I went once again to Moveable Feast this Saturday, in the parking next to the Fallon House in downtown San Jose. This now-weekly event is close to my home, so I hope to go nearly every week. Besides the food trucks, there’s always some good live music and a nice area to sit in the garden behind Fallon House .
One of the best thing about this gathering is that it attracts trucks from all over the Bay Area, so there is always a nice variety of trucks. Even for me as a mostly-veg-boy there is a wonderful choice of food to choose from.
Today I actually had food from three different trucks as part of my dinner. The first course was a Tofu taco from IzIt Fresh Grill. I love Hawaiian drive-in food, so I have been intrigued by IzIt. Given my normal trepidation about tofu, I have been particularly interested in trying their tofu taco. Advertised as specially marinated tofu, coated in panko crumbs and deep fried, it certainly sounded more interesting than most.
So I ordered the Tofu taco and waited, nearly patiently, while they made it. Finally, after a brief lifetime, my name was called (did I mention I was hungry?) and I picked up my taco. It was lovely: a small tortilla with a leaf of Romaine on top it it, nestling a beautifully fried piece of tofu with a pico de gallo on top of it. I thought I’d take a bite and then take a picture of it, so I picked up the taco and had a generous portion. I was immediately taken aback, shocked and befuddled: it was, well, it must be said, delicious. Delicious fried tofu. An oxymoron, it would seem, but here I stood, considering the sweet and salty interior of the tofu, the crispy exterior, and the wonderful confluence of flavors from the rest of the taco. I got mine “with a kick,” which was provided by chopped Jalapeno peppers on top the tofu, providing a magnificent piquant flavor. I had one more little bite, lost in the experience of it.
And it was gone. Just like that. Picture forgotten, as I licked my fingers. All I can tell you is that it was beautiful and delicious. Next time I’ll get a picture, I promise.
It was not, however, a meal, so I looked around the trucks. The one that intrigued me the most was Cabana Dave’s, which boasted a Jerk Mushroom Wrap. I’ll try just about anything in a Jamaican Jerk sauce, and this promised mushrooms, plantains, and other goodies in a wrap. So I ordered it.
I should mention at this point that Cabana Dave’s is a very nice-looking truck, appointed expertly with the necessary accoutrements and condiments, including a vat of sweet, hot jerk barbeque sauce. I took a small plastic container full of jerk sauce along with my wrap when my name was called.
Wow – what a wrap! I have certainly never considered the possibility of wrapping mushrooms, fried plantains, goat cheese, and lettuce into a tortilla with jerk sauce. This I can only ascribe to a shortcoming in my own imagination, because here it was, and it was magnificent. Hot from the jerk sauce, sweet from the plantain, and earthy from the Portabello mushrooms and lettuce. I picked it up for a second bite, and… jerk sauce squirted out the back of the wrap onto my legs!
I didn’t care – I had picked up the extra jerk sauce, and I used it liberally. Each bite was hot and sweet, extremely delicious, and deeply satisfying. In a few moments it was gone.
But I wasn’t done. I had been looking at the other trucks; the line for Treatbot was too long, and I had spotted something intriguing earlier. At the WhiskSF truck they had a Strawberry Panna Cotta for $2. Tiny and perfect, it was a lovely little cup of creamy delectability topped with beautiful, sweet strawberries. A wonderful treat at the end of a delightful meal.
Who knows what next week will bring?
Let’s find out!