THE GREAT FOOD TRUCK DEBATE

Today I went to the Orange County Fair Grounds because I heard they were having several food trucks there.  They were celebrating their one year anniversary.

I have been watching The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network and it really got me wondering if the food on these trucks were as good as they claimed.

I was about to find out.

Since I don't eat meat, I couldn't eat these hamburgers.  However, they had some really unique items on some of their burgers.

I wonder what the peanut butter and jelly one was like. 

I'm sure the burgers are super though.  This truck one the Great Food Truck Race last season.  They also had a super long line of fans waiting to place their orders.

I was so excited when I saw that Sea Birds was there. 

Watching them this season and seeing all the great food they made had me longing to try them. 

They make only vegetarian and vegan food.  Perfect for me since I'm a vegetarian.

I thought everything sounded so good on their menu.  As I saw the food leaving the truck, I found my mouth watering.

However, I did want to check out the other trucks to see what they had before I made any purchase.

This truck sold Philly cheese stakes.  The smell was wonderful and if it were several years ago, when I ate meat, I think I would have tried the food from here. 

I was happy to see that they had both a great menu for meat eaters and also offered vegetarian food.  Big plus in my eyes.

The bakery truck sounded yummy.   But, I was going to enjoy a meal first and so I had to move on from here pretty quickly.

As I walked by, I heard some of the customers talking about how good everything was from here.  Tucked in the back of my mind, I was thinking I may have to stop back here after I eat lunch.

Short Stop BBQ also had some wonderful smells coming from it's truck.  Another big line made me believe they had a big following too.

This is where my sister ended up eating from.  She quickly became a fan of Short Stop BBQ too.

So much to pick from.

She finally decided to go with the Tri Tip sandwich and fries.  She said she would surely get this again.  She really liked the coleslaw on the sandwich.

She also said the price was very good for the quality of food.  She was very pleased with her purchase.

Home Skillet was at the end of the line of trucks. 

While they seemed to have a good variety of food, I saw nothing I would order for lunch.  Well, the Sweet potato fries but I wanted more then just a side dish.

I knew there was no other Truck that could compete for my taste buds like Sea Birds.  So, I went to the line and waited my turn.

While in line, I spoke to a few of the people standing by me.  One girl said she follows this Truck and eats something from them every week. 

The menu changes and she had not had anything on the menu today so she was excited to try something new.

As I got closer to the window I knew I had to pick something.  It was hard for me to decide because I really wanted to try everything.

When it became my time, I chatted a bit with the girl at the window.  I told her I felt they should have won the Food Truck Race.  I was so sad to see them go.

I have to say that the girls were so friendly and happy to talk to me.  I didn't feel rushed or looked down upon. 

Points were scored right away for that greeting.

I ended up getting the Pesto Brown Rice.  Oh my goodness!  This was so good.  As soon as I took a bite I had so much flavor and texture going on.

It was pure heaven!  I loved the toasted pine nuts.  I was very pleased with my choice.  This was something that vegetarians and meat eaters would enjoy.  Plus, it really fills you up.

I also got their grilled apples with cinnamon and walnut crumble.    The apples were warm but still crunchy.  The combination of the spices and walnuts gave them an added flavor that made them delicious.

The only thing I found wrong with Sea Birds was, they didn't have an actual restaurant that I could go to all the time.  I am going to have to track them down when my cravings for their food pops up.

Other then that, I would give them a 10! 

If you should ever find yourself near Sea Birds, please, do yourself a favor and order something.  I'm sure you will love it.

Both my sister and I were super full and happy we had made the trip to visit these great Food Trucks.

However, remember that Bakery Truck?  Well, we really wanted to try them.  They had the perfect ending for our lunch.  It was a raspberry cheesecake shot.  A wonderful, creamy cheesecake in a shot glass served with a tiny spoon. 

It's a great idea.  When you are super full you can still have a little bit of dessert without making yourself feel sick. 

I had a great time spending some time outdoors, talking to a lot of people.  It seems people are more friendly when they are getting to enjoy great food. 

I still have to give my vote for Best Food Truck to Sea Birds.  They really know how to cook!

A SUNNY DAY AT THE FARMERS MARKET

We have had such a nice mild summer this year.  The temperature has been perfect.  Not to hot and not humid. 

This week, they said we were going to start to finally get hot.  YUCK!  But hey, it's almost September so I can't really complain to much.

I thought it would be a perfect day to head out the local Farmer's Market and get some fresh air and maybe do some shopping, before it got to hot out.

I love seeing all the beautiful colors of the freshly picked fruits and veggies.  Plus, knowing all this wonderful food was grown by local farmers makes it even better.

I almost broke down and bought some of the Heirloom tomatoes so I could can more salsa.  Then I decided against it.  It's getting to hot for that now.

I love there is so much more at the Farmers Markets then just fresh fruit and veggies.  They had some beautiful looking herbs for sale.

There were several different types of fruit trees to purchase.  I thought about getting a grape vine so I could have some home grown grapes but then gave up that idea too as I don't really have the room to grow these.

The flowers were so colorful and were much cheaper then buying them at the stores around here.

We listened to this guy for a little while.  He was very interesting.  He was showing us how to grow a lot of things in a small area. 

I'm thinking that maybe this would be a good idea to do next year.  I don't have a lot of room to plant things in my back yard but this can be built and put in places where there is no soil. 

The guy said to make the boxes about 4 times as big as the one he had here.

There were so many dips, salsas, humus and other yummy goods sold here.

There were a lot of the gourmet food trucks there.  So many great things to pick from.  Boy these food trucks sure have come a long way from when I was growing up.

I watched the Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network just the other day and so it was fun seeing what they all sold.  Have you seen that show?

This one did seem to be selling the most.  Nothing like fruit flavored ice on a hot day.

Wow!  Who knew the King was still alive.  He entertained everyone with his songs.  You could even have him come to your parties or buy his CD.  To be honest, he really did sound like Elvis.  He had to be the best sounding Elvis, since Elvis himself.

I think was my favorite place.  Homemade cookies.  I had a chocolate chip chili cooking.  It was a great chocolate chip that left a little kick in your mouth after you swallowed.  Not overly hot but just right.

I can't believe I've never been to a local Farmers Market before.  Do you go to them?  If you haven't, you should. 

There is a lot of good things there and it was really fun.  Everyone was so friendly and all the food was very good.

I'll be checking out more local Farmers Markets by me in the near future.