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Health & Fitness

The Moveable Feast 2013: Tacoma Food Truck Meetup This Weekend

This inaugural event, a blend of gourmet food trucks and music, was a huge success.

Update on July 25, 2013:

  Has it been a year already?  Don't get me wrong, I've been waiting for this since the moment the last one ended!  The Movable Feast will be bringing some favorite trucks from last year along with some new ones to Cheney Stadium on Sunday, July 28 2013 from noon to 5pm.  Like last year, there will be some great local bands and a separate beer garden area for the grown ups.

Admission is free and parking is $5 (VIP tickets are available and at $13.50 each include parking, t shirt, and early admission, a great deal if you want to go that route.)  It's a family friendly event but be prepared for long lines at popular trucks and waiting to find space to sit at a table.

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My advice from last year's experience:  Check out the list of food trucks that will be there (it should be published here on their Facebook page soon) and work out a strategy to visit the ones you really want to try.  Share with others in your group so you can try more things.  Get there early because many trucks ran out of some items in the last few hours of the meetup last year.  The VIP ticket gets you in one hour earlier (at 11am) which will help avoid the rush that is sure to come.

Have fun and see you there!  Below is my blog post after last years Movable Feast...

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Forget the Taste of Tacoma.  My first (and last) visit there was a huge disappointment.  The Moveable Feast, a gathering of local food trucks in one location, has arrived and is what the Taste of Tacoma wishes it could be.  The brainchild of Alison Jones, media director of the Tacoma Rainiers, and Odette D’Aniello, owner of Celebrity Cake Studio, this inaugural event was a huge success with a portion of the proceeds going to Mary Bridge Hospital.

On Sunday, July 29th 2012, the parking lot of Cheney Stadium was host to around 30 food trucks from the South Sound and Seattle.  Arranged in a circle with tables in the middle, a beer garden, and a stage next to the entrance to Cheney Stadium, it was a food and music lovers dream.  The food trucks showcased everything from the standard Mexican “taco truck” food to some exotic treats from around the world.  There was no charge for admission or parking.

The event went from noon to 7pm and a schedule of the event showed the bands playing throughout the day on the stage.  We timed our visit specifically to catch Gig Harbor’s own Perry Acker at 4pm.

And then there was the food.  There was so much to choose from that we found ourselves wandering the circle over and over, trying to decide.  At 3pm, the lines at many of the food trucks were long, some 20 or more people deep.  But everything I tried was worth the wait as well as reasonably priced.

I made an embarrassing rookie error right away and ordered too much food at the first truck I stopped at.  It was a sampler plate of Indian curry vegetables, chicken, grilled chipati bread, and a lamb taco from the Curry Now truck.  The food was fresh and focused on a wonderful balance of flavors with a subtle heat that caught me unaware a few bites into it.  But it was extremely filling and I couldn’t get anyone else in my group take more than a small taste because most of them were obsessing over what they agreed to be the best pulled pork sandwich they had ever tasted from the Raney Brothers BBQ truck. 

We moved on to dessert and my daughter had a great time decorating her own mini cake from Celebrity Cake Studio.  We also tried a fruit pop from the Hill Top Pop Shop, fry bread from the Off the Rez truck and strawberry shortcake made with a doughnut from the Lucky Devil Doughnut Co.  It was a good thing we got that when we did.  Shortly after our visit, Lucky Devil shut their truck down.  I assume they sold out, which is not surprising as their shortcake was very popular among the diners.

As the day went on, most menus had one or more choices crossed off as they ran out of the more popular items.  The lines had shortened by then so this made my last trip around the circle a little easier.  None of us were really very hungry by then but we decided on one last sample each before we left.  I was thrilled to find a ½ order of paella on the menu at the Spanish themed The Kinetic Kitchen truck (from Gig Harbor!)   Although it was different than the heavier seafood and saffron-infused slow cooked paella I am used to, it was perfect.  They prepared it on the spot with grilled linguisa.  The crispy edges gave the spicy sausage a nice crunch to go with the seasoned rice and veggies.  At $3, it was a great tasting size.

There were bouncy houses, photo booths, and other activities for kids.  They offered a pre-event VIP option for $10 which gave the recipient a t-shirt (the only way to get the shirt) and admission to the event one hour early.  I plan on taking advantage of this next time.  A great way to avoid the long lines at the more popular trucks.

The organizers hope to repeat the event, whether at Cheney Stadium or other locations around Tacoma.  “Like” them on Facebook to get info on future events.  Just make sure to come hungry and be prepared to be overwhelmed by the gourmet food choices!

Any suggestions for a good location for a food truck meetup in Gig Harbor?

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