lessons I've learned while trailering

These are in no specific order.

1. If possible, read the menus before so I don't panic and end up eating pork rinds.
2. Twitter is cool! & much more fun when following food trailers.
3. Hours of operation are always negotiable. Don't get too disappointed if the trailer you wanted to visit is closed for an unforeseen reason. There is most likely an alternative nearby.
4. It IS possible to eat healthy at a food trailer...just not ALL food trailers.
5. BYBO locations are my favorite setting at which to consume trailer foods. I meant byob, but if you want to bring your body odor with you I won't judge.
6. Brave foodie friends are a necessity, you can't invite just anyone along.
7. A pinch of personality makes a world of difference in customer service. Also, so do a few smiles.
8. Shade trees are invaluable during the hot Texas summer.
9. Sundays and Mondays are difficult days to find open trailers, but where there's a will there's a way.
10. The prices aren't as cheap as fast food, but the food is much more quality (worth it).
11. People like to get excited with you about something that you get really excited about.
12. I'm not going to like everything and I have to be honest about that. People will respect the blog more for it. But, I lose sleep and procrastinate like crazy when I have negative feedback to give. :-/
13. (humbly) I'm kinda good at this. I think I have a future in blogging about my passions.
14. There will always be trailers I want to go to, but still haven't yet because there are something like 1600 in Austin alone!
15. I'm thankful I take pictures at the trailers... they help me remember the things that happened and provide great blackmail for my friends when I get shots of them mid-bite.

mellomen

THE Courtney Ray Goodson is back in the United States of AMERICA!! She is one of my best friends from college and just served two years in The Peace Corps in Fiji. I'm very happy she's home, so of course we celebrated by doing a trailer. She had actually looked up some places she wanted to visit before she even got home and Biscuits & Groovy was on the list. Conveniently, I had purchased a Groupon for this establishment so it was a win-win. We located the legendary B&G (on 51st at Duval) and had our first adventure in finding a place to park. This is where we left our car, down the alley behind The Peddler...possibly in someone's private parking spot. But, hey, It was free and there were no signs... :)

Walking up to the trailer, the aluminum siding reflected the bright sunshine and it gave the trailer the illusion that it was creating its own light. The magic wore off since it was so dang hot outside already, but I do like the materials they chose to use for the construction of this unit. It reminded Courtney of her house back in Fiji (which is awesome). The guy inside working, Thoren (hope I spelled that correctly!), was super friendly and gave us the low-down on how things work at B&G. The menu items all have musical-inspired names and we settled on three things: The MC Hammer (Court), The Bee Gee (both of us), and The Johnny Hash (for myself).

While we waited for our food, we sat at the brightly colored tables and sipped on our GREAT tasting iced coffees. Seriously, I was very impressed at how tasty they were. And with colorful straws to slurp through, we were happy campers. Court wanted to share her Harry Potter scar drawing skills with the world as well. We had viewed the last of the films the night before, complete with forehead art that received multiple complements from our fellow movie goers.

I am so glad that at this point I suddenly remembered that this trailer hosts a unique mixed-CD swap. I had thrown together a play list and burned it to a disc right before we left the house so I retrieved that from the car to exchange it for someone else's mix. I titled mine 'Biscuits & Groovy' (creative, right?) and chose to take home a green CD called 'Mellomen.' I almost took home 'Female,' but I am SO glad I got Mellomen instead. I have been jamming to that in my car ever since. I can even go back to B&G to exchange it again whenever I wish, library-style. It was so fun!

Our food was ready shortly after the great CD swap, and I carried it to our table. My Johnny Hash order was HUGE. Thankfully, Courtney liked the gravy aspect of it and helped me take down as much as possible. The biscuits were big and fluffy and perfect for holding an obscene amount of awesome toppings. I added some siracha to half of my order and it was the perfect amount of spice to complement the cheese, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and chives. From my first bite, I knew there was nothing healthy about this meal but I didn't even feel guilty. It was very yummy.  I definitely couldn't eat it for breakfast (or lunch) everyday, but it would serve nicely as a special weekend treat. We went on a Tuesday, but that doesn't matter. It was very filling and exactly what I wanted from a biscuits and gravy dish.

Our table companion, Manny, also enjoyed his meal. It's so fun when I go to these trailers and get to meet new people. I like the limited seating thing, it forces people to be nicer to each other. Who knows if that person might become a new friend, you know?

We totally dominated this trailer and I'm proud of our accomplishment. I'm also proud of this trailer (it's still pretty new). I give it 4.5 out of 5 trailers because it's unique and they are constantly adding new menu items, the mixed CD swap is pure genius, and the iced coffee was so scrumptious. Thoren was also really cool and I really appreciate good people in the service industry. I'd definitely suggest you try this place out.

Guest Review:

Greetings earthlings! 

To start off I can't tell everyone how excited I am to have accompanied my lovely Shalyn on one of these food adventures. I've been waiting so long and was so happy my dream came true!

I love food. I love Shalyn. and I love trailers that sell food. When we started I was so excited for some quality biscuits and gravy, a favorite southern breakfast food I had dearly missed. 

As we arrived fashionably late, feelin' good and lookin' good, we won the Best-Parking-Spot Award as we parked it right next to the dumpster, something I felt played up the 'trailer park' ambiance quite nicely. 

We ordered 3 things to split: the Bee-Gee (biscuit with jam), the MC Hammer (biscuit with turkey sausage, egg, and cheese [and may I also throw out that I felt called to order this one as I not only had MC Hammer pants but also owned and cherished his cassette tape]), and the Johnny Hash (loaded biscuits and gravy with bacon, sausage, chives, cheese, and tomatoes).

All of the biscuits were nice and fluffy and perfectly baked.  To be honest though, I wasn't that impressed with anything sans gravy. The Johnny Hash was so good, partly because it had lots of gravy, but anything without it wasn't stellar and tasted like it was missing something.  Now I don't know if this is because I was either a.) so excited to be here and/or b.) hadn't had biscuits and gravy from America for the past two years. But I just felt like my mom could make better gravy. However, if you're passing through the area and are craving some biscuits- it's definitely worth stopping! :0)

Cheers,

Courtney Ray Goodson

quick lunch

I had been feeling guilty about how long it has taken me to post new trailers, so I made a split-second decision one day while working (delivering cookies for Tiff's Treats) to stop by Sushi-A-Go-Go for a quick lunch-time sushi fix. Honestly, this is one of the trailers that has intrigued me since the beginning of this project. I drive by it frequently (it's in the small trailer park on Barton Springs Road across from the Long Center) and always think it would take a giant leap of faith to get people to eat SUSHI (raw fish, etc.) out of a trailer. Especially when it's 100+ degrees outside. But I (wo)manned-up and went for it, solo.

I had read an article in Austin Monthly magazine (thanks Danielle) about the best sushi around town and for this venue they suggested the sunshine roll ($6 on menu, but $6.50 after tax). It has salmon, avocado, and mango... three things that are glorious in combination with each other. That's precisely what I ordered and waited patiently under the bright umbrellas to receive my tasty delicacy.

Notes I made (on my phone because I'm a nerd) while sitting: they accept credit cards ($8 min charge), it was easy to park, the trailer park was small but growing, it was effing HOT outside even in the shade of the umbrella, and the guy working the trailer was really nice and full of compliments. The last note was that the food was ready very quickly even though they were sorta busy. I took my food back to the store to eat, but it was very hard to resist tearing into it right away.

Once I got my set-up for sushi ready (you know...soy sauce, wasabi, etc.) I dug into the platter with vigor. I made a feeble attempt to pace myself in an effort to stretch the meal longer, but I failed. I scarfed down the eight pieces in less than 5 minutes. That's when I noticed what the wrapper of the chop sticks was communicating to me. It's like they were cheering me on the whole time! I thoroughly enjoyed that little detail.

 

While the meal satisfied my craving for sushi, it wasn't the best I have sampled in Austin. I'd liken it to grocery-store sushi, only slightly better. The packaging was even strikingly similar to those I have found at HEB. The only difference is that I drive by this place nearly everyday and will most likely stop again to try a different roll. I'd even take friends there once it's not so dang sunny and hot outside. The name is cute, the website is good, and the food was just above decent. This place gets 4 out of 5 trailers because they made me want to come back. Whatever magic it takes to get me to say that, they have it. Please let me know if you're craving sushi and need a quick, cheap fix in a hurry. THIS is the place we will go!

sunflowers

 

My mom was in town for a visit this past weekend. She has been in love with Lyle Lovett for as long as I can remember and he was playing a show with John Hiatt at The Paramount Theater on Wednesday night. She got tickets for us to go see him and since this blog has been happening, she wanted to go eat at trailer with me before the show. As we drove down 5th Street to get our tickets from will call, we ran into a spontaneous water balloon/water gun fight on the corner of 5th and Congress! It was hilarious! I rolled down the windows and one guy squirted my mom with a water gun. She loved it!

Anyway, we continued our way to dinner at the Sun Farm Kitchen trailer on E. 11th. I had struggled a bit with their website to determine if they would be open or not, but they were. I had seen a photo of their trailer online and it was a good thing, too. If I didn't know exactly what I was looking for I would have passed it right by! Turns out it's located next door to The Purple Bean Cafe (subject of my very first blog posting). We walked up and I was thinking, "Oh! How charming! There are lots of sunflowers and a strange bike on the top!"

We walked up to one of the two windows to peruse the menu and order. The man working the trailer was chilling in a hammock inside the trailer and let us have our space to decide what we wanted. He was eccentric in the way that extreme yogis and vegans are, but was nice in a quiet way. I ordered the vegan Italian sausage and asked for his input whether I should get it in a hot dog bun or tortilla. He suggested the tortilla which was the direction I had been leaning already, so it was decided. I also got an avocado milkshake since we had been discussing them so often at work and I was still in doubt over whether or not it would be tasty. Since mom was in town, she was paying (the greatest thing parents of 20-somethings can do for their children) but there was no mention of payment at this time, so we walked down the hill to wait for our food. There was some confusion on exactly where we could/should sit, but we settled on the picnic table at the far end of the arrangement. The ADULT-sized picnic table, I should specify. Our rear-ends did not properly fit the first table we tried... it was more of a Goldilocks type situation. The adult-sized table turned out to be juuuuuuuuust right.

Maybe I was quite hungry and impatient, but our food just took too long. Plus I was unsure of when/how to pay for this since the transaction did not take place immediately after ordering, per the usual trailer protocol. The guy was just too cool and trusting about it all. It made me anxious. When it was ready, we picked it up from the same window at which we ordered and I offered him money then (to allow myself to stop worrying that I'd forget it and leave without paying unintentionally). He accepted it and offered me some of the habanero chutney with the warning that it was VERY hot. I enjoy spicy foods so I bravely loaded my paper plate-dish thingy with some of the intensely orange mash and headed back to my seat.

 

For a vegan sausage, this thing was packed with flavor. I was proud of myself for ordering it, but more proud of myself for honestly enjoying it. All except that chutney. That man was not lying! It may be one of the spiciest things I've ever exposed to my tongue. It burned my taste buds for a solid couple of minutes, but the veganness of the sausage and the soothing qualities of the tortilla helped chill out my mouth. My avocado milkshake also had those calming characteristics you need to save you from inferno-mouth, however it did lack strong flavoring. The beverage was cool and just the right amount of creamy, but with chunks of ice like that you can't really call it a 'milkshake.' I need to let Lindsey make me a real avocado milkshake a la her father.

This trailer, overall, let me down. While I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed my vegan fare so much, the food was about the only thing I liked about the place. Well, that and the sunflowers. The website drove me nuts while I was trying to get a solid answer on their hours, menu, and exact location. The menu offerings were limited, but what they did serve was tasty. The seating arrangement was awkward, but we didn't stay for the movie night so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The service was sufficient, but not as friendly as I would have liked and have experienced elsewhere. All-in-all, I give it 3 out of 5 trailers since food is the most important factor. Unless specifically requested, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there again. I'd prefer the next-door charms of The Purple Bean for sure.

This last picture is just for you, Mom. :)

Guest Review:

Farm fresh, locally grown, organic...how can you go wrong? Right?  Well, there was plenty wrong with this place but upon reflection, the wrong was mostly aesthetic.  I opted for the hummus platter because I wasn't starving.  To call what was offered up a "platter" is a quite a stretch. There was a dollop of decent hummus with some very tasty grilled pita and a small pile of raw carrots, celery and surprisingly, slices of purple cabbage.  It turned out to be just the right amount of food for me and I'd have to say the pita was the star of the "platter".  I washed it all down with a cup of cold water while sitting at the only adult-sized picnic table available with my feet on the seat to avoid the fire ants munching on my sandaled toes.  There was one other seating option...a kid-sized picnic table located closer to the action.  We tried that one first but quickly realized, with a burst of laughter, that it was just too small with it's 1X4 seat!  A little bit of TLC on delineating a cool seating area would do wonders for this trailer.  The best part of the whole experience was spending quality time with my eating companion - my beautiful and talented daughter and author of this blog, Miss Shalyn Elise!  And...it's a night I'll always remember because later that evening I MET LYLE LOVETT!

Mom