Now under new management

Things are always changing out on those mean streets of Minneapolis, and the street-eats cuisine is constantly evolving. Trucks and trailers come and go (mostly new ones keep coming). One truck has recently undergone a change.

We recently visited Mr. Mustachio’s under the mistaken impression that they were still being operated by their original owners. Thankfully, after that story ran, the new mind behind the mustache reached out and set us straight. Nikki Townsend has been operating the truck for this season. We asked her all about what we could expect to find at this dapper vehicle.

http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2013/05/mr_mustachios_food_truck_new_management.php

Sam Black, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
There’s still a bit of room between those first two, if you’ve got a food wheelbarrow.

The number of food trucks in Minneapolis multiplied sixfold since 2010. The number of parking spaces didn’t. You can probably do the rest of the math yourself.

But if you need some assistance, WCCO obliges, detailing the game of musical chairs that happens every morning, as food trucks begin circling prime spots (mostly around the IDS Center on Marquette Avenue) before 9 a.m. (This is, by the way, the flip side of the supposed “mobile advantage” that brick-and-mortar restaurants often cry foul over: A skyway restaurant can’t pick up and park wherever it likes, but its owner doesn’t have to wake up every day wondering if somebody will move into his kitchen.)

There isn’t much tension reported; most of the food trucks owners get along pretty well and work in groups, so one truck isn’t left by its lonesome way down the block. The late start of the season has raised the stakes for the owners, though.

Minneapolis food trucks owners should feel lucky they don’t live in New York, where, the New York Times notes, it’s nearlyimpossible to operate one without violating some law, ordinance or pirate code.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2013/05/is-breakfast-over-if-youre-a-food.html

Joy Summers
A new sustainable-eats option now at a Minneapolis curb near you

Another food truck season is finally up and running. Among the first trucks of the new crop of street food entrepreneurs is a grassy-green truck adorned with a little goat that is on its third day of downtown Minneapolis business. The Moral Omnivore truck promises ethical eats “from beets to bacon.” We slapped on a little sunscreen and placed our first order.

Joy Summers
Reusable bamboo utensils available to reduce your “forkprint”

The team inside the truck is Ross Stirratt and Linnea Logas, a young married couple. Stirratt grew up in Buffalo, Minnesota, and graduated college with a degree in philosophy, setting him up for a career in the restaurant industry. While working at a pizza shop in Minnetonka, he dreamed up the menu for the Moral Omnivore (nicknamed Mo on their website.)

Logas also grew up in Buffalo and graduated with a degree in philosophy and is now working toward her masters in marriage and family therapy, setting her up for a successful working experience with her spouse in the cozy confines of a food truck.
Their menu lists vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free items as well as dishes to delight carnivores. The Wellington burger ($8.50) is topped with caramelized onions and a smear of earthy, good pate. It was juicy, savory, but hard to eat. The bun disintegrated as the juices seeped into the soft bread.

Joy Summers
Fried tomato BLT

In contrast, the sturdy, toasted bun used for the little fried tomato BLTs ($7 for two) were the right bread for the job. Tender little red tomatoes are fried crunchy on the outside and sweet and soft on the inside. The tomatoes are set atop some tartly seasoned dark greens and crunchy, cabbage-dominated slaw. Beneath that are hunks of seriously good bacon. There are all kinds of textures lurking in each bite. The flavors are tart, sweet, salty, bright, and smoky.

Joy Summers
Curried mushroom fries

On the side we tried the curried mushroom fries ($3). A paper boat cradled slices of portobello mushroom in a super-crispy panko crust. The steamy perfume wafting off these makes a fantastic facial. The heady mix of garlic and curry are balanced by the mellow mushroom flavor and the creamy mustard dipping sauce.

In addition to Stirratt and Logas’s commitment to selling locally sourced, ethically raised food, the Moral Omnivore donates produce to local food shelves and hosts a weekly “Eat With Your Heart Out” day in which 5 percent of proceeds are donated to a Minnesota charity.

The Moral Omnivore
Moral Omnivore website
Facebook
Twitter

http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2013/04/the_moral_omnivore_food_truck_now_open.php

File photo: Food truck (Atlanta) Credit Atlanta Street Food Coalition

A Minneapolis food truck operator wants to serve in Hopkins, but recommended limits on where the truck could park could halt the plan before it ever starts.

The unidentified food truck operator asked permission to sell food in front of the Hopkins Tavern on Main between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fridays, Assistant City Manager Jim Genellie told the City Council on Tuesday.

The plan would be a mutually beneficial arrangement for the bar and food truck operator. The Tavern has an extensive beer and drink list, but its food is limited to appetizers and pizza. The food truck would be able to offer them something more substantial so they wouldn’t have to go elsewhere.

Councilman Jason Gadd said he was largely in favor of the proposal. He noted that the council had just finished discussing a possible brewpub ordinance and that other communities have found that food trucks and brewpubs are a great match.

But others weren’t so sure.

Mayor Gene Maxwell worried that allowing the truck to park right in front of the Hopkins Tavern would benefit one business—and possibly hurt nearby restaurants. He suggested that the truck park in the parking lot by Clock Tower Plaza, less than a block away from the Tavern, so that it would be focused on serving the entire community instead of a single business’ customers.

Kersten Elverum, the city’s economic development and planning director, said that could potentially liven up the area around the Clock Tower, particularly if more food trucks decided to come in.

But the food truck operator who instigated the conversation isn’t so excited about the idea, Genellie said. City staff are meeting with him Monday, and he could decide to back off the idea.

Even if that happens, Hopkins will likely draw up some provisions for food trucks because of outdated language relating to food carts. The bulk of the ordinance no longer applies because Hennepin County, not Hopkins, does food inspections. While they’re reworking the food cart requirements, it’s a good time to insert rules for food trucks, Genellie said.

If the food truck operator does decide to set up shop in Hopkins, the city would likely not create an ordinance right away. Instead, it would set up a contract with the food truck operator—effectively leasing space on the street to the operator—as a test to determine the best procedures. If that test worked out, the city would then craft an ordinance that any food truck could use.

http://hopkins.patch.com/articles/council-limits-could-keep-food-truck-from-coming-to-hopkins

The Tin Fish food truck.

Tin Fish is taking its ice cream on the road, selling all-natural popsicles out of a restored 1958 Grumman Olson Kurb Side van.

Owner Sheff Priest spent months hunting for the vintage van, finding no more than three for sale nationally at any given time.

“Think 1950s soda fountain on wheels,” Priest said.

The food truck will circle Lake Calhoun, but it can also stop at private parties or venues like the Edina Farmers’ Market.

Along with Tin Fish’s standard ice cream lineup, the chefs are exploring “grown-up novelties,” perhaps coconut-milk ice cream or gluten-free flavors.

Changes are coming to the stationary restaurant as well. Tin Fish is revamping its lighting to install LED lighting and remove floodlights visible across the lake. New perimeter lights will shine all night to improve safety.

“We’re tripling in lighting, and cutting electricity consumption by more than half,” Priest said.

Tin Fish is currently applying to license the food truck, and staff hope to begin making rounds as soon as the weather warms.

http://www.southwestjournal.com/news/biz-buzzes/tin-fish-launching-food-truck

Credit westchase food truck rally

Monday

• The Burnsville Planning Commission will consider a new ordinance specifically tailored to food trucks and other semi-mobile vendors. See more here: Food Trucks and Vending Ordinance Review. Meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.

• The Shakopee Park and Rec Advisory Board will consider the extension of the Memorial Park trail to Sarazin Street and related park improvements, which first required an archaeological study. Meeting at 7 p.m. at city hall.

Tuesday

Friends of McColl Pond will meet on March 26 at 6 p.m. at the McColl Pond Environmental Learning and Event Center.

Wednesday

The regular meeting of the Burnsville Performing Arts Center Advisory Commission has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the management contract for the facility.

http://shakopee.patch.com/articles/meeting-preview

Food truck wars, lunch wars, skyway vs. food trucks — the conflict between the brick and mortar restaurants in downtown Minneapolis and the growing population of food trucks has bred plenty of euphemisms, but essentially the situation comes down to a question of turf. Some restaurant owners have asked food trucks to disperse their ranks throughout downtown to ease the heavy concentration of trucks along the eastside of Marquette Avenue.

Earlier in January, citing revenue and parking loss, a coalition of downtown restaurants, who call themselves the Downtown Food Committee, held a meeting to discuss the concentration of food trucks parking between 6th Street and 8th Street on Marquette and how it was adversely affecting their businesses.

Some of the restaurants have reported up to a 30 percent drop in revenue, said Doug Sams, head of the Downtown Food Committee and owner of downtown’s D. Brian’s Deli & Catering for 26 years. Sams believes that the heavy concentration of trucks on Marquette has disproportionately hurt the area’s brick and mortar businesses. Others believe too much blame is being placed on the rolling restaurants. Sameh Wadi, owner of Saffron, as well as the popular food truck World Street Kitchen, thinks that food trucks are easy targets.

“One thing we’re not taking into consideration is the actual economy of the city,” said Wadi. “My sales went down last summer at Saffron, where it’s not next to Marquette, where it doesn’t rely on that one lunch business.”

Other food truck owners feel similarly, believing that area restaurants need to step up their food and compete as if the food trucks were just another restaurant moving in. “This is the American way,” said John Levy, co-owner of Andrew Zimmern’s AZ Canteen and leader of the recently formed Minnesota Food Truck Association (MFTA). “We get to compete just as you do.”

Wadi, along with about 25 other food truck owners who are part of MFTA, will be meeting on March 5 to further discuss the situation on Marquette. Both Wadi and Levy said they are open to the possibility of moving operations from Marquette, but need to take their own businesses into account first. “If it turns out Marquette is the magic area, say they can do 20 percent more there, then we have a whole different issue,” said Levy.

According to Sams, it’s not just the restaurants being affected, but the local retailers as well, whose customers relied on those parking spots that are now continuously occupied by food trucks. “Nobody expected up to 18 trucks to line up and to concentrate on Marquette Avenue,” said Sams. “Fast Signs serves a lot of people that park at the parking meters… and from last summer, his customers had no parking meters, and the reason is the most aggressive food truck owners wind up at 8:45 in the morning and race down to Marquette.”

Two years ago, the food trucks were allowed on Nicollet Mall, where they’d park on the sidewalks, said Sams, but an ordinance change, due to sidewalk damage, moved the food trucks off Nicollet and they flocked to Marquette, where they benefitted from the thousands of customers coming from the Wells Fargo and IDS towers.

The meters open up at 9 a.m., explained Sams, and because of the abundance of food trucks and lack of parking, the food trucks compete with one another for spots. “There’s about 56 food truck licenses in the city [of Minneapolis] last summer, and there’s only 18 parking stalls,” said Sams. “At 8:59 a.m. you got to squeal into one of those parking meters or you’re shut out.”

Another complaint that many brick and mortar restaurants also cite is the lack of additional property taxes paid by the trucks, which many see as unfair, said Sams. While it’s true that they don’t pay property taxes on the truck, according to Wadi, the food truck must operate out of a licensed kitchen in the city, and is therefore more of an extension of a restaurant, where they do pay a property tax.

Despite their complaints, Sams said their intentions are not to get rid of the food trucks, which he believes bring vibrancy and entrepreneurial spirit to the city, but rather come up with a compromise that benefits both parties.

“In many other cities, their city councils have provided reserved designated parking locations for the food trucks. We think this is a good idea,” said Sams. “We think that it would eliminate the squatting that happens between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. if the trucks had reserved locations.”

From there, the trucks could take turns rotating between four or five different zones, which Sams believes would benefit the trucks as well, by potentially opening up a bigger market to them.

As of today, if rotations were to work, the food trucks would have to move based on the honor system, and the city is far from making any decisions just yet on reserved designated spots for the trucks.

“Food trucks are allowed all over downtown and in neighborhoods across the city,” wrote Lisa Goodman, Ward 7 Councilmember, in an email to the Twin Cities Daily Planet. “The trucks go where the customers are located and will continue to want to be where people are in walking distance to access them. The city is not prohibiting them from going all over, the market is doing so. I am not sure the city wishes to get in the middle of assigning spots.”

Wadi believes the city could help simply by limiting the food truck licenses given out until the situation on Marquette is resolved. “Minneapolis is aware of the issue that Marquette is congested, and they haven’t stopped giving food trucks new licenses,” said Wadi, which he compared to keeping the faucet running.

Sams’ money is still on rotating between reserved spots for the trucks, but until the city does decide to do something, it’s first come first serve.

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2013/03/05/downtown-minneapolis-brick-and-mortar-restaurants-ask-food-trucks-marquette-ave-spre

(credit: Crystal Grobe)

It’s not even spring and the food truck scene is already buzzing. It seems the newest thing in food trucks is to secure a place without wheels where customers can sit down and enjoy great food and service. First there was Chef Shack opening their outpost in Bay City, Wisconsin where they continued to churn out tasty seasonal creations to delight road trippers and locals alike.

(credit: Crystal Grobe)

Next came Foxy Falafel, who had a big 2012 with the launch of a food truck, multiple farmers’ market booths, and a brick and mortar location in St. Paul that has been going strong with not only the signature falafel but delicious sides like cauliflower steaks and cheese curds too.

(credit: Crystal Grobe)

Then we had another personal favorite of mine, World Street Kitchen open in my neighborhood. It’s been a treat to run over there for yum yum rice bowls and walk out with multiple desserts. The soft serve is unbelievable! It’s tough to resist chocolate coated almonds, marshmallows and salted caramel.

Next we had the long-awaited Smack Shack which finally got all of the approvals to open a lobster focused restaurant in the North Loop last month broadening their ability to cater to non-seafood lovers too with fried green tomato po boys.

Now, sushi lovers rejoice as we can get our Sushi Fix long before the snow melts. You may remember me talking about this sushi after the truck launched last spring and I’ve been raving about it ever since. Not only is the sushi amazing, but the owner, Billy Tserenbat is a kind and generous soul. He’s enthusiastic about creating an excellent experience for his guests and you can see the joy in his face as he talks about his journey to get to where he is today.

I was thrilled to preview the Sushi Fix space this week and I eagerly await the official opening on Friday, March 1st. The menu will offer a variety of sushi options including his popular rolls like the 2-14 (aka Valentine’s roll) and don’t miss some of my favorites: tuna poke and squid salad. He has a loyal following from his days as a chef at Yumi’s and earned more fans through his food truck. That strong fan following combined with a little bit of sake is sure to produce a very joyous opening.

Be on the lookout for more food trucks opening storefronts in the near future. Next on deck: Potters Pasties & Gastrotruck. Have you heard of any others?

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/02/27/bite-of-minnesota-from-trucks-to-tables/

]]> http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2013/03/minneapolis-mn-bite-of-minnesota-from-trucks-to-tables/feed/ 0 http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2013/02/minneapolis-mn-tap-rooms-and-food-trucks-a-perfect-match/ http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2013/02/minneapolis-mn-tap-rooms-and-food-trucks-a-perfect-match/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:30:17 +0000 MFN Editor #1 http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/?p=43607 By Ben Johnson |  JournalMPLS

The Hola Arepa food truck.

Tap rooms and food trucks are teaming up to take over the Minneapolis dining scene.

The two recently-legal concepts have been multiplying throughout the city as consumers flock to the newest trends in urban dining. Over the last 11 months five taprooms have opened in Minneapolis, and the number of food trucks the city has licensed has more than quadrupled — from 10 to 43 — since it first started issuing permits for them in 2010.

The two blossoming niches have worked together as they’ve grown together, and over the last year a mutually beneficial partnership has formed to help fill each other’s needs.

A stipulation in Minneapolis food truck licenses requires all food trucks to be open for at least 150 days out of the year, and obviously there are not many ideal, pedestrian-friendly days for food trucks during the harsh Minnesota winters. Also the mob of food trucks that fill downtown for the weekday lunch rush has angered many downtown restaurant owners, so finding additional places to park has become an important piece in resolving the dispute.

“We see it as a great outlet to partner with tap rooms, and it’s been tremendously successful so far,” said John Levy, founder of the Minnesota Food Truck Association and co-owner of the AZ Canteen food truck. “We’ve been looking for ways to expand our foot print, to figure out other places and other times we can be out on the street selling stuff, and the tap rooms have been one of those ways.”

Breweries that want to open a tap room often do not have the space, money or experience needed to build an in-house kitchen, but without offering some food it is tough to get customers to stick around for more than a pint or two.

“We’re not licensed to prepare food and we really don’t have space for it in our facility,” said Jay Diley, an ambassador at large for Fulton Brewing. “The food trucks offer a tremendous amount of variety and excellent food, and our customers seem to love it.”

 Fulton had the Barrio food truck on site when they became the first tap room to open in Minneapolis on March 10 of last year. Originally Fulton only invited food trucks to come for Twins games and private events, but when the season ended and demand maintained they decided to invite one every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

No money exchanges hands between tap rooms and food trucks. Tap rooms simply extend invitations for certain days and the food trucks come, park, and serve food. This is different from most festivals and events where typically food trucks are charged to vend.

“If it was up to me I’d go park at each of the four or five tap rooms once or twice a month,” said Steve Ramlow, who owns Simply Steve’s food truck. “Plus they’re always willing to trade you beer for food, which is nice.”

Ramlow added that a night spent outside of a tap room is usually more lucrative than a downtown lunch rush, but there’s higher overhead because he typically spends much more time parked outside of tap rooms.

Not all new breweries are outsourcing their food needs, or offering food at all. Northbound Smokehouse opened at the end of September, offering their own craft brews alongside a full menu of smoked delectables and Northgate Brewing opened in northeast Minneapolis on January 28. Northgate  will initially be only offering on site growler sales and distributing to local restaurants. They were unsure if a taproom was in their future when asked about it in mid-January.

For now it does seem as though most new breweries are opting to go the tap room route. Fulton, Indeed, Harriet, Dangerous Man and 612Brew were the first five to open, with others rumored to be sniffing around northeast Minneapolis for locations.

“We have 6,000-square-feet and it’s all for brewing,” said Diley. “It’s a straight-up symbiotic relationship with the food trucks, and frankly we couldn’t be more delighted with the arrangement.”

http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/tap-rooms-and-food-trucks-a-perfect-match

Sushi Fix, the rolling version

Food truck Sushi Fix is settling down in Wayzata. It will open a restaurant there this month while the truck keeps rolling.

Food blogger Dara Moskowitz Grumdahlhas a report on the expansion plans of chefEnkhbileg “Billy” Tserenbat, who quieted cries of “truck sushi?” when he launched the well-received Sushi Fix mobile eatery last summer in Minneapolis. The new restaurant, at the site of the former Black’s Ford on Lake Street, will feature seating for 40 for dinner — and zero for lunch, because that’s when he’s driving. And if that schedule sounds hectic for Tserenbat, Grumdahl parses it out — and yes, it is.

There’s also word that Tserenbat will add a Hawaiian-style menu to the truck this summer — stuff like roast pork, lomi lomi and so on.

Sushi Fix will become the latest example of food trucks branching out into permanent locations: Lobster-roll truck Smack Shack opened a long-awaited location in the North Loop last week (How awaited? Eaterpractically live-blogged the opening). Potter’s Pasties is opening a food counternear the University of Minnesota, World Street Kitchen has opened on Lyndale Avenue in South Minneapolis, while Foxy Falafel opened in St. Paul.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2013/02/sushi-fix-opening-restaurant-in-wayzata.html