Roaming Eats

Food Truck Dining Delights

Christine Van Dyk, Writer
Reading Time: 6 minutes
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Photo courtesy of Viveca Averstedt

Swedish food has found its home in a blue and yellow truck known as SwedeDish. Onboard this roving restaurant, bold flavors are served up daily by Viveca Averstedt, a petite blond with a flair for Scandinavian food and a peculiar fondness for Viking helmets. The popular food truck has even been featured on Eat St., a Cooking Channel program that showcases food truck vendors, such as Averstedt, which it calls “food mavericks with creative takes on mobile meals and inspiring stories to tell.”

While cooking from inside a 200-square-foot kitchen may not be the norm for most chefs, it appears to be old hat for Averstedt, a former European fuel racecar driver who developed her culinary skills at the track. With no stomach for cheap and greasy food, “Sweden’s drag queen” began creating proper meals for her pit crew from the back of her small mobile kitchen, and she’s been cooking on the streets ever since.

Today, Averstedt continues to serve up heaping portions of those native dishes. Her signature item — Thor — is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs Swedish version of a hot dog. It begins with two heaping scoops of homemade mashed potatoes, topped with real crab salad and an all-beef hotdog. Wrap it all up inside some Swedish flatbread with authentic spices and you have the truck’s No. 1 seller.

Unique flavors, like the ones found in Thor, are the reason for the success of the modern food truck. Inside these mobile kitchens, culinary creatives are whipping up dishes you may not find in traditional brick-and-mortar eateries — a godsend for workers on a job site who want more than drive-through burgers or roller food from the nearest convenience store.

In cities like Portland, OR, the scene has taken on a life of its own with more than 500 trucks peppering the urban landscape. In Austin, there are even tours to welcome visiting fleets of food trucks. The trend is led by Millennials searching for new flavors at affordable prices. Tweets and other social media help diners discover where their favorite trucks are headed to next.

If you’re new to the scene, here are a few tips to keep in mind when dipping your taste buds into the world of curbside dining:

Take A Lap — When visiting spots with multiple trucks, take a lap around before placing your order. Not only will you get a better idea of what’s available, you’ll also avoid diner’s regret by not missing out on the special dish at the back of the lot.

Get On Board — The best way to choose your meal is to look for the menu board posted on every truck. Typically, signature dishes are featured more prominently in the design. If you have questions about a dish or its ingredients, there’s no shame in asking.

Stay Healthy — Food trucks can break the calorie bank if you’re not careful. To ensure a healthy meal, look for grilled lean proteins, avoid fatty and sugar-laden condiments and go heavy on the veggies at favorites like the taco truck. If you’re still craving a sweet treat after your meal, look for Latin American ice pops. These chilly popsicles in creative flavor combinations will end your experience on a sweet note.

Eat In Season — For the freshest flavors, look for produce that is in season. Not only will you be enjoying tastes that are typically local, it’s also your best bet for an affordable meal.

Mix And Match — One of the greatest things about the food truck experience is the chance to put together a meal from a variety of exciting cooks. A little of this and a little of that is the dining approach that makes your taste buds are happy and your belly full. After all, who says you can’t enjoy Korean tacos with barbecue sliders and Mexican corn with a salted caramel cupcake?

So whether you’re grabbing lunch with the crew or headed out for a date night, consider this: The most exciting food may not be at that fancy restaurant around the corner after all. With international dishes and tastes that often defy reason, you just might find your favorite meal on the blacktop of a parking lot — and don’t be surprised if it’s served by a petite blond woman wearing a Viking helmet.

Hitting The Streets: Where To Find The Best Food Trucks

Chefs aboard today’s food trucks are turning street-side cuisine into an art form, but just how do you locate the best bites in the city? Here are some ideas for how you can track down the top roadside eateries — whether you’re at home, on a break from work or looking for new flavors to explore during your travels.

Get Social — The easiest way to find out where your favorite truck is parked is to follow the vendor on social media. Twitter is a great place to scout out where your top picks will be headed next and what specials they’ll be featuring.

Go Online — Websites such as RoamingHunger.com let you search for trucks at home, on the road or wherever your job might take you. The site features diner feedback, information on booking a truck for your next event and an interactive map so you can find where your meal is parked.

Park It — Food truck parks, like The Little Fleet in Traverse City, MI, feature a number of roaming dining options in a single location. Parks are a great option for large groups trying to please a number of different palates as well as newbies who wish to sample a bit of everything. Plus, you’re likely to find picnic tables, restroom facilities, live music and other amenities that make the experience even more fun.

Get To Business — Food trucks are magnets for metropolitan workers and a great culinary equalizer. Contractors and crew members, secretaries and execs, students and seniors — everyone lines up at lunch to score some delicious eats.

To Market, To Market — Farmer’s markets are ideal for homegrown produce and fresh-that-day proteins, making them the perfect place for some yummy — and healthy — food truck dishes.

Late-Night Eats — There’s no better time to enjoy street food than after an evening of dancing and mingling with friends. So the next time you’re out until dawn, make sure to pop by a food truck for a satisfying nighttime pick-me-up.

Gas Up — Gas stations are often great options for lunchtime. Food trucks set up shop in parking lots and offer a tasty alternative to the typical Big Gulp and corn dog combo — perfect for those who typically get their food on the go.

Get A Higher Education — Not only are college students fans of quick food, they’re also in search of the newest flavors, making universities great spots for alternative food truck menus.

Event Parking — Festivals, concerts and sporting events are also good places to score some roadside food — and a far cry from the typical fair food you’ve come to associate with eating out of a truck.