Tuesday’s “Food Truck Rally” at The Village Apartments come back, with Rockstar Bakeshop, Gepetto’s Pizza, Rock & Roll Tacos, Easy Slider, Nammi, Ssahm, Cajun Tailgators, Little Vessel Grill, Three Lions, and Four Seasons from 6pm to 9pm.

Wednesday continues to have dueling truck popup parks.  One at Sigel’s/Greenville and another at the Knox Henderson Crate &Barrel.  From my point of view, these two popup food truck parks are so much better than a massive all day food truck rally.  You’ll never be more than 2nd or 3rd in line or wait more than 5 minutes for your food.  And between these two options, you’ve got all of the best food trucks that Dallas has to offer.

Thursday brings another popup event at The Savoye in Addison from 6pm to 9pm.

Truck Stock at 1818 Sylvan comes back again on Saturday from 3pm to 10pm.

Jumping a little ahead to next Monday, the Memorial Day holiday, you’ll find a food truck event at Lone Star Park with Crazy Fish, Easy Slider, Gandolfo’s, Jack’s Chowhound, Nammi, Ruthie’s, Ssahm, So-Cal Tacos, The Butcher’s Son, Trailercakes, Coolhaus, and Rockstar Bakeshop.

Besides the previously announced Crazy Sisters, now Rollin’ Diner (Fort Worth) has announced the sale of their food truck.

Jump for your weekly schedule.  Remember, trucks break down and they change schedule as the weather changes or a better opportunity presents itself.  We don’t always get the updates.

Carrot cake cookies with sea-salt caramel ice cream (photo by Carol Shih)

Remember how I was really looking forward to Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck coming to Dallas? Well, I trekked all the way to the Valley View Center in Plano Dallas on Saturday to check out the TX Food Truck Fest, because I knew Coolhaus – with its glorious selection of cookies and ice cream – would be parked right there.

Surprisingly, there was a terribly good showing despite the crummy weather. A few Austin food trucks (Yumé Burger, Coreano’s, The Belgium Waffle Company, Chi’lantro BBQ) and one loner San Antonio truck (Sabor Columbiano) traveled across miles and miles of Texas terrain to be at the Food Fest, and all that driving must’ve paid off. There were old people, young people, families with toddlers, and the largest gathering of Asians I have seen at a food truck rally. Maybe food truck organizers should hold rallies in Plano more often. Hundreds of people waited patiently in long lines that stretched out across the parking lot, and most people went straight for the famous Austin trucks. The line leading up to Coolhaus was short, so I was able to order a carrot cake cookie with sea-salt caramel ice cream from people wearing Nammi t-shirts (since Coolhaus is partnered with the banh mi truck) in a jiffy.

[Ed. Note: We apologize to the people of Plano for inferring that Valley View Center is located in your city. What is left of Valley View Center is currently in North Dallas which we hope at some future time morph into Midtown Dallas.]

Carrot cake with sea-salt caramel is not an ideal pairing. Combining a sweet cookie with a sweet ice cream just gives you a really sugary ice cream sandwich you end up throwing away. But I haven’t completely given up on Coolhaus yet. Next time I’ll try a classic mix: double choco chip cookies with dirty mint chip ice cream. Has anyone else tried Coolhaus yet? If so, let me know what cookie + ice cream combo works best for you.

And if you haven’t taken a bite yet, take a look at George’s food truck schedule and give this ice cream sandwich truck a whirl.

Time is running short and I want to get you the schedule before the day is up.  Before you jump though, note that CoolHaus DFW is now out and about on a regular schedule.  Watch for it at Thanksgiving Square or Crate & Barrel parking lot on Wednesday evening.

Tuesday Update: City Street Grille added Wednesday lunch in the Arts District and a Friday lunch at Robbins Jewelers on the North Dallas Tollway.  Also, added Zombie’s Food Truck.

Friday Update: Added Enticed and TX Delizioso stops for Saturday.

Jump now for your schedule:

from Facebook

My taco buddy José Ralat-Maldonado (aka Taco Trail) is crazy about Rock and Roll Tacos, and he reports that owner James Quiñonez is taking over LaGrange’s kitchen and revamping the restaurant to become more serious about its tacos. José writes:

For one, he’s installing the bed of a 1954 Chevy pickup truck converted into a salsa bar with 15 varieties of the America’s leading condiment, working taillights and an exhaust pipe connected to a smoke machine, two-inch white walls and red pin-striping. A wall will be lined with vinyl LPs.

Menus additions will include elote shooters, shrimp cocktails, house-made mole poblano, mac n cheese with shaved habanero, serrano and Anaheim chilies, chocoflan, what James Quiñonez calls, “the works, man.”

And then there is the expanded taco program, now with fajitas, chicken chipotle, steak and Mexican gravy tacos, a fried-to-order hard shell job brisket, Baja-style beer batter-fried fish and shrimp tacos, as well as something James Quiñonez says he ate when he visited Mexico: bacon-wrapped shrimp with bell peppers, onions and jack cheese.

They’ll be joined by two vegetarian options. One with black bean, rice, avocado and queso fresco in a hard shell another with purple potatoes, mushrooms, caramelized onions and cotija cheese.

You are probably wondering how this has anything to do with you. Well, José is feeling mighty generous today. On Wednesday, May 16, from 5-8 p.m. there will be a soft opening for family and friends at LaGrange. (The official opening goes down on May 31.) He has one pass (I lied in the headline) that is good for two people.

If you’d like to go to this exclusive event, tell me in the comments section where you get your tacos in Dallas. I’ll enter all the names in one pot and pick a random winner tomorrow (Tuesday, May 15) at 3:00 p.m. Whoever wins will receive an email from me with instructions on how to claim your pass.

Tonight, Monday, May 7 is an unusual night for a food truck event.  But some crazies are going to try at the Double Wide Bar, 3510 Commerce, beginning at 7pm.  They will have some of the best of Dallas’ food trucks, including Easy Slider, TX Delizioso, Enticed, Rock ‘n’ Roll Taco, Little Vessel Grill, and 3 Lions.  Recommendation for your after-dinner dessert: Take your Enticed Shaved Ice (large) into your favorite bar and make it an “adult” shaved ice.

Everyone who knows anything about the food truck activity in DFW remembers over 2000 people visiting 9 trucks on the Sigel’s Greenville asphalt parking lot last blistering hot summer.  That was 2011.  2012 brings you the TX Food Truck Fest, an event this Friday evening and all day Saturday at Valley View Mall.  The organizers are promising nearly 30 trucks, with most from DFW and several from Austin and San Antonio.  This will either be a terrific opportunity to taste test lots of different culinary ideas.  Or a logistical nightmare.   Quoting the press release:

Current trucks include: From DFW – TX Delizioso, Enticed, 3 Lions, Nammi, Coolhaus, Tin Star Taco Taxi, The Butcher’s Son, Gandolfo’s, The Weiner Man, Cajun Tailgators, Rock N Roll Tacos, Little Vessel Grill, Ssahm BBQ, Doughboys Pizza, Eat Jo Dawgs, Crazy Fish Sushi, The Fat Truck, Jack’s Chowhound, Rockstar Bakeshop, Easy Slider, Ruthie’s Rollin’ Diner, Semplice Cibo Italiano, and Short ‘n Sweet . Then from Austin – Yumé Burger, Coreano’s, The Belgium Waffle Company, Chi’lantro BBQ and from San Antonio – Sabor Columbiano. We’ll also have Durty Laundry spinning beats all day. It will be held in the South lot of Valley View Center (13331 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX 75240) in North Dallas.

Jump for your weekly schedule.

Food Trucks on the Winspear grounds

If you want to try one of the food trucks, any lunch period in the Arts District or any Wednesday evening at Sigel’s/Greenville or behind Crate & Barrel on Knox Ave are perfect times.  Lunch in the Arts District has now moved from the Flora St. parking lot to the grounds of the Winspear.  While causing some downtown workers to walk a couple of extra blocks, this location creates a lively street atmosphere.  In a few weeks, everyone will appreciate the shade as well.

The new pop-up truck park behind Crate & Barrel on Wednesdays gives you some of our best Dallas food trucks.  It’s not on asphalt, so it’s not quite as hot, plus the building throws off a nice evening shade.

The Sunflower Market “Parking Lot” event is back for Thursday evening.

In other news, CoolHaus DFW made it’s appearance at the Frisco StrEATS event, but is not yet licensed for Dallas itself, so it will be a bit more time yet for those ice cream sandwiches.

Those Crazy Sisters have decided that running a food truck is a tough business and decided to sell the truck and all assets.  They are still out serving and doing Private Events though.

Crazy Fish, DFW’s first sushi truck, is getting ready to roll.  “Big Fish” Tenielle Powers says that sushi will be made daily on the truck, using only high quality Nori and Nishiki rice.  Their menu includes quite a few options for the entire family.  Crazy Fish is slated for an appearance at the Sunflower Market Parking Lot event on Thursday.

The Bacon Wagon NOT serving food on the side of I-30. Not playing Frogger either.

Jump for your weekly schedule.  Remember, always check Facebook and Twitter feeds as trucks do change schedule, and occasionally, have mechanical problems.

Come and get it!

The food trucks that usually parked along Flora and were temporarily relocated last week now have a permanent home. Veletta Forsythe Lill, Executive Director of Dallas Arts District,  sends word. (Sorry for the copy and paste. Deadline looms.)

The highly popular food trucks have found a new home at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Five trucks began operating in the Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park on Monday after getting clarification from the City that these operations are allowed on property controlled by the Center. More trucks joined the lineup on Tuesday, and the crowds followed.

“We are thrilled that the City and the Center moved quickly to make sure this option worked and the location is great,” said Dallas Arts District Executive Director Veletta Forsythe Lill, who has long championed the trucks. “There is more room for the trucks, more food choices, and best of  all, plenty of space for people to sit and enjoy their lunch.”

The trucks are parked in two locations in Sammons Park. Some are in the space between the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. The others are between the Winspear Opera House and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The Center’s staff has placed numerous tables and chairs in the shaded areas under trees and the Winspear canopy. The Center also offers free AT&T Wi-Fi, Ping-Pong and has added a foosball table to the mix as well.

“These trucks have become one of downtown’s most popular and successful attractions,” said Doug Curtis, President and CEO for the AT&T Performing Arts Center. “This kind of energy and vibrancy was what the city envisioned when the Center was created so we’re thrilled everyone moved quickly to keep the positive momentum going!”

Last week, the trucks temporarily located to the parking lot on Flora Street across from the Belo Mansion after city inspectors raised issues over their curbside location on Flora Street. Dallas City Councilmember Angela Hunt joined with Ms. Lill to work through some of the regulatory issues surrounding truck locations. While the Center welcomes the trucks to Sammons Park, some will need to be moved when construction begins on the Center’s new Box Office Pavilion next month. However, additional space will be created for the trucks across the street on property owned by Hall Arts.

The food trucks are stationed at the Center during lunch hours Monday through Friday. For a complete food truck schedule and a list of special events is located on the Dallas Arts District’s

web site (http://www.thedallasartsdistrict.org/visit/food-trucks-in-the-district

I’ll include Dallas, Fort Worth, and the Mid-Cities because the food trucks constantly shift through the whole area.  Dallas-based food trucks venture into Fort Worth’s area and, usually  for  special events, the Mid-Cities and Fort Worth food trucks roll into Dallas.  Currently I am tracking around 83 food trucks/trailers/mobile ovens. That includes 59 that are definitively rolling and serving, 7 that are coming soon, 7 that I’ve classified as “unknown” (they say they are coming soon, but the background does not check out or, they were once active, but now seem to have stopped serving), and 10 that are pretty much dead.  You never know when they might restart or sell the business.

I’ve also classified them loosely by cuisine. I’ve included what we have now and what is launching in the very near future.

NY Deli Sandwiches ● English ● Seafood ● Sushi ● Shaved Ice ● Sliders (2) ● Tacos (2) ● Vegetarian ● Cupcakes (3) ● American (2) ● Everything Bacon ● Korean Fusion ● Pizza (5) * ● Ice Cream (2) ● Upscale Gourmet (3) ● Burgers (5) ● Vietnamese banh mi ● Bakery (3) ● Hot Dogs (4) ● Fried Pies ● MoGa ** ● Comfort Bistro Food ● Baked Potato ● Baja Tacos ● Grilled Cheese (2) ● Cajun ● Salvadoran ● Philly Cheesesteaks ● Gluten-Free/Vegetarian ● Italian (2) ● Whoopie Pies ● Nachos ● Cuban

And what I count as “dead”:

BBQ ● Burgers  ●  Cupcakes (2) ● Frozen Yogurt ●  Grilled Cheese ● South African ● Tacos (2) ● Upscale Gourmet ● Vegetarian ●  Brats ● Burritos ● Comfort Food ● Nachos

* includes Cavalli and il cane rosso’s mobile ovens
** MoGa = molecular gastronomy

So I ask you: What are we missing in DFW?  Have you been to Austin, LA, or Portland and found street fare that you’d love to see rolling on our streets?

Coolhaus DFW debuts this week at the Frisco StrEATS event on Saturday.  Coolhaus DFW will be run through a partnership from the founders of Coolhaus and the founders of Dallas’ Nammi Vietnamese food truck.

Joining Coolhaus at the Frisco StrEATS event will be Nammi, The Butcher’s Son, Cajun Tailgators, Easy Slider, EatJoDawgs, RockStar Bakeshop, SoCal Tacos, Zombie’s, and Ssahm.

Continuing the desserts theme, both Good Karma and The Munch Box (currently at the Fort Worth Food Truck Park) both sent email raving about Hip Pop Popsicles.  Owner Ben Bates is juicing fresh fruit and making flavors like cucumber jalapeno lime and tangerine basil.

Truckin’ Tuesdays at The Village Apartments with Gepetto’s Pizza, Cajun Tailgators, Nammi, Four Seasons, Rockstar Bakeshop, Three Lions, Little Vessel Grill, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Tacos.

The Food Truck Experience continues at Sigel’s Greenville on Wednesday evenings.

Street Food Wednesday is a new weekly event, also on Wednesday evenings at Crate & Barrel Uptown with Gandolfo’s, Nammi, The Butcher’s Son, Easy Slider, and The Cup Cakin’ Machine.

The Arts District Patio Sessions are back on Thursday evenings, with Easy Slider, Four Seasons, Little Vessel Grill, and The Cup Cakin’ Machine.

Next Sunday, Easy Slider is at The Dram for a benefit in support of Andrew Lostetter.

Jump for your schedule.  Remember, food trucks move, weather causes changes, and engines break down.

hhh

photo from Coolhaus

My favorite ice cream truck that-I-have-never-actually-eaten-at is making its way to Dallas, just in time for the heat wave. I spent most of last summer in Austin staring at the elusive Coolhaus‘ website, cursing the Ice Cream Gods for never allowing my schedule to make room for a gourmet ice cream sandwich. Now it’s finally going to happen. I’m finally going to pair ginger molasses cookies (available in vegan) with fried chicken and waffles ice cream! (Don’t ask me why this appeals, but it does.)

Coolhaus also offers other funky flavors. There’s the ever-popular double chocolate chip with sea salt, oatmeal, red velvet, and potato chip & butterscotch cookies. Signature flavors like dirty mint chip and brown buttered candied bacon ice cream fill the middle between two soft cookies that have already made people in LA, Miami, NYC, and Austin swoon. Thank goodness Natasha Case and Freya Estreller, the young entrepreneurs behind this ice cream truck sensation, have decided on DFW as the fifth location for their expansion. I need something to help me survive the impending sweatfest that is summer.

Coolhaus’ debut party will be at Frisco StrEATS on April 28 from 3-7 PM. See the rest of you ice cream fanatics there??

[George's update: The local CoolHaus Dallas Truck is being run through a partnership with CoolHaus and our favorite banh mi truck, Nammi Vietnamese. That brings the Nammi Empire of owners Teena Nguyen and Gary Torres up to 3 trucks: Nammi 1, Nammi 2, and Coolhaus.]

I know, I’m a day late.  Tough start to the week.

Jump for the rest of the schedule.

Let’s start with some news from last week.  The Deep Ellum Food Truck Rally had about 9 food trucks, including some of our favorites like Easy Slider, Rock ‘n’ Roll Tacos, Cajun Tailgators, Rockstar Bakeshop, and Little Vessel Grill.  Some of the local brick ‘n’ mortar businesses complained beforehand, but by closing time, all of the food trucks had sold out and the storefront businesses were packed.  I think it is a net positive for everyone to infuse street life back into Deep Ellum.

Coming up this Saturday from 1pm to 7pm, the Gingerman is hosting a “Food Truck Block Party” with about a dozen food trucks, including Nammi, Jack’s Chowhound, Enticed, Three Lions, Ssahm, Rock ‘n’ roll Tacos, Easy Slider, Cup Cakin’ Machine, and RockStar Bakeshop.

This week, two new food trucks are providing input to our schedule:  YES Taco and Gepetto’s Pizza, both from Fort Worth.  Gepetto’s made an appearance last week at the Sunflower Market “Parking Lot.”  I ate from Good Karma Kitchen, but the kids raved about Gepetto’s pizza.

For those working around Thanksgiving Square, the food trucks will be back there again.  There have been some squabbles with the city over permitting in that location, but the food trucks working that location believe that they are worked out.

The food trucks in the Arts District are relocating and are back to the parking lot next to 2121 Flora, the original location.

Several new food trucks will be showing up shortly, with some doing “soft launches” as soon as this week.  First up is Sugar Derby, a dessert truck, launching this Thursday, April 19 at the Double Wide.  Cafe Con Leche (best known from the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race)  is launching a Dallas food truck with its Cuban fare.  We’ll see how Crazy Fish, a sushi food truck, is accepted on the streets of Dallas.

What appears to be the most interesting is Food Traveler, coming to the Cowtown Chowdown Food Truck Park in Fort Worth.  My mouth salivates with glee when I read their ambitious menu with foods from Hawaii, Korea, the Caribbean, and Europe.

So here is your schedule for the week, minus Monday.  Always check Twitter and Facebook feeds before venturing out to one of these destinations.

Several events coming up this week.  Let’s start with the most cause-worthy: a noon event on Thursday benefiting Hope Cottage (4209 McKinney).  Food trucks in attendance include Easy Slider, Jack’s Chowhound, Trailercakes, and Three Lions.

The Arts District “Patio Sessions” continues this Thursday evening with Cajun Tailgators, Dos Paisanos, Four Seasons, and Enticed.

On Friday the 13th, from 5pm to 10pm, you’ll have lots of choices at the “Deep Ellum Food Truck Rally.” The Deep Ellum Community Association has joined forces with the Deep Ellum Outdoor Market to coordinate shutting down Main St. from Malcolm X Blvd to Crowdus in order to try to bring more street life back to that area.  Planned food trucks include Easy Slider, Munch Box, Little Vessel, Rock & Roll Taco, Zombies Food Truck, Rockstar Baskeshop, Cajun Tail Gators, Three Lions, and the Bacon Wagon.

So-Cal Tacos and Nammi will be out at Texas Motor Speedway both Friday and Saturday.

Ciclovia de Dallas 2012 will take place on April 14 from 9am to 3pm.  Ride your bike or skate from downtown to Oak Cliff and back again via the Houston Street Viaduct Bridge.  Food trucks include The Butcher’s Son and RockStar BakeShop.

Update: TX Delizioso will be at The Food Truck Experience at Sigel’s/Greenville on Wednesday.

And here is your schedule for the week of April 9.  As always, check Facebook, Twitter, and The Weather Report.

Rock 'n' Roll Taco's Former Support Vehicle (from RnR Twitter link)

Several of the local food trucks are already out helping with disaster relief.  So-Cal Tacos is in the Arlington/Kennedale area helping out.  The Butcher’s Son is sending one of their trucks out to help.  Many of our local food trucks are donating their tips to disaster relief. If you are an organization in need of assistance with feeding crews or families during clean-up, put your contact information in the comments section, and hopefully, you will hear from one of the food trucks to help.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Tacos won’t be one of those helping out as they themselves are recovering from tornado damage. I’m sure many of you saw this car on the news yesterday. It was the car of Mary Ann Quiñonez, the owner and operator of Rock ‘n’ Roll Tacos. She was picking up her daughter at Crosby Elementary School in the Diamond Creek subdivision of Forney, and just missed being in the car that was tossed 100 yards into the next field. Luckily, Mary Ann and her daughter escaped the car and ran for safety to the school before it was hurled away.

Update: Enticed Shaved Ice is donating 100% of sales tonight to the Red Cross.  They’ll be located at the Walgreens at Midway and Frankford.

Update: Bud Kennedy reports via Twitter:  “Food truck @SoCalTacos and others being turned away from feeding Arlington relief workers, per FB; it’s a secured area.”

The Food Truck Experience is back on Wednesdays at Sigel’s/Greenville and adding Cajun Tailgators to the lineup.  This Saturday is First Saturday in the Arts District, with food trucks from 11am to 2pm.

Thursday evening starts “Patio Sessions” in the Arts District with a free outdoor concert at the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Winspear Opera House from 5:30 – 7:30 on Thursday nights (April – May).   Food Trucks will include Cajun Tailgators, Jack’s Chowhound, and Tin Star Taco Taxi.  until 8pm.

Tuesday Update: Some cancellations due to weather.

Here’s your schedule for the week.  Always check Facebook or Twitter feeds before venturing out.

Kacey Ferguson, Jeanne's daughter, standing in front of the gardens (photo by Becca)

Normally, we don’t post up every food truck event that’s happening (too many to keep track of), but this one’s a sweet one. D Magazine intern Becca Brooks went to Stonewall Jackson and had a grand time hanging out at the school.

Stonewall Jackson Elementary is unlike any school I’ve ever seen. It’s the regional school for the deaf. There’s a Koi pond outside a classroom entrance and a bustling chicken coop between buildings. Oh yeah, there’s also a student-grown garden out back.

Actually, “Stonewall Garden” is a weekly science lab where the kids learn about the life cycle of plants, insects, and how to grow produce. My elementary alma mater has nothing on this place.

Tomorrow afternoon, ten of your favorite food trucks will be in the school parking lot to benefit this unique curriculum.

Jump for the details.

Event co-chairs Katie Brown (George Catering) and Jeanne Ferguson both have kids at Stonewall.

“When you pull the kids out of the classroom to learn science, they absorb it. Four walls confine their minds,” Ferguson says.

“Foodie Fridays” are very popular with the students. At the end of each Friday, Brown features a type of produce and sends it off with the kids like a party favor. This year, she has whipped up grilled okra, bacon-braised cabbage, and broccoli with quinoa and lemon vinaigrette.

These kids are not picky. Brown even posts the recipes online so the parents can try their hand.

“We want the kids to try the food they’re growing, as well as get the parents involved. Kids will eat vegetables if they are prepared properly,” Brown says.

The program receives all its support from the community. Your $5 donation gets you into the event, complete with live music, shaded seating, a playground for the kids, and an endless choice of cuisine.  Expect to see Nammi, Ruthie’s Rolling Café, Three Lions, Easy Slider, Enticed, Gennarino’s, Cajun Tailgators, Ssahm, The Butcher’s Son, and TrailerCakes.

Stonewall Jackson Elementary School
5828 E Mockingbird Lane
Saturday, March 31, 11-3pm