Food Trucks come to Memphis!

Ten years ago the words 'food truck' concocted images of moving greasy spoons serving triangle shaped sandwiches and the equivalent of Mel's chili. (Children of the Eighties holla!) Affectionately known as 'roach coaches' these rolling concession stands left a bad taste (literally) in most of our mouths.

Several years later a food revolution has started. No longer are food trucks the lower species on the culinary evolution scale. They are now chic rolling kitchens that frequently serve up gourmet food in a mondo artistic fashion. The food truck revolution has taken a hold in cities like Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland where literally thousands of customers flock to these chow wagons on a daily basis.

Many of the food trucks do all of their advertising through social media outlets. One food truck owner stated " We can send out 144 characters and get 1,000 people to our truck!"  While you can find American standards like burgers and hot dogs on these trucks, there is a truly eclectic buffet of foods that you can find in the modern day food truck scene. Korean short ribs, Shepard's Pie, Indian curries and a host of diverse dishes are now being served out the side of the trucks.

So you can imagine my surprise to hear that Memphis is now home to a growing food truck scene. Yes foodies, there is a Santa Claus! On Sunday June 24th there was a 'Food Truck Rodeo' held on Broad street in Memphis. A host of food trucks were there serving up hot and fresh dishes. Each one having their own unique taste and approach to street foods.

Food trucks from Revival, Fuel, Tamale Trolley, Yolo, Marks Grill, B&B, Quincy's, Crumpy's Square Meal on Wheels, Kona Ice, Sleddogs and Memphis Munchies all made an appearance. The temperature was hot, the crowds were plenty and the food was tasty!

I had heard about Revival for quite some time and decided to try their Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. If your thinking to yourself "What can be done with buffalo chicken that hadn't been done?" then please hold that thought. The chicken was pulled (not a patty) nicely marinated and served with a wonderful slaw on fresh baguette. It had just a hint of spicy but not too much to kill the flavor. Really nice. The lady running Revival advised me that their menu is ever-changing which means I can try a completely different dish every time I see them!

My second dish to try was from Fuel.  Fuel specializes in using fresh ingredients including meats and poultry that are all grass fed with no antibiotics. Their menu was quite varied with items ranging from Bison tacos to veggie tacos. I chose to try the 'Grilled Cheese and Berkshire Bacon'. Holy mother of God, this simple yet complex heatstopper was made with heavily buttered country white bread, stuffed with baby swiss, cheddar and provolone and bacon. I gave my friend a bite and he looked at me and said "that is just wrong." Aaaamazing.

My friend Brian decided to try a barbecue bologna (Mississippi prime rib) sandwich from 'Scooter's Bar-B-Que'. It was a hunkin chunk of delicious pink pork slathered in a rich brown bbq sauce. He followed it up with a plate of tamales from the ever popular 'Tamale Truck' which he assured me was quite delicious.

After pondering on how much more bread, butter and other healthy ingrediants we could take in, we decided to step up and try Revival's 'Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding'. Let us pause.................................................

If you could eat heaven. If you could sample Utopia. If you could digest world peace....let me just be blunt with you....IT'S DOUGHNUTS AND BUTTER AND CARAMEL....should there be any more questions? I just got a shiver thinking about it. This dessert will probably go on my list of last meal desserts. Amen, halleluiah, so let it be done....

I was very encouraged by the number of people who came out and ate in the heat! The food truck movement is growing in Memphis and it will continue to help the local food culture grow. Support your local food trucks and preserve foodies in the Bible Belt!












 

Tacos under the Arch: A Hispanic community in St. Louis

When most of us think of St. Louis we use think of Cardinals baseball, the Arch and toasted ravioli. But did you ever think of St. Louis as being the home to a thriving Hispanic food scene? Talk a walk down Cherokee Street in downtown St. Louis and you'll see 'Cherokee Row', a district of thrift and antique shops, Anheuser Busch brewery and dozens of eclectic indie shops.

But walk a little further down Cherokee and you'll begin to see it. Wonderful pastel colored signs and painted images of women preparing tortillas amidst colored jars of green and red salsa. The smell of grilled meats sauteed with citrus juices permeates the air as smoke rises from behind little Mexican cafes. Welcome to little Mexico in the heart of the gateway to the West. 

Cherokee street is home to a bustling community of markets, shops and cafes. One of our first stops on Cherokee is Diana's Bakery. Diana's is a traditional Mexican bakery that serves homemade breads, cookies and assorted desserts. Diana's is so highly acclaimed that it was awarded St. Louis' newspaper 'The Riverfront Times 'St. Louis Best Bakery Award' in 2010.

Diana's serves many traditional Mexican cookies called 'galletas'. Colorful sugar cookies covered in sugar and cinnamon.  As we walk in a sign catches my eye 'Cream Cheese Empanadas'....Tasty golden flaky pastries filled with sweet buttery cream cheese. They will hurt you...

Across the counter a group of elderly women are working on a tray of cinnamon covered churros. Stocked shelves adorned with cakes, pies and tarts fill the room. Diana's is a dessert lover's palace.

But perhaps before you indulge in sweets you would like to scoop up some lunch? There are a number of cafes and restaurants throughout the district that serve fantastic traditional Mexican faire.  Open air cafes selling freshly fried pork rinds called 'chicharones'. Thirsty? Try a glass of 'horchata', a sweet concoction made of rice, almonds, cinnamon and vanilla.  And there's then there's the classics..deep stuffed pork tacos, grilled arrachera (skirt steak) and steaming bowls of menudo.

We decide on eating at Taqueria El Torito. El Torito is part grocery and part restaurant. As we enter the grocery, a man is covering fresh roasted corn with  Mexican sour cream, lime juice and chili pepper. A little old lady presses fresh homemade corn tortillas at a small table.

As you make your way into the restaurant you can't help but notice the tall stretching architecture covered in murals of Aztec daily life. A large Hispanic family laughs and enjoys piles of food at a table next to us. I order Tacos Al Pastor, Tacos Lengua and Carnitas. The waitress brings us a woven basket filled with warm flour tortillas. Puffed pastry like tortillas with little brown dark spots where they have almost burned. So good.

The waitress brings our dishes to the table in a display that could only be called 'epic'.
I make my friend MaryJo try a tongue taco before I tell her what is in it. "It's good isn't it? It's like really good roast." She smiles and lifts the taco to her mouth, chomping away. "Know what it is?" I ask. She stops. " What? What is it? Oh boy..." I tell her that it's tongue. She makes a face and continues eating.

The waitress brings us several different bowls of salsas. There is a brown soupy salsa made with poblano peppers. Smoky and spicy. One is green made with tomatillos and jalapenos. Citrusy and spicy with a little bit of lime juice. As the table begins to crowd, she places bowls of chopped onions, limes and cilantro amidst the heap of food.

We round our trip of Cherokee street with a tour of some of the many markets. Fresh spices, cooking utensils, clothing and various foods all from Mexico. If your looking for something really different to do in St. Louis, check out the Mexican food community on Cherokee.

The 'L' word...

While recently visiting friends in St. Louis, I wanted to venture into the city to attend what has become a 70 year tradition for many St. Louisians. Every Wednesday families pile into the halls of Saint Raymond's Maronite Cathedral in downtown St. Louis to sample some of the best homemade Lebanese cuisine available.

The Cedars Hall is a large meeting center located on the grounds of this beautiful Lebanese Catholic church. Glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling as colorful paintings of saints and angels fill the halls. Even though we got there early, a crowd had already began forming inside the hall.

The aromatic smell of spices and seasonings filled the air as customers peered into steamy meat and vegetable dishes. The little lady in front of me tells me " you must try the stuffed cabbage". I begin to peruse a line of delicious looking dishes. My friends and I decide on a number of dishes including the stuffed cabbage, kibbi, meat turnovers, stuffed olive leaves, lentils, hummus and fresh Lebanese bread.

The kibbi is a dish made from ground sirloin meat, bulgur wheat and spices. Kibbi can be fried but I opt for the raw kibbi which is raw sirloin prepared with spices that cook the meat much like the citrus prepares the raw seafood in ceviche. A large Lebanese gentlemen tells me " Now go to your table, pour a little olive oil on top of it and crush this into it." With that he hands me several slivers of raw onion. I follow his instructions and the result is a delicious taste that I've never experienced before. The hint of meat is overcome by the middle eastern spices then followed by the savoriness of the olive oil and flavored by the onion. Very nice indeed...

The grape leaves have a faint citrusy smell as they have been ladled in lemon juice. The inside of the tender green leaves are filled with seasoned beef and steamed rice. I have had very few Greek dolmades that I have enjoyed so these came as a surprise. They were very flavorful.

After we polish off the lentils, turnovers and homemade flatbread, we are invited to a dessert table filled with several golden honey ladden sweets. A kind elderly lady prepares Lebanese coffee with cardamom for us.

We try a piece of the homemade baklava. Pistachios and fried golden crust are covered in sweet honey. It was a good thing we were in a church because I almost had a religious experience!

Every week the church serves over 400 people during lunch. We ate till we were stuffed and spent less than 15.00 for all of it. Next time you are in St. Louis and looking for some incredible middle eastern soul food, visit Saint Raymonds.

Saint Raymonds Maronite Cathedral is located at 939 Lebanon Drive in St. Louis Missouri.

Another shameless plug for Bible Belt Foodies...

Jackson Sun food writer Ellen Kimbro gives us another kind treatment in her article 'Experience the Flavors of the World at Home'


http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120516/LIFESTYLE/305160012/Experience-flavors-world-home?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Rumors, Rumblings and Straight up Food Gossip

Whew...I just got in from a weekend of carnivorous activities. (And boy my mouth is tired!) This past weekend I was privy to spend some time with one of West Tennessee's newest barbecue cooking teams 'The Red Eye Cookers'. Located in Brownsville Tennessee, the Cookers make a dynamic spread of slow smoking pork, beef and chicken. FITBB will have details in the near future on how you can get these folks at your next event.

Now onto the news....Construction continues on 'Five Guys Burgers and Fries ' in the Columns region of North Jackson. Five Guys has over 1,000 locations nationwide with the two closest in Memphis and Nashville. Rumor has it that it should be opening in the next few months.

A friend who use to live in Korea and has advised me that Jackson's 'Fujiyama' Japanese Restaurant is now serving authentic Korean dishes. Patrons can now order  'Bulgogi', grilled Korean barbecue meat or chicken and 'Bibimbap', a Korean rice dish of vegetables, beef and red chili paste. This may be one of the few chances that Jacksonians get to taste Korean cuisine. Better go try it...

Jackson continues to become home to another Chinese based restaurant 'Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet' has now opened in the Stonebrook Place Shopping Center. It is rumored that they are part of a chain connected to a 'Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet' in Nashville Tennessee. If this is true, reviews surrounding the Nashville location give it a 'thumbs up' and note that it looks 'like a casino'. (Wow, more word on this as I plan to try them out sometime this week.)

This comes on the heals of the news that Jackson will also become home to national chain Mongolian style restaurant 'Genghis Grill'. Genghis is known for their casual atmosphere where customers choose their ingredients and watch the cooks prepare their meal 'exhibition' style. I have eaten at the one in Memphis and it is very good. While not necessarily 'authentic' it is a definite healthy choice versus the traditional msg laden Chinese buffet.

Some of my close friends and I have a theory. There appears to be many 'cursed' locations throughout Jackson and West Tennessee where some really good food has been served throughout the years. But for whatever reason, the 'cursed' location will not allow restaurants to stay in business for more than six months or so. Jackson has several of these locations: Behind Krystal on Parkway, Across from Hamilton Hills on Carriage House and across from McDonald's on the 45 Bypass. (Wow, were gettin local!)

At the last location, there appears to be an attempt to break the curse once again. In a location that has previously served Chinese, Sushi and Japanese steak, it looks like the owner's of 'Lilly's Southern Restaurant' are putting up yet another 'southern-style' restaurant. (I do believe before it's all said and done that Jackson Tennessee will be the home of two types of restaurants: Chinese Buffets and Southern style cooking. Just my two-cents...)

And...other events in the region coming up include Memphis in May (and I'm not barking about the over publicized BBQ contest, I'm talking about Filipino Chef Claude Tayag who will be featured at the Peabody. For those that remember, Tayag was featured on Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations'. )

That is all for this week....

Remember, make eating an adventure!

Finding the Pearl of the Orient in West Tennessee

It was a sleepy Saturday morning in West Tennessee. I had received an invitation to a fundraiser being held by the West Tennessee Filipino American (Fil-Am) Association. The event was held at the home of Fil-Am members Charlie and Mitzi Williams of Jackson Tennessee.The annual event included a yard sale and homemade Filipino food being sold to raise money for the organization.

While the cold weather threatened to stop the yard sale, there was a smell that emitted from the backyard of the residence that could not be stopped. A door on the front porch opened revealing the sights, sounds and smells of cooking, eating and fellowship. As I entered I was thrust into a wonderland of sights and smells. (It was like a casino of good food. Lights, sounds and sensory overload!)

I was given a plate and led to a table where mounds of food begged for my attention.
The first dish I was given was homemade lumpia. For those not familiar with lumpia, lumpia are deep fried spring rolls filled with meat and vegetables. These golden delicious treats were brought in straight from a propane driven boiling wok on the back porch. A nice fluffy cloud of steamed white rice was soon spooned onto my plate. " Pour some of this on top of your rice" a lady advised me. I ladled some of the dark shrimp paste onto the rice. The paste was salty and savory.  As I turn, another person slips a piece of round crispy pork onto my plate. " This is Tocino" she says. The pork is sweet, salty and delicious. Tocino is a traditional Filipino breakfast sausage made from cured pork. It is sometimes made with pork, sugar, fruit juices and garlic. Imagine a sweet piece of Canadian bacon. Really, really good.

Before I could take a bite another kind lady offers me a sample of fried squid. Long crunchy strips of squid meat and fried fish are placed on my plate.  I am led out the back door to the patio where I meet the man responsible for many of these wonderful dishes. My friend laughs and tells me that the man responsible for all of this wonderful food could be the 'unofficial mayor of the local Filipino community". She introduces me to head cook Eli Masangkay as he gingerly begins to submerge a dried translucent squid into a vat of hot cooking oil. He then turns and opens the lid on a gas powered grill to reveal a gallery of gorgeous marinated kabobs. Strips of pork and chicken pop and crack over the hot blue flames releasing scents of heavenly origin.

After watching Eli apply his masterful touch to the squid and kabobs, I wander back inside where I watch a young lady take hardened brown pieces of chocolate and place them in boiling water. She begins to grind the chocolate disc back and forth using a wooden tool known as 'Batador' (which is similar to the Mexican 'Molinillo' used in making Mexican hot chocolate.) Filipino hot chocolate known as 'Tsokolate' is traditionally made from small discs known as 'tablea'. Tablea discs are made from ingredients cacao and sugar. The discs are placed into water and then blended. The result is an amazing smooth, sweet chocolatey beverage. 

I feasted on several Filipino dishes and finally capped them off with some wonderful frozen mango.

The food was impeccable. The hospitality was remarkable. The West Tennessee Filipino American Association hosts a number of events throughout the year. I highly recommend that you make plans to attend any of the organizations community functions. You will not be disappointed!

World Foods Cooking Class a Success!

Our World Foods cooking class held at Jackson State Community College was a great success! We had close to thirty participants that came out and joined us. During the day we cooked, shared and ate foods from Ethiopia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cuba and Mexico. Members of the class shared their experiences about eating from floating restaurants in Vietnam to cooking a whole pig on bamboo in the Philippines. We hope to hold the class again soon and will be offering private classes to parties and groups by appointment. Don't forget, we will be set up starting in May at the City of Jackson Farmer's market. Our booth will offer hard to find  import foods, seasonings and cooking tools from Asia, the Caribbean and Mexico. Come out an see us!