So today is basically the first day of Summer. Or at least the first day it feels like Summer. After a horrendous Minnesota Winter, it's nice to be out in shorts and a t-shirt, and wear a pair of creeper shades to check out the skirts and dresses walking around town as well. To celebrate this nice Friday before Memorial Day, I clocked myself out of work early, took a nice shower and walked across the street to the park, where a small row of food trucks are always parked during the lunch hours. While these moving eateries have been all the craze for a couple of years now, I've never ordered a meal from one before. (My lunches usually consist of Subway eaten in the office, or Sushi & a couple martini's down the street)
I approach this baby-blue truck called Neato's Burgers, very reminiscent of the ice cream trucks that I rarely ever got to patronize as a youth ("You don't know what the hell is in those trucks!" My germaphobe Mom exclaimed), and I'm greeted with a moderate line of business people and hipster dog-walkers.. The menu is small, simple and to the point. Burgers, made with ground chuck and the usual array of toppings. French Fries, which are fried in Duck Fat and seasoned with Sea Salt, and Milkshakes, which came in either Strawberry or Chocolate Stout. I finally make my turn to order. I get a burger with ketchup and pickles, with a side of fries and a can of Root Beer (an order that immediately took me back to the mid-90's, when I would request the same selections whenever my folks grab burgers, which was often.). The wait wasn't long at all, considering the nice-sized crowd in front, which nearly doubled in the 4 minutes I waited for my meal. Once my food appeared, I scooted back over to my apartment and sat in my courtyard, ready to chow down. The burger was very tasty, juicy and well seasoned. But the star of the show is certainly the Duck Fat Fries. A lot of controversy is stirred up when you talk about the culinary usage of Duck (Foie Gras, anyone?) But this is a very solid match. The greasiness of duck lines up well with the hand-cut fries, almost giving it a bacon-like flavor (which Always works!) While it's not something an Olympic Runner would have in their standard diet, it's certainly a nice treat to nibble on here and there, and I will certainly make it back over to the Neato's truck again this summer.
