“Party Rock” is rocking Matilda the food truck as more than a dozen people line up at 11 a.m. one recent weekday on a downtown street, waiting for their order at Melt.

Many faces are familiar to the owners, Harriet Reis and Paget Pizitz, and the cook, Joey Dickerson. This nomadic eatery is parked at a relatively regular spot. Between the friendly people and music blaring from speakers attached to the truck, it is a convivial atmosphere despite the threat of rain.

In Birmingham’s burgeoning food truck scene, many purveyors specialize in somewhat exotic fare. Melt’s approach is more down-home and basic, built around the grilled cheese sandwich.

According to the self-described “cheesy chicks,” it is the cornerstone in the partnership between Pizitz, a certified matchmaker with experience in her family’s frozen-yogurt business; and Reis, who co-founded and helped run the restaurants Ocean and 26 for 10 years.

As the story goes, the two were considering the food truck menu when Reis’ sons one day commented that the only thing she could cook was a grilled-cheese sandwich. A concept was born.

Known simply as The Melt, the mother sandwich is a gooey blend of two cheeses served on griddled Texas toast. Some might balk at a $6 price tag for grilled cheese. Oddly, the same sandwich with a $2 upcharge to include some very good bacon seemed less spendy.

The grilled-toast theme follows through on other sandwiches. The concept works well with sliced meats like smoked turkey, with its Swiss cheese nicely melted and meat warmed; and the buttery griddled bread providing a nice crunch.

But the concept seems to overwhelm some sandwiches with fattier meats, such as the popular Burger Melt. The thick patty of juicy beef got lost in the fat of the buttered Texas toast. Some salt boosted the meat flavor, however, letting it hold its own.

Of course, it’s a matter of personal taste. The patty melt is common in diners and other restaurants that specialize in burgers, so they have an audience. Perhaps you’re among them.

Another popular sandwich at Melt, and deservedly so, is the Buffalo Melt. Chicken planks, breaded and fried crisp, are rolled in buffalo sauce and cooked with Monterrey Jack cheese.

Menu mainstays also include a chicken quesadilla and meat sandwiches served on pretzel rolls that included ham and habanero jack cheese and roast beef with Swiss cheese.

Many items rotate on and off the menu, such as the Southern Comfort, slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue, served with cheddar and onions on the grilled Texas toast. Patience is rewarded as the flavors build from the sweet sauce and moist meat.

Another sandwich gaining a following is a grilled-cheese filled with macaroni and cheese. As summer ripens local tomatoes, the Caprese melt with basil and balsamic glaze should hit a peak.

Food trucks enhance the culinary scene in Birmingham. They are a factor in why Zagat, a nationally known restaurant-rating guide, recently named Birmingham one of the country’s seven up-and-coming food cities. (Although Zagat calling Birmingham’s well-established and nationally-honored culinary scene “up and coming” is a bit like saying Christopher Columbus “discovered” an already populated land.)

Food trucks present challenges not found in brick-and-mortar restaurants. Eating at this rolling restaurant requires planning.

First, you have to find it. Sixth Avenue North at 19th Street and Third Avenue North at Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard are fairly common spots, judging from Melt’s Facebook page. Although Melt usually follows a lunchtime schedule, Matilda the truck also can be found at special events as well.

Facebook or Twitter (@meltbham) is the best way to keep up with where Matilda is parked that day. Also, weather is a factor. Check before you go.

Plan on a place where you will eat, because Melt offers no seating. Once you order, pay and get your food you are on your own. That’s fine when the truck is parked at or near places like Kelly Ingram Park. But plopping down a few feet away from the Melt truck on the stairs of the Cathedral Church of the Advent just doesn’t feel right.

Pet peeve time: Places that serve sandwiches to go should always cut them, at least in half, to make them easier and less messy to handle. Advice: Although Melt halves some sandwiches, be sure to ask them to cut yours when you order.

Now is the perfect time to enjoy al-fresco food trucks. At Melt you will find the familiar, and perhaps the combination of its charms will have you join its growing fan base.

DETAILS

What: Melt Birmingham; Check Facebook or Twitter (@meltbham) for locations

Prices: Sandwiches $6-$9; Drinks $1. Sides $1-$5.

Info: Generally open 11 a.m.-1:30ish; frequently found at special events. Cash and credit cards accepted. No alcohol; soft drinks and bottled water kept in a cooler. .

Bottom line: Review gets three stars out of five

http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/05/grilled_cheese_and_more_from_m.html

WVTM-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Birmingham, AL

BIRMINGHAM, AL - You may have seen lots of food trucks parked on UAB’s campus Wednesday.

It was part of a food truck festival to celebration UAB nurses during National Nurses’ Week.

Lots of UAB folks, including nurses, doctors, staff, students and Birmingham residents were invited to enjoy the food and live music.

The event took place at the UAB Women’s and Infants Center Park of Hope on 18^th Street South and 6^th Avenue South.

The food trucks were from Spoonfed Grill, Melt, Cantina, Fresh off the Bun, Dream Cakes, Off the Hook, Greg’s Hot Dogs, and Repicci Italian Ice.

A blood drive also took place at the UAB Hospital North Pavilion lobby.

http://www.alabamas13.com/story/22196329/food-truck-festival-takes-place-on-uabs-campus-wednesday

The new Shindigs Juice Cafe will serve lunch at the downtown branch of the Birmingham YMCA from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. (Photo courtesy of Shindigs Catering)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Shindigs Catering, the always-on-the-go catering company that runs the popular Shindigs food truck in Birmingham, will open a lunch and juice counter starting today at the downtown branch of the YMCA.

Shindigs Juice Café, as it is called, is located on the second floor of the Y. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

In keeping with the YMCA’s mission of developing a healthy mind, body and spirit, the Shindigs Juice Café menu will feature such healthier options as chicken sausage pizza and turkey salad lettuce wraps.

So don’t expect any steamed buns with pork bellies or crispy catfish, which you’ll find on the Shindigs food truck.

“It’s going to be healthy, but we are not going to promote it as healthy,” Shindigs co-owner Mac Russell says. “We are going to use our training as chefs to make it kind of naughty.”

Jonathan Brasher will be the manager of the Shindigs Juice Café, Russell says.

Russell and his culinary partner Chad Schofield worked for James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Hastings at Hot and Hot Fish Club before they cranked up their farm-to-fork Shindigs food truck in the summer of 2011.

When their truck is not out on the streets of Birmingham, their catering company stays booked catering private parties and corporate events.

The Shindigs Juice Café menu will change depending on what is in season, but here is the opening-day menu:

Entrees ($10)

Pork loin, with heirloom tomatoes, avocado, smoked spring onions, cilantro, lime and Manchego cheese.

Turkey salad lettuce wraps, with preserved Meyer lemon yogurt, sultanas, Marcona almonds and basil, served with a fruit salad side.

Nearly Gluten-Free Pizza, with spinach, chicken sausage, blistered cherry tomatoes, chevre and smoked romesco sauce.

Salmon, with farro, asparagus, fava, spring onions, corn, boiled yard egg and parmesan vinaigrette and baby beet greens.

Shrimp Poke‘, with brown rice, edamame, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, ramp-ginger vinaigrette and micro celery.

Smoothies ($6)

Elvis, with peanuts, banana, cocoa nibs, probiotic-protein powder, almond milk and yogurt.

Get Away, with pineapple, papaya, coconut, macadamia oil, avocado, tarragon and rice milk.

Berry Good, with strawberry, blueberry, blood orange, coriander, yogurt and soy milk.

Juices ($6)

Green, with spinach, kale, celery, apple and ramp.

Orange, with carrot, orange, papaya, ginger and coriander.

Purple, with blueberry, pomegranate, acai, beet and opal basil.

The plan is for Shindigs Juice Café to eventually begin opening earlier in the mornings to offer breakfast options and to stay open later in the afternoons to serve grab-and-go dinner dishes, Russell says.

For more information, go to the Shindigs website atwww.shindigscateringtrucks.com, or like Shindigs Catering on Facebook or follow @ShindigsCatering on Twitter.

http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/04/shindigs_catering_the_food_tru.html

On-On Tacos’ shrimp taco, Mexican Drunken Pintos and Chimichurri Coconut Rice. (Matt Wake | mwake@al.com)

MADISON,  Alabama — Recent examples of spectacular symbiosis include: Kate Upton and bikinis; Justin Timberlake and “Saturday Night Live”: Colin Kaepernick and bicep kissing; and Lena Dunham and 20-something slacker depictions.

On-On’s Mexican victuals are creative, quality, sharply-executed and fun. The Blue Pants taproom, located at the Madison’ brewery’s airplane hangar-like space, offer local beer aficionados tasty craft brews and warm commiseration. Together, the food truck and taproom combined for quite a satisfying food-and-drink experience.

On-On Tacos’ chorizo nachos. (Matt Wake | mwake@al.com)

 

A lone, Jimi Hendrix tee-wearing fellow operated the On-On truck (actually a 14-foot trailer), which parks just outside the Blue Pants door, when we visited on a brisk Thursday evening.

We started with chorizo nachos ($6.50, also available: pork, chicken and, for $1 extra, shrimp also) and a chicken quesadilla ($6.50, same options). The On-On cook warned us the chorizo might make the nachos greasy. This was not the case. Unless “greasy” is now synonymous with “excellent.” In addition to the slightly spicy/smoky pork sausage, the white corn chips were covered with Stout Black Beans and Mexican Drunken Pintos. And topped with Roasted Jalapeno Garlic Queso, which was thick without being rubbery.

The chicken quesadilla was yummy, and if you’re sharing your On-On Tacos meal with a date, it’s a much less messy appetizer option. Queso, tender chicken, black and pinto beans, grilled and sliced tortilla. The salsa served on the side was fantastic – fresh tomatoes chopped super-fine and some significant cilantro lift.

Most food trucks I’ve visited feature two-person crews. The solo On-On guy managed to get our entrees out to us in about 18 minutes, warm, well-cooked and effectively plated (on black disposable dishware).

On-On Tacos’ Crazy Carolina Burrito with salsa and tortilla chips. (Matt Wake | mwake@al.com)

I ordered the Crazy Carolina Burrito ($8). Smoked pork, crispy onions, red pepper slaw, pinto, Carolina sauce in a grilled tortilla. This basically tastes like a barbecue sandwich had a tawdry dalliance with a burrito and this is the food-child. Sweet, savory. Melt-y and crunchy. Cohesive.

We also ordered two Mama Plates ($6.50, with one taco and two sides): one pork, and for an extra buck, shrimp. The shrimp Mama Plate – ordered by a male Times reporter who shall remain nameless – was OK. Not overtly seasoned even with the included chorizo. Some crunchiness from the pineapple slaw. But the pork Mama Plate was awesome. Again, the barbecue-Mexican offspring thing, while the Chimichurri Coconut Rice added a distinct and pleasant sweetness and the sauce had a spicy-mustard vibe. As sides, the black and pinto beans were alright.

In addition, we went with a Big Quesarrito ($8), which like the Crazy Carolina and Create Your Own Burrito ($8), was among four burrito offerings not listed on the menu on On-On’s website. (But a food truck with more options than what you see online is a positive situation. The reverse … not so much.) The Quessarito’s tender chicken, cheddar and jack cheeses, coconut rice, queso, salsa and black beans added up to aces.

The Create Your Own gives you access to apparently every topping in the truck. We kept it simple: BBQ Pineapple Cabbage Slaw, beans, sour cream and cheese, leaving it up the latter to the On-On cook to choose whichever he wanted. Unfortunately, he chose no cheese.

Other than that omission, the only slightly negative aspect of our On-On meal was they were out of guacamole. And steak, which only really took Weedy’s Steak Burrito off the table.

The Blue Pants beer? The pint of Workman Ale paired well with the Mex. Much more complex and flavorful than a typical lager, while the Hoppy Tripel balanced sweet and bitter notes. The taproom’s service was efficient and it was a hoot to watch the bartenders jump up to retrieve silver mugs stored high on the blue walls.

Food truck culture exudes an underground appeal. But if they’re going to viable as a business, a truck’s product has to be restaurant-worthy. On-On Taco’s is … and it’s totally worth a drive out to Madison, too.

On-On Tacos
Parked at Blue Pants Brewery
500 Lanier Road, Madison
256-585-1037
on-ontacos.com

facebook.com/OnOnTacos 
Wednesday – Thursday: 4 – 8 p.m., Friday – Saturday: 4 – 9 p.m.
Recommendations: Chorizo nachos, pork tacos, Crazy Carolina Burrito.
Suggestions:  Pair with Blue Pants’ Workman Ale.
Alcohol:  They park outside a taproom.
Ambience: Food truck.
Service: Excellent for a food truck.
Vegetarian-friendly: Not more than average Mex.
Price range: Most entrees $6.50-$10.

http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/04/on-on_tacos_food_truck_serves.html

Mayor Todd Strange announced Thursday Montgomery Super Suppers was picked as the winner of the city’s food truck competition.
City of Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Mayor Todd Strange announced Thursday Montgomery Super Suppers restaurant was picked as the winner of the city’s food truck competition.

The restaurant at 8105 Vaughn Road will be permitted to park a food truck at the 924 Madison Ave. near the Jackson Street intersection. The city is using the competition to test the viability of food trucks in the city, according to the Montgomery Development Department.

Strange said the trial run of the truck will also help bring eatery options to what he described as “food deserts” in downtown.

“I am very excited to bring something new and delicious to downtown Montgomery,” owner Nick Jernigan said.

Jernigan said the restaurant plans to begin serving from the truck at the Madison Avenue address by May 1. He said the restaurant’s menu will be adapted for the mobile operation but would focus on fresh and quick Americana food. The restaurant will begin by serving the lunch crowd and adapt its hours of operation based on how well the business does, Jernigan said.

Melanie Golson, outreach coordinator for the city’s Development Department, said the trial run will be about six to eight months. Golson said the program would not require any new permits from the restaurant, and it will not be required to lease or pay for access to the city-owned space.

Golson said depending on the response from diners downtown, the program could be expanded. Jernigan predicted food trucks would become a regular eatery option in the city.

“Food trucks in the future will be a viable dining option in Montgomery,” Jernigan said.

http://blog.al.com/montgomery/2013/03/montgomery_super_suppers_wins.html

Food Fighter Bustaurant’€™s Hot and Sweet Ham and Swiss. (Matt Wake | mwake@al.com)

During his 13 NBA seasons, fiery shooting guard Vernon “Mad Max” Maxwell won two championships, punched a fan, became one of seven players ever to score 30 points in a single quarter and faked an injury because he was unhappy with his playing time.

Food Fighters Bustaurant is the Vernon Maxwell of Huntsville food trucks. Or at least it was on the brisk-yet-sunny lunch hour we visited.

The cooking, ingredients and concepts were happening but the execution was erratic. For example, the roast beef and Cuban-style loaf bread in Food Fighter’s French dip (called a Dippitadydoo) were of excellent quality and freshness. Deliciously prepared. But since no au jus was included in our order, we wouldn’t be doing any dipping on this day.

The bearded, aviator-shades-wearing dude that took our order was groovy-friendly and our order came out in just 10 minutes – that’s light-speed for a food truck. But later we discovered our order was short a sandwich and a soda, although we hadn’t been charged for the former.

Food Fighters is a converted yellow International school bus with Texas plates.  On this afternoon it was parked in the Huntsville Hospital Logistics Building parking lot, about a mile from Bridge Street Town Centre.

No seating or tables. A whiteboard resting atop a wizened plastic table outside Food Fighters listed four lunch menu sandwich options: French Dippitadydoo, Grilled Pastrami, Italian Beef Sandwich and Hot and Sweet Ham and Swiss, as well as several quarter-pound hotdog offerings. The sandwiches ran $7, which includes a can of soda (Coke products) and bag of chips (Fritos, Cheetos, Cool Ranch Doritos, Lay’s Potato Chips). The dog combos were $5.

Food Fighter Bustaurant’€™s Italian Beef Sandwich. (Matt Wake | mwake@al.com)

The bread used on each of the sandwiches was awesome. Reminiscent of French bread in shape, just much, much more fresh and soft. Impressive.

Usually, I’d rather watch an entire season’s worth of “The Bachelor” episodes back-to-back than consume ham.  But the Hot and Sweet Ham and Swiss was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had this year. The key was the pepper jelly. It combined with the soft bun, melty cheese and fresh-baked, rough-cut ham in a transcendent way.

The namesake meat on the Grilled Pastrami was peppery, smoky and mmmm. Some mustard, mayo or some sort of sauce would have been nice though. Again, just meat and bread. Like lunch at a posh prison. The Carolina Dog was ample and served on a better-than-the-norm bun, and topped with tasty (although a tad mild) chili, the latter blending with the mayonnaise-based slaw in a winning way.

Italian Beef Sandwiches are typically fairly drippy, but this one was barely damp. The meat was fantastic though and the Giardiniera – Italian-American style pickled cauliflower, onions and carrots – was an effective counterpoint. Still, the lack of moistness or sauce made the Italian Beef, like the pastrami and dip, seem incomplete.

Food Fighters maintains a website, Twitter and Facebook pages. They could better utilize these tools, which are essential for the malleable world of food trucks. We had to call to find out where they’d be. And it turns out the enticing menu listed on the website is for dinner and, besides hot dogs, had little in common with the lunch tally.

Which was a bummer. We were psyched about trying the Edmond Dantes Burger (with grilled onions, pepper jack cheese and spicy jelly), the Sriracha fries and The Moline (a pork tenderloin sandwich with cheddar, onions and bacon).  But since Food Fighters regularly parks at Straight to Ale’s taproom on Friday evenings, we’ll still get a chance.

And I’ll definitely give Food Fighters another chance. All the tools are there, they just need to get the maximum out of them and avoid the madness.

Food Fighters Bustaurant
Days/times of operations vary
Call or check Facebook or Twitter for updates
256-924-0553
foodfightersbustaurant.com 
twitter.com/BusFood
facebook.com/BusFood 
Recommendations:  Hot and Sweet Ham and Swiss.
Suggestions: Try them during dinner hours for more options.
Alcohol: No.
Ambience: School bus turned food truck.
Service: Good natured but check your order.
Vegetarian-friendly: Not really.
Price range: Most lunch items $5-$7.

http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/03/food_fighters_bustaurant_cooki.html

Photo by Julia Sayers

This weekend the Greater Birmingham Street Food Coalition hosted its first Street Food Rally to help feed the city’s growing food truck movement. Over the past year, Birmingham has seen a rise in the number of trucks, joining other cities that have embraced mobile eateries.

Being headquartered in Birmingham, it’s a trend we’re glad to see. We ate our way through the festival, and came up with our five favorites to give you a taste of what eating on the go looks like in the Magic City.

1. Rocket Shrimp from Off The Hook
Seafood truck Off The Hook takes fried shrimp to another level with this lightly battered and fried variety tossed in a spicy aioli. It’s got a kick, but not enough to overpower the shrimp’s fresh flavor.

2. Apple-Cranberry Quesadilla from Spoonfed Grill
One of the pioneers in the Birmingham food truck scene, Spoonfed serves up a mix of Southern and Southwestern dishes. Try the Apple-Cranberry Quesadilla filled with balsamic roasted red onions, apples, cranberries, goat cheese, and Monterey Jack in a roasted red onion tortilla. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and savory.

3. Char Sui from Fresh Off The Bun
Vietnamese-centric Fresh Off the Bun doesn’t shy away from showing off its French and Cajun influences. The Char Sui banh mi with barbecue pork, sriracha mayo, pickled carrots, and sweet chili sauce served on a French baguette plays up the owner’s New Orleans upbringing.

Photo by Julia Sayers

4. Crispy Catfish from Shindigs 

A champion for serving local fresh fare from truck, Shindigs Catering is all about blending Southern and Asian flavors. We love the crispy catfish with dashi grits and bacon kimchi beurre blanc.

5. Bajalieh Special from Slice
The Lakeview-based pizza joint, Slice Pizza & Brew, is also the proud papa of the only pizza truck in town baking with a stone oven. The Bajalieh Special topped with bacon, grilled red onions, and (ahem, Alabama made) Wickles banana pepper rings gets our vote for best pie.

Photo by Julia Sayers

http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2013/03/11/birmingham-rallies-for-street-food/

Food trucks have created a major craze in cities across the country, and now the mobile street vendors are rolling into downtown Montgomery.

In order to find out if food trucks will be a success in Montgomery, the city has created a competition. The winner will be the first ever to park in the downtown area.

Millbrook’s Schnitzel Wagon owner Renate Lindsey is keeping her fingers crossed that she can put her food truck to use, and her kitchen will soon be on wheels in Montgomery.

“We do German brats and sauerkraut. we also do a take on a chicken fajita. Oh and we do turkey legs,” she says.

Lindsey is competing against Montgomery’s Super Suppers in the Montgomery Food Truck Competition. The winner will get to park their food truck behind the State House Inn for a limited amount of time.

Food trucks are sweeping the nation, but they haven’t hit Montgomery.

“Let’s determine if there really is a demand for food trucks,” says City Development Director Chad Emerson. “We have heard to concentrate on what they call food deserts, so they will be going in a food desert.”

Emerson says this competition will help the city find out if food trucks are practical in the downtown area.

 ”There are a lot of people who work in these big buildings, and it would be great to have some variety for lunch,” says Cathy Brown who works near the State Capitol.

Traditional downtown restaurants like Smoothies-N-Things Cafe say food trucks may hurt their business.

“It may [hurt business]. They probably will want to try to food truck just to try the food to see how it is,” says Celeste Richardson who owns Smoothies-N-Things Cafe.

But for Lindsey, she’s hoping she wins the competition, but if she doesn’t, she’ll find a way to sell her German treats in the Capitol City.

“I’m like, I hope I win this. I’ve got a nice truck. Everything in it,” she says. “It’s not a fly-by thing for me. I’m really into it!”

City leaders and culinary experts will begin judging the competition in the next couple weeks. They will be looking at truck design, food and experience.

The winner will be announced early-April.

http://www.waka.com/news/montgomery-news/Food-Truck-Craze-Coming-to-Downtown-Mtgy-197207291.html

Over two thousand people showed up at Pepper Place Sunday afternoon to enjoy the great weather and some great food at Birmingham’s first Street Food Rally.

“I think it’s great. I think any opportunity to be able to enjoy good food with good people is awesome,” Claire Flowers said.

Off the Hook was one of the 10 food trucks that participated in the first annual Street Food Rally. Source: WBRC video

The difference is that today’s treats all came from mobile vendors. The event was put on by the Greater Birmingham Street Food Coalition. The group joined together to promote their businesses and show their importance to Birmingham city leaders.

“It’s new and improved food and food trucks. Great chefs get out here and wheel and deal with great food. So I think that helps out the city,” Jason Parkman with Spoonfed Grill said.

But these vendors say they need help from the city. The Birmingham city council is looking to pass a new ordinance that could change how these businesses operate.

“We’ve never really had any true guidelines, but we’re working with the city right now to create a new ordinance that will help us and help the city to control the street food vending,” Parkman explained.

Customers line up in front of the Shindigs Catering truck. Source: WBRC video

Councilman Johnathan Austin says the city is not against mobile vendors. They just want to make sure everyone operates in a legal, responsible way and within health guidelines.

“Let’s make some changes to the ordinance if we need to. Let’s look at changing the fees and zones and all the different things we need to do,” Austin said.

Slice’s pizza truck also joined in the event. Source: WBRC video

Coalition members say the support they received Sunday shows they should have a parking place within the Birmingham business community.

“We’re really sending a big, big message. The people want it. If the people want to support it, let’s have it,” Chris Bajalieh with Slice said.

The Food Truck Rally was held in the Cantina parking lot in Pepper Place Sunday afternoon. Source: WBRC video

Councilman Austin says the passing of a new ordinance has been put on hold for now, saying more dialogue is needed from both sides before moving forward. But he says the city hopes to pass a new ordinance by the beginning of summer.

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/21574797/thousands-enjoy-birminghams-first-street-food-rally

Barbeque ribs, chicken, pork and turkey served with sides of cole slaw, macaroni and cheese and baked beans are some of the lunches offered at the Badd Newz BBQ and Catering truck on Meridian Street Friday, March 8, 2013 in Huntsville, Ala. (Eric Schultz / eschultz@al.com)

You can see the large red truck parked in front of the desolate shopping center from quite a distance. Passing by Alabama A&M’s Louis Crews Stadium, the sizable grill attached to the truck is also in view and you can hear the generator, too.

The red vehicle is Badd Newz BBQ. The food truck’s logo features a buff, tong-wielding and, as barbecue mascots are wont, apparently cannibalistic pig.

Badd Newz’s menu is based around four meat options, ribs ($5 for sandwich), pulled smoked turkey ($4), pulled pork (3.50) and chicken leg quarter ($2.50). These meats are also available as plates ($10 for ribs, $7 for others), which include two sides and a slice of cake.

I ordered the pulled pork plate with mac-and-cheese and vinegar slaw. Sans sauce, it can be difficult to ascertain one barbecue joint’s pulled pork from another’s. Not an issue at Badd Newz. Their pork is seasoned noticeably spicier, but not so much that it induces sweat or evokes torture. Nice.

The mac-and-cheese was solid, but the vinegar slaw, which was sweet and chunky, was exceptional and provided perfect counterpoint to the spicy meat.

However, Badd Newz’s barbecue sauce tasted suspiciously like Kraft Mesquite Smoke. So none in our dining party really used too much of it. Which is good because even though we ordered food for six, we were given only one small single-serving sized container of sauce. And only three forks. And we were short a piece or two of cake and a drink.

Badd Newz’s Brooklyn-Nets-cap-wearing cashier was kind, if not hurried or detail-oriented. And it only took about 12 minutes for our large order to be brought out with a smile by a salt-and-pepper-bearded cook.

We also ordered a rib plate. The ribs were super-tender – the meat literally fell of the bone – with a good smoky and peppery taste. Very meaty and, for ribs, not overly fatty. An accompanying ice-cream-scooped side of potato salad featured well-balanced mustard and onion flavors and chunks of egg. But deeper into the serving, flavors and ingredients became uneven. A few more stirs in prep, and this side is a hit.

Our order also included pulled smoked turkey, boasting that tasteful spiciness, in both sandwich and plate configurations. The plate worked well – again, the slaw was an ideal pairing. The turkey sandwich, served on a standard barbecue bun, would really benefit from the addition of slaw on it, as its flavor was one-note.

Badd Newz’s serving sizes were right on. Enough to satisfy but not enough to make you a viable body double for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

The baked bean sides ordered with a couple of our plates also benefited from spice, offset with brown-sugar sweetness, although the latter could be dialed back a pinch.

The sweet tea ($1) was Southern-delicious. But it was the only beverage Badd Newz offered this day. (Insert “Seinfeld”-inspired “tea Nazi” joke here.) While the slices of lemon and chocolate cake weren’t impressive in curb appeal – the former looked like a debauched Twinkie – they were both moist and flavorful.

Badd Newz serves its food in white Styrofoam to-go boxes. I would recommend calling in your order for pick-up, as there’s no seating and the truck’s generator operates at vision-blurring volume. But if you’re at or near A&M – or just feel like a sunny-day, 10-minute drive from downtown – Badd Newz’s spicy barbecue is right there waiting for you.

And that’s good news.

Badd Newz BBQ
College Plaza parking lot
4701 Meridian St. N.
256-653-6893
facebook.com/BaddNewzBBQ 
11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday – Friday
(Every other Monday at Research Park, best to call first)
Recommendations:  Pulled pork, ribs, vinegar slaw.
Suggestions: Add slaw to smoked turkey sandwich.
Alcohol: No.
Ambience: Food truck.
Service: Kind if not hurried or detail-oriented.
Vegetarian-friendly: No.
Price range: Most items $4 -$10.

http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/03/badd_newz_bbq_huntsville_food.html