By SUE KIDD | TheNewsTribune.com
Bus, truck, trailer. It doesn’t matter what you call a taco truck. They’re all vehicles for delivering delicious, affordable, portable Mexican food.

Tacoma’s taco truck scene burgeons. Five years ago, you might have had trouble finding one. Today, taco trucks materialize in unexpected places – from suburban Puyallup to funky Sixth Avenue. Credit a nationwide mobile food trend, television shows dedicated to the topic and the dying perception that food trucks make for unsafe eating.

You’ll find longer lines this time of year, but most taco trucks here have covered seating to extend year-round taco truck dining beyond a summer al fresco excursion (if you could even call this summer).

Take a ride into Taco town with my five favorite trucks, plus four more to try.

MY TOP TRUCKS IN TOWN

La Fondita
Location: The gravel lot at 3737 S. G St., Tacoma; 253-472-2577

Taqueria El Grande
Location: 7202 S. Park Ave., Tacoma; 253-472-5905

La Sinoloense/Norma’s Tacos
Location: 4002 Center St., Tacoma; 253-576-2823

Los Amigos
Location: 11802 E. Meridian, Puyallup; 253-405-9485

Taqueria El Antojo
Location: 5445 Birmingham, Tacoma; 253-985-3930, elantojo.com

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In a month’s time, Seattle will join the ranks of cities around the country where food trucks can legally do business on a public street.

The Seattle City Council voted 8-0 Monday in favor of the new rules, which allow food trucks to sell beyond private lots. Mayor Mike McGinn, who supports the bill, has 30 days to sign it into law.

Councilmember Sally Clark, who introduced the bill, said the legislation might make it easier for entrepreneurs to open a small business.

“The overarching goal: a little more interest in neighborhoods, a little more interest out in the street life,” Clark said.

The bill also expands the kinds of food that sidewalk carts can sell, beyond hot dogs, popcorn and coffee. Public Health-Seattle & King County will have to approve a cart’s menu and food-preparation methods.

No public agency tracks how many food trucks operate in Seattle, though truck owners estimate there are fewer than 30 of the new style of gourmet food truck, such as Marination Mobile and Skillet.

“We just have not seen much happening,” said Gary Johnson, from the Department of Planning and Development, who helped write the bill.

Food trucks and sidewalk carts have become popular in cities across the country, from Los Angeles and Portland to New York and Washington, D.C.

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The sky’s the limit for the food truck (or if you prefer, food cart) industry.

Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant industry research firm, says the mobile food industry is in its infancy and is far from reaching its apex.

The vast majority of consumers who are familiar with food trucks believe they have staying power and are not a passing fad, according to Technomic’s Food Trucks Innovation Report, released Monday. The survey found 91 percent of consumers have a favorable view of the staying power of mobile food vendors. Only 7 percent of consumers who frequent food trucks say they’ll visit less in the coming year.

“The key for long-term success is getting the non-user to come on board,” said Kevin Higar, Technomic director. “One in five individuals is not aware of or has not seen a food truck, and one-third of individuals who are aware of them still haven’t purchased from one.”

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US $4,500.00 (41 Bids) Custom Concession Trailer - Less than 3 years old! US $14,100.00 (33 Bids) NEW 8.5 X 16 8.5X16 Enclosed Concession Food Vending BBQ Trailer W/ Equipment US $3,160.00 (24 Bids) NEW 8.5x20 Enclosed Concession Food Vending BBQ Trailer

There’s no denying that food trucks are on a roll, having become the culinary trend and one of the biggest small business success stories of the moment. From Los Angeles to New York, San Francisco to Miami, these restaurants on wheels have made eating lunch curbside hip and spawned their own celebrity chefs, magazine profiles, and even a series on the Food Network. And the moveable-feast movement holds allure not only for those dishing up fish tacos and red velvet cupcakes, but also for purveyors of everything from pet supplies to home goods.

“Food trucks can show small businesses the importance of lean operation and capitalizing on a strong brand and focused product to service your customers with a very clear offering,” says Ross Resnick, founder of the food truck-centric site Roaming Hunger.

One such small business is VIP Petcare Services of Windsor, Calif., which holds mobile clinics every weekend at various locations throughout Northern California. The company, with 20 trucks, says it can offer services from licensed veterinarians at a much lower price than a full-service vet clinic because it does not have to support a costly brick-and-mortar operation.

Another innovative up-and-coming mobile business is Gamin’ Ride of Jackson, N.J., an indoor-outdoor video game theater that features jumbo high-definition TVs and gaming systems like Xbox 360 and Wii.

Then there’s New York’s Monster Savings, which delivers discount office supplies, groceries, and other products from Costco stores to businesses and households throughout the city.

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Street food is almost a given when traveling. There are several benefits:

• convenience
• price
• insight into local culture

But many people poo-poo the idea of eating food cooked in a cart. Cleanliness and health are big concerns, and while that may be more true in developing countries around the world, what about in places like New York? Just how safe is it to eat food from a street vendor?

BudgetTravel.com did the leg work by getting the goods straight from the horse’s mouth. They interviewed a vendor on the condition of his anonymity. What did they find out?

On cleanliness: The vendor claimed to have worked in a lot of restaurants and vouches for the cleanliness of the carts. He states that they’re easier to keep clean because they’re so small. And that customers can see everything. If it looks dirty, who’s going to want to eat there?

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NEW YORK – Two blocks in West Chelsea turned into a powerhouse gathering of mobile food vendors offering the finest fare in their rapidly growing industry. The crowd swelled soon after a New York City Food Truck Rally, hosted by restaurant rating firm Zagat, started at noon on Monday.

“I would say in the past two years it’s really taken off,” said food critic Meryl Pearlstein, who writes articles for publications like Fodor’s and Travel and Food Notes. “Before it was always hot dog stands, now it’s much more than that, as you can see.”
The first stop for this reporter was Katchie Truck, making its premiere into the food truck scene with “you won’t miss the meat” veggie sliders. The truck uses many ingredients from its year-round organic farm, Katchkie, located 2.5 hours outside the city. For example, they used locally foraged mushrooms and farm-grown spinach in the veggie sliders.

Katchkie Farm also produces many tomato-based products, like tomato sauce, ketchup, and salsa. “You can never have too many tomatoes,” said owner Liz Newark. They also make their own lasagna with homegrown onions, garlic, eggplant, and tomatoes. The pasta is made from locally obtained wheat, making it a “100-mile” local-based diet.

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Hot dogs are a far cry from crepes, but you don’t have to tell Noriki Tamura that.
The former Tokyo ad salesman immigrated to Canada in 2005, along with his wife, Misa, to open a crepe stand on the streets of Vancouver. But their plan was quickly derailed by city bylaws, which limited Vancouver’s available street food to hot dogs.
He admits he felt some disappointment, but “I was excited by the challenge,” he says through a translator. “I knew there was more than just ketchup and mustard. I thought I could try something out of Japan, something different from the ordinary, and take hot dogs to the next level.”

He hadn’t eaten too many hot dogs before arriving in Canada, but that would soon change. “I experimented with different Japanese flavours at home,” he says. “We ate a lot of hot dogs when we came to Vancouver.”

In 2006, the couple won a spot for their first Japa Dog location through the city’s annual street-food lottery. The Tamuras manned the stand themselves, and witnessed customers’ attitudes shifting in favour of their $5 hot dogs garnished with condiments such as wasabi, teriyaki and seaweed – celebs Steven Seagal and Zac Efron have been spotted waiting in the queue with other hungry patrons. Subsequently, Vancouver eased the restrictions that had prevented street vendors from trying more ambitious fare, and last year, the city launched a pilot program introducing everything from dim sum to satay to tacos.

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US $4,500.00 (41 Bids) Custom Concession Trailer - Less than 3 years old! US $14,100.00 (33 Bids) NEW 8.5 X 16 8.5X16 Enclosed Concession Food Vending BBQ Trailer W/ Equipment US $3,160.00 (24 Bids) NEW 8.5x20 Enclosed Concession Food Vending BBQ Trailer