Mobile Food News » Durham

Raleigh, NC: Best Food Trucks

MFN Editor #1 — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:40:14 +0000

By Kathy Hanrahan | WRAL.com

Baguettaboutit

A few months ago we asked you to tell us your favorite food truck in the Triangle. We took those suggestions and went on a mission to try as many food trucks as we could.

We also counted your votes to determine the fan favorite, who will occupy the fifth spot on the list.

In no particular order our Five Fave food trucks:

Sarge’s jerk chicken taco

Sarge’s Chef on Wheels - They describe their menu as “chop soul” – down-home cooking with an Asian/Caribbean flair. We just call it delicious! This family-run mobile kitchen was inspired by and dedicated to the chef’s parents. His father served in the Air Force for 30 years and his mother loved to cook.

Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits

Menu items to try: Shrimp and grits (spicy, cheesy and perfect on a cold day!), shrimp po-boy and jerk chicken taco.

Baguettaboutit

Baguettaboutit - The idea for this truck came from a lunch the creators had in Switzerland in 1999. Now, everyone is enjoying North Carolina-made sausages topped with handmade sauces and stuffed inside toasted baguettes. They even offer vegetarian options! Their food is the epitome of food truck fare – you can walk around and eat it with one hand! Menu items to try: U Betcha (Bratwurst and beer garden mustard) and the United Nations (Chicken Chipotle Sausage topped with Chimichurri Sauce).

Porchetta’s Mediterranean sandwich

Porchetta - When I see this truck going down I-40, I actually point at it and yell. I am that excited about this food truck. (I know I am pathetic!) They specialize in slow-roasted Italian style pork sandwiches on toasted kaiser rolls, but they also offer pork burgers, roasted eggplant flatbreads and more. They know how to cook! The pork is tender, perfectly seasoned and the juices that soak into the rolls create a perfect topping! Menu item to try: The Mediterranean (their famous pork served with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, mozzarella and herb aioli).

The Pie Pushers food truck was a popular choice at the RTP Food Truck Rodeo on July 12, 2012.

Klausies and Pie Pushers - We couldn’t decide between these two, so we decided to let them share a spot on the list. They are opposites – Raleigh-based Klausies is all about the thick, hearty crust. Pie Pushers is based in Durham and has what they call “Durham style” crust – hand tossed and thin. Each love to top slices with great combos – like Klausies’ Gyro and Pushers’ State of Nirvana. You really can’t go wrong with either for a great slice in the Triangle.

The American Meltdown food truck was on hand for this special cheese edition of the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market.

FAN FAVORITE WINNER: American Meltdown - Grilled cheese on wheels – that is what we call this truck. Who doesn’t love a great grilled cheese sandwich? They take it to a new level though, offering creations like Pig N Figs (goat cheese, speck, figs and balsamic reduction) and Beer and Bacon! That is why they managed to edge out Chirba Chirba by ONE VOTE to win the bragging rights as your favorite food truck!

FAN FAVORITE RUNNER UP: Chirba Chirba - They missed being the official fan favorite by only one vote, but we love some Chirba Chirba dumplings!!

Along the way we tried some great food! Here are a few of the items we are now hooked on:

Mama Duke’s falafel tots, Valentino’s cannolis, Deli-icious’ crab quesadilla, Humble Pig’s pork tacos and Kokyu BBQ’s duck fat tots.

And if you are craving something sweet, check out our Five Favorite Dessert Food Trucks.

http://www.wral.com/triangle-best-food-trucks/12281122/

Durham, NC: Food Truck Rodeo at Durham Central Park

MFN Editor #1 — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:30:46 +0000

By Contributor | Small Good Hearth

Adults in face paint are so creepy to me.

Bigbad and I ventured out to Durham for the Food Truck Rodeo. Smallgood Co-worker came across the event and was so thankful it was on a Sunday, so she didn’t have to stick to lent restrictions.

Among the three of us, we tried a fair amount of interesting foods. If we had arrived to the event earlier (and also not when we hadn’t eaten anything), we probably would have tried a lot more. But the lines snaked down long stretches of pavement. Smallgood Co-worker waited 40 minutes for her crepe. She said it was worth it.

Bigbad and I stood in line for Baguettaboutit, a sausage in a baguette truck, for close to the same amount. The website and the actual food appears uh…vulgar, but it was dang good. Lots of “that’s what she said” jokes had to be left unsaid for the eating of this baguette and for the writing of its deliciousness.

My favorite truck that I tried was Bandido’s. $2 tacos? Hell yes! And they had walking tacos, or what I refer to as taco-in-a-bag (yeah, that’s a link to Betty freakin Crocker’s taco in a bag recipe. The poor soul who needs a recipe for that is ridiculous). They only had beef left when I arrived (all out of chipotle chicken), but the tacos were still out of this world amazing (probably due to some fabulous queso). Thankfully, my co-worker helped me with the salsas and stopped me from ruining my food by putting El Scorcho on my tacos. I laughed, “I thought it was something like ranchero sauce.” Bullet dodged.

Whatever gods of afternoon festivals and food truck rodeos were shining down on us because we spotted a beautiful red table with three seats completely void of messy foods or people. We grabbed it so we could chow down on some nachos and tacos and listen to this jazz group. The KoolAid at the event must have been spiked, either that or the music put the kids in a trance where they were all very expressive, dancing with hoola hoops, dancing with scooters, dancing while playing soccer, or just dancing. It was too cute, especially when the band was jamming to “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

For the most part, I’m not all gung-ho about the delusions of a Durham revival. Seriously, anyone from Durham talks about how much they love living there and how Durham is a really awesome town (the art scene, the restaurants for foodies, blah, blah, blah). Sorry I don’t buy it and I’m not drinking your KoolAid (even if it will make me dance like a free-spirited child). I’m loyal to Raleigh, but dangit, Raleigh, why must you be so anti-food truck?

http://www.smallgoodhearth.com/p/why-hearth.html

Raleigh, NC: Best Sweet Food Trucks

MFN Editor #1 — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:25:21 +0000

By Kathy Hanrahan | WRAL.com

A red velvet doughnut from Monuts in Durham.

RALEIGH, N.C. — As you might have guessed, we at Out and About have a bit of a sweet tooth. Here are our picks for the best food trucks specializing in sweets in the Triangle.

We really enjoyed the research on this one!

Monuts Donuts - This one was a no brainer for us. Monuts always sell out! It took us several rodeos before we even got to try one! But once we did, we were hooked. And we aren’t the only ones. Owner Lindsay Moriarty soon went from a bicycle tricycle to a store in downtown Durham. These handmade cake and yeast doughnuts are the perfect blend of sweet. Some of their flavors include Maple Bacon, Earl Grey and Amaretto. YUM!

The fluffernutter crepe (marshmallow, chocolate, and peanut butter) from Parlez-Vous Crepe food truck.

Parlez-Vous Crepe- Owner Jody Argote learned the art of crepe making while living and working in Beaune, France. Using seasonal local produce, she creates savory and sweet crepes that are better than most restaurant crepes! We love the Meditteranian (featuring organic baby spinach, feta, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar). The dessert crepes are delicious as well. We love the ones containing fresh fruit and for a decadent treat try the Fluffernutter containing peanut butter, chocolate and marshmallow cream.

The Parlour

The Parlour - Some of the best ice cream around comes from this modified mini school bus. In addition to handmade ice cream, they also make sorbets and offer vegan flavors. They’ve been on a winter hiatus while they get ready to open their shopthis month in downtown Durham. At the shop, they will be serving frozen treats, coffee and housemade pastries.

Sweet Stacey Cakes offered a variety of cupcakes at the Durham Food Truck Rodeo. This was their Sexy Mexican cupcake, made with cayenne and cinnamon.

Sweet Stacey Cakes - It is hard not to smile when you see Stacey’s sparkling, pink cupcake truck, so that’s why she named it “Smiles.” We love how she incorporates local ingredients into her cupcakes, like the Working Man’s Lunch, which uses the Fullsteam brew! Another cupcake to try – the Sexy Mexican, which contains a pinch of cayenne pepper in the filling. Just enough spice!

And finally, we reserved this final spot for the sweet food truck that received the most viewer votes. This one was a landslide with three-times as many votes as the runner-up.

FAN FAVORITE: Sweet Traditions by LeAne - LeAne brings “Belle,” her food truck trailer, to various events across the Triangle. She is based in Wake Forest. We fell in love with her cupcakes at the Wake Forest Mardi Gras celebration. From peanut butter cup to Salted Chocolate Caramel, there wasn’t a flavor we didn’t like. And you agree, because you voted for LeAne’s truck!

Honorable mention: Sweet and Savory, which offers fried candy bars, girl scout cookies and its own version of chicken and waffles (the chicken is a wing).

http://www.wral.com/best-sweet-food-trucks-in-the-triangle/12200173/

Durham, NC: Nothing Says Love Like Food from a Truck

MFN Editor #1 — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:00:39 +0000

By James Lim | TheRTBlog.com

Don’t have plans for Valentine’s Day yet? Well, join us for our next RTP food truck rodeo:

Thursday, February 14^th, 11:30am – 1:30pm, at RTP Headquarters, 12 Davis Drive, brought to you by Research Triangle Park and sponsored by Fidelity Investments.

Whatever your deal, we’ve got your angle covered:

Make it a Date
What a great way to enjoy a lunch time date with that special someone in your life. We’ll have tables both inside and out. If the weather’s nice, bring a blanket and have a romantic picnic, food truck style.

Find a Date
Still looking for that special someone? What a great opportunity to find yourself a date for the evening. Make use of the time you spend waiting in line and chat, flirt, and mingle!

Be Bitter
Angry at the world for creating a holiday to rub your singledom in your face? What better way to sooth your rage than with the delicious comfort foods our trucks have to offer? And you don’t even have to share.

Take a Picture with a Cow
(You weren’t expecting that one, were you?) Visit the RTP Headquarters lobby and meet the newest member of our team, Bessie, the Binary Bovine. Take a picture with her. Scan her QR code. Instagram the two of you together (and tag it #BinaryBessie).

Just Eat
No problem. Here’s the list of the trucks that will be joining us:

Pie Pushers
Twitter: @PiePushers
http://piepushers.com/
Only Burger
Twitter: @onlyburger
http://onlyburger.com/
Chirba Chirba
Twitter: @chirbachirba
http://www.chirbachirba.com/
Captian Poncho’s Taco Truck
Twitter: @captianponchos
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Captain-Ponchos-Tacos/139473779418250
Monuts Donuts
Twitter: @monutsdonuts
http://www.monutsdonuts.com

As always, parking is limited, so get creative with your transportation. Carpool, rollerblade or skip on down to the RTP HQ!

http://thertpblog.org/2013/02/08/nothing-says-love-like-food-from-a-truck/

Durham, NC: First Look- Food trucks emblem of Durham’s ‘D.I.Y. District’

MFN Editor #1 — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:20:12 +0000

By Jim Wise | NewsObserver.com

CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN – NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Alli Boksleitner gets the last cupcake out to sell from her dad Rowland Boksleitner’s truck, Sweet Traditions by LeAne, at the food truck rodeo that was held in downtown Durham on Sunday. Dozens of food trucks were selling their epicurean creations at the event .

DURHAM — Chef Stacey Grisham said he was a little concerned about cold weather Sunday, but he needn’t have been.

“It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day,” he said at about noon, as he and more than 30 other vendors were opening for business at the food-truck rodeo in Durham Central Park.

The Refectory Cafe, where Grisham is head chef, was making its first appearance at a food-truck rodeo on the cool, but sunny, afternoon.

“It’s just a current culinary trend that we wanted to be part of,” he said. “We thought it was cool.”

So, apparently, did the customers who were streaming in even before the announced opening time of 12:30 p.m. and who had the Durham Farmers Market Pavilion jammed, and parking at a premium for blocks around, by 2 p.m.

“Great turnout,” said Mauro Parziale, who was selling “great New York hot dogs” nearby. “The cold weather makes people hungry.”

Sunshine, food and the festival atmosphere were the main attractions, but the crowds that come for the frequent food-truck gatherings at Durham Central Park are emblematic of the energy flowing into the district once known as Durham’s Tobacco Row.

Restaurants and nightspots have turned the district north of downtown, near the Durham Bulls’ former Durham Athletic Park home, into arguably the hippest part of town.

“It’s wonderful,” said Lauren Galentine, lunching on a slice of pizza and taking in the scene. “It’s a beautiful part of the city.”

The rodeo wasn’t the district’s only hub of activity Sunday afternoon. Two blocks away, another food truck was serving outside the Motorco nightclub, where a country band was scheduled earlier in the day. Across the street, yet another truck was open and music was playing for a sidewalk crowd outside Fullsteam Brewery, which was launching its Cackalacky Ginger Pale Ale.

“Should be a rocking good time,” said Fullsteam founder Sean Lilly Wilson.

Fullsteam opened a month before Motorco, setting up in part of a former 7-Up bottling plant. In 2012, restaurateur Greg Hatem bought the 30,000-square foot building and plans to open a Durham branch of his popular The Pit barbecue restaurant alongside Fullsteam this coming summer.

“With all that’s going on there … it’s just a great neighborhood,” Hatem said. “That’s where we want to be. It just feels a lot like where The Pit is in Raleigh.”

‘Organic transformation’

There’s more. Beyond Motorco’s parking lot, restaurateur Andy MaGowan turned an architecturally quirky, but long-abandoned, gas station into the Geer Street Grill in 2011. Across the intersection of Geer and Foster streets, T.J. and Maggie McDermott had renovated and reopened King’s Sandwich Shop, a World War II-era institution that had been closed for three years.

Two blocks back toward downtown, a construction site is the future home of Durham Central Park Cohousing, a 24-unit condominium building. Next to it, a design firm and a glass company have finished a $965,000 reconstruction of a commercial building and moved in. Just to the east, a block of 1940s apartment buildings is under renovation and new single-family homes are in various stages of construction.

“A couple of years ago, you could have bought the whole block for $100,000,” said real estate dealer Bill Anderson. “There’s not one of those (new houses) going for less than $220,000.”

The icon of downtown Durham’s renaissance is to the south, across the ridge where the city began, at the American Tobacco complex, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham Performing Arts Center and Diamond View office buildings. But the north side of downtown is coming into its own, in its own way.

“It’s really been the neighborhood of organic transformation from the street level up,” said Bill Kalkhof, CEO of Downtown Durham Inc.

“I call our area the D.I.Y. District,” said Wilson, the Fullsteam owner. “It’s full of independent, scrappy businesses that have been making a go of it in spite of, or perhaps because, of the bad economy.”

‘Lying fallow’

Developer Bob Chapman, who has remodeled three buildings in the area – including Geer Street Garden – since 2006, said the old warehouse district had “lain fallow … with a few exceptions been undiscovered.” The district – where tobacco was auctioned on as many as 13 floors and farmers, buyers, bankers, politicians and assorted hangers-on packed the sidewalks – declined after the market closed in 1986.

The Durham Bulls’ return to the 1939 Athletic Park in 1980 brought back some life. The Bulls left for the DPAC in 1995, but that year also brought the suggestion of creating a central park to spur redevelopment and bring residents into the area.

Kalkhof said the current vigor fulfills that long-term vision.

“It’s happened faster than we thought,” he said.

Now, residents are coming and other people, too. “Marry Durham” was staged on Rigsbee Avenue, heart of Tobacco Row, in 2011. Motorco hosted the InterNeighborhood Council’s Neighborhood Hero Award ceremony last October. At Sunday’s rodeo, a sidewalk sign advertised a Mardi Gras parade on Feb. 12: processing from the uptown plaza down Rigsbee Avenue to Fullsteam and Motorco.

“It’s a real credit to the creativity and energy in our community,” said Kalkhof.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/27/2637561/food-trucks-emblem-of-diy-district.html?tab=gallery&gallery=/2013/01/27/2638017/first-look-durham-food-truck-rodeo.html&gid_index=1

Durham, NC: Saddle Up for the Food Truck Rodeo

MFN Editor #1 — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:00:23 +0000

By Julie Terry | TheRTBlog.com

Join us for the first Food Truck Rodeo of 2013!
Thursday, January 17^th
11:30am – 1:30pm
RTP HQ, 12 Davis Drive
RTP, NC 27709

It’s that time again! Join us for the first food truck rodeo of the New Year! We hope to see you on Thursday! Below is a list of this month’s trucks. Come hungry, and bring your friends!

This Month’s Trucks:

Pie Pushers
Twitter: @PiePushers
http://piepushers.com/

Only Burger
Twitter: @onlyburger
http://onlyburger.com/

Chriba Chirba
Twitter: @chirbachirba
http://www.chirbachirba.com/

MaMa Dukes
Twitter:@MaMaDukesLLC
http://www.mamadukes.net/

Monuts Donuts
Twitter: @monutsdonuts
http://www.monutsdonuts.com

The Food Truck Rodeo is brought to you by The Research Triangle Foundation of NC.

http://thertpblog.org/2013/01/14/saddle-up-for-the-food-truck-rodeo/

Raleigh, NC: City Council Approves Relaxed Regulations on Food Trucks

MFN Editor #1 — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

By Contributor | NBC17.com

Only Burger food truck in Durham

RALEIGH, N.C. — More food trucks are on the way to downtown Raleigh, or at least that’s the hope following the City Council’s changes to current regulations.

The Raleigh City Council voted Thursday to increase the number of trucks allowed on a lot. The change also allows food trucks within the entirety of the Downtown Overlay District.

The City says the changes come after a six-month review of existing food truck regulations. The City says it has not received any complaints or seen any enforcement issues.

In September 2011, City Council approved regulations to allow food truck operators to set up on private property as long as they are at least 100 feet from the main entrance or outdoor dining area of any restaurant and at least 50 feet from any food vending cart.

The policy also allowed food trucks to serve the late-night crowd and the early risers.

Changes to the ordinance approved today allow a maximum of two food trucks on lots of one-half acre or less. Three food trucks are allowed on lots between one-half acre and one acre, and a maximum of four food trucks are allowed on lots greater than one acre but less than two acres.

The City says it does not anticipate the increase in the number of trucks allowed on a lot to have any impact on existing restaurants or businesses.

http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/dec/06/city-council-approves-relaxed-regulations-food-tru-ar-2838980/

Durham, NC: More than 50 Food Trucks Set Up Shop at Durham Food Truck Rodeo

MobileFoodNews.com — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:39:41 +0000

By Diana Bosch | News14.com

DURHAM — Whether it’s a taste from Philly or a sweet treat you’re after, the Durham Food Truck Rodeo has everything for even the pickiest taste bud.

“There’s a lot of different tastes out there and it’s really good to have options across the board,” said Mike Alexakis, the co-owner of Mama Dukes food truck.

The Food Truck Rodeo started a year and a half ago with about eight trucks but now there are more than 50, all representing the Triangle.

“There’s some from Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, one from Cary even,” said event organizer Becky Cascio, who is also the co-owner of Pie Pushers.

Organizers say the business is growing so fast they’ve had to turn some trucks away because there isn’t enough room to fit all of them in Durham Central Park.

For many vendors, the exposure has allowed them to switch gears to keep up with demand, some have even expanded into restaurants. The growth in popularity has only enhanced the experience for those who are looking for something more than just a full stomach.

“We have beer for the first time this time and local music, so it’s kind of more than just having food, it’s a whole community experience,” Cascio added.

At the rate the food truck industry continues to expand in Durham, organizers say the road ahead looks bright.

Members of the Durham City Council will meet on Nov. 5 to decide whether or not to rewrite the rules that allow food trucks and other street vendors to operate.

http://triangle.news14.com/content/top_stories/667864/more-than-50-food-trucks-set-up-shop-at-durham-food-truck-rodeo

Durham, NC: Food-Truck Rules Back for Seconds

MobileFoodNews.com — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:29:36 +0000

By Jim Wise | NewsObserver.com

Three and a half months after raising a ruckus, City Hall has revised Durham’s food-vending rules for possible approval at the Nov. 5 City Council meeting.

“Street Vendor Code Revisions – Proposed”( bit.ly/MJN64v) reduce the distance required between mobile vendors – food trucks and sidewalk carts – and brick-and-mortar restaurants, and simplify the process for getting into the business.

“These are recommendations that, I think, are going to fix problems,” City Manager Tom Bonfield said.

Here are the main provisions:

• Eliminate the $50 mobile-cart permit; instead, prospective vendors would pay a $10 registration fee at the City-County Planning Department;

• Institute a minimum 50-foot separation between any mobile vendor and the entrance of a restaurant, and the restaurant’s outdoor-seating area on public land, without written permission from the restaurant owner;

• Institute a minimum 20-foot separation between any mobile vendor and the entrance or exit of a bank or ATM;

• Eliminate a requirement that mobile vendors move at least 50 feet every 15 minutes.

“The requirement for vendor to move every 15 minutes is just not user friendly or enforceable,” said Planning Supervisor Grace Smith. “We don’t have the staff to stake out vendors.”

The new rules eliminate an earlier distance requirement between food vendors and special events on city property. City authorities had already cut the required separation between food trucks and restaurants from the original 100 feet to 50, and eliminated a ban on trucks near Durham Central Park during Farmers’ Market hours.

Simplifying regulations that affect food trucks and carts was the idea when city administrators started reviewing them in 2011. But food-truck fans and operators got alarmed when the city published its first draft of simplified rules last summer, warning that they could endanger the hip ambiance the trucks had helped create in Durham.

A July public meeting on the rules drew a crowd so large “we had to have a fire marshal come in and people had to stand outside,” Smith said. Subsequently, city administrators met several more times with restaurateurs, mobile vendors, property owners, nonprofit groups and each other to make adjustments.

“We said … we’ll come back and we’ll have something ready for (City) Council in the fall, so here we are,” Smith said.

Street Vendors is the second ordinance revision affecting Durham’s wining-dining trade to come to the council this month. An Outdoor Dining ordinance, legalizing alcohol sales in sidewalk-seating areas among other provisions, won approval Oct. 15.

On both issues, Bonfield said, “The planning staff has done a tremendous engagement with the community in working with — I won’t say ’difficult,’ necessarily, but some highly engaged and passionate folks.”

http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2012/10/27/213613/food-truck-rules-back-for-seconds.html

Durham, NC: New Food Law in Durham Requires Stricter Sanitation Measures [video]

MobileFoodNews.com — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:40:56 +0000

By Ellen Park | NBC17.com

Durham Food Truck Rodeo

DURHAM, N.C. — A new food law in Durham took effect this weekend, changing the way restaurants and food truck vendors operate.

It requires stricter sanitation measures and enforces a more difficult grading scale.

Vendors at the Food Truck Rodeo Sunday said they welcome the changes.

Mike Stenke started his own food truck called Klaus’s pizza two years ago and said business is booming.

“I’m seeing the attitude towards food trucks changing in a great way” Stenke said. “I think the new food laws are great because they’re asking us to do things that we should be doing on a daily basis anyway.”

Amongst other things the new law will not allow vendors to handle ready-made food with their bare hands.

Stenke said it’s really a matter of reassuring the public who might be reluctant to try food trucks.

If Sunday’s Rodeo was any indication, the future of food trucks in the Triangle, looks promising.

http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/sep/02/new-food-law-durham-requires-stricter-sanitation-m-ar-2572066/