Before moving to Austin, I had read and heard a lot about the food culture in Texas and was quite eager to set out on a food adventure in Texas. As luck would have it, the Texas Food Truck Showdown 2018, was scheduled on March 17, 2018. This seemed like a perfect timing (right after I reached in Austin) and before I even realised, I was ready with my “Mission Food” in Texas. Though I was never a voracious eater, I have always been fond of nibbling at a wide variety of dishes in small portions. Here, there was food and drinks galore, with a typical carnival-like feel – just the perfect ambience for my mood. So, the “Mission Food” began!!!
Before I share my personal choices of dishes that day, let me give you a brief idea about this food truck competition in Texas.
About the Texas Food Truck Showdown
The Texas Food Truck Showdown is a competition of food trucks around the state of Texas, competing for the title of the ‘Texas Food Truck Champion’. This competition was introduced in Texas in the year 2015 by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce as the very first state-wide Texas Food Truck Showdown. This year, it hosted its 4th annual competition on Saturday, March 17, 2018 in downtown Waco, as food trucks from across the state and thousands of foodies gathered together for a culinary delight.
From 10 AM – 4 PM, the food trucks served a 4-oz sample of each of their signature dishes, in exchange for a ‘Tasty Ticket’ worth $5. Then, the food trucks reopened and served until 8 PM, with their full menus and full tariffs.
Additionally, a plethora of other options were also organised for this year’s event –
- Artists’ Market – This featured local artists with unique artwork pieces, ranging from handcrafted jewellery and pottery to various other artefacts.
- Beer and Wine Garden – Serving beer and wine on direct payment with cash or card. No tickets necessary.
- KidsZone – This included face painting, children’s activities and Ponies & Pals Petting Zoo throughout the day. The Austin Reptile Shows even had reptile adventures conducted that day.
- Live Music and Entertainment throughout the day featuring Lauren January, Union Revival, Bill & Phil, Johnny Joe Ramos, Huser Brothers, Sloppy Joe Band.
My List of Dishes from the Texas Food Truck Showdown 2018
Hopping across the different food-trucks and trying to dodge the long queues as much possible, I could manage to try out 6 dishes. Luckily, 3 out of these 6, won awards that evening!
Dish No.1 : CHEESECAKE EGG ROLL —>
Super yummy homemade cheesecake layered with a generous amount of powdered sugar and strawberry topping.
We Indians, tend to start any auspicious event with a sweet dish. It’s a token of celebration and happiness. So, I just had to start my ‘Mission Food’ with something sweet. What a start to my day!
Dish No.2 : CHICKEN FRIED STEAK BISCUIT —>
Deliciously fried chicken steak served with buns, topped with a creamy cheese sauce.
This was the signature dish of Bite My Biscuit from Watauga, Texas – Proud winner of the “BEST BETWEEN BUNS” award that evening!
Dish No.3 : CHIPOTLE CHICKEN KHACHAPURI —>
A sourdough crusty khachapuri with fajita chicken smothered in a chipotle white sauce. This was topped with sourdough battered onion rings and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
For those who are not aware of ‘Khachapuri’ —— Khachapuri is a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread, where the bread is leavened and allowed to rise with cheese in the middle.
By 1 PM, it started getting really sunny and I was looking for some fulfilling 4 oz sample, to satiate my pangs of hunger. This Khachapuri was just the perfect blessing at the right time!
This was the signature dish of Artisan Oven from Waco, Texas – Proud winner of “BEST INTERNATIONAL” award that evening!
Dish No.4 : STREET CORN —>
Tangy and steamed corn, served with a generous amount of mayo, lime, chillies and queso fresco.
My childhood love for sweet corn almost pulled me to this truck!
This was the signature dish of Holy Frijole from Ft.Worth, Texas. Proud winner of “MOST UNIQUE” award that evening!
Dish No.5 : COCO SHRIMPS —>
Hawaiian style shrimp plates, served with fried rice and 3 varieties of shrimps – spicy, butter garlic and coconut flavoured. This was served with a sweet and sour hot sauce.
This was the signature dish of Coco Shrimp. Though they did not win an award that evening, they definitely won hearts! Considering the super-long queues in front of this truck that day, I’m sure many would have just left out of impatience. After I put the first morsel into my mouth, I realised that the wait was totally worth it.
Dish No.6 : FLAVOURED ICE CANDY —>
Crushed ice flavoured with edible flavours of raspberry, mango, coconut milk, black currant, cherry, green apple etc.
This was offered by Kona Ice of Waco and had the longest queue with all children and ME!! That’s right!!! This reminded me of its Indian version (popularly called ‘Ice Gola’ or ‘Chuski’) and I just had to end my food fiesta with these crushed ice cones! Before this, my last ice candy was probably during school days. I can’t really describe the feeling that day, when I was having it after years. What an end to my evening!
A special mention :
Nothing could have quenched my thirst on a sunny day as the ‘free’ shots of lemonade served by Hubert’s Lemonade.
I didn’t realise when it was already 4 PM and the food-trucks had begun wrapping up and preparing for the dinner menu. That carnival-like atmosphere with delicious food and drinks galore is unforgettable indeed. Most definitely, I’ll be back in the Texas Food Truck Showdown next year. Thank you for being such great hosts, Texas Food Truck Showdown.
