Henrietta Food Truck Rodeo 10-19-13

Rodeo

The @RocFoodTrucks account messaged me on Twitter last week asking if I’d heard anything about a Food Truck Rodeo being held in Southtown Plaza this last weekend. I hadn’t heard anything until he mentioned it and as it turns out it was only really advertised on the radio on 100.5 The Drive and then finally on Southtown Plaza’s website late in the week. Despite the last minute feel and the threatening rain, there was a pretty good turnout for what is likely to be the last Rodeo of the year. Recap of the event is below in the new standard format!

New Openings

Papa Gig's

None this time. Even though no new openings on Saturday, this was the first time that I saw Papa Gig’s truck in person. They have an interesting red sauce style Italian menu notably with tomato pie and tripe on the menu as unique items alongside Italian American classics. I didn’t have a chance to try the food, but I hope to sample it soon.

Dish Reviews

Marty Brisket

Since the rain was getting started just we got there and we weren’t in the mood to hang out a long time, we only grabbed a couple items to split. We started with the BBQ Beef brisket sandwich from Marty’s Meats as an alternative to their sold out burger and I couldn’t be happier that something I wanted was unavailable. They tossed us a candied crabapple while we were waiting (image in the gallery) and it surprisingly worked well with the extra sour apple and the candy coating. Good idea and now back to the sandwich! Brisket is one of those meats that is surprisingly difficult to find not dried out, but they did an exemplary job with the balancing of textures. Thick slices of beef were fatty and tender with a solid crisp put on there from the flat top and then laid over some crunchy pickles on a soft sandwich roll. With some BBQ sauce covering the meat, everything worked perfectly with the acidity from the pickles cutting the fattiness of the brisket and sweet and salt balanced to make an addictive sandwich. Another big hit from the Marty’s crew!

Veggie Sm Poutine

We also were able to get a small serving of poutine from Le Petit Poutine which was a first at a Rodeo since they always have among the longest lines at events. I am an impatient man when it comes to waiting for food so I usually hit up the less popular trucks, but we were blessed with small crowds from the rainfall. I’ll just do a quick description for those that haven’t tried their food before. Our small vegetarian was piping hot with fresh, darkly fried and well salted fries with plenty of crunch and some fantastic non-meat based gravy. Didn’t miss the meat aspect at all and worth trying for a change of pace even if you are an ardent carnivore. Fresh cheese curds were just barely melted and the fresh herbs helped to cut the richness. Love their food and I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad batch of poutine from them. Well worth a stop if you are new to poutine or if you’re just a french fry fan.

Overall Thoughts

Sure there was rain and the turnout wasn’t the same as one of the core Rodeos, but there was a hardened group of people out there to enjoy some great truck food and make it a success. This was a good addition to the Rodeo scene (Public Market and Innovative Restaurant Supply are the two other main ones) and one I hope gets a chance to establish itself as more than a one off.

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3 comments
  • I stumbled on your website by accident however I would like to introduce myself… My name is Richard Schaeffer and I own a mobile food cart and I operate under the name “Rochester’s Original Carrot Hot”, please note us on our facebook page. In the past 3 years my business has been growing better then 30% annually…. The reason I am emailing you is I’m not sure if my product may be of interest to you or your customers

    Thanks for letting me introduce myself…
    Rich Schaeffer