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On Wheels
West Philly is truly this city's street food heart (Temple University being a close scond), so this seems like a hell of an opportunity to impress a food-truck-savvy out-of-towner, or even just a Philadelphian who doesn't get out much: The Philadelphia Food Truck Crawl, organized by Ready to Nosh, takes hungry groups around to different west-of-center mobile food operations, throwing in some contemporary urban history along the way.
The tours, which run weekdays from 2 to 4 p.m. (tix available here), hits up vendors like Bui's, King Kabob and Sugar Philly (a total of five on each trip) and includes food and drink. Not little itty-bitty sample sizes, either. "Lots of food is served," says manager Jon Slavinski. "No one has yet been able to eat all the food that is offered at this tour." The tour also includes plenty of discussion on West Philly's architecture and landmarks.
Meal Ticket readers can get 25 percent discount by entering the code "phillyfoodtrucks" when purchasing tix.
Just came across this Facebook update from Tyson Bees, chef Tyson Wong Ophaso's popular West Philly-based food truck.
Hi Everyone, its been a pleasure serving all of you. It breaks our hearts to tell everyone that the Tyson Bees crew will no longer be operating the truck. Currently, the company is going through a transition. We are working on future plans and hope to see you soon. Thank you for all your support. We love you all and will keep you posted.
Pretty shocked to hear this news, considering Ophaso's big Philly following and positive press (here's Adam Erace's very complimentary March review) — the pic above is from the truck's participation in the Food Trust Night Market just a few days ago. Though perhaps this means the TB team is focusing the whole of its efforts on the Thai BYOB it's been working on for months now. We've got calls in to Ophaso and his people and will be sure to keep everyone updated.
UPDATE [12:05 p.m.]: Just got off the phone with Ophaso, who tells Meal Ticket that he and partner Cliff Asavadejpakdee are out of the truck due to a disagreement between them and the three partners with whom they launched the operation. "It's been a lot of back and forth, like a ping-pong table," says Ophaso of negotations between the two sides over the running of the truck and launching a proposed Thai restaurant at Sixth and Catharine.
Moving forward, the truck at 33rd and Spruce will continue operating, but without Ophaso and Asavadejpakdee inside; it's still unclear as of now whether or not they'll change the name from Tyson Bees, and Ophaso is not sure whether they'll change the menu. Meanwhile, Ophaso and Asavadejpakdee are hunting for a new opportunity — either a mobile operation or a brick-and-mortar storefront — to continue cooking in Philly. "Our efforts, talents and commitment are devoted to the consumer," Ophaso says of his local fanbase. "We have a lot of friends and support here, [so] we hope to get a [new] location in Philly. This is such a good town with the food truck scene right now."
Photo: Clare Foran
As temps hit triple digits yesterday afternoon, dozens of food vendors set up shop in University City and prepared to feed the masses at the second installment of The Food Trust's Night Market.
Entrepreneur-about-town Joseph Bernstein, with whom we've judged several Big Bite food competitions, has broken into the Philly food-cart game with Peoples' Republic, a week-old burrito-rolling operation situated in the Garden Variety lot at Second and Poplar (also home to the new La Copine). PR, which opened last Saturday, offers three $8 burrito varieties (bulgogi beef, roast pork and chicken curry) Friday and Saturday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Oh, they sell quarter waters too!) They'll eventually move up to a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night operation.
Photos: Courtesy of Peoples' Republic
The Far From Home Café truck, which recently took up permanent weekly residence at LOVE Park, is celebrating one of its most popular menu items on June 15 with a day they've dubbed Empanada-Palooza. Not the easiest name to roll off the tongue, but the concept is comparatively simple: From 11 to 3 next Wednesday, FFH's Larry Comroe and Wade Smith will temporarily suspend its burger-centric menu and offer more than 10 varieties of empanada, including the "Havana Chorizo," "Bombay Curry," "Argentin-ish" and a Hawaiian variety stuffed with Spam (woo!). At long last, our deepest desires in the dual realms of processed meat and crispy flaky pastry crust have been realized.
A few weeks back we shared news of Philly's first-ever Vendy Awards, going down July 9 at the Piazza at Schmidts. Today we're excited to announce that we'll be part of the judging crew for the street food competition, along with 10 Arts' Jennifer Carroll, Zahav's Michael Solomonov and Philadelphia Weekly's Brian McManus. The public can nominate vendors to compete until June 10; head here to big up your favorite truck. Tix and whatnot are available right here.
Yesterday we shared a few more details on the Food Trust's June 9 Night Market and its participants. One name Philly might not know yet was mixed into the fold: Nomad Pizza, the Hopewell, N.J.-based mobile truck/brick-and-mortar tandem that's taking over what is currently Horizons (611 S. Seventh St.) by this September. Hoping to test the Philly waters and meet some pie fans prior to their 215 debut, owners Tom Grim and Stalin Bedon plan on pulling up their custom REO Speedwagon (above) — wood-fire oven built right in! — to June's Night Market in West Philly, as well as the other two (as-yet-unannounced) Night Markets scheduled for 2011. Nomad, which does pies in the Neapolitan style, will serve margherita and pepperoni pies at the event, but you can get a feel for their full-on approach via their website. Grim adds that their Philly location, which will have a liquor license, will likely feature a modest selection of apps and small plates in addition to the pizza.
Photo: nomadpizzaco.com
Street-food showcase and cookoff competition The Vendy Awards, which started in NYC in 2005, is coming to Philly for the first time ever on Saturday, July 9, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Piazza at Schmidts. The event, which will benefit The Food Trust, is currently accepting competitor nominations from eaters (deadline is June 10); the eight to 10 mobile operations that earn the most noms will vie for the title of top street-food purveyor in the city. Last year, three local competitiors (Honest Tom's, Denise's Soul Food and the Birchrun Hills Farm's Birchrun on a Roll) competed in New York, but at this even the landscape will be fully Philadelphian. Tix are now on sale.
We've gotta ask, Meal Ticketers: Who are you going to nominate to compete for the coveted Vendy Cup? Leave your picks in the comments.
We first shared word of the Food Trust's June 9 Night Market earlier this month, and now we know a little bit more about who and what will hold it down at 39th and Market from 6 to 10 p.m. (The non-prof's inaugural Night Market, which was held on Passyunk Avenue in October 2010, was busy-busy indeed.)
There will be 30-some-odd restaurants, food trucks and cart operations serving at the Philly Beer Week event, including Guapos Tacos, The Dapper Dog, Nomad Pizza, Hardena and Little Baby's Ice Cream. The Night Market's website teases a list of dishes that suggest Maru Global Takoyaki, a "vegetable muffuletta" purveyor (sounds like Khyber Pass Pub?) and an al pastor taco slinger (Tacos Don Memo?) will also be in the house, and we've already been told to look out for the likely debut of Scott Dogs from SPTR chef Scott Schroeder. And since this is definitely a Beer week production, the adjacent Blockley will be hosting a beer garden, pouring mostly local craft brews (Victory, Yards, Troegs, Rogue).
More details as they come. And there will be two more Night Markets in 2011, according to the Food Trust.
Precipitous precipitation on Saturday couldn’t keep hungry and hooded from the grand opening of the La Copine Brunch Cart (we told you about its soft opening last week) from Nikki Hill and Claire Wadsworth.
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