Eat St. On Location: Tasting the Twin Cities

Once a wasteland of lutefisk and Jello Salad, the Twin Cities are now home to a fleet of fabulous food trucks that serve exceptional gourmet-style meals all year round. Join us as we venture into the heart of Minnesota to visit six of the most talked about food trucks in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Thursday, September 20:  Smack Shack

Location: Marquette Ave in between 6th and 7th Street in Minneapolis

Filming Hours: 11:00am – 1:00pm

The Smack Shack serves lobster rolls that have been hailed as some of the best in the U.S. by Bon Appétit magazine. Named after a traditional fishing boat, a “lobster smack,” the truck was the first to hit the streets of Minneapolis and is easily one of the busiest to this day.

Owner and chef Josh Thoma chose seafood because he wanted to provide something different, but still quick enough to serve off a truck. The success of Smack Shack seems to indicate he made the right choice.

What the truck will cook for us:

Shrimp Po Boy: Battered shrimp on a French roll with cucumber, aioli, tomato, onion and greens

Lobster Roll: Chilled lobster with cucumber, tarragon, and lemon aioli on griddled milk bread

Striped Sea Bass Tacos: Marinated and grilled striped bass on a warm corn tortilla topped with homemade spicy aioli, cabbage, tomato, corn avocado, onion and cilantro

Lobster Corn Dogs

 

Friday, September 21: Sassy Spoon

Location: State Capital Mall (Farmer’s Market) 75 Rev. Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul

Filming Hours: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Sassy Spoon touts itself as being wholesome food with attitude. Serving up a hearty menu of home-cooked classics, everything the truck offers is also gluten free, proving once and for all that not all good things come housed between slabs of bread.

Owner Tamara Brown is a registered holistic dietitian who previously spent her working days teaching clients how to make better dietary decisions. But Tamara also loves cooking, and eventually decided to move from teaching people about nutrition to providing it for them.

What the truck will cook for us:

Hungry Hungry Hash: Sweet potato, onion, broccoli and sautéed pepper hash served witch chicken sausage and topped with a fried egg

Pig Pen: Pulled pork cooked with brown sugar, garlic and ginger served with a side of homemade garlic ginger slaw

Wild Rice Salad: Wild rice, black beans, dried cherries with chopped spinach and carrots

Moonster Mash: Stew-like shredded beef chuck roast served with a side of garlic cauliflower mash

 

Saturday, September 22: Scratch

Location: 5006 Xerxes Ave. S Minneapolis

Filming Hours: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Run by Chef Geoff King, Scratch serves local, fresh, award winning Asian inspired sandwiches. Each creation is presented on perfectly toasted buns with ingredient combinations to satisfy every palate.

Scratch’s fare is inspired by Geoff’s Filipino heritage and favorite Asian flavors, as well as his 10 years of experience as a professional chef.  He loves what he does and looks forward to sharing his dishes with customers every day.

What the truck will cook for us:

Sesame Beef Sandwich: Thinly sliced hanger steak that is marinated, seared on a cast iron skillet, and is garnished with toasted sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro

Pork & Shrimp Patty Sandwich: Ground pork is mixed with finely diced shrimp, garlic, green onions, black pepper and fish sauce. It’s then griddled and garnished with pickled green mango, green papaya, and carrots

Fried Chicken Sandwich: Deep fried hand-pounded and breaded chicken served with a jalapeno and cabbage slaw

Spicy Garlic Mock Duck Sandwich: Deep fried, pressed and dredged mock duck tossed in a homemade sauce and served with the jalapeno and cabbage slaw

 

Sunday, September 23: Chef Shack

Location: Kingfield Farmers Market – 4310 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis

Filming Hours: 11:00am – 1:00pm

The first food truck in Minneapolis, Chef Shack has garnered a huge following in both the Twin Cities thanks to its exceptional cuisine. Need proof? Yahoo News recently named it one of the 10 most creative trucks in America in 2012.

Run by Partners Chef Lisa Carlson and pastry chef Carrie Summer, Chef Shack serves a unique and delicious menu made entirely from scratch. What originally began as a stand at the farmers market exclusively on weekends, is now a successful fleet of three trucks.

What the truck will cook for us:

Bison Burger: Grass-fed bison patty of 5 oz. salted and peppered on the flattop grilled medium rare topped with a fried organic farm egg on top, organic greens, tomato and onion and served on a toasted brioche bun

Walleye Sandwich: Served on a fresh baguette with greens, and house made sauce

Summer Salad: Local greens, summertime grilled vegetables, couscous and herbs with a chef made lemon aioli vinaigrette

Signature Indian-Spiced Organic Mini-Donuts

Monday, September 24: Gastrotruck

Location: Rice Park, 109 West 4th St. Saint Paul

Filming Hours: 11am – 1pm

Inspired by the country’s finest gastropubs, Gastrotruck is a fabulous food truck that aims to bring high quality cuisine to the streets of Minnesota. Everything on this tricked-out truck is hand selected and crafted – right down to the condiments.

Gastrotruck is owned and operated by Chef Stephen Trojahn and Catherine Eckert. Trojahn has run some of the best kitchens in the country, but left the corporate world in search of a truly chef-driven experience. Creativity is key with all of his offerings, and seasonality plays a big part in the dishes that are available on any given day.

What the truck will cook for us:

Porchetta Pork Belly Sandwich with Chef Made Kimchi & Ginger Aioli: A fresh bun topped with cut to order porchetta topped with house made kimchi and house made ginger aioli

Lavender Honey Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with Seasonal Fruit Compote

Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette: Marinated steak cooked with onions atop of salad with balsamic-blistered tomato and spicy pickled mushrooms topped with house made blue cheese vinaigrette dressing

Lamb Burger with Grilled Halloumi Cheese: Homemade lamb patty topped with harrissa cucumber yogurt sauce, mizuna sauce and Halloumi cheese

 

Tuesday, September 25: Fork in the Road

Location: Rice Park, 109 West 4th St. Saint Paul

Filming Hours: 11am – 1pm

Fork in the Road offers customers their own unique spin on comfort food. Not only will their dishes make you feel at home, but the friendly ladies making it will ensure that you leave with a smile on your face.

Fork in the Road is run by childhood BFFs Kari Offerdahl and Amy Frechette, and the duo clearly love what they do. They make friends with their regulars, constantly joke around and even finish each other’s sentences.

What the truck will cook for us:

BBQ Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions: BBQ slow cooked braised pulled pork, caramelized onions and American cheese grilled to perfection inside two pieces of Texas toast

Pulled Pork Tacos with Citrus Slaw and Chipotle Sour Cream: Braised pulled pork shoulder seasoned with cumin, coriander, garlic, salt and pepper placed on two flour tortillas topped with citrus slaw (red and green cabbage, red onion, cilantro and jalapenos) and dressed with a citrus red wine vinaigrette, and topped with chipotle sour cream and green onions

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich: Pulled seasoned and roasted chicken breast seasoned with hot sauce served on a toasted hamburger bun and topped with truck-made blue cheese spread, and leaf lettuce

Shrimp and Orzo Pasta Salad: Orzo pasta dressed with lemons, olive oil, parsley, dill, salt and pepper topped with grilled shrimp (marinated with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper), diced cucumber, red onions, feta cheese and green onion