By Kathie Jenkins | Pioneer Press
Food trucks have been circulating in downtown St. Paul for three years, serving high-end street food. This summer on Wednesdays, five — plus one alternate — of the best are parking on Kellogg Boulevard near Wabasha Street for lunch from about 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Here’s our GPS on navigating the Food Truck Court. For other food-truck stops, follow each one on Twitter.
CHEF SHACK
Twitter: @chefshack1
Who: Chef Lisa Carlson and pastry chef Carrie Summer
Best dishes: Beer and bacon brat
Credit cards: Cash only
If you don’t have a lot of time, get in this line. These two food-truck pros know how to dish out lunch quickly. The sweet potato and pulled pork tacos are good, but the brat is better. The vegetable curry with brown rice, tofu and kokum (an Indian tropical fruit) is, to put it nicely, an acquired taste. This is one of only two trucks that offer dessert. But even with silver foil on top, the wee chocolate tart – about the size of a quarter – at $2 was overpriced.
FORK IN THE ROAD
Twitter: @forkNroadtruck
Who: Kari Offerdahl and Amy Frechette
Best dishes: Sandwiches, especially the red pepper with fresh mozzarella and grilled pulled pork and cheese
Prices: $1 to $7
Credit cards: All major
It’s all about great home-style cooking at this bright-orange truck. Lunchers are powerless before the grilled pork and cheese, curried chicken salad that’s more meat than mayo, peanut noodles and the strawberry-lemonade. Keep in mind that the food sells out quickly; last week, even the bottled water was gone by 12:30 p.m.
GASTROTRUCK
Twitter: @gastrotruck
Who: Chef Steven Trojahn
Best dishes:
Black-bean sliders, mac ‘n’ cheese, spiced caramel corn
Prices: $1 to $8
Credit cards: All major
Steven Trojahn was the executive chef at the upscale Cosmos in Minneapolis. Now, he drives a truck and feeds the masses black-bean sliders, smoked chicken soft tacos, mac ‘n’ cheese, potato salad and caramel corn. But in this case, the chicken is local, the beef comes from grass-fed cattle and the vegetables are organic. Gastrotruck not only proudly advertises the names of its suppliers but also displays its mission statement: “We know where our food comes from, do you?” Impressive, especially considering you can get a delicious beet salad for $3 and all condiments are house-made.
MAGIC BUS CAFE
Twitter: @magicbushotdogs
Who: Chef Chris Lockyear, Cathy Lockyear and Chrissy Russell
Best dishes: Meet Me in the Morning Dog
Prices: $1.50 to $6.50
Credit cards: Cash only
The team behind this psychedelic 1978 Chevy school bus takes the hippie gourmet approach to hot dogs. Starting with snappy dogs, they split and fry them to caramelize the edges, toast the bun and then add things that are, like, far out, man. Thumbs up on these two variations: Give Beets a Chance Dog (with beet-stained organic sauerkraut) and especially Meet Me in the Morning Dog (with scrambled organic eggs, bacon and cheese). For the vegan crowd, there’s also a tofu dog with meatless chili.
128 MOBILE CAFE
Twitter: @128Cafe
Who: 128 Cafe owner Jill Wilson and chef Ian Pierce
Best dishes: 128 Cafe signature ribs and steelhead trout with orzo
Prices: $1 to $11
Credit cards: Cash only
St. Paul’s 128 Cafe takes its show on the road, serving a rotating lineup of its signature dishes. In addition to the two winners above, I like the beet and Caesar salads – and love the message on the tip jar: “St. Paul is the new Minneapolis.” But I wouldn’t want to stand in line again for 45 minutes for tuna tacos that fall apart or the over-salted beef skewers. I wish I could order just a side of the spicy coleslaw that comes with the sandwiches and ribs.
SIMPLY STEVE’S (ALTERNATE)
Twitter: @simplysteves
Who: Chef Steve Ramlow and Katie Newham
Best dishes: Cajun turkey burger and red quinoa sliders
Prices: $3 to $7
Credit cards: All major
The name is a bit of an understatement. Sure, you can get a good bacon cheese burger or chicken Caesar wrap. But the best dishes – the Cajun turkey burger and curried quinoa sliders – are far from simple. Simply Steve’s also hits the road early in the morning, serving egg and bacon burritos to the breakfast crowd.
Pioneer Press restaurant critic Kathie Jenkins can be reached at 651-228-5585 or kjenkins@pioneerpress.com. Follow her on Twitter @ JenkinsCritic.
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