Gypsy Queen Café, 2 1/2 stars, $$$
Photo: Patrons in line at the first Food Truck Rally in Harbor East.

Baltimore’s fleet of food trucks are rallying again this weekend.

The series of weekly food truck rallies known as the Gathering will convene, for the first time, on the Sinai Hospital campus. The trucks will gather from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday at the Michel Mirowski Medical Office Building, 5501 Greenspring Ave. The band Greasy Hands will perform.

Expected to roll in are Gypsy Queen, The Sultan, Jolly Pig, Busia’s Kitchen, Wheyich, South Carolina BBQ, Flavor Cupcakery, Miss Twist, Great Cookie, Hardy’s BBQ, GrrChe, Kooper’s Chowhound, Charm City Gourmet, and Iced Gems Baking.

Some proceeds from Thursday’s Gathering will benefit the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute. And GrrChe is holding an online raffle to benefit the Brain Injury Association of Maryland. The raffle winner will receive a two-hour private party with the GrrChe food truck for a group of 50. Second prize is a commemorative Ravens signed football.

The Gathering doesn’t usually take place on Thursday, but some of the trucks are booked on Friday for the first of four monthly Summer Socials on West Shore Park, located between the Baltimore Visitor Center and the Maryland Science Center. That’s Friday, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m  The family-friendly event is free and includes a performance by Sons of Pirates.

Then on Saturday, Kommie Pig, Darua, El Cuervo, Gypsy Queen, Smoking Swine and Flavor Cupcakes will gather at Union Craft Brewing in Woodberry, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Union Food Court, an occasional event featuring food and live music. The event is free, and children are welcome. But, Union Craft’s Facebook notice says, “No fireworks, mimes, or socks with sandals.”

Gypsy Queen Café, 2 1/2 stars, $$$
Photo: Patrons in line at the first Food Truck Rally in Harbor East.
Taste: I went hoping to the get the Korean kimchi tacos, but they were out. Instead, I tried fish tacos and Buffalo chicken tacos. If you’re not a fan of fried food, these are underwhelming. Next time, I’ll go for the Crab Cone, a crab cake sitting on Old Bay-covered French fries, which seems like a diabolically delicious idea.
Menu: There’s good variety here: tacos, salads, seafood and desserts.
Price: The crab cone costs $12, but most dishes are less than $10.
Wait: Less than five minutes.
Twitter: twitter.com/thegypsytruck (Gene Sweeney Jr. / The Baltimore Sun /July 6, 2011)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/baltimore-diner-blog/bal-food-trucks-rallying-all-weekend-long-20130507,0,7492545.story?track=rss

Casey Dyson and her cookie scooter (photo courtesy Casey Dyson / April 9, 2013)

No doubt you’ve heard of food trucks, but Casey Dyson is taking the traveling food trend to another level with CookieRide — a self-described “mobile cookie jar.”

“I knew I wanted to do something with food,” she says. “I liked the idea of cupcake trucks and the hominess of products such as cupcakes and cookies, but I felt like there were a lot of cupcake trucks out there.”

So Dyson, a former baker at Touché Touchet Bakery in Columbia, decided to focus on cookies and opted for a scooter because it’s more eco-friendly than a truck.

“It has a much better carbon footprint, and it’s still really convenient,” Dyson, 48, says of her trademark red scooter from The Genuine Scooter Co. “It’s something that’s really fun and attracts customers — kids and adults.”

No doubt you’ve heard of food trucks, but Casey Dyson is taking the traveling food trend to another level with CookieRide — a self-described “mobile cookie jar.”

“I knew I wanted to do something with food,” she says. “I liked the idea of cupcake trucks and the hominess of products such as cupcakes and cookies, but I felt like there were a lot of cupcake trucks out there.”

So Dyson, a former baker at Touché Touchet Bakery in Columbia, decided to focus on cookies and opted for a scooter because it’s more eco-friendly than a truck.

“It has a much better carbon footprint, and it’s still really convenient,” Dyson, 48, says of her trademark red scooter from The Genuine Scooter Co. “It’s something that’s really fun and attracts customers — kids and adults.”

For $2, you can enjoy a 2-ounce homemade cookie in a variety of flavors, including standards like chocolate chip and peanut butter, as well as seasonal flavors. Protein-rich Power Bites are $2 and contain nuts, dried fruit and agave nectar. Gluten-free and peanut-free cookies also are available.

In order to sell her cookies, Dyson acquired state and local licenses and permits, as well as the food safety ServSafe certification.

CookieRide frequents Columbia-area pools, parks and office building parking lots. To find out where Dyson will be next, be sure to check out her Twitter and Facebook pages, where she posts her daily schedule.

She expects to restart curbside sales on her scooter in late April or early May and continue until early November. Dyson offers delivery and party services to homes and offices year-round as well. The standard party package is two hours and includes a cookie cake, activities and games for $15 per child.

“I love Columbia, and I consider this a little bit of service to Columbians, whether they’re at the pool or the lakefront or coming to the farmers market,” says Dyson, who lives in Kings Contrivance. “I’m a local person supplying good homemade food. You can pronounce every ingredient. I enjoy the neighborhood dynamic and giving back to the community.”

CookieRide, 443-562-7127, cookieride.com

http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/howard/events-entertainment/dining/bs-exho-columbia-cookieride-scooter20130409,0,932597.story

Joann Calwell, owner and sous chef of The Jolly Pig, calls a customer’s name for their order during a November 2012 food truck rally in Towson. (Baltimore Sun Media Group Photo / November 8, 2012)

The food truck rally known as The Gathering comes to Meadow Mill for an all-day family-friendly party.

The Gathering is at 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Meadow Mill, 3600 Clipper Mill Road. It’s accessible to the Woodberry Light Rail station and bicycle friendly. One of the rally’s co-sponsors is Bikemore, a Baltimore bicycle advocacy organization.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Moveable Feast and Ride for the Feast 2013, a fundraising bike ride from Ocean City to Baltimore, scheduled for May 11-13.

Wheyich, The Sultan, South Carolina BBQ, Woody’s Taco Island, Gypsy Queen, Kommie Pig, Jolly Pig, GrrChe, Souper Freaks, Charm City Gourmet, Miss Twist, Darua, Cruisin’ Cafe and IcedGems Creations are all expected.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/baltimore-diner-blog/bal-food-truck-rally-saturday-at-meadow-mill-20130405,0,5498584.story

Seung Cho, Matthew Finch and Adam Ardakanian enjoy entrees at the food truck rally at McHenry Row in July 2012. (Baltimore Sun Photo / July 28, 2012)

The food-truck rally known as The Gathering kicks off a new season on Friday night in Hampden.

The 2013 debut Gathering will take place in the parking lot of the Castle, at the corner of Keswisk Avenue and 34th Streets in Hampden, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Gypsy Queen, Kooper’s Chowhound, Mis Shirley’s, Chicken ‘N Waffles, Kommie Pig, Jolly Pig, Souper Freaks, Charm City Gourmet, Flavorful Cupcakes and Icedgems Creations are all expected. Live music will be performed by Soul Centered at the event, and guests can purchase $20 unlimited drink wristbands ($15 if purchase online through Missiontix).

Damian Bohager, who organizes the rallies, said that he has almost 40 Gatherings on the book this year. Bohager also said he’ll be bringing the rallies to Anne Arundel and Harford counties, adding non-food vendors into the mix and expanding the roster of performers, disc jockeys and non-profit partners.

There is also a new website and Facebook page for the Gathering.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/baltimore-diner-blog/bal-the-gathering-food-truck-rallies-20130321,0,6412164.story

MATT GRONCKI EATS A GYPSY QUEEN CRAB CONE – STEVE RUARK

It was a dark and stormy February afternoon in Hampden. The smell of french fries and chicken curry filled the air. That’s when I encountered a gypsy queen in a castle full of iced gems.

It was my third visit to The Gathering: Baltimore’s Traveling Festival at the Castle on Keswick and 34th Street. The pop-up food festival began in the summer of 2011 and has continued to become a favorite of foodies living in Baltimore.

On this particular weekend afternoon, Gypsy Queen, Darua Food Truck, Cruisin Cafe, IcedGems, Sultan, GrrChe Gourmet Grilled Cheese, SouperFreak, andBusia’s Kitchen were on hand to feed the crowd. They served everything from Brazilian stew feijoada at Darua to Polish dumplings at Busia’s Kitchen.

The number of food trucks varies as does the locale. The next one will be held March 22 in Hampden and at Locust Point’s McHenry Row March 29. Stratford University in Little Italy, Harbor East and Reservoir Hill have also hosted The Gathering. Local bands Greasy Hands, Brooks Long & The Mad Dog No Good and Photo Radio have played live music.

Mobile canteens are nothing new in American history; its origins date back to the late 17th century with the idea of horse-drawn food wagons. The latest incarnation, the food truck phenomenon, was borne during the recession in cities throughout the U.S. as diners looked for cheap eats and entrepreneurial chefs looked for cheaper alternatives to opening a new full-service restaurant. The food truck scene hit a snag a couple of years ago and the trucks were almost forced to leave downtown until the city designated food truck zones.

But it seems the phenomenon is here to stay.

On any given weekday food trucks can be found in dense areas of Baltimore City, including downtown, near Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland and other locales. (For a complete list of all the food truck locations in Baltimore, check out Charm City Food Trucks.)

Events like The Gathering help Busia’s Kitchen Owner Pat Dembeck find new fans of her cabbage rolls and pierogies. “It gets you in front of people you ordinarily don’t serve during the work week and occasionally gets your truck private bookings.”

While chatting with a few people on the patio, the consensus was loud and clear: Gypsy Queen was definitely the truck to visit. Naturally, the line was longest for the food truck declared the best in Charm City by both the Baltimore City Paper and Baltimore magazine last year.

Many people were walking away from the truck with a cone-shaped item wrapped in aluminum foil. Once I finally reached the window I asked for what I’d affectionately named “the cone of unknown.” It turned out to be a large waffle cone with old bay fries stuffed to the brim, topped with a crab cake smothered in a sweet and spicy aioli sauce — the famous Crab Cone.

Next, I made my way over to Darua to sample their Brazilian street food. I talked with Marcelo Salles, partner and chef at Darua food truck.

“Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil,” he said. “It’s a slow-cooked black bean stew with five different kinds of pork served with collard greens and rice.”

I opted instead for the chicken croquette, which was fried to perfection on the outside, with flavorful, tender meat on the inside.

I walked by the Iced Gems cupcake truck and spotted Paul DiMeo from “Extreme Makeover” fame chatting with fans while filming a new TV series titled “Second Act.” Scheduled to air in April on RLTV, “Second Act” is about what people can do once they retire from their day jobs. Hmmm…start a food truck perhaps?

Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to taste any of the 15 flavored cupcakes that IcedGems had to offer because the owners sold out of their 1,000-cupcake supply.

I made my final stop at GrrChe for a BCT — bacon, cheddar, and tomato — sandwich and I also sampled the shrimp basket from Cruisin’ Café.

On my way to the drink station I spoke with first-time Gathering attendee Travis Crawford, who raved about the spiked hot chocolate. Would he return?

“Yes, when the weather breaks. Hopefully there will be a wider selection of food trucks.”

Arli Lima is a freelance journalist and food enthusiast. She is a Baltimore resident who combines her love of writing and food on her blog Arli’s Appetite. 

Gypsy Queen photos by STEVE RUARK. The Gathering photo by Arli Lima. Feijoada photo courtesy of Darua Food Truck.

http://bmoremedia.com/features/thegathering031913.aspx

Celebrate the arrival of spring at Friday’s food-truck Gathering. More than a dozen trucks will line up from 5-10 p.m. at the building called “The Castle” at Keswick and 34th Streets in Hampden.

You’ll find Gypsy Queen, Kooper’s Chowhound Burger Wagon, Jolly Pig, Miss Shirley’s, Iced Gems, Charm City Gourmet, Souper Freaks, Grr Che, and more.

There will be drinks and music, too. Live entertainment will feature Soul Centered. All-you-can-drink wristbands will be available for $20.

The next Gathering will be on March 29 at McHenry Row.

Let the season begin.

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/ingoodtaste/2013/03/return-of-the-food-truck-gatherings

Dan Gross/The Gazette
David “Curley” Cornblatt and his food truck on Fishers Lane in Rockville.

Pulled pork, dry-rub ribs and a side of coleslaw — right outside the office door. Some food trucks hope to attract customers in Montgomery County by making walking to lunch easier for even the most suburban of office parks.

David “Curley” Cornblatt owns Curley’s Q, a Montgomery-based barbecue food truck and catering business. He also runs the Montgomery County Food Truck Association, a group of food truck owners who work together to promote and support each other.

Dan Gross/The Gazette
David “Curley” Cornblatt takes Karen Schandler’s lunch order from his food truck parked on Fishers Lane in Rockville. Shandler has been a customer for one year, as long as Cornblatt has been coming to the street near her office.

One of Cornblatt’s latest projects is a partnership with The JBG Cos., which owns several office buildings on Fishers Lane in the Twinbrook area of Rockville. His hope is to soon bring a group of food trucks to the area, which is short on restaurants, on a regular basis.

“(The goal is) to keep that space exciting, new and fresh, as well as helping the Montgomery County food trucks out,” he said.

Food trucks can make the area more vibrant and add amenities for building tenants, Cornblatt said.

Rod Lawrence, a partner at JBG, said several food trucks were already showing up along Fishers Lane, but JBG is working with the food truck association to get a few more

trucks there on a regular basis.

“The idea is to make it more consistent so people know who’s going to be out there on any given day,” Lawrence said.

While there are still a few kinks to work out, the partnership could eventually bring groups of food trucks to other areas of the county.

“We’re trying to use Twinbrook as a prototype,” Lawrence said.

One of the reasons for focusing on Fishers Lane right now, Lawrence said, is that the area is home to a lot of government office buildings without many restaurants or retail stores on the first floors because of security requirements. JBG would like to see more restaurants in the area, he said — maybe even a few that got their start as food trucks.

“In an area that has limited retail opportunities … it seems like a good opportunity for these people to come in and see how strong this location is,” he said.

Of the few brick-and-mortar restaurants nearby, Lawrence said he doesn’t want food trucks to draw away their customers.

“We want to be sensitive that we don’t take away from their business,” he said.

Cornblatt said the association tries to help food trucks get along with their stationary neighbors.

“We want to make sure that we’re not an eyesore and we’re not a problem,” he said.

Trucks should not pull in front of competing restaurants, Cornblatt said, but could hand out drink coupons or do other promotions to support restaurants in the neighborhoods they serve.

“We don’t want to hurt anybody (and) we don’t want to take away from anybody,” he said. “Hopefully, we can use the food trucks to bring people to our friends and even to competing restaurants.”

http://www.gazette.net/article/20130315/NEWS/130319356/1040/montgomery-food-trucks-hone-in-on-restaurant-scarce-areas&template=gazette

Busia’s Kitchen

@busiaskitchen, busiaskitchen.com

A Polish food truck? Tak! That means yes in Polish, but you won’t need to translate to order delicious cheese pierogi, golabki, and even simple hot dogs. The Polish platter is tremendous and cheap.

Cazbar

@CazbarBaltimore, cazbar.pro

A staple at First Thursdays, Artscape, and other celebrations, this truck brings the Mount Vernon Middle Eastern favorite to the streets.

GrrChe

@grrche, grrche.com

This beloved truck offers gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches on the go. But these aren’t just any grilled cheese sandwiches, these are the kind of creations that might have been dreamed up by Blondie’s sandwich-loving husband when he accidentally smoked weed. Crab grilled cheese? Check. Pastrami and angus beef on a grilled cheese? You know it. The best grilled cheese you’ll ever eat.

Gypsy Queen Cafe

@thegypsytruck, gypsyqueencafe.com

When we first tried the Korean cheesesteak, we couldn’t talk about anything else for months. It’s a huge mess, but the kimchi, steak, and cheesy sauce are so well worth it that we’d eat it naked with no napkins if we had to. Everything they serve is almost that good. Almost.

Kommie Pig

@kommiepigbbq, kommiepig.com

Kommie Pig has the best pulled pork this side of Andy Nelson’s. It’s not smothered with wet sauce but defined by the flavor of the meat and a dry rub. The collard greens and the baked beans are damn good too. They’ve got an enjoyable sense of humor and a cool-looking truck.

Kooper’s Chowhound

@BRGRWagon, kooperschowhound.com

One of the first food trucks on the scene, Kooper’s keeps rockin’ those sinfully good gourmet burgers. Sure, they let you build your own, but you probably won’t come up with anything as decadent as the insanely delicious Baja burger. It’s dangerous when they park close to your office too often.

Miss Shirley’s

@MissShirleys, missshirleys.com/foodtruck

The queen of Southern brunch has hit the streets with her crispy chicken and waffles. We’re surprised she hasn’t been fined for disrupting traffic.

Souper Freak

@souperfreaky, souperfreaks.com

This team is now running Women’s Industrial Kitchen, but you can still find their orange truck out on the road serving gourmet soups, salads, and sandwiches.

Tacos Jalisco

South Broadway near Bank Street

This food truck has more in common with the little taco joints of Upper Fells than it does with the trendier new food trucks. And that’s not a bad thing. With no web presence, Tacos Jalisco is more interested in feeding you good, cheap tacos than it is in updating a Twitter feed.

The Wild Dog

@thewilddogcart, thewilddogcart.com

The Wild Dog Cart shows just how unimaginative most hot dog carts are. Take the Mexican dog, for instance. It’s got green chilies, cheese, salsa, and crushed corn tortilla chips. Now that’s how you make a hot dog!

http://citypaper.com/special/eat/food-trucks-1.1453647

Linda’s Luncheonette just completed a successful Kickstarter and will be rolling out their gourmet comfort food to Montgomery County this spring/summer!  I’ll post another reminder when they’re just about to start serving

http://foodtruckfiesta.com/coming-soon-to-moco-lindas-luncheonette-lluncheonette/

The food truck from D.C. restaurateur Jose Andres will be giving away sandwiches when it stops in Bethesda Row next week.

A Facebook announcement this afternoon from the Pepe Food Truck said the first 100 sandwiches will be free when the truck stops near the Equinox gym (4905 Elm St.) on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Equinox is partnering in the promotion.

Sandwiches include shredded beef, eggplant, fried chicken, Spanish pulled pork and the Futbol Club Barcelona, or club sandwich. The menu also includes chicken noodle soup, spinach and garbanzo bean salad, chips and patatas bravas.

One of Andres’ Jaleo tapas restaurants is on Bethesda Row (7271 Woodmont Ave.) and the chef credited with popularizing tapas in the U.S. lives in Bethesda.

Flickr photo by justgrimes

 http://www.bethesdanow.com/2013/02/21/pepe-food-truck-bringing-free-sandwiches-to-bethesda-row/