Trailer Food Diaries the SHOW

Trailer Food Fans, I'm heading to Miami and Peru to check out how they do street food.  While I'm out to lunch, I thought you guys might like to have a sneak peak at the TV show the trailer food team is pitching.  Special thanks to Keith Maitland (Directing) and Lisa McWilliams (Producing) plus all the crew and wonderful vendors for putting this cool piece together.


Trailer Food Diaries from keith maitland on Vimeo.

Buffalo Bob's Chalupa Wagon

This is a menu you'll want to take a good look at as you make your list of favorites. RJ, “Buffalo Bob” himself, has combined all my favorite things: healthy choices, traditional Mexican food, authentic Texan recipes, locally sourced ingredients on a Chalupa. I stopped by his ‘wagon’, which is sitting at 600 S. Lamar Blvd. next to the Bananarchy trailer in front of the old Urban Moto shop and ordered ‘the Cretian’ which has hummus, flax seed meal, chopped green olives, ground bison, chopped spinach, onion, tomato and parmesan cheese. He’s serious about his hummus – it’s good and spicy. Even spicier is the dang good Cowboy hummus RJ created by thinking about what a good old country boy would do if he were challenged to make hummus on the spot. You’ll have to ask him for specifics, but I’ll peep and tell you it’s got some peanuts, beer and something good and hot in it all in a true hummus consistency. It’s good stuff.

With 18 varieties of the Chalupa ranging from the traditional version to a selection of healthier alternatives, 65% of his menu is gluten-free and built on low fat tostadas. Even cooler, he uses only range fed bison (Madono ranch) and chicken (Buddie’s) that are all locally and humanely produced sans hormones and anti-biotics. And only organic produce tops his Chalupas. Next time I’m there, I’m going to try the Istanbul Chalupa, which has hummus, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, flax seed meal, chopped green olives and other yummy ingredients. Tell the guy with the curly stache that Trailer Food Diaries sent ya!

Eat Street is coming to Austin May 17-21

Hit TV series Eat Street is filming right here in Austin, Texas this week.  I'm honored to be part of the Austin-trailer-foodie team that the crew from  Food Network Canada will be featuring.  Here are some fun opportunites to come out and support the local trailer food scene while they are being featured.  Meet me at the Jalopy tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2p!

Tuesday, May 17th

The Jalopy: Lunch:  Noon – 2pm
Mike from http://willruntoeat.wordpress.com/ will be interviewed at the big 18-wheeler at 1pm, and yours truly will be interviewed  live  starting at 2p. 

Tiff's pick - The Gaad Thai  Chicken Sandwich (We have this recipe in the Trailer Food Diaries Cookbook!) mmmmm- peanut sauce, cilantro, sriracha, pickled onions- $6.... Says the Jalopy Menu online:  "Created in adoration of a super cool guy named Ryan Gaad. Our love for him, and for spicy peanut sauces are unmatched and incontrollable. With that, we have created one of our most popular sandwiches replicating a Thai sauce typically used in stir fry or marinade but just so happens to miraculously meld together with our onions and cilantro to deliver a blissful combination of flavor."

Wednesday, May 18thThe Evil Wiener: Lunch:  Noon – 2pm

Tiff's pick: These guys are still new, but the Revolucion Dog is going to be their best-seller.  It's also a favorite among the owners, as it's namesake is a street on the main drag in Tijuana where they had their first bites of a bacon-wrapped hot dog.  The Evil Wiener's version of the Revolucion is a frank wrapped in bacon with mustard, mayo, ketchup, pico de gallo and tapatillo sauce on top 

Thursday, May 19th
Cazamance: Dinner: 5pm – 7pm
Tiff's pick: Whatever Iba is making! I haven't had a bad Cazamance experience yet.  Keep your fingers crossed for steak, or go with the bunny chow which is a staple on his menu. 

Friday, May 20th
East Side King, Liberty Dinner: 5pm – 7pm

Chef Moto’s band will be playing after the dinner rush

Tiff's pick: I've got their recipe for Thai Chicken Karaage but it tastes better when they do it... – $8....Deep fried chicken thigh with sweet & spicy sauce, fresh basil, cilantro, mint, onion, and jalapeño.

Saturday, May 21st

Pig Vicious - Dinner: 6pm – 9pm
Tiff's pick: The Mescaline High Hat will make you squeal.  A quesadilla with smoked bacon, spicy homemade sauce, tomato, cheese and avocado. Things that make you go mmmmm.

Where can you get rattlesnake sausage? Wurst Tex

Confesison: Part of my colorful past includes a stint in the snake pits of Sweetwater, Texas competing in the Rattlesnake Roundup beauty pageant and scholoarship awards.  (Thats a picture of me in high school holding one of the rattlers just before 'milking' it's venom in that little glass dish.)  So! I was thrilled to talk to Sam Raver of Wurst Tex, who is serving up this West Texas tradition in a sausage.
Without a wealth of culinary expertise, Sam and fiancée Leslie along with Sam’s step-Dad set out for a new chapter of their lives and developed a straightforward sausage concept for their first shot at the trailer food business. Their menu of exotic game sausages, however, is miles from the standard bratwurst experience. From rattlesnake, venison, rabbit, duck and more to regular sausages and extraordinary vegetarian options the Wurst Tex menu is truly unique.


The ‘predator and prey’ is Sam’s personal favorite. It contains rattlesnake, rabbit and pork with jalapenos.  Two fun options for vegetarians that look like real sausage links are the ’04 delight’,a combination of smoked apples, sage and potatoes, and the ‘Veggiano’, which contains eggplant, fennel and garlic.

All City Subs

Address	3808 S Congress Ave. #2, Austin, TX 78704 ·
Phone	512-516-3660
Website	http://www.twitter.com/AllCitySubs
Hours	Mon - Tues: 11:30 am - 7:00 pm Wed - Thurs: 11:30 am - 1:00 am Fri - Sat: 11:30 am - 2:00 am

As a drummer who had played in Austin several times while on tour, J.K. Bellucci moved here and opened All City Subs to fill a need for readily available good sandwiches in Austin.  Having worked in every facet of the service industry for 20 years along with learning some tricks of the trade from family recipes, J.K. put together an all-star menu featuring some of his favorite sandwiches.  

His pork sandwich is hugely popular.  It was influenced from ‘the Mix’, a restaurant in Philadelphia.  Although J.K modified the broccoli rabe to a more southern taste by using collard greens, the sandwich is similar.  He takes a sweet Italian roll and toasts it with a garlic infused canola oil and builds the sandwich with homemade mustard, collard greens, slow roasted pork dipped in au jus, sweet pickled onions, and smoked provolone.  He learned how to slow roast his pork from a family-owned restaurant in Rhode Island that made their roast beef similarly: brine the meat for 6 hours, season and slow roast it for four hours, and let it cool overnight.  It takes a full day to develop the product for proper serving.

J.K and his crew aren’t afraid to color outside of the lines a little bit.  Their 4/20 sandwich was so popular last April 20^th, they brought it back a week later for Willie Nelson’s birthday (4/30).  The 4/20 is a roast beef/pastrami with mustard, cheese, pickled onions, fried egg and Cheetos.  Their favorite reaction to the sandwich was a patron proclaiming “I now know what God eats.”

South Shore Eatery (Trailer Park)

Three's company at the south shore eatery and trailer park, which is home to That's Amore, Lil Mama's and the Giggling Goat. This is my kind of trailer park - three stellar options with a wide variety, some shade, close to the water and easy to find on the bike. They are situated at 1620 East Riverside Dr. (78741) right by the Amli off the hike and bike trail. I'll admit it, at this stage of the game it takes something odd or unique to get me excited. This trailer park is the newest must-do on my list.

This cannoli and panini to the left is from Angela Melia's 74' airstream 'That's Amore'.  I was fortunate to be there when both Angela and chef Josh Rippie were there to spoil me with some of the best Italian food I've ever had.  Ok fine, I'll go ahead and say it.  This was the best Italian food I've ever had.  Some of you know that I trained horses the majority of my life, and one of my teachers was from Rome.  We would go to her house for 'dinner' and start with wine, cheese and sausages. I would be completely full and half cocked by the time the first salad came out.  I somehow would get that down and then came the chicken.  Nibbling and at this point trying not to offend the Italian-only-speaking- alpha female, I would go on to eat her lasagne, souffle and dessert - all with wine of course.  Eating at Angela's trailer brought back those precious memories of being at an Italian home for dinner.  Their food not only tasted good and was made with heart (and tradition), it was big enough for two - typical Italian.  I had a wonderful panini, 'the Sicilian', which has italian sausage mixed with bell peppers, fennel and mozzarella.  I've been craving the house salad ever since I left.  (I think it was the creamy herb parmesan dressing).  The salad has a romaine and spring mix, with celery, tomatoes, hearts of palm, cucumber, pepperocini and kalamata and green pimento stuffed olives. I had a spoonful of the cherry pistachio cannoli and that was pretty incredible too.  Oh! and I snuck a taste of the pine nut gorgonzola spread (I'm a sucker for gorgonzola!)  Angela's menu is inspired by her Sicilian grandparents (all of which have an item named after them).  I can't wait to try everything else she offers and you'll be able to make her olive tapenade and basil lemonade at home because they are featured in the trailer food diaries cookbook. 

I'm equally excited about the Giggling Goat. I felt obligated to go with the Cabrito Burger (grilled and topped with tomato confit, baby greens, honey mustard, jack cheese and japanese fries) and was not disappointed.  Goat is a lean meat and because of it's lower fat content can easily dry out upon cooking.  But this burger was not dry at all.  If you're looking for an even livlier choice, Chad's menu contains such exotic cuisine as a soft shell crab sandwich, sweet breads, zucchini fries with a poblano ranch sauce and rabbit egg rolls, a little foodie parody containing local rabbit, cabbage, carrots and ginger.  Chad gave me the Cordero burger, which is a lamb burger to share with you all in the cookbook.

Speaking of good recipes that will be in the cookbook, Heather from lil Mama's has contributed her version of cheesecake and her grandmother's poundcake.  This gal started her dessert trailer because it has been a dream of hers since she was in middle school.  Heather started baking when she was thirteen and she has worked for Texas French Bread here in Austin as well Walt Disney World in Orlando where she was a baker and cake decorater.  You'll know her truly special breads and treats are made from the heart with the first bite. She's open Thursday thru Saturday 5pm to 9pm.

This trailer park is a triple win - check them out!

We did it! The cookbook is funded!

Just a quick note to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who helped promote and pledged toward the kickstarter campaign.  We did it! The production has been funded - the writing is done - you will all have a fun collectible cookbook for this fall.  I can't wait to show you the cover.