Some may think that the food truck trend will soon go out of style but as far as I could see on Friday night, the culture is as strong as ever.
Following in Provo’s footsteps, Orem has started a “food truck round-up” on a weekly basis. The first weeks were held in a parking lot east of Winco but on July 11 the party rolled to UVU.
I haven’t been to the Provo round-up in a few months so while I’m not sure if the Orem event is more successful now, it has definitely drawn more of a crowd than it did in the past. As I pulled up I knew I was in for a good time. I saw people sitting on the grass outlining the parking lot. Tons of people. As I got closer I saw that the crowd was very diverse from first dates to families. The live music being played, the camp chairs strewn about, the setting sun as the heat finally broke and the smell of dinner floating through the air created a lively and comfortable vibe.
The truck selection was a lot bigger than I was expecting. There were trucks I’ve seen time and time again and ones I’d never even heard of.
That brings me to what I decided to eat for dinner. I had barely arrived in the circle of options when I saw what I wanted. I thought I had never heard of Boudreaux’s Bistro but upon further investigation, I had. Boudreaux’s brick and mortar restaurant located in Payson serves up Cajun food that is now on the road with their catering truck. I read the menu and recognized some old friends. Po’ boys, jambalaya, alligator sausage and beignets. I decided on a roast beef po’ boy and beignets. The woman taking orders asked if I was from New Orleans. I racked my brain for an explanation and sheepishly looked down to realize I was wearing a “Who dat?” New Orleans shirt. “Oh, no. Uh.. I’ve just visited. I didn’t mean to wear this.” She laughed and told me that she was born and raised there. Embarrassed, I walked away for my short wait.
As soon as I took a bite of the po’ boy I was transported back to a dimly lit restaurant in the French Quarter. The flavor is pure meat and gravy. Sure, there is lettuce on it but it should be known that this is not a healthy food choice. That’s what makes it so good. This is also probably not a first date food. I have a vivid memory of laughing with friends from the newspaper staff as gravy dripped off of my face and down my arms. Some varieties of po’ boys don’t have gravy but if you choose one that does, prepare yourself with napkins. Don’t fight the ways of the gravy po’ boy. Just embrace it. If you don’t use 10 napkins and need a shower after, you’re not doing it right. I was a vision of beauty and grace while sitting alone on the grass, hunched over my food, covered in gravy.
After my sandwich I moved on to the beignets. I opened up the brown bag they came in and was tickled to see what was inside. Beignets are essentially doughnuts covered in powdered sugar but they feel like so much more than that. If there is one thing I learned about this dessert in N’awlins it is that there is no such thing as too much powdered sugar. This rang true with Boudreaux’s beignets as well. They were sweet and warm and left me feeling a little buzzed on sugar. Everything a beignet should be.
I was surprised to find Boudreaux’s Bistro’s food truck on that fateful Friday evening and it had nothing but good results. If you want a taste of the Crescent City I would highly recommend you give either Boudreaux’s restaurant in Payson or their catering truck a try. Jazz music and Mardi Gras beads not included.
