Food Truck Mashup 2018
Roll me over, stick a fork in me, I’m done! So much good food, so many options, so much fun! My friend and I bellied up to Foodtruck Mashup at Cooley Law School Stadium on Saturday, produced by USA Today Network, hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters, Michigan Education Trust , and the Lansing State Journal . Phew! That’s a lot of shout outs, but don’t worry, I’ve got more coming.
We went with growling stomachs and foodie anticipation, the event did not disappoint. After receiving early access, it’s as if we had suddenly entered a food truck utopia. Picture yourself in the middle of a lush green lawn, as you look around, you are surrounded by food trucks of every color, shape, and size. On one side of you, giant woks with flames flickering high, readying themselves for soba noodles or saffron filled paella, burger wagons, and sandwiches. On the other side you have street tacos, curry flavored delights, savory and sweet crepes, and BBQ trucks billowing smokey and spicey deliciousness from their grills, a cheese lovers truck with necklaces to boot, and the magical psychedelic cookie truck of every flavor and name imaginable. To top it off, there is a water feature in the middle of everything and fun and upbeat music playing in the background. Best DJ ever by the way, like I said a food utopia.
It was a little daunting, where do we start, what do we try first? Nothing a cocktail can’t decide for us, enter our new best friend Trey, the manager at Good Hops. Thanks to him, he kept the drinks flowing, and the fun never ending. We started at Storypoint Assisted Living Truck or the Friendly Fork, I know, not a normal food truck name, but with the baby boomer generation retiring, blah, blah, blah..... who cares what the name is, they had lump crab cakes! Lump is the key word here. I’m really not even sure how they were able to keep them together in cake form because the amount of sweet sea tasting crab was amazing, and there was so much of it. A good first start.
Next, we went to Fire and Rice , right here out of Lansing, and had a sample of the paella. Now, I’ve lived in Miami (not Ohio) and have had my fair share of good paella. This definitely was comparable. So, if you are craving paella, you need to hire them to caterer your next event.
As we scoped out our next food truck, we saw a big line for a truck with the word “cheese.” Must be good, because there is a line, right? Hmm, cheese truck? How will this work? Here is a chunk of our famous Gouda and Swiss with a side of grapes, olives, and red wine? We also have blue, but it’s kind of smelly. NO! Not at all. The Cheese Trap , not mouse trap, but Cheese Trap Truck was selling cheese necklaces, and of course we had to buy two at the very inexpensive rate of $4.00! We asked the cashier what the most popular item on the menu is and she responded with backyard brisket. After waiting in line for thirty minutes we received what appeared to be a glorified grilled cheese sammy. Utter disappointment, until we took that first bite. The cheese was awesome, a creamy mixture of cheddar and horseradish flavors on multigrain bread that had the perfect amount of butter to crisp it up on the griddle. The cheese actually reminded me of the tub of bar cheese that your parents used to take to get togethers, anyone remember this?
After a few more cocktails, we tried out Crepes by the Lakes . We ordered the caprese, because it’s tomato season after all, very fresh, and the crepe itself was delicious. Soft, thin, a smidge doughey, and none of that flakiness on the edges. At this point our stomachs needed a reprieve and so we sat and people watched. I mean everybody loves to people watch right? We noticed that it truly was a family event, lots of kids and strollers, smiles, and dancing and I was missing my family at the very moment. Everybody was happy, when there is delicious food around, generally people show various forms of happiness.
After we visited Trey a few more times, we made friends with the staff and DJ, and soon they were all dancing with us too and it was time to make our final rounds. We chose Clyde’s Pit (the DJ’s favorite) and Curry in a Hurry. Both very good, I liked the way Clyde cut up his meat and the texture and flavor were out of this world. The chicken tikka from Curry in a Hurry had the best sauce I’ve ever had, I can actually still taste it. I will forever compare sauces to this one. But after a full day of eating, it was hard to pack anything more in our tummies. I wanted to try the Underground Cookie Club so bad, but if I tried to shove one more thing in my stomach, it wouldn’t be pretty. That was our cue, it was time to go home. We were officially full, even for this girl who can eat like a 300 pound football player. Thank you Cooley Law School for hosting this event, please, please bring this back next year!
