San Diego Food Trucks: PART 2

Hey EVERYONE, last time I hipped you all to a few of my favorite food trucks and the response was amazing. The trucks loved it and so did the fans. From what I’ve been told some of the business to the trucks have boomed and I’ve also been told that I had a hand in that. I’m so glad that I could help get the word out to new food truck stalkers everywhere. I have 3 more for you that you absolutely NEED to try. Make sure you bring your wallets because you’re going to want to but the entire menu after one bite. Get ready to be hungry!

First up on the menu we have Dharma Dogs. These guys are NOT your everyday hot dog cart! Although their dogs are simple and clean, the toppings they add bring a whole new dimension and style to the typical hot dog.  With dogs like the “Baja” (grilled onions, jalapeños, Dharma sauce, mayo, mustard and its wrapped in bacon), and the “206” (with cream cheese, brown mustard, grilled onions, and for extra kick you can add saracha to it) you can’t go wrong!  We found them one night when my wife and I were starving and had no idea what to eat (for those of you that know us, you know that’s most nights) luckily for me I was checking Twitter and saw that they would be by us, so we went.  

They have their truck parked nightly in the Hillcrest area and have a pretty loyal following and that night they added 2 more to their ever growing line! We tried almost everything on the menu, which included 3 of the 4 dogs (Baja, 206, Chili), the onion rings (warm, crisp, golden brown yummyness), the Parmesan fries (I don’t even have words), and the donut trio (OH YEAH THEY MAKE DONUTS!!!!). The flavors were outstanding! Every bite from first to last made me smile from ear to ear. Normally, with a hot dog I expect a snap to the skin, while I didn’t get that with these dogs (which is normally a big turn off, and has caused me to stop eating in mid bite), the mix of flavors brought out by the toppings more than made up for it. The spicy “Baja” was a southwest treat that left my taste buds tingling from both the heat of the jalapeños and the anticipation my mouth had waiting for another bite. The “206” changed the way I looked at hot dogs because the way the cream cheese complemented the dog and acted as a cooling agent for the saracha (really frickin hot hot sauce), kind of blew my mind.

All of their fried treats (fries, rings and donuts) all had that perfect look, feel, and crunch you’d expect to get from your favorite hang out and to top it off nothing was greasy or heavy! Everything that we had that night made it hard for us to leave. As a matter of fact, we stayed at the truck and got to know Steven and Joanne (Dharma Dogs owners and Chefs) late into the evening! My wife and I ate there about 3 times in the first week that we met them. That tells you 2 things, 1 I really like food…a lot, and 2 these guys are all that is right with hot dogs. If you guys are looking for great taste, a crazy variety, and 2 of the nicest people you’ve ever met check out Dharma Dogs they are sure to delight and their flavors will surprise even the harshest of hot dog critics!

Next up on this virtual Food Truck tour we have the Pierogi Truck! Owned by Tom Bordyczewski and Bozena “Mama” Bordyczewski (a lovely woman, who’s smile is infectious and will warm your heart), and with Anthony's help cooking, this truck specializes in…PIERGOIS DUH!! Not many people know what these little pillows of joy are so let me explain. These are basically dumplings that are traditionally stuffed with potatoes, but these guys do so much more than just the “basics”. They have stuffings that go from the traditional potato to spinach and even an AMAZING meat pierogi, which is guaranteed to transport you mouth straight to Poland! Every time we stop at this big purple truck I tell myself “TRY SOMETHING NEW, TRY SOMETHING NEW!!!!!” Does it happen? No, because that meat pierogis just keeps calling my name and begging me to eat it. If you think I’m playing, give it a try for yourself and I dare you not to get hooked! They top these perfectly cooked “dumplings of love” with green onions, perfectly grilled diced onions and BACON!!! MMMMMMM!!! So delicious and so filling!

I take back what I said earlier, I have had one other thing from the truck and I was SO happy about it! I had their polish sausage and the flavors were “OUT-MAZING” (outstanding with a pinch of amazing)! They take their sausage that has a whole history’s worth of flavor and top it with green onions and slices of grilled onions, and put it inside a perfectly toasted bun. The crunch of the bun, with the snap of the skin and the sharpness of the onions that surprisingly don’t over power the deep flavors of the sausage was superb! These guys have so many delicious looking items that I can’t wait to try them all! I think next time I’m going to try the Hungarian Pancake; I have no doubt that it is going to be amazing! 

Everybody on the truck handles your food with the kind of love that you would expect to get from your own family. You get a sense of how hard they work to bring these little Polish masterpieces to us and it almost makes me feel like they deserve something more than just cash for it. That's part of why I'm including them in this post, the other part is because they make delicious food and deserve to be recognized! IF YOU PASS BY THIS TRUCK YOUR MISSING OUT ON SOMETHING GREAT!!! So make sure you check these guys out on Twitter and LIKE them on Facebook to stay up on where they will be next!

The final truck in this trifecta of Food Truck Madness is called Slow Cal BBQ. These guys are fairly new to the truck game, but have it down pact! Mel “BOOTS” Johnson (Chef/Owner) runs this delectable BBQ truck with the help of his sister Sophia and his Sous-chef Leti. When I first heard of them I was on Twitter and heard that a new BBQ truck was coming to town, so instantly I was intrigued. Being from Texas I believe that BBQ is supposed to be done a certain way. You see, it’s not about the sauce it’s about the flavor of the meat, being tender without being mushy, and being able to stand on your own WITHOUT the aid of a sauce. BBQ is being able to taste the time, love, and respect for a craft that takes years to master and only seconds to screw up. The sauce is important no doubt, but if you have to completely drench you meat in it then it wasn’t worth the money you paid for it in the first place.

This is why I absolutely, 100% back these guys and give them the “PENGUIN’S STAMP OF AWESOMENISITY” for being the best BBQ I’ve had, hands down from any establishment in San Diego! They know BBQ and they know how to please people. They don’t try to hide the real beef or pork flavors by covering there meat in the sauce (of which they have three homemade sauces you can buy and each stand out for their bold “kick in the teeth” flavors), and they sure don’t skimp on the portions.  You definitely get what you pay for with these guys, great food that will have you running back for seconds and thirds.  The first time we ordered from Slow Cal BBQ we took it home and the whole way the smell made it hard for me to concentrate on the road. After we ate (and picked our blown minds off the floor), I rushed back to get seconds and to tell them all how amazing they are! Hell, I even went so far as to tell Mel that he had to bring it in and get some “BRO-MAN” hug love action (because oh yeah…it was just that good. I almost needed a smoke and a nap after I had his brisket).

I’m almost afraid for Mel’s safety right now. Reason being if I tell you about this man’s ribs you guys might rush him like tweens at a Bieber concert…but he’s a big boy so I think he can handle it. Just last Friday I called in an order for some ribs to take to our weekly dinner date with Anya’s Grandparents and my God did make the right call (matter of fact it was my Anya’s idea…yup she’s a GENIUS!!!). When I picked them up, Mel told me that they had been on the smoker since 7am that morning (it was 630pm when I got them). Now Anya’s Grandfather (PAPA to everyone that knows him) is the RIB MAN in the family, and if ribs get his sign of approval, well then you know you have something marvelous on your hands. To make a long story short, I’ll just show you his plate…and some of the other mouth watering greatness!

See what I mean? When you can clear the meat off the bone like that, who needs Phil’s? For those of you that don’t know, Phil’s is a BBQ place out here that some people swear to…not me though. My allegiance is to Slow Cal BBQ and to Slow Cal BBQ ALONE! So please make sure you check Twitter or Facebook to find out where the “OINK” will be next!

Well that’s all for this week’s post. I want to apologize to everyone for being as sporadic as of late with my posts, the last few weeks have been really insane and I will try to do better! Until next week EAT, DRINK AND TRUCK STALK!!!

Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette,

Rudy

P.S. Whenever you decide to stop by these AMAZING eateries, let them know you heard about them here or that you at least read the article so they know how much support and appreciation we have for their hard work!