for every oneEvery 1st Wednesday of the month Tampa’s trucks gather for the Mayor’s Food Truck Fiesta. Yes, Tampa’s Mayor Bob Buckhorn hosts his own Food Truck Event at Gaslight Square Park in Downtown Tampa. They’ve got a Facebook Page where they list the monthly line ups. As luck would have it, for the month of August they didn’t put up the line up and even worse, it was raining pretty much the entire time I was there. It didn’t stop the trucks who kept their windows open and kept serving to whoever braved the weather.
The trucks were set up along two sides of the park. I only made it along one side near the beginning, where I had to stop and revisit Burger Culture. A few months back Burger Culture was in South Florida and did a couple of events under the radar. Most food truck fans weren’t even aware that they were in town along with another Tampa native truck, Fat Tortillas.
Burger Culture’s menu is as straightforward as it comes: Burgers, Fries and Shakes, nothing else. The Burgers always have revolving specialties but I didn’t event ask. Last time I had a Bacon Cheeseburger and I had my mind set on that for this time too. Super crispy ass bacon, melted oozing American Cheese and a burger patty cooked to medium, who could ask for more? They use a special seasoning on their patties that lays right on top of the burger and pops out every bite or so to remind you it’s there. A “Solid Burger” as the Chowfather would say. If you missed them earlier this year then don’t fret as Burger Culture will return to South Florida for 4th Annual Burgie Awards in February 2013.
Burger Culture Truck
Burger Culture Bacon Cheeseburger
My wife walked around and snapped some pictures so you have her to thank for all these:
Maggie On The Move Truck
Maggie on the Move Menu – click to enlarge
The Renny’s Oki Doki Truck has some very sharp graphics but when you get past them you see the menu has some great sounding items on it. My wife ordered the Yaki Soba: Stir Fried Noodles with Vegetables and Pork Belly. Its smell was absolutely mesmerizing but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. Some seasoning would have made this a winner. Don’t get me wrong though, this won’t deter me from coming back as I’d like to try everything on the menu.
Renny’s Oki Doki Truck
Renny’s Oki Doki Menu – click to enlarge
Renny’s Oki Doki’s Yaki Soba
The Keep’n it Reel truck focuses on seafood but their Jalapeño Cheddar Hush Puppies caught my wife’s eye as she was walking by. We’re not big on “of the sea” food but I’ll take a dip every once in a while. The Pups had a very crispy exterior with that soft almost baked kinda inside you expect from a Hush-puppy. No overpowering Cheese or Jalapeño taste here, just enough to create an awesome pop in your mouth snack. That might be an exaggeration, two bites is more like it.
Keep’n It Reel Truck
Keep’n It Reel Menu – click to enlarge
Keep’n It Reel Jalapeño Hush-puppies
Keep’n It Reel Jalapeño Hush-puppy Half
The City of Tampa Television produced this near 4 minute video clip about the Mayor’s Food Truck Fiesta. You can get a better idea of the layout of the event and of the variety of trucks that attend. I regret missing out on the Not Your Ordinary Food Truck with their “Wild Poutine” and Michelle Faedo’s On the Go which recently won the “Best Cuban Sandwich” competition in Tampa.
Follow to Find:
Burger Culture:
Facebook: Burger Culture Tampa
Twitter: @BurgerCulture1
Maggie on the Move:
Facebook: Maggie on the Move
Renny’s Oki Doki:
Facebook: Renny’s Oki Doki
Twitter: @RennysOkiDoki
Keep’n It Reel:
Facebook: Keep’n It Reel
Twitter: @Keep_nItReel
