Follow That Truck!

     Decades ago, if people say food truck, Mexican trucks selling tacos and burritos come to mind. In recent years, thanks to Food Network and other food channels, food trucks have evolved and have become the latest craze in eateries. "Street Food" is now considered hip and chic especially to young urban professionals. This fad has now reached Houston which incidentally has been voted America's coolest and hippest city to live by Forbes.

     So, when a friend invited me to try Chi'lantro, a Korean-Mexican fusion food truck that originated in Austin and made its way to the Bayou City, I had to bring my camera and palate to check what's special about these mobile restaurants. First, we had to check out their website for their schedule. We found the truck along I-10 and Antoine. Now you may be thinking, "Oh, food trucks are dirty, so you might catch a disease!" The truck didn’t look anything filthy. It was artistic and the aroma was inviting. I checked their menu and ordered one of their specialties, the Korean tacos.  You could choose pork, beef, chicken or tofu as your meat. The bulgogi meat was cooked and placed onto soft double-layered corn tortillas, and topped with soy vinaigrette Korean salad, cilantro, onions, and their signature Korean salsa.  It was tasty. There was a perfect blend of Korean and Mexican flavors in every bite. For $5, you get two tacos which was reasonable. I was almost full by the time I finished my meal.

   But I couldn’t just walk away without trying the famous kimchi fries. Their kimchi fries was an entrée by itself. The serving was huge. To make this amazing dish, they caramelized the kimchi and placed a sizzling heap of Korean BBQ, grilled onions, cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheeses, cilantro, sriracha, sesame seeds, and their magic sauce onto a mound of crispy French fries. It had some heat but I would expect more kimchi. To me, if you are calling it a kimchi fries, you better give me more of that kimchi flavor. So, I was a little bit disappointed. Overall, the flavor was good. It was well seasoned and balanced.

      The experience had opened a whole new concept of dining to me. Food trucks can provide delicious, sanitary food at affordable prices. I would definitely check out Chi'lantro again in the very near future and try their quesadillas, burgers, and rice bowls. So, why don't you go to their website and follow that TRUCK!

To find out more about Chi'lantro,

http://www.chilantrobbq.com/

https://twitter.com/ChiLantroBBQ

http://www.visithoustontexas.com/restaurants/meals-on-wheels/