How a food truck scene evolves. First, trucks move around from place to place, in many cases because that’s what city law requires.

Then they find a parking lot or vacant lot in which to stay parked all the time. If the landlord has more room to add in a few neighbors, then you get a “pod” or “cluster.” Such collections of multiple food vendors are all over Austin, while the Boardwalk on Bulverde is the heart of San Antonio’s scene.

Now it’s the Metroplex’s turn. The Fort Worth Food Park, the first food court of its kind in DFW, will open on December 2, four months after receiving a city variance, which will permit the trucks to stay immobile and allow the lot to provide power, water and disposal services to the eateries.

“You can see that the food truck culture in Austin, Portland, Los Angeles and similar cities is really starting to move towards a food-court-setting with a number of trucks working together,” said park owner Chris Kruger when he announced the new business. “So I wanted to bring that trend to Fort Worth.”

Kruger, who owns the land at 2509 Weisenberger St. near the West Seventh Street–Montgomery Ward entertainment district, has made room for six trucks. DFW.com’s Robert Philpot* reported that the Good Karma Kitchen truck will be a fixture, while others will rotate in and out.

Other trailers that will be there opening night include YES! Taco, Nammi Truck, Lee’s Grilled Cheeses, Red Jett Sweets, and Jake’s Hamburgers. All the trucks involved can continue to be mobile when the park’s not open—at first it will only be open Thursdays though Sundays.

Food truck enthusiasts welcome this new development. The Facebook account for Austin and Fort Worth chef Louis Lambert’s recent cookbook, Big Ranch, Big City, commented on the park’s own Facebook page, “It’s great to see the trend take hold in Fort Worth,” read the wall post.

However, Lambert himself recently told our own Layne Lynch, “I hate to even acknowledge food trucks. I think food trucks will run their course. The market is getting overcrowded, and I don’t think it can sustain itself.” (He was presumably talking about Austin.)

Also sounding a less cheerful note was Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘s Eats Beat columnist Bud Kennedy, who said “I’m still a skeptic” in a tweet about the park. “This park has a bad location,” Kennedy clarified to me in another tweet. “But I generally favor businesses that lease spaces and stay in a community, not those on wheels.”

More from WFAA, which filed this report, centered around cupcake maker Red Jett Sweets.

Tagged: Boardwalk on Bulverde, Eats Beat, Fort Worth Food Park, Good Karma Kitchen, Red Jett Sweets, Trailer Thursday

One of the best things about food trailers is that they’re on wheels. So if they want to pick up from, say, San Antonio and truck all the way to, oh, I don’t know, Jasper, Missouri, they can say the word and get on the road. That’s exactly what Tin Can Tacos did just a few weeks ago, in order to help feed the tornado victims.

Manny Olivarez, the owner, traveled 1,400 miles to serve his tacos, tortas, and other Mexican delicacies to those in need. I tried his fare when Tin Can Tacos was parked at the Boardwalk on Bulverde, their semi-permanent location; my favorite were the lamb mini tacos, five bite-size homemade corn tortillas filled with flavorful, herb-seasoned ground lamb and topped with fresh cilantro, grilled onions, and a snowy blanket of queso fresco. The carnitas mini tacos were a bit bland, but Olivarez’s homemade pineapple-habanero salsa made up for it: Its consistency resembled a chutney more than a salsa, but the deceptively sweet taste paired with a hot peppery kick at the end made for a flavorful topping.

I had high hopes for the chicken torta but was disappointed by the tasteless chicken and bland avocado-cilantro sauce. The bolero that made up the bulk of the sandwich, on the other hand, was soft, grilled, and delicious, though it didn’t quite hold up against the barrage of chicken, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, and avocado-cilantro “salsa.” Frankly, for a Mexican food trailer, there wasn’t much happening on the Scoville scale at this location.

The one thing that was hot—piping, even—was the homemade churro with a cajeta filling. Now, it’s hard to mess up a doughnut, but this churro was in a whole different category: a slightly crunchy, cinnamon-and-sugar-dusted exterior, soft doughy breading on the interior, and creamy goats’ milk caramel in the middle.

Tin Can Tacos is planning to trek back to the Midwest in a few weeks with four other trucks. (Their main partner is Wheelie Gourmet, but for the sake of Oklahomans and Missourians everywhere, I sure hope Wheelie leaves their salmon, feta cheese, pickled turnip, and raspberry vinaigrette “sandwich” in San Anton.) They’ve started a fundraiser called Food Truck’s Road Trip for Relief, and on Saturday, June 18, there will be a benefit concert at the Texas Music Theater, in San Marcos, to raise money for the trip. I’m betting that in addition to great bands, they’ll be serving some awesome lamb tacos and churros to boot.

Trailer location: Boardwalk on Bulverde, 14732 Bulverde Rd., San Antonio (210-913-6758). Open Tue–Sat 11–3, 5–9, Sun 11–3. Closed Mon.

Benefit concert: Saturday, June 18. Texas Music Theater, 120 E. San Antonio, San Marcos.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Boardwalk on Bulverde, Mexican food, Tin Can Tacos, tornado relief, Trailer Thursday