What’s On My Phone Wednesdays: Mobile Food Rodeo

Chicken…

…met waffles…

…and had a chicken strip/peanut butter and bacon waffle baby!

(It had to be done.)

The only way to make Off the Rez’s veggie fry bread taco even better was to pair it with a cucumber margarita.

What kind of sandwich should I have expected from a food truck with this badass logo?

A sandwich with THREE different kinds of pork–pulled pork, ham and bacon–topped with apple jalapeño slaw. It was appropriately named, “The Bad Lieutenant,” and it was my favorite dish at the Mobile Food Rodeo.

Beat the Lines at the Mobile Food Rodeo

I love many things about the multitude of food truck events that have become a regular part of Seattle’s culinary calendar. I love the laid back, family-friendly vibe. I love the thrill of discovering that perfect bite. I love how people turn out in a big way to support small business.

What I don’t love? The lines. The incredibly long, interminable, soul-crushing lines.

So it was an easy decision for me to buy a VIF ticket to Seattle’s biggest street food event, the Mobile Food Rodeo on May 5.

For just $25, I’ll get the chance to get in an hour early to the event and skip the lines with all-day priority line access.

For those who like swag, you can pay $45 to get the VIF treatment along with an urban picnic tote bag, a commemorative patch, a 2013 Fremont Outdoor Movie season pass for two, and a Mobile Food Rodeo T-shirt.

On Sunday, I’ll make a beeline to these three trucks making their big-time debut: Ezell’s Express, Barking Frog Mobile Kitchen and How Pickle Got Out of a Jam.

I’m also excited about the Taco Libre Taco Truck Showdown. My money will be on the barbecue pulled pork Indian taco from Off the Rez, with a possible upset by the Fish Basket’s crispy cod taco. Of course, you can’t count out Marination Mobile and its “Holy Mole!” taco.

What are you looking forward to at the Mobile Food Rodeo?

Go on a food truck date for Valentine’s Day

It’s the day before Valentine’s Day, and if you don’t have plans, you’re either scrambling for something to do, or hoping that February 14 will come and go as quickly as possible.

Instead of feeling stressed out or sad, celebrate National Food Truck Date Day instead!

The alternative celebration is the brainchild of Jeanna Barrett, the woman behind 50 Food Truck Dates. She wrote, “Valentine’s Day leaves couples and singles feeling broke, bored and bummed! So I thought to myself – why not motivate everyone to change this negative Valentine’s Day sentiment around?”

So RSVP yes to the National Food Truck Date Day Facebook invite, and take your spouse, best friend, child, grandpa, baby’s mama—whoever is special to you—on a food truck date on February 14.

Here are 5 food truck date ideas for Seattle:

1. Not in love with meat? Get some sexy tofu tacos at Marination Mobile (2401 Utah Ave S., Starbucks HQ, 11am – 2pm.)
2. Do you like it hot? Try one of Diablo Food Truckz’s three spicy sauces on your noodle sandwich. (1741 4th Ave S. , 12:15pm – 3pm.)
3. Craving something sweet? Make your own ice cream sandwich at Street Treats. (Roundabout North of Big Fish Games & F5 on Elliott, noon – 12:30 pm. And 300 3rd Ave W., 12:45pm – 1:15pm.)
4. Passionate about grilled cheese sandwiches and sci-fi fantasy? (And really, who isn’t?) Feel the magic with Cheese Wizards. (1406 Northwest 53rd Street, Reuben’s Brews, 4pm – 8:30pm.)
5. Longing for a taste of Cuba? Visit Snout & Company at Town Hall Seattle. (1119 Eighth Avenue, 8-10pm)

None of these tickle your fancy? SeattleFoodTruck.com has a complete list of all food trucks open on Thursday.

If you’re on Twitter or Instagram, share a pic while you’re on your date and use the #NtlFTDDay hashtag and be sure to tag @the50dates.

Enjoy National Food Truck Date Day!

Enjoy an Afghan tasting menu and support an important independent film

While there are countless movies that recount how men’s lives are affected by war, few have told the story of women who serve in the military.
That’s a gap that Afghan screenwriter and director Tarique Qayumi and co-writer, Alan de la Rosa, hope to fill with their psychological thriller, “Targeting.”

The film tells the story of a female American soldier named Mattie Ridgeway who returns home to her husband and young daughter after serving in Afghanistan. When she recognizes an Afghan person from her past now living in her hometown, she begins running surveillance on him.

“Targeting” is coming to Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum on February 10 for a special fundraising screening. Tickets are $32 and include admission to see the movie and a chance to meet the filmmakers at a reception with wine and a three-course Afghan tasting menu, which will include:

• Bolanie – a potato scallion fritter
• Kebab Nanwich – marinated meat with cucumber & naan
• Baklava

100% of your ticket purchase will be donated to complete post-production work that will enable the “Targeting” to hit the film festival circuit. This is a film that needs to be seen!

Seattle Screening of “Targeting”
Sunday, February 10 at 4:00pm
Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Ave, Seattle WA 98122
Tickets available at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/325464
.

Tom Douglas shares holiday recipes from new cookbook at Macy’s Culinary Council event

If you have lived in Seattle for any significant amount of time, it can be easy to be blasé about chef Tom Douglas. The man is everywhere. He’s frying doughnuts at the Bite of Seattle, selling his Rubs With Love at Costco, joking around with Thierry Rautureau on their radio show, judging dishes on “Top Chef,” and expanding his restaurant empire.

No matter what you think of Douglas, you have to respect his hustle and ambition. He currently operates 13 restaurants with more on the way, including the re-imagining of his Tibetan dumpling house, Ting Momo, as a food truck. In recognition of his incredible culinary career, the James Beard Foundation named Douglas “Outstanding Restaurateur” in May 2012.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a cooking demo with Douglas at Macy’s in downtown Seattle. He is a member of Macy’s Culinary Council and was at the store to share recipes from his new Dahlia Bakery Cookbook for holiday entertaining.

A large audience gathered for the event, obviously eager to see the chef in action. In addition to the excellent service and food at his restaurants, what makes Tom Douglas successful? Here are 4 things I observed.

University of Washington Entrepreneur Week to feature food truck owners

Jennifer Lewis of SmallFoodBiz.com will lead a panel discussion with food truck entrepreneurs Molly Neitzel (Molly Moon’s), Josh Henderson (Skillet), and Marshall Jett (Veraci Pizza) at the University of Washington on October 17 from 12:30-1:30 pm. The talk is part of the UW’s Entrepreneur Week presented by the Foster School of Business. Food trucks will be open for business from 11 am – 2 pm on the Business Hall Promenade. The event is free and open to all UW students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Seattle entrepreneurial community. (So, basically, anyone.) Get more details on the Entrepreneur Week website.

Here’s a video featuring Skillet that I shot on the fly for grad school. My classmates and I asked vendors at the Mobile Chowdown food truck festival how they use social media to promote their businesses. This video was made in 2010, and I’m struck by: 1) how “new” social media still seemed then, and 2) how big the Skillet empire has become in just two years.

Never try to eat a cracker that’s almost as big as your head at a public event (unless Aida Mollenkamp is there to help you out)

I had the pleasure of meeting food expert, writer, TV host, and culinary curator, Aida Mollenkamp, at a Seattle Food Blogger event hosted by the fabulous Keren Brown.

Aida came to Seattle to promote her first cookbook, Keys to the Kitchen, which she described as a modern kitchen manual for people in their 20s and 30s.

60 Seattle bloggers turn passion into compassion

Yesterday I ran into Lisa of Gluten Free Foodies, and she reminded me that this Saturday is the big “Will Bake for Food” event. Lisa, along with 60 other Seattle food bloggers, is creating sweet treats for a giant bake sale benefitting hunger relief organization Northwest Harvest.

For each can of food that you bring, you will receive tickets to spend on baked goods, locally roasted coffee and Skagit Valley apple cider. Check out this list to see which items Northwest Harvest needs most. Extra tickets will be given for donations of diapers, baby formula and gluten-free foods. (Psst! Lisa told me gluten-free pasta is on sale at Trader Joe’s.)

The event will also feature a special raffle with awesome prizes, and blogger, chef and all around nice guy, Eric Rivera, is hiding a golden ticket inside one of his chocolate bars that will be good for a dinner for two cooked by Eric himself.

“Will Bake for Food” will take place Saturday, November 20 at University Congregational Church, Ostrander Hall, 4515 16th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98105, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (or whenever they run out of treats!)

Mobile Chowdown 5

Mobile Chowdown is back–this time with beer! The food truck extravaganza will be October 1 at the Qwest Field north parking lot from 5:00-10:00 p.m. It now costs $5 to get into the event, which is 21+ because of the alcohol factor. Pyramid Breweries is the official beer sponsor.

In addition to your favorite food trucks, there will be a live music stage featuring DJ Riz, Bandolier, Haiku-Chi and Piece.

Lines are always long at Mobile Chowdown, but here’s what I think is worth the wait:

• A shwarma sandwich from Hallava Falafel
• Gumbo and beignets from Where Ya At Matt
• Kalbi tacos from Marination Mobile

I’d also be interested in trying food from Buns on Wheels and Street Treats and I definitely want to check out Domo Dogs from Portland.

I’ll be volunteering at Mobile Chowdown’s “Geek Row” to help promote my graduate program–the University of Washington’s Master of Communication in Digital Media program. What’s the connection? As one of my professors, Anita Verna Crofts, says, “The food truck revolution is closely tied to the social network revolution.”

IFBC Confidential: Behind the scenes at the International Food Blogger Conference

It was an interesting experience working as an event volunteer last weekend at the International Food Blogger Conference. I stuffed swag bags, alphabetized name badges, registered attendees, prepared platters of food, broke down literally hundreds of cardboard boxes and hauled trash. I even had a flashback to my college days as a barista when I spent two hours doing nothing other than brewing coffee.

The biggest perk of this job was that I got to eat some amazing food: lamp chops with a wasabi crust, mini beef bahn mi sandwiches by Lisa Dupar, steak tartare personally prepared and served by Daisley Gordon of Campagne, geoduck ceviche and all the Theo Chocolate I wanted.

I also got to see and hear from Morgan Spurlock of “Supersize Me,” fame, “Saveur” magazine editor-in-chief James Oseland and other famous food folk.