Is the growing number of food trucks and carts in Cincinnati a sign that we're getting lazy? That we are so sedentary and tied to our offices that we need the meals to come to us?
Who knows. And when the food is this good, quite frankly, who cares.
The trucks and carts that began popping up on the streets of Cincinnati in late 2009 are bringing us some delicious stuff - juicy burgers and sweet potato fries, tacos stuffed with melt-in-your-mouth pork and gelato that includes the flavor Dark Chocolate with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Drool.
We sampled the dishes at the most prominent trucks - Café de Wheels and Señor Roy's, which serve lunch Downtown nearly every day - and will share our opinions below. As for the rest of the trucks and carts? Well, you can check them out for yourself. Read on to see where to find them.
Trucks
Café de Wheels
Owner: Tom Acito
Operated since: December 2009
Where to find it: Weekdays at Court and Vine streets, Downtown. Other times near Mica 12v, 1201 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; by Fries Café, 3247 Jefferson Ave., Clifton; or at various events happening around town.
How to find it: Twitter @theburgertruck; Café de Wheels on Facebook; www.cafedewheels.com
The food: Carnivores, do yourself a favor and order the juicy Wheels burger ($5), which comes with cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayo and a balsamic onion marmalade. This burger stands among the best in town - you'll dream about it afterward. The sweet potato fries ($3) are a simple, crisp accompaniment. Vegetarians can opt for a couple of sandwiches, among them the Mt. Healthy ($6.50), a rich, earthy-tasting homemade veggie burger of rice, beats, beans, mushrooms, onion, carrot and egg.
Not in the mood for a burger? Try the grilled cheese or crispy chicken sandwich, or pick up the tasty Cincinnati Cuban, which comes loaded with pork, ham, Swiss cheese, grilled onions, pickles and mustard.
Everything is made fresh to order, which can mean you'll wait several minutes for your food. But it'll be worth it.
Most popular item: The Wheels burger. And there's a reason. You'll see.
Señor Roy's Taco Patrol
Owner: Mobile Food Solutions
Operated since: December 2009
Where to find it: All over town - weekdays often at Main and Central streets, Downtown, Fountain Square late night Thursday-Saturday, private parties and events.
How to find it: Twitter @SenorRoys; Señor Roy's Taco Patrol on Facebook; senorroys.com
The food: Señor Roy's makes Mexican fare "so fresh it's still on the truck." You can build the basic dishes - tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos and taco salad - from a huge list of ingredients. I tried the trio of tacos ($6) with each of the truck's three meats: pork, steak and chicken. I picked flour tortillas and told the man behind the condiment stand to load 'em up, which meant I had tacos bulging with rice and beans and tomatoes and lettuce and onions and cheese and pineapples and who knows what else. One taco would have been enough, but I may have eaten all three. Yeah, they were good. My favorite was the smoky, tender pork, slow-roasted in pineapple and adobo.
Most popular item: Al Pastor pork tacos. Again, with good reason.
Habanero Burrito Wagon
Owner: Max Monks, who also owns Habanero restaurants in Clifton and Newport on the Levee
Operated since: November 2009
Where to find it: Final Fridays, concerts/shows, late-night bars near Mount Lookout, private events, Bengals games, arts festivals.
How to find it: Twitter @HabaneroLatin, Habanero Latin American Fare on Facebook, www.habanerolatin.com
The food: burritos (chicken, steak, pork, fish, veggie), $5; tacos (same offerings), $2-3; Mexican sodas/Mexican Coca-Cola; chips and salsa, cookies, desserts. Nothing on the truck costs more than $5.
Most popular item: burritos and Mexican sodas
Taco Azul
Owner: Gary Sims
Operated since: opening this summer
Where to find it: Lunch near Court and Vine Streets, Downtown. Evenings Downtown, Northside and Northern Kentucky. Also special events and festivals. Available for catering.
How to find it: Twitter @tacoazulcincy; Cincy Taco Truck - Azul on Facebook; tacoazul.com
The food: tacos, $2 (3 for $5); loaded burritos, $7; regular and breakfast burritos, $5; quesadillas, $5; tortas, $6; rice and beans, $3; chips and salsa, $1. Choice of meats: carne asada, carne al pastor, carnitas, chorizo, pollo, lengua. Also menudo (soup) on the weekends and Friday fish tacos. Drinks include Horchata, Mexican Coca-Cola, and Jarritos.
Most popular item: Carnitas were big at Taco Azul's test-run last month.
The Chilimobile
Owner: Gold Star Chili, Inc.
Operated since: December 2008; current (upgraded) vehicle since May 2010
Where to find it: All around town. Q102 Party on the River every other Wednesday throughout the summer. All eight Hoxworth Blood Centers throughout the summer as part of the "I Bleed for Chili Summer Tour" blood drive. Paddle Fest Gold Star Finish Line Festival June 26. All Marvin Lewis Community Fund events. You can also book it for a catered event: Call 513-231-4541.
How to find it: Twitter @chilitownusa, Gold Star Chili on Facebook, online at www.goldstarchili.com
The food: Gold Star Cheese Coneys, $2
Most popular item: Cheese Coneys
Carts
Dojo Gelato
Owner: Michael Christner, Dojo Gelato
Operated since: August 2009
Where to find it: Regular appearances at the Wyoming Farmers Market on Tuesday, the Clifton Cultural Arts Center's "Concert on the Green" summer series on Wednesday, and Hyde Park Farmers Market on Sundays. It's also shown up at Over-the-Rhine's Summer Celebration, the Contemporary Arts Center annual fundraiser and Park + Vine's three-year anniversary. Also available to rent for private events and celebrations.
How to find it: Twitter @dojocart; Dojo Gelato on Facebook
The food: Handcrafted Italian-style ice cream and sorbetto made every day at Dojo's Findlay Market store. The custom gelato cart offers a half-dozen selections of fresh gelato and sorbetto available by the cup (1-2 flavors $4, 1-3 flavors, $5) or fresh hand packed pints, $8.
Most popular item: The cart's flavors are constantly changing. Some of the most popular flavors recently: Nutella, Strawberry Balsamic Sorbetto, Sea Salt Caramel, Vietnamese Coffee, Mojito Sorbetto, Rhubarb Ginger, Cap'n Crunch, Mexican Vanilla, Orange Blossom Pistachio, and Dark Chocolate with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Fireside Pizza
Owner: Mike Marschman
Operated since: May 2010
Where to find it: regularly at Wyoming Farmers Market, Northside Farmers Market, Covington festivals. Fireside also caters.
How to find it: www.firesidepizzawagon.com; Twitter coming soon.
The food: Pizzas made to order in less than five minutes, with the ingredients bought from local farmers markets whenever possible. The menu changes almost daily, but the basics are always for sale: cheese, pepperoni and basil pesto pizzas. Prices range from $5-$7.
Most popular item: Pepperoni pizza
(Oh, and if we missed a cart or truck, e-mail lkurtzman@cincinnati.com, and we'll add it to our database.)
