fries are good for you!

Foreign Policy Truck Menu