Posts Tagged ‘food carts’

Food carts: Jakarta Barbecue Station, Métropolitain Handcrafted Street Food

Sunday, September 17th, 2017

20170803_122905I wasn’t sure what to make of Indonesian BBQ at first, but it turns out, it’s one or the other, not both combined, at Jakarta Barbecue Station. That makes for a wide-ranging menu.

The pulled pork honey ($9) can be served either in a sandwich or as a salad and comes with kettle chips. I was impressed by how tender and moist the pork is, and the BBQ sauce has the right level of sweetness. I would definitely order this again.

The grilled pork dumpling combo ($10) has five dumplings, one spring roll and rice. The inside of the dumplings is almost entirely meat (no filler vegetable) that is quite subtle in taste and thus requires the dipping sauce. The spring roll was fairly average, meaning it’s not worth the $3 price if you bought it separately.

Other items on the short menu include spicy mango salad ($8) and Buffalo pulled pork ($9), plus there are daily specials such as corn dogs ($4).

***

20170830_122746Métropolitain Handcrafted Street Food specializes in huge po’ boy sandwiches. In fact, you’ll need a fork, knife and lots of napkins to get through them, as they are beyond stuffed with ingredients. The Korean braised pork ($8) is tasty to be sure, but the pork needed more braising, as many strands were tough. The apple slaw adds a bit of texture contrast and sweetness to this massive sandwich.

The Carolina smoked mushroom ($8) had a medley of sliced mushrooms spilling out. They are definitely the most prominent flavor, but you should detect some of the Carolina (mustard-based) BBQ sauce. Other sandwiches include Andouille sausage ($8) and crispy shrimp ($8).

The other part of the menu contains a few hand-crafted salads. When I opened the carryout container for the curried chicken salad ($8.50), I was impressed by how pretty the arrangement was. The cubed chicken was tender, and there was the perfect amount of the tasty mango chutney aioli.

Food carts: Slide, Leia’s Lunchbox

Sunday, May 14th, 2017

20170510_114742Slide has really mastered the slider sandwich. You can get one for $4.50, two for $8 and three for $11, and they come with one side and a few housemade potato chips. Regarding those chips, they are quite enjoyable, having a light fried flavor. You can even buy them in stores such as Metcalfe’s.

You have your choice of meat sliders and veggie sliders. My favorite was the Power Ball, which is a giant meatball stuffed with mozzarella and topped with a slightly spicy marinara sauce. The meatball itself is tender with the right amount of pork flavor.

Want a tasty shredded Italian beef sandwich? Get the How do You Say the Name of that Pepper? sandwich. It is loaded with juicy beef and comes with provolone cheese and soft pepperoncini peppers.

Slide also has daily specials. The key component of Dina’s Texas–a succulent BBQ beef sandwich with a slice of cheddar cheese–was the crunchy fried onions, which added another layer of taste and texture.

My only disappointment was with the Buff Chick because the shredded chicken was a bit tough, and the carrots and celery seemed out of place.

***

20170322_121711If you want unhealthy but tasty, go to Leia’s Lunchbox.

Start with the Wisconsin poutine ($9 small, $16 medium, $23 large). This version is topped with nacho cheese instead of gravy, the cheese curds are deep fried (though the insides weren’t melty) and bacon bits are sprinkled on top. By the way, the small size is enough to feed two people–I can’t imagine what the large size looks like.

Sadly, I think the name of the Frat Boy burger ($8 single, $12 double) is derived from the homemade ranch sauce that’s generously applied (don’t think about it too much). That sauce is not as thick and is more mild in flavor than a typical ranch sauce. The rest of the burger has lettuce, tomato and crispy bacon, and overall I thought it was a satisfying sandwich.

Other specialty burgers include the Buckin’ Rodeo ($8, $12), which comes with bacon, a fried onion ring, cheese and BBQ sauce, and the Trippin’ Swiss ($7, $11), which comes with mushrooms, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion.

Food carts: Saigon Sandwich, Zam Zam

Sunday, August 14th, 2016

Saigon Sandwich serves only one thing, and that’s banh mi sandwiches ($4.75). You may choose the type of bread, meat (e.g. chicken, veggie tofu, etc.) and toppings.

My white bread-BBQ pork-pate-sweet carrots-cilantro-cucumbers-jalapenos banh mi really hit the spot. It had a good ratio of baguette-to-fillings, and everything was fresh tasting.

My only complaint is that the line can get quite long because it’s one person taking orders and making the sandwiches. You can usually find the cart at University Research Park or at the intersection of Johnson St. and Charter St.

***

You don’t get to have Afghani cuisine every day, so I took advantage at Zam Zam. You’ll find lots of vegetarian-friendly options at this cart, which also offers catering.

The entrees are higher in price than you would find at other carts. For example, the least expensive item is the gulpi (stewed cauliflower), which costs $9. The quality is worth it, though. I enjoyed the array of seasonings in the beef meatballs of the kofta ($12), which is served in a little pool of its own curry sauce along with basmati rice.

Sandwiches, including a kebab burger and a meatball sub, also are available. The photo of the aziz banjan (eggplant sandwich, $5) on the menu shows the eggplant in slices, but it’s actually more of a mash. Regardless, it’s flavorful and very tender, held together with firm, thick naan and a little yogurt sauce. A delicious sandwich to be sure, even if you prefer to eat meat (as I do).

In the summer, the cart is usually found in University Research Park. The owner told me that once classes resume at UW-Madison, she’ll be back at her Dayton Street location, near the Geology building.

    Urban Air TryaTaste

  • Blog Home

    You are currently browsing the EatDrinkMadison.com blog archives.

  • Archives

  • Categories