Fix your dog any way you want it with free condiments at Jay Dogs, a new cart on Center Street in Tacoma.

With the freezing fog and return of the rain (any minute?), I wondered if new mobile restaurant owners Nate Daep and Jay Gallinatti had  second thoughts about starting their outdoor-based food businesses at a time of year when few diners are saying, “Hey, let’s eat outside!”

“We were really concerned about that,” laughed Nate Daep, who opened Big Boys Filipino food truck with fiance Melanie Querubin in a neighborhood in Pacific that straddles the Pierce County side of the Pierce-King County line. Ultimately, economics decided the couple would open their al fresco truck. They couldn’t afford to be idle waiting for warmer weather.

For Jay Gallinatti, a first-time restaurant owner, a primary concern for starting an outdoor business during the rainy season was figuring out shelter. That’s why he’s weatherproofed – as much as one can during our sideways-blowing rain season – his Center Street hot dog cart he opened in Tacoma Nov. 1.

On a recent and sort-of-dry day, I visited both new mobile restaurants. Today, I’ll tell you about Jay Dogs. Tomorrow, check back for a report on Big Boys Filipino Food Truck.

Jay Dogs
Where: 4002 Center St., Tacoma, 253-389-8527,hotjaydogs.com (under construction) and on Facebook here 
Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
NOTE: This truck is CASH ONLY

Jay Gallinatti could not have created a more simple menu – two kinds of griddled dogs served on toasted buns. What makes his cart a dog lover’s destination are the serve-yourself toppings – bacon is a 50 cent surcharge, but a good 20 or so condiments are free – including cream cheese, a dozen or so kinds of mustard and mustard relatives, chopped onions, peppers, kraut, relish and pickle spears. All-beef dogs are priced $3 or two for $5. A spicy sausage link is $4. Dogs come with chips.

I first encountered Jay Dogs at Moveable Feast, the Cheney Stadium mobile restaurant meetup held last July. What struck me about Gallinatti’s dogs was that he served grilled-to-order dogs, not steamed dogs. Another thing I liked? He buttered and toasted the bun – and the buns are from Tacoma’s Baker Boys. It’s an easy equation. Griddling + toasting = good tasting dogs.

While this is Gallinatti’s first permanent home on Center Street, he’s operated his cart at festivals and special events. Gallinatti lives in University Place and this is his first solely owned food business, although he’s worked at restaurants and he’s held jobs supporting restaurants. He started his career 30 years ago at H.D. Hotspurs in Kent and then worked in the computer business, selling to restaurants.

He transports his hot dog cart with his 1962 VW pickup truck, which is parked near the curb and holds a sign advertising the hot dog cart to Center Street traffic. If that Center street location sounds familiar to mobile food watchers, it’s becauseNorma’s Tacos was at that location.  (Not sure where the cart went – but I’m always on the lookout.)

So about that rain. Gallinatti has a solution for that. “My two 10-by-10 pop-ups have a 10-by-20 feet heavy duty waterproof tarp over the top so it is nice and dry underneath even with all the rain we have been having,” he said via email earlier this month.

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/tntdiner/2013/01/23/mobile-dining-in-the-rainy-season-you-bet-two-new-trucks-are-open-for-business/

The grating chill blew in sideways through the window on the Big Boys Filipino food truck, but the couple working inside didn’t seem bothered much. My teeth chattered and I winced at taking my hands out of my pockets to fetch my credit card. Such is life for a hired belly researching mobile food businesses in January. In January? Yeah. January. Although most of us think of May-October as the more sane food truck season, plenty of trucks and carts operate year round in South Sound. Yesterday, I wrote about Jay Dogs, a hot dog cart that set up shop Nov. 1 on Center Street. Today, I’m taking a bite out of the Big Boys, which opened just a few months ago in Pacific.

A mostly industrial neighborhood in Pacific might seem an out-of-the-way location for a food truck, but Big Boys Filipino owner Nate Daep grew up in Pacific, surrounded by family that still lives there. He’s the one who takes orders out of the side of the enclosed food truck. Fiance Melanie Querubin is the one at the grill making sandwiches and burritos stuffed with Filipino flavors. This is a first restaurant for both, although they’re experienced in the food business.

The tilapia sandwich from Big Boys is big and only six bucks.

Lumpia bites are 10 for $5 at Big Boys.

 

Joe Barrentine/Staff photographe The three taco plate with beans and rice at Taqueria El Grande near the intersection of South 72nd Street and South Park Avenue Monday, July 18, 2011.

Bus, truck, trailer. It doesn’t matter what you call a taco truck. They’re all vehicles for delivering delicious, affordable, portable Mexican food.

Tacoma’s taco truck scene burgeons. Five years ago, you might have had trouble finding one. Today, taco trucks materialize in unexpected places – from suburban Puyallup to funky Sixth Avenue. Credit a nationwide mobile food trend, television shows dedicated to the topic and the dying perception that food trucks make for unsafe eating (pfft).

You’ll find longer lines this time of year, but most taco trucks here have covered seating to extend year-round taco truck dining beyond a summer al fresco excursion (if you could even call this summer).

Take a ride into Taco town with my five favorite trucks, plus four more to try.

MY TOP TRUCKS IN TOWN

La Fondita

Location: The gravel lot at 3737 S. G St., Tacoma; 253-472-2577

The scene: Be careful driving into the gravel lot, it’s like navigating the moon. Watch for craters. Covered seating offers shelter for dining and waiting in the long lunch line.

The chef: Regulars will recognize Jaime Beltran. He’s the face of La Fondita, working there since 1998 before buying the truck from his bosses in 2009. His cooking is a mix of his own experimentation and recipes learned from family. That pollo asado recipe? It’s his mother’s.

Do try: The carnitas torta sandwich ($4.99) is the best I’ve bitten into, hands down. Crispy griddle-fried roasted pork stuffed into a sturdy grilled bun. A heavy smear of mayo, sturdy slices of avocados and finished with what every good torta needs: cilantro, onions, shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

Top marks: Fish tacos ($1.50), tilapia fish in a flour shell with lettuce and sour cream. Also, some of the most delicious pickled carrots in town. Beltran readily explains his pickling method. I like a cook who shares recipes.

Hours: 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily

Taqueria El Grande

Location: 7202 S. Park Ave., Tacoma; 253-472-5905

The scene: One of the kitchiest-looking buses in town, it’s a school bus painted white with seating inside and a patio with shaded plastic picnic tables. A curious building next door holds extra seating, but it was empty on our visit. We ate on the patio.

Do try: Burritos heavy on meat, light on beans and rice ($4.25), and a triple tacos plate ($5.99) showed the truck yielded a deft hand with slow cooking and grilling chicken, pork and steak. Tender and delicious. Beans trended runny, the rice dayglo orange and garlicky.

Top marks: Chiles rellenos ($5.99), an unusual find on a taco truck, were two Anaheim chiles stuffed with cheese, wrapped in an eggy jacket and drenched in ranchero sauce. No battered or fried treatment here.

Hours: 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday

La Sinoloense/Norma’s Tacos

Location: 4002 Center St., Tacoma; 253-576-2823

The scene: A friendly woman will greet you with a smile and offer a recipe for aquas frescas if you seem curious. I called after my visits to find out who Norma is (the smiling woman at the window?), but couldn’t get an answer. Of all the trucks in this report, this one was the most welcoming.

Do try: The super torta with spicy pork ($7.99). Prices are higher here, but portions command it. Chile-fueled pork (adobada) laced with pineapple hit with a back-of-the-throat heat; the meat came tucked into a griddled bun stuffed with tomatoes, avocado, onions and cilantro. Good for two moderately hungry people, or it will quite possibly destroy your stomach should you attempt to finish it yourself. Burritos were heavy on beans and rice, lighter on meat. Don’t miss the lengua tacos ($1.25).

Top marks: Freshly made aquas frescas juices every day. It may be mango one day, and Jamaica (a steeped floral concoction) another.

Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday

Note: The only truck in this report that takes cash only. No cards.

Los Amigos

Location: 11802 E. Meridian, Puyallup; 253-405-9485

The scene: Eat inside the bus or at the covered picnic tables outside. A beer garden for the 21-and-older crowd sits adjacent to the bus. Signs direct customers to buy beer from the garden.

Do try: A carne asado torta sandwich ($4.49) brimming with chopped, grilled steak. A crunchy, grilled bun held it together nicely. The chicken taco ($1.20 each) was one of the most flavorful and juicy sampled for this report.

Top marks: A carnitas burrito loaded with meat, a hefty hand-held meal punched with cilantro and onions, wafting of garlic. Why I can’t eat this every day? Oh, yeah. That’s right. My unrequited love for Mexican food.

Hours: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily

Taqueria El Antojo

Location: 5445 Birmingham, Tacoma; 253-985-3930, elantojo.com

The scene: The truck is almost entirely covered; an overhang and enclosed seating area will keep you dry or shaded. This is the mobile sibling of Antojo, one of my favorite brick-and-mortar taquerias (with locations in McKinley and Lakewood).

Do try: The taco trio plate ($3.96) with a soda proves one of the best truck deals. Do order the carnitas and spicy pork; don’t miss the carne asada. Burritos ($4.49) should always be huge and weighty like they are here; get yours with adobada, the spicy pork.

Top marks: A shrimp tostado ($5.29) came with a puckery lime-tomato sauce that tasted kicky and citrusy bright. What’s that? A whole avocado sliced on top of a generous mound of sauce-splashed bay shrimp? I can’t stop thinking about the smooth creamy bite, the citrusy blast and the crunch of the tostado at the end. Perfect.

Hours: 10:30 a.m.. – 10 p.m. daily

The rest of the roundup

Not top five material but also worth a try.

Mis Chiquititas

Location: 12413 E. Meridian Ave., Puyallup; 253-375-1224

The scene: The recent addition of a covered eating area provides shelter from sun or rain.

Do try: Pupusas are an unusual find at any taco truck. The Salvadoran cousin of the taco, a pupusa is a thick corn disc stuffed and grilled. Here, it came filled with roasted pork and gooey mild queso fresco. A side of puckery sour cabbage curtido salad, the traditional pupusa condiment, made the pupusa an uber deal at $2.50. Also try the carnitas burrito ($4.49).

Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Taqueria El Rancho/Jacalito

Location: In the parking lot of Thrift City, 904 72nd St. E., Tacoma

The scene: The bus said El Rancho on one side, Jacalito on the other, so you get to decide what to call it. The bus appears to have seating inside, but the doors were uninvitingly closed on our visit. Try politely knocking?

Do try: The menu is short and sweet with spendy prices, but portions seemed appropriate. The steak ranchero ($7.99) is a plate of grilled steak with green peppers and onions in a peppery tomato sauce. Rice and beans and tortillas made it a scoopable meal.

Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily

Taqueria Las Torres

Location: 2515 Sixth Ave., Tacoma (next to Gateway to India)

The scene: One of the largest indoor seating configurations for a taco truck. A half dozen tables and 20-something chairs in a bare-bones environment of an old check-cashing storefront. Colorful people from Sixth make interesting dining companions.

Do try: Bargain eats with some of the best truck prices in town. A carnitas burrito ($2.99) was light on fried pork, but heavy on flavor from garlicky refried beans and fluffy, toothsome rice. A five taco plate ($5.49) with rice, beans and a soda made for bargain eating.

Hours: 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays

Los 3 Hermanos

Location: Parking lot of the E-Z Food Store at 2728 S. 12th St., Tacoma

The scene: A few picnic benches makes for a smallish, but functional, lunch area.

Do try: A torta sandwich. I appreciated that the kitchen added a smear of beans to give the sandwich an extra helping of creamy. A carnitas ($4.99) torta sandwich came on a squishy grilled bun with mayo, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes and griddled roasted pork. Cilantro and onions were heavy, but jalapenos absent unless you request them.

Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

2011 Metro Parks Tacoma
Concession Cart Vending Program
Program Information & Guidelines

Metro Parks Tacoma (MPT) is accepting applications for concession cart vending at select MPT signature and community parks beginning June 1, 2011 through September 5, 2011. Concession cart vending service will be offered at the following parks where no other food and/or beverage service is currently offered:

South Park – Wright Park – Jefferson Park
McKinley – Playfield – Norpoint Park
Dash Point – Park Portland – Avenue Park

The 2011 concession cart vending program is limited to commercially pre-packaged food items; such as: ice cream bars, popsicles, chips, juices, water, coffee, muffins, cookies, etc.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Vendors selected and approved to vend are required to pay a non-refundable application fee, in addition to damage and park site vendor fees prior to operations. In the event the park site(s) is not available, the application and application fee will be returned. Interested vendors may submit their application and non-refundable application fee beginning May 23, 2011 to:

Metro Parks Tacoma, ATTN: Attn: Phedra Redifer
Recreation Department – Permits Unit, 4702 S. 19th Street, Tacoma, 98405
Email: PhedraR@tacomaparks.com; Phone: 253.592.8019

Concession cart vendors must be fully self-contained and supported, and comply with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Temporary Event Program (www.tpchd.org; contact Amanda Peters at 253.798.7677; apeters@tpchd.org) and City of Tacoma Tax and License Division (www.cityoftacoma.org/businesslicense; 253.591.5252) rules and regulations.

1. Vendors must be in compliance with all local, city, state and federal laws, codes, rules and regulations.
2. No more than (1) concession cart vendor permit will be issued per park. Permits are non-transferrable.
3. Full payment, along with the damage deposit and approved insurance and indemnification form, must be received prior to concession operations commencing.
4. Concession cart vendor permits are valid up to (31) consecutive days per park.
5. Concession cart vendor permits will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Please allow (3) business days for application review and approval. Application fees for accepted vendors are non-refundable.
6. Once the permit application is approved, final permit payment is due by 3 p.m. the next business day or the conditional permit approval will be rescinded and the next vendor application will be considered.
7. MPT-approved concession cart vendors must provide proof of Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and City of Tacoma Tax and License permits and licenses. Failure to provide required documentation will result in immediate revocation of the MPT concession cart vendor permit.
8. Concession cart vendor permits will only be issued at select signature and community parks where no other permanent food and/or beverage service is available.
9. Concession cart vendor permits are not valid when MPT-permitted special events are taking place. MPT reserves the right to notify vendors no less than 24 hours in advance of permitted activity that vending cannot occur during the permitted event times. MPT will notify special event organizers the concession cart vendors’ information should the event organizer wish to invite the vendor to conduct sales during the MPT-permitted event.
10. Concession carts are allowed to conduct business in MPT-approved and designated concession cart vendor locations. Any deviation from designated locations will result in the immediate revocation of the concession cart vendor permit.
11. MPT reserves the right to cancel any concession cart vendor permit for any reason, at any time.
12. All carts must be self-contained and supported. Electricity and other utilities will not be provided by MPT.
13. Concession cart vendors must provide the appropriate sized trash receptacle(s) for its customers and be in close proximity to the mobile cart. All concession cart generated trash must be removed by the vendor at the end of the day, no exceptions. MPT encourages all vendors to practice recycling efforts whenever possible.
14. Concession cart vendor advertising is limited to the cart itself and on professionally produced sandwich boards (maximum 2) within a 10’ radius of the cart only inside the park. Advertising cannot be displayed on or near the public-right-of-way directing customers into the park to the concession cart location. Only professionally produced signage may be displayed and must include the following text on each of the required sandwich boards: “Metro Parks Tacoma Approved Concession Cart Vendor.” All signage must be pre-approved by MPT prior to display. Vendors are prohibited from affixing any signage to trees or staking signs in the ground.
15. Concession cart vendors must provide a list of all foods and beverages for sale on the permit application.
16. Concession cart vendors must obtain and show proof of comprehensive general liability, including precuts/completed operations liability insurance, and name Metro Parks Tacoma as additional insured. Minimum liability is $500,000 public liability and property damage. Certificates of insurance are subject to review and approval by MPT’s Risk Manager.
17. Concession cart vendors may be subjected to a Washington State background check (see next page for details).
18. Concession cart vendors are required to display the pre-approved concession cart signage during permitted hours of operation.
19. Cart equipment may not be left overnight in the park, no exceptions.
20. Concession cart vending locations vary from park to park and will be determined during a mandatory site visit with MPT staff and the vendor. The site visit must occur within 24 hours of vending operations commencing.

Concession Cart Conditions / Restrictions

1. Concession carts must be easily moveable at any time and removed nightly from the park during load-out times.
2. A picture of the cart must accompany the application.
3. Concession carts are limited to 4’ in height and 8’ in length. The cart umbrella or canopy must have a minimum clearance of 7’ and a maximum height of 9.5’. Umbrellas or canopy cannot exceed 40’ square feet in area.
4. MPT is not responsible for stolen or damaged carts if left unattended.
5. The cart must be clean, inside and out, painted, and in good condition.
6. Concession carts are prohibited from using any sound amplification.
7. Concession carts are permitted to load-in from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. only and load-out from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. only.
8. Vendor vehicles are prohibited from parking inside the park.
9. Concession carts cannot impede the flow of MPT service vehicles or pedestrians on pathways inside the park.
10. MPT staff will conduct periodic site visits to ensure program compliance. Non-compliance with program guidelines will result in immediate revocation of the vending permit.
11. No gas or diesel powered refrigeration units will be permitted for use.

Vendor Designation

Concession cart vendors may apply for “Healthy Vendor” designation. The “Healthy Vendor” designation is in alignment with MPT’s on-going efforts to help fight childhood obesity by offering healthy food and beverage alternatives to all park users. Permit fees adjust depending on the vendors’ designation. For more information regarding Dietary Guidelines for Americans, please visit www.health.gov

Healthy Vendor Designation:

A minimum of 25% + healthy food and beverage options must be offered on the menu at all times.
No items marked “jumbo” shall be served.
Nonfat or 1% milk, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, water or unsweetened iced tea instead of soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages must be offered on the menu at all times.

Metro Parks Tacoma Background Check Policy – Policy 501.004, Resolution No. RR6-10

Partners and service providers not utilizing Metro Parks Tacoma’s process for background checks are required to sign a
certification stating they utilize a comparable system that meets Metro Parks Tacoma’s requirements for working with
youth, elderly and vulnerable adults.

To apply click here: http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/files/library/a90ad964662b230b.pdf