TatoHeads
 Columbus, Ohio        Date of Visit  07/13/12           http://www.pitabilities.org/

So we are in Columbus to hang with a rock star and what is also in town…the Columbus Food Truck and Cart Fest. Over 40 food trucks have converged on the Columbus Commons downtown and thousands of people like ants are scurrying from truck to truck to find their meals. We were lucky and started early, just before the locusts really began to descend and drive wait times past the affordable. Even so we only managed to hit two trucks out of our planned three…mostly because we picked trucks where the lines were already long (due to menu items and word of mouth)…a good sign for good chowage.
 

Just A Corner Of Food Truck Central
 

After leaving Pitabilities, we took a short stroll to the back of a healthy line in front of the Tatoheads truck. Our order was simple, we were planning on trying another couple places but this was to be our last stop as the lines began to stretch ad infinitum in front of every truck. We ordered tots (they still make me happy in a middle school lunch kinda way) with three dipping sauces and chorizo fries. The tots were done well, fried to a crisp exterior and steamy tater shard stuffing. The sauces were what made the tots sing well past the cafeteria’s baked tray filler. The first was a roasted red pepper and cilantro ketchup which added some herbiness and bell pepper to a familiar vinegary and sweet tomato sauce. The horseradish ranch held fast to it’s ranchy heritage with a noticeable but subtle sting from the pungent root. The last sauce was my favorite, a roasted shallot truffle aioli. Mayo fattiness supported the mild onioniness of the shallot and everything was pressed forward with a serious truffle tone. Tots for the adventurous.
 

Lunch Lady Land, But Better
 

My Lunch Lady Didn't Know Things Like These Existed
 

Then there were the fries. Oh, the fries. Okay…the fries themselves were good but would never reach the magic of Greenhouse Tavern, Bouchon, or Hot Doug’s. But these were not just fries, we ordered the chorizo cheese fries! Deliciously, fantastically, horrifically, wrongly, topped. The sausage liberally dosed on top of the spuds was one of the best I have had in a long time. This was not some anemic and impotent version of the Latin grind but a serious and forward assault of flavor and a middling spicy heat. Add cheese, fresh chopped herbs and a peppery aioli and you had something memorable. We may not have made it to many trucks at the fest but the lines we did wait in were rewarding. Hopefully next year we’ll make it back and start earlier to sample even more.