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. |
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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.
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Fun To Eat With Folks Who Can Maintain Smiles In Intolerable Lines |
Festival Is Smack Downtown |
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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. |
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Just Plain Awesome... |
In Their Obvious Plainlessness |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B+ | C | B | A | N/A | B | ||
So Long...Not Their Fault | Oh Those Fries | No Single Standout |