I have a new love and it is with Food Trucks! I went to the Emanuel St. Food Truck Park and had a great time with my family.
This place was located on the back lot of a club in between a bunch of vacant buildings. Oddly enough the other vacant lots served as extra parking space. We walked across the street to what I could only describe as Food Nirvana. The lot that contained the Food Court surroundings are decorated with urban decay and beautifully commissioned graffiti, framed by neglected streets and the 59 north freeway. The second lot, next to it, contained a minibar serving alcohol and sodas, benches and tent covered tables.
We had a great time. The people who showed up to dine were mostly mid-twenties to young thirties, a few families with young toddlers and a few elderly folks. The customers were friendly, not very loud ..like you would normally hear in a restaurant scene , casually dressed and the kids didn’t present a problem in this outdoor spacious environment.
The vintage rock music was good. .. and this is coming from a person that enjoys R&B. It was actually perfect nostalgia considering we were in an area that hadn’t seen urban renewal since the 80’s, LOL.
The type of food trucks that were available ranged from greasy spoon to very healthy. Fried, steamed, raw, baked, domestic, fusion and a small variety of foreign to name a few types of food could be found in the lot. We ordered food from 4 trucks and one food car…yes, there was even a food car.
We wanted to try a variety of foods and started with a Jerk chicken platter from “Binghi Man Jerk Chicken”
Our second dish came from ” Nom Mi Street”. We were given a sample of marinated beef and found ourselves 100% hooked on the fries. I knew I could not handle the hot sauce so I asked for the special sauce instead. I am glad I did.. that was the best combination of meat, sauce, seasonings, onion and herbs served over fries that I have ever had!
For dessert, my husband and daughter had mini pies. My husband loved the silky smooth pecan praline pie. He couldn’t stop telling me that I needed to try some. My daughter loved her sweet potato pie. She loved it so much she didn’t offer a piece to me like she normally does. That’s how I know when it is truly good. Both of these pies were procured from “The Pie Man”. I felt bad not buying from him.. but I promised next time I would. The Pie Man’s outfit is a must visit. His goodies are as sweet as his personality, easy on the pockets and worth more than he advertises. ( I highly suggest tipping him extra!) He is also great with the little ones.. if you have iddy bitty sweet tooths coming with you.. his snack size desserts are perfect for their little tummies. 🙂
..In my defense.. I had my eyes set on something I had been dying to try since the first time I heard of it as a child….Fried Oreo Cookies made by the appropriately named folks at “FoodGasm”.
( Now that is food lovin’ on a whole nutha level…)
This was better than I could have ever imagined. These were made fresh and worth the few minutes of waiting.
The outside is funnel cake batter. The inside pure deliciously grease soaked fried Oreo cookie. All I could say was yum..yum .. yummy..and AAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! ( My first food gasm…MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm…)
Last but certainly not least was “The Raw Chef”. She left before I could grab a snap shot.. but she delivers great healthy snacks for those that are food aware and healthy conscious. I love banana smoothies. Her smoothies included vegetable and fruit puree’. There was nothing else added and it was great. She even gave my daughter a sample of a no bake, all natural macaroon. I don’t know what was in it.. but my daughter was energized after eating it. ( Parents know the difference between uncontrollable sugar rush and being energized. A sugar rush concludes with a crash and irritability.. my daughter was playful and when the energy was gone she was still sensible. )
In addition to going to The Pie Man.. we are coming back with a bigger group of folks to try “Foreign Policy’s” Bacon, Doughnut and Cheeseburger!!!!
….So if you are ever in the downtown Houston area , Texas drop by the 1504 St. Emanuel, Houston, Texas 77003.