On July 14 the Bay Area food truck festival "Off The Grid" brought its culinary cavalcade for the first time to Walnut Creek and I, along with my girlfriend Sarah, were among the hundreds who were front and center for the gourmet fast food premier. Some foodies came from afar to see how Walnut Creek compared to Off the Grid's several dozen other locales. Some locals came only with vague notions of "checking it out." Sarah and I, though, had arrived with a mission: eat a meal from every food truck. All ten of them. Food Truck 1 of 10: Tonli Dumplings. We ordered six jumbo pork dumplings, reasoning that you should always select a dish which is contained in the restaurant's name. There was truth in this wisdom. With a side of sweet and sour sauce and deep-fried to a crispy shell, they were delicious. Word of advice: puncture the exterior with a chopstick to expedite the cooling process and avoid tongue burn.
We were divided on where to eat next and decided to split up and seek second opinions. I employed a survey approach and polled the crowd, but I was unable to determine any clear favorite. I did, however, conclude that Off the Grid consisted mostly of paired millennials and young parents, while children and dogs being adorably pulled in wagons comprised a statistically significant minority. Sarah sought expert advice. A staff member recommended the Filipino cuisine from ADOruBOwl, apparently a must-try rising star in the food truck circuit. Food Truck 2 of 10: ADOruBOwl. The smell of fried meats and adobo seasoning beckoned us to the counter where the friendly staff tailored our order around our finicky preferences. Our custom rice bowl, called Bonjing's Sisig, contained my five favorite S's: salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and savory. Diced pork, chili peppers, pickled and minced onions, and strips of mango were all mixed together and crowned with a fried egg. Underneath all of this sat a heap of white rice, gathering and coalescing the flavors as they dripped down. In danger of filling up too fast, we took some time to listen to the eclectic jams of the band Borrowed Trouble. During the band's particularly upbeat rendition of "This Train is Bound for Glory", replete with true hoedown hoots from Dayv Cabrito (bass) and Kyle Reed (drums), children scampered forth as if called by the Pied Piper to dance at the feet of the band. Such was the fervor of one boy that he picked up an orange cone and took it as his dance partner. During a break I talked about the band's style with Jeremy Hatch, the band's guitarist, harmonicist, pianist, lead vocalist, and all around front man. The Oakland-based trio couldn't be easily described. Hatch's closest approximation was "Indie-Americana with .... blues?" Our dancing came to an abrupt end when Sarah caught me filming. As penance, I alone stood in line at Food Truck 3 of 10: Mantraah. I was hoping for something small and light. Mantraah, which serves organic, vegetarian Indian food, was selling samosas by the pair. Operating under the false impression that samosas are Indian spring rolls, and unwilling to heed Sarah's insistent text messages that they were no such thing, I ordered two. The deep-fried pastries were fist-sized and packed full of hearty potatoes and chickpeas. They were not the light morsels I'd imagined, yet they made a scrumptiously grievous error. For reasons that no longer make sense to me, I persuaded Sarah that drinking beer would relieve some of our fullness. A drink tent stood in the middle of a demarcated drinking zone. Here I ordered Ommegang's farmhouse Saison, which was splendid with hints of clove and banana, and a Crispin Cider for Sarah, who was sadly born with a beer appreciation deficiency. The decision to start drinking was a wash. One could argue it backfired, making our stomachs even fuller. Yet, it was a success in that our mission suddenly seemed less urgent. Lazily we waddled back to the trucks to go out in style. Kudos to the vigilant event staff who prevented my half-full cup from escaping the drink area. Food Truck 4 of 4: Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen. Drewski's is an old rock star in the food truck scene who have been lauded for their high-concept sandwiches. Their 'Hemi', a buttered toast sandwich grilled with mac'n'cheese sandwich and Carolina pulled pork, was home-style heaven in my mouth. It was also the point of no return. As we shuffled away I noticed an old, shut down McDonald's in the parking lot. Was this a sign of the times? Is fast food, like beer and beards before it, getting a crass-to-classy makeover? Hard to say. After all, food truck festivals are young. At five years old, Off the Grid is older than most. It could all be a trend. But if you've been to Off the Grid then you might feel like me: It's here to stay. And if this is the case then let me say, pace yourself.
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