Linda Wilhelmi and Colleen D'Angelo enjoy gourmet milkshakes at Buster Mac's. Photos by Colleen D'Angelo
When my son, Christopher, graduated from St. Charles Preparatory Academy in 2012, he wanted to have a fun outdoor gathering at our house. We set up a ping-pong table and volleyball net outside and rented arcade games including Skeeball, Pac-Man and Galaga.
My husband and I wanted to enjoy the celebration and not be tied down making dinner, so we hired a food truck for the main course and provided our own side dishes. The party was such a success that several friends modeled their graduation festivities after ours, and we followed up last year with another catering truck for our daughter’s end of high school celebration.
According to www.mobile-cuisine.com, annual food truck revenue is over $1.2 billion and has increased 12.4 percent in the last five years. You can find these restaurants on wheels at office parks, college campuses, festivals, concerts and backyard parties. There are also specific websites with maps and guides that give the locations of various trucks during the week. Check out Street Food Finder, Central Ohio Food Trucks and Roaming Hunger.
Chef Nic Piccin of En Place Food Truck
I decided to do a little taste test around Dublin of five food trucks in five days, and I learned that there is a large variety of delicious cuisine right around the corner – if you can catch it.
Monday, I started with Cupzilla, which is Korean barbecue in a cup. The truck was in the parking lot of XPO Logistics on Emerald Parkway. I ordered the chicken served with rice and vegetables and my daughter had the tofu. The sauce is ranked from one to five, from least spicy to seriously hot. Courtney and I each ordered two, but next time we will go up to three for even more punch and, yes, there will be a next time, because the bowl was fresh, tangy and different.
On Tuesday, my friend Linda Wilhelmi and I met up with Rocco and Clara Valentino, a father-daughter team that owns and runs Buster Mac’s. Rocco is a trained chef from a large Italian family in Reynoldsburg and does most of the cooking, but the restaurant on wheels was Clara’s dream. Linda and I shared the four-cheese beef patty topped with goat, cheddar, Swiss and romano cheeses as well as tomato, onion and kale on a brioche bun. We also split the vegetarian cheddar and lentil patty with kale, tomato and honey mustard. Both were tasty, but I was especially won over by the goat cheese on the burger and the hand-cut French fries with sea salt. For dessert, we tried the rich vanilla bean shake and the daily special, a lemon cream shake with caramel that tasted like a slice of lemon meringue pie.
Tortilla Street Food
Wednesday, I headed to the Pitabilities truck stationed off Industrial Parkway. We had hired Pitabilities for Courtney’s graduation party because it had healthy vegetarian options, so I already knew the food was tasty. Jim Pashovich started his business in 1986 with a pushcart at the corner of Broad and High streets in Columbus, and it has grown immensely because of his reliability. I could already taste the Greek gyro with lamb, beef, Bella sauce, feta cheese, lettuce and tomato. My friend Heidi King loved the buffalo chicken wrap, and my daughter had to have the falafel. A total plus was the location on Daron Court, as there were picnic tables and plenty of green grass to spread a blanket.
Churros from Tortilla Street Food
Thursday brought me to the Mexican truck Tortilla. Picture Chipotle, but with 10 times the choices and flavors. Fortunately, there are lots of pictures on the truck as you go down the line making decisions, but it can be a little overwhelming. I ordered the quesadilla with chicken, rice, cheese, onions and peppers with a side of corn salsa and cilantro sauce. Don’t miss the cilantro sauce! Then, for fun, I tried the original cinnamon churros, which were served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
On Friday, though my tummy was full, I found room for En Place, which was parked at Stanley Steemer on Innovations Drive. Chef Nic Piccin is dedicated to using fresh, seasonal ingredients from local vendors whenever possible. He gave me a sample of fresh sprouts from a local farm and I could taste the nuts and earth in them. Chef Nic suggested the pork belly sandwich on a toasted bun topped with corn and jalapeno jam and locally sourced organic micro greens. I also tried the organic field green salad with snap peas and udon noodles, tossed in a sesame ginger peanut dressing. I’m embarrassed to say how quickly I devoured the sandwich and every bite of my salad, getting every last drop of the dressing out of the container. This is one of those meals that I will continue to think about until the next time I set my navigation to find En Place’s location.
Heidi King at Pitabilities
A few other favorite meals on wheels that I’ve visited are Mikey’s Late Night Slice with its PizzAssault truck whose motto is “Pay. Eat. Leave.” In my opinion, it’s as close as you will get to New York pizza in central Ohio, and I love that you can just grab a cheesy slice or two. On the more healthful side is Sweet Carrot, with its chicken sausage, kale and black eyed pea soup with a butter grilled jalapeno corn muffin, served with craft beer. Both of these businesses have trucks as well as brick and mortar locations now.
Try something new this summer with casual food truck dining al fresco. I’ll be at the gym working off this assignment.
Colleen D’Angelo is a freelance writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.
Photos by Coleen D’ Angelo
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