E

Today I decided to go to the most excellent Chinese food truck on Drexel University’s campus. I can’t tell you the name of it because it isn’t displayed anywhere and I can’t remember what the owner/chef told me it was when I asked him once upon a time ago. I believe it started with an E, so that’s what I shall call it. The letter “E” starts off so many awesome words, such as excellent, enticingly, euphoria, and extraordinary.

I’m not going to lie that I’m more than just a little biased writing about this truck. I have been eating here exclusively (i.e. for Chinese food) for about 2 years before Trans came to campus and I imagine that I will continue to eat there as long as we both stay on campus. It’s not that hard to pick something off the menu because there are only 5 things on the menu (i.e. General Tso’s Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, Teriyaki Shrimp). With each order, you choose a side of fried or steamed rice or noodles; if you want you can get half noodles / half rice! The prices are reasonable, the chicken dishes cost about $5 a piece and the shrimp and beef dishes cost about $7. I’ve come to learn that everything about the food is fresh. The sauces are homemade and the meats are bought the night before. There is only one complaint I have about this truck and that is the lines that form for food. The longest I’ve ever had to wait because of a large line was about 40 minutes – in the rain mind you-, but as I mentioned before, it’s totally worth it.

Today I decided to treat myself to an order of General Tso’s Chicken with a side of steamed rice. It was absolutely delicious. The chicken was cooked perfectly and there was a crunch to every bite. I had to stop midway through to give myself a breather because there was so much food. The orange that you can see on the rice is siracha sauce (aka “Spicy”). When the siracha sauce and the General Tso’s sauce is mixed together, you get a kickin’ combination that will keep your taste buds on their toes. 

If you could eat at only one truck on Drexel’s campus, I suggest this!

KOJA

Another Asian truck!? Yes, you’re right. I can’t help it that I’m addicted. I didn’t even know I was going to one when I set out upon my quest to find a most excellent meal at lunchtime.  I started off walking down 33^rd Street, around the hospital, up Spruce Street to 40^th, and then on my way back to Drexel, I spotted KOJA on 38^th between Chestnut and Walnut. If you’re brave and want a tour of some awesome food trucks, I suggest that you take my route. I passed a million different types (i.e. American, Fruit, Brazilian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Vegetarian, etc…). If you don’t want to worry about exercising, then just go straight here.

I didn’t have to wait too long to get my food; it only took about 7 minutes. One of the hardest parts was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. Korean/Japanese is very new to me. Originally, I was going to get a Yakisoba Platter or some Stir Fry, but I’ve had both in the past week and I don’t want to overdo it. Once I decided on getting something from Chef’s Specials, I couldn’t decide which specifically to get. I did get the Beef Bulgoki, but I really wanted the pork. The Beef Bulgoki consisted of sliced beef and veggies marinated with Korean seasonings, steamed rice, and 2 fried dumplings.

You might also be asking yourself why the picture of my food is not completely in focus; well, it is in focus, but the steam fogged up my phone a little while I took the picture. The food was red hot and I actually gave it some time to cool down. When I began, I started with the fried dumplings; they were good, but they were really small. Afterwards I ate half of my rice and then I ate the beef. The rice was pretty dry (i.e. the type of dry that gives you some pretty intense hiccups after you eat). The beef was delicious not only because it was sweet and a little salty, but because it was cooked with the onions and peppers – I may have seen broccoli, but I can’t remember- everything was injected with flavor. It was very reminiscent of a pepper steak. Halfway done with the meat/veggies, I turned my attention back to the rice. How was I going to save myself from its dryness? I mixed the rice with the juices left over from the beef and it absorbed it in nothing flat. With the rice saved! I promptly demolished the rest of my food. To wash everything down, I drank some of my Honey Lemonade which I also bought from KOJA. It tasted like honey and lemonade! I’m surprised they work well together.

I will totally eat here again; however, I will most likely come back on Fridays after 3 PM because then all meals are $4.50!!!

Mike's

Sometimes I get distracted and I don’t pay attention to the name of food carts.  There are many reasons why I don’t; some reasons are: I’m too busy taking in the aroma from food being cooked, I’m drooling over other menus, or I’m busy talking to the person inside. For this truck, all three were true. I was walking out of the library, smelled something reminiscent of heaven, followed the smell to this truck, and then asked the person inside what food he was making. It turned out to be a Chicken Niko, which I ordered and will talk about later, but it got me to look at the menu and I found a lot of interesting food items. Two other things that really caught my eye were the Grilled Chicken with White Wine and Spinach (sandwich) and the Sausage Scaloppini – I’m not exactly sure what that last one is, but it sounds good. The Prices are reasonable since they only range from $3-6 for a sandwich at lunch and the wait time is fairly short. I haven’t been able to get a good grip on its hour for this past summer, but it seems to close around 4ish in the afternoon.

As I mentioned before, I ordered the Chicken Niko. I have never seen a sandwich like it before! It consists of grilled chicken with balsamic vinegar, prosciutto and provolone cheese. I’m getting hungry as I’m typing it out because I had such a great experience eating one – actually I ate two because I was so excited to eat the first that I forgot to take a picture. It’s hot. It’s sweet. The juices, particularly the balsamic, get absorbed by the bread and every bite is packed with flavor. The chicken is cooked in such a way that the texture both contrasts and compliments the prosciutto. The cheese is gooey, melty and sticks to the bread so that you get some with every bite.

I’m actually going to leave you with that. I can’t think of any final words to say. I literally just made up my mind to go back and get food from there again. If I figure out the name, I’ll come back and update this for your benefit! Bon appetite!

Magic Carpet Foods: Whole World Vegetarian Cuisine

Yesterday I was feeling pretty fat because I realized that I have been showing you quite a bit of some of the nutritionally unhealthy foods that I like to eat on occasion. I say nutritionally unhealthy because I think certain foods are just good for your soul. But I digress. I decided to show you the healthier side of food carts by writing Magic Carpet Foods: Whole World Vegetarian Cuisine. 

I’ve eaten there only once before and I was impressed. I visited the cart around 11:30 AM and I was shocked at the number of people waiting in line. The picture above only shows six people standing, but I assure you that there were four more. That being said, the wait wasn’t too bad; it was about a 15-20 (i.e. about 5-6 songs) minute wait. I needed all the time I could get before ordering because I had no idea what I was going to get since everything looked really good. Eventually I decided to order the McManchu which cost $7.50 and consisted of seitan peppersteak, cheese, rice & veggies, salad, and pita bread. 

The food was delicious. The salad was fresh and had balsamic vinaigrette dressing; however, because it was put into the same container as the rest of the food, each bite was often mixed with rice, other veggies or the peppersteak. The vegetables were at the bottom of the container covered by rice which was covered by the peppersteak; this allowed the veggies to soak up the juices from everything above it. When I attempted to eat the rice and peppersteak, things got messy. It was also the time that I remembered that I had the pita bread which I then used to make a sandwich of everything left in the container. It was hot, spicy, sweet and a little greasy (Yes, I consider grease a flavor!); all the elements needed to make a good dish.

Happy Sunshine Lunch Truck

When I first noticed the Happy Sunshine Lunch Truck, I had mixed feelings. I was fairly unhappy because they had replaced another truck called Memos that I really enjoyed and I was worried that the food might not be as good as the previous truck. However, I’m a sucker for a good name and “Happy Sunshine Lunch Truck” is a damn fine name. The owners even painted the truck a light yellow to match the name. It’s a very convenient truck too, since it is the closest food truck to the majority of Drexel’s residence halls and my apartment. Because I often pass it and it is relatively inexpensive ($1-6) I tend to buy from here more frequently. The last two times I ate here, I ordered the Pepperoni Cheese Steak and the Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak which was about $4-4.50 each.

Surprisingly the Pepperoni Cheese Steak doesn’t differ all too much from the regular cheese steak in terms of taste. It tends to be more flavorful and it has a different texture. Cheese steaks tend to be either really light or heavy and if it’s light, you can eat the food relatively fast since it’s easy to chew. By adding pepperoni, you have to chew your food more since the pepperoni is slightly chewy. So this could be the cause of why it might taste better than the regular cheese steak.

Another food item that I particularly enjoy from the Happy Sunshine Lunch Truck is the Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak. Surprisingly, I have quite a few of the buffalo chicken cheese steaks from various food trucks and quite a few of them were pretty bad. This truck did well though, so you don’t have to worry, I just wanted to put it in perspective. So besides the chicken and cheese, buffalo sauce and bleu cheese is added. Even though I liked it, it’s not real buffalo sauce; it is siracha sauce, which is very common on food trucks. The result is that you get less of the buffalo flavor and more of a spicy flavor. The bleu cheese works well with counteracting the siracha and balances the overall food item quite well. 

In hindsight, I wish I could have taken a picture of the sandwiches I would buy from there since I buy those more frequently than things like (chicken) cheese steaks. But it’s a reliable truck and that’s what I want you to know.

Cucina Zapata

Cucina Zapata is a wonderful thing. It’s relatively new on Drexel University’s campus and is less than year old. However, it has become a hit with faculty and students alike. They sell awesome quality foods and have a menu that continually changes; that is why they have their entire menu on a little blackboard. Currently the menu boasts things like: Thai Short-Rib Tacos, Chicken Satay Tacos, CapN Crunch Tilapia, Mexican Veggie Burger, Sweet Potato Chicken Curry and homemade Green and Thai Tea. The prices are modest, since the prices range from $2 for the specialty drinks to about $3-6 for food. 

I’m always a little confused as to whether to classify this as a Thai truck or Mexican truck because it has influences in both styles of cooking. I think of it more as Fusion. The food is like the siren’s song; once you get hooked, you keep going back. When I first tried C.Z., it was at the bequest of a friend. He was astounded that a truck used captain crunch as a breading for its chicken. Immediately after trying the food, I was addicted. It had me hooked for about 3 weeks where I ate nothing but its food. I stopped because I felt bad for the other trucks that lost a good portion of my business in the process. I still straddle the line between being addicted (i.e. eating there all the time) and eating their occasionally.

Yesterday, when I decided to go here, I ordered the Thai Short-Rib Tacos and the Thai Tea. It was the first time I had tried both of those things so I didn’t know what to expect – besides flavor! The tacos contained slices of avocado, salad mix, diced tomatoes, some crushed peanuts and the short-rib. While there wasn’t much meat, it was able to have a presence in every bite without being too overpowering. I’m not 100% sure they used salad mix on this taco and I only say it because that’s what it looked like. Whether or not it’s true, it added a delicious crunch. The tomatoes were tomatoes – I don’t know how else to describe them – and the avocado slices were to die for. On a hot day like yesterday, these slices are perfect because it tastes like and takes the place of guacamole while maintaining an appearance of freshness. As a reminder, if you are allergic to peanuts, you might want to watch out or request they not put them on. Each bite was like heaven. Finally, as both my dessert and beverage, my Thai Tea was awesome. I’m not a big tea drinker and I don’t what makes this “Thai”, but I would go back and get it again. I do know that it contained milk, ice and some sort of mix/syrup. If I were to fathom a guess, it had a subtle hint of cinnamon and vanilla – very thirst quenching.

Gigi's Caribbean Food

Soul food is something that makes me nostalgic for home. Neither my parents nor I did a lot a cooking while I attended high school, so I tended to eat out a lot. I mostly ate fast food or subs from grocery stores, but there was one place in particular which I really loved; this place was called Lizzie's and they made Caribbean / soul food. They made some of the best chicken I have ever tasted. So when a friend asked me if I wanted to go back to Lizzie’s during break, I said yes, but I couldn't wait for the food. I decided I would try to find my Philly alternative.

During my search, I stumbled upon two Soul Food trucks that were right beside each other. I chose Gigi's since it had the most customers in front and that had to say something about the food. The price for the Caribbean food is pretty steep compared to American food which is about $6-12 and $1-5 respectively. Despite the price, Gigi's had an awesome menu with a number of unique options. They had fish, jerk chicken and oxtail. Usually I would go for the oxtail, since I use it a lot in my cooking, I decided I would try the jerk; after-all, i was feeling nostalgic. Since I ordered the platter, I got two sides (i.e. collard greens and rice) and it took about 6 minutes for me to get my food at 1:30 PM once I ordered.

The jerk chicken that I ordered turned out to be a great meal for both me and friends since I shared. The chicken was moist and flavorful; it had a unique blend of spices which gave it that kick. The collard greens tasted what I would get in the South and I saved the rice for the end because it was so good. There was enough left over juice and spice from the chicken for me to put on the rice.

If you are in the mood for some authentic Southern cuisine, I would suggest Gigi's. You definitely get what you pay for.

Pyramid Pizza

Pyramid Pizza is a unique tuck. While it offers various types of food, it has found its niche by serving Halal. If you are not familiar with the term, it means that the food served on the truck follows the standard of permissible food under Islamic law. This in no way affects the quality of the food because it refers to the way the animal was killed.

Some of the most well known foods served at Pyramid Pizza are the Fat Cat and Jimmy sandwiches. They are not for the faint of heart or health conscious. These sandwiches contain from everything from chicken fingers to mozzarella sticks with either red or cheese sauce. At only $4.50, it is worth buying.

When I went to Pyramid Pizza, I decided to get Jimmy's Sister. Jimmy's Sister has: steak, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, red sauce and cheese sauce. It only took about 7 minutes to get my food once ordered, but it took me even longer to eat. These are one of those foods where you need to savor every bite. Almost every bite, you get a mix of different flavors. I particularly enjoy when I take a bite with the mozzarella sticks and the chicken fingers together. It's crunchy, hot, and very heavy. By the time I was done, I felt, satisfied and just a little out of breath. 
 

Another food that I wholeheartedly enjoy from this truck is the gyro (beef, lamb or chicken). Typically the price for a gyro is $4.00, but when I decided to order it, I get the special which costs about $5.50 and includes: the gyro, fries and a can of soda. The tomatoes and the lettuce are fresh and I know this because I often see it being cut behind the counter during off hours. The fries are coated and are extremely crispy. I ordered the gyro with the beef, which was delicious. The greatest part about this truck is that they don't skimp on the meat and that it's in chunks. I don't think it is even possible to fully close it because it is so big.

Another reason you might be interesting in trying this tuck besides the awesome food is if you enjoy spicy food. Most trucks tend to capitalize on Siracha Sauce because it packs a punch and is quite flavorful, but Pyramid Pizza makes its own hot sauce. In addition, the food can become much spicier if they also apply their mix of spices. 
 
Overall, they have my seal of approval. If you go, you will not be upset!