A Mobile Food experiment has been conducted at the St. James Tavern since early January. The premise: pair a $1 Mystery Beer Can special with a different Mobile Food vendor each week to break up the MEH of Monday and offer a respite from downtown rush hour gridlock. These events serve as an introduction to St. James Tavern for some (voted best bar in Columbus by Columbus Underground). It also provides a business opportunity and a new circle of customers for food trucks that have difficulty serving our CBD (Central Business District) due to arcane city of Columbus codes and zoning laws. The series began with Pitabilities and was followed by Tatoheads, Late Night Slice, Freedom A La Cart and then an encore performance of Pitabilities.

Times are generally 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm or 7 pm to 10 pm. Saint James and the mobile vendors are still looking for the sweet spot for serving times that maximizes the number of people served and still allows the truck to break even or make a small profit for the night. If you live in Italian Village or want to grow mobile food in the lean times of winter, come out for a Mobile Monday to grow food choices for the core of the city.

Here is the line up for the rest of February.
February 13th – Tatoheads (see what Daniel has up his sleeve for potatoey goodness)

February 20th – Red Hot Food Truck (a trailer, this is their debut appearance for Mobile Monday).

February 27th – Kolache Republic (serving INSIDE the SJT).

For more details and updates – check out the St. James Tavern Facebook page and follow Food Fort Columbus on Twitter – @FoodFortCMH.

Jaime (Ray Ray) Anderson continues to prove that a good product, a little business sense and a lot of hard work, a person can make a good living from a mobile food truck or trailer. Ray Ray’s has served BBQ from the same location for over two years. Ray Ray’s stays open through the winter, serving 52 weeks each year. Jaime takes opportunities to try out new menu items such as smoked turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well a grass fed beef special on Sunday’s. For Superbowl Sunday, he decided to serve wings and the results were……take a look for yourself. When I visited, the line was fifty people deep and still growing.

If you grill it, BBQ it or cook it right, they will come. You might have to wait for the next superbowl for wings….but maybe not, seems like it would be a good item for fall tailgating.

Food carts, trucks and trailers are inspected by the Columbus Board of Health. Each vendor should display a green Columbus Health Department Color Coded Inspection Sign with the date of the last inspection. Inspections occur at least once per year, just like any restaurant or food supplier. Mobile food owners must have a peddlers license as well.

Health Department Tested, Hungry Woolf Approved

A yellow health department tag means the truck has been warned about a health code issue and is on probation while they implement recommended changes – so menu items may be limited. A red sticker indicates a major health code violation and the business is closed.

That being said, mobile food vendors can get a bad rap. Hot dog carts and hamburger stands fought these same stereotypes in the 20th century as they evolved into American icons. How many restaurant kitchens have you seen? This writer has seen some very scary kitchens behind closed doors. Mobile vendors are serving out of open kitchens – customers can see every step in the preparation process for start to serving time. If you are wary of a mobile food – ask us for a suggested truck and meal – I doubt you will be disappointed. Watch how the food is prepared. If something gives you the creeps, cut your losses and move on to the next truck. The owner of the mobile eatery is often the one cooking your food. He or she depends on repeat business to stay in business and cleanliness is the key to happy customers and health inspectors. The inspectors make regular spot checks on all mobile vendors just as they do for restaurants, grocery stores, fair food stands and elsewhere. So the answer is: street eats are as clean as any other food you eat and in this case – at least you can see it before you eat it. We think that is a very good thing.

Reservations required by January 15th. Call 614.846.3220

Hills Market, Tuesday January 17th.
Cooking Class: A Trio of Trucks | 6:30 p.m. | $25

The Hills Market kitchen will feature the talent behind three of our city’s best mobile food vendors: Hot Pita, Pitabilities and Kolache Republic.

Participants will start out in the kitchen for a one-hour demonstration class. Afterwards, Hills will serve a three course meal (complete with beer pairings from the folks at Elevator Brewing Company) in the Wine Department. The class is $25 per person and includes food and beer pairings.

Menu
• A Trio of Hummus: Hot Pita’s Truffle, Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
• Pitabilities presents a Buffalo Chicken Pita featuring their signature bèlla sauce
(perfect for Super Bowl entertaining!)
• Kolache Republic Kolaches with fillings to include nuts, cheese and fruit.

(Photo bu Mike Beaumont)

Cooking Class: Angie Theado of The Coop |February 28th | 6:30 p.m. | $35

Angie Theado of The Coop Food Truck presents three favorites from the Clintonville-based truck. Participants will start out in the kitchen for a one-hour demo. Afterwards, a three course meal (complete with wine pairings) in the Wine Department. The class is $45 and includes food and wine pairings.

Menu:

• Duck Livers paired with a Winter Salad
• Seared Duck Breast with Shiitakes, Baby Bok Choy, Udon Noodles and Fried Duck Egg with a Mushroom Broth
• Ginger-Poached Pear with a Lemongrass-Orange Duck Egg Zabaglione with Caramelised Duck Skin.

Kolaches
Website
Facebook
Twitter
614.302.5330

You may  have already seen the Kolache Republic at farmers markets, street food events or festivals but now they have their own cart and are hitting the streets of Columbus. If you haven’t, you might be wondering what a kolache is – or how to pronounce it (koh-lah-chee). A kolache is a Czech pastry made of slightly sweet dough baked with a wide variety of fruit, nut, sweet cheese and meat fillings. They are popular in areas with large Czech populations such as Texas.

Kolache Republic is a joint venture between three guys, Rick, Doug and Dusty, who were craving kolaches and couldn’t find them in Columbus. Unfulfilled food cravings seems a common food business initiator. Kolache Republic now make over 30 varieties of sweet and savory kolache to order and as well as serving them on the cart you can find them at the Celebrate Local pop up store at Easton.

Here was today’s menu:

My favorite are the sausage, pepper jack and jalapeno kolaches, so of course that’s what I had today. A doughy cheesy bundle with mild juicy sausage and some warmth from the jalapeno. It’s a great cold weather snack.

Kolache Republic will be on Broad Street (just east of Third) again tomorrow  from 11am-2pm, so if you are walking around downtown stop by, say hi and try a kolache.

Hot Pita (CLOSED)
614.315.8585
Hot Pita is out of the truck and into stores – selling their hummus at select specialty markets.
Twitter: @HotPita
Facebook: Hot Pita! Mediterranean Street Food

Hot Pita and the main guys behind the wheel: Adi and David are attacking the streets of Columbus armed with an arsenal of pita powered flavors. They have a pledge of freshness and vow never to serve from a freezer. The menu includes hummus, Tabbouleh , shawarmas (beef and chicken), falafel as well as lentil soup and daily specials. The service is friendly and upbeat. Their food continues to get rave reviews.

Hot Pita is one of the most mobile food trucks. It can be expected to hit two to three spots most days, check out Twitter or the new Hungerly app to find how close Hot Pita is to you. They also plan to keep cooking through the winter while many others are calling it a season, so show your support on the cold days so they can keep up the heat for 2012.

Pitabilities: Pita sandwiches
Website
Facebook
614.216.6310

Pitabilities truck is the first of two new pita trucks to be hitting the streets of Columbus. Their truck is brand spanking new and has worked a few debut events including OSU football games. We caught up with them at the Local Foods Week food cart rally. The owners fitted out the truck themselves – in its former life it was a fabric delivery van and they are based out of the ECDI Food Fort.

The menu includes: gyros, grilled chicken, Buffalo chicken, Philly steak, Italian sausage, brat, a veggie pita with hummus, grilled vegetables and cheese and the ripper dog (a deep fried hot dog topped with fries and cheddar cheese on a hoagie bun). Pitabilities specialty is pita sandwiches but all of the options are available on a pita, salad or roll and a variety of toppings and sauces are available to customize your sandwich. Pitabilities use locally produced Ezzo Italian sausage and brats.

We tried the Philly steak and the grilled chicken and of the two the Philly steak was our favorite. The meat was declared juicy and surprisingly ‘beefy’. The pita was very fresh, soft and pillow-y and it was a satisfying sandwich. We recommend the sauteed onions and mushrooms as toppings. We also had mozzarella lettuce, tomato and the house sauce – a mayonnaise and sour cream based sauce. We also heard great feedback about the ripper dog.

We also tried some of the pita chips, which are chunky triangles fried to order with a side of hummus. Fries, drinks and deep fried Oreos are also offered.

Follow Pitabilities on facebook to find out where they will be appearing next.

Tatoheads: french fries and potato based food
Twitter
Facebook

Tatoheads is a new truck on the Columbus food scene. Owners Dan and Alli recently moved from Chicago so that Alli could start school at Ohio State. They bought a second hand truck and fitted out the kitchen themselves.

Tatoheads offers french fries and sweet potato fries with a wide variety of seasonings and dipping sauces. The fries are chunky with skins and were nice and crisp. We tried the secret-recipe Tato’s original dipping sauce, which reminded us of Mikey’s slut sauce. It’s an orange colored buttermilky-ranch-dressing with a little kick. We also tried the red pepper cilantro ketchup which we really liked. It was a like a cross between marinara and ketchup, nice and fresh with a touch of vinegar. As well as the regular fries we also tried the bacon cheese fries. If you are willing to wait they will put your fries under the heat lamp so the cheese melts. Bacon cheese fries come with a choice of cheddar or mozzarella cheese.

We also tried the Chicago dog which with the omission of sport peppers was a straight up Chicago dog. The special ($6) comes with fries and a drink.

We really enjoyed the loaded baked potato soup, which really did taste as described. Really cheesy, lots of bacon, big chunks of potato and a touch of green onion. Just the thing for a gray slightly drizzly day.

Dan and Alli have lots of other menu items planned including loaded french fry options like the Canadian (poutine), American (chili), Mexican (nacho inspired), and Bengali with chicken curry and pineapple. They are also planning to offer some wraps and sandwiches. Keep an eye out for specials and new menu items.

You can find Tatoheads at: Pearl Alley Market (thru the end of October), Franklin Park Conservatory Food Truck Sunday (October 9th noon-4pm), Columbus Commons Lunch on the Lawn on Wednesdays (thru end September) and at Dick’s Den on Tuesday nights.

Craig’s Geedunk
Cuisine: rustic urban
Twitter: @craigsgeedunk

You may recognize Craig Long’s smiling face from Skillet where he is usually rushing around dispatching brunch orders. As well as serving at Skillet he is operating a little satellite operation called Craig’s Geedunk offering Skillet food from a food cart. According to Craig a Geedunk is an old fashion word for food cart or concessionaire. It seems that it’s a navy term for a snack bar but no one can agree on the origins of the term. The cart is hired from the ECDI Food Fort program.

Craig will be operating the cart until the end of October and will then close up for the season. Some days he is offering Skillet’s griddled cinnamon buns (look out for him on Indianola near Boston Bert’s tonight) but when we caught up with him last night he was serving hoecakes with pulled pork and green tomato chow chow.

This was a great dish and good value at $5. It was comprised of two hoecakes (cornmeal pancakes aka johnnycakes), juicy pulled pork  and chow chow, lightly pickled veggies, which added a nice crunch and freshness. There was optional hot sauce for those who wanted to take it up a notch.

Craig is planned to be in SoHud on Monday nights outside Jack’s Corner Pub from 7.30pm-Midnight. Follow him on twitter for location and menu updates.

Red Hot
Tex-Mex fusion cuisine
614.578.9427
Website
Twitter
Facebook

Red Hot is certainly one of the coolest looking food trucks in town, a converted 1971 airstream trailer with an 80 sq ft kitchen. Red Hot is run by husband and wife team Craig and Jane Langworthy. Chef Craig has a background in food service and catering and is looking forward to having more direct contact with his customers. We stumbled upon Red Hot at their first event the Upper Arlington Arts Festival and you may have also seen them at the Megacity Music marathon this weekend.

For their first event Red Hot offered four different types of tacos and we tried the three meat options. Our favorite was the steak tacos with black beans, cheese, salsa verde and caramelized onions. Craig plans to introduce other dishes as he gets established and will focus on tacos, quesadillas, soups and salads. Some of the other menu items we’ve heard about are roasted asparagus and goat cheese quesadillas, hoisin rib tacos with cabbage slaw and pumpkin jalapeno and feta tacos. The menu will change with the seasons. For a kick try their signature Red Hot sauce.

As well as tacos Red Hot offered chips with either salsa or guacamole and for the sweet-toothed cupcakes from Sweet Scetti. The Mexican inspired flavors tres leche, sweet polenta green chili and dark chocolate chili cupcakes with cream cheese cinnamon butter cream were a good complement to the trucks savory offerings and great value at $1 each.

Red Hot are planning a regular downtown lunch location at Gay and Grant. We’ll update when we know which days of the week.

Follow Red Hot on twitter or facebook to find out what event they will be at next.